Mateus 15
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - Tradition is something external, while God’s truth is internal, in the heart. People obey tradition to please men and gain status (Gal. 1:14), but we obey the Word to please God. Tradition deals with ritual, while God’s truth deals with reality. Tradition brings empty words to the lips, but truth penetrates the heart and changes the life. Actually, tradition robs a person of the power of the Word of God. Unfortunately, there are many “evangelical traditions” in churches today, man-made teachings that are often considered as authoritative as the Word of God—even though they contradict His Word. By obeying these traditions, Christians rob themselves of the power of God’s Word. (See Be Loyal (Matthew): Following the King of Kings) Knox Chamblin - And we have just considered Jesus' devastating attack upon his contemporaries' practice of allowing human tradition to overrule divine revelation. Lest we relegate that danger to ancient times, let us be aware of our own tendency as Protestants within the Reformed Tradition, to grant to our interpretation of Scripture, an authority that is hardly less than that of Scripture itself. (Matthew 15:1-20) Alan Carr says it well - Genuine Worship Is Always Grounded In God's Truth - v. 9 - Just because you went to a church and got pumped up by some loud preacher does not mean that you had worship! Just because you did it the same way this week as your forefathers did 200 years ago does not mean you worshiped. You worshiped when you encountered God as He is revealed to us in His Word! You worshiped when your spirit was moved by His Spirit through the proclamation of His truth, John 4:24. You can't even claim to know God until you have come to Him His way! Regardless of what your heart tells you, to think you are saved when you are not is the ultimate in self-deception, Matt. 7:21-23+. Broadus puts it this way "Isaiah means to distinguish between a worship of God that is taught by men, and that which is according to the teaching of God’s word." (Matthew 15 Commentary) You cannot argue, as some do, that truth can be successfully mixed with tradition without compromising the message. -- Erwin Lutzer
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - The meaning seems obvious to us, but it was astonishingly new to orthodox Jews. Matthew 15:16 Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also? NET Matthew 15:16 Jesus said, "Even after all this, are you still so foolish? NLT Matthew 15:16 "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asked. ESV Matthew 15:16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? NIV Matthew 15:16 "Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. GNT Matthew 15:16 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἀκμὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; KJV Matthew 15:16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Mt 15:10 13:51 16:9,11 Isa 28:9,10 Mk 6:52 7:18 8:17,18 9:32 Lu 9:45 Lu 18:34 24:45 Heb 5:12 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also - NLT - "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus answers Peter's question by beginning with His own question in which He chides the "slow learner" (and all the disciples in Mk 7:18). Why are you so dull? Notice the pronoun YOU, which distinguishes the disciples from the Pharisees and the masses, neither of which had any understanding Jesus' response reminds us of His rebuke in Mt 14:31+ "Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - We are not sure whether they meant, “Give her what she wants and get rid of her” or just “Get rid of her!” In either case, they were not showing much compassion for either her or her demonized daughter. Our Lord’s reply in Matthew 15:24 indicates that they probably wanted Him to answer her request.
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - Keep in mind that our Lord responded to this woman as He did, not to destroy her faith, but to develop it. Her own replies showed that she was growing in faith and unwilling to let Him go without getting an answer. Godly Samuel Rutherford stated this principle perfectly: “It is faith’s work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the roughest strokes of God.” Henry Morris on the lost sheep of the house of Israel - The Lord Jesus had come into the world to die for the sin of the whole world, but He had also come as Israel's promised Messiah. His seeming harshness to the Canaanite woman is best understood as not only a test of her faith in the God of Israel, but also as a means to show His disciples that Gentiles also were included in God's plan, and that they too could have saving faith. Sent (649)(apostello from apo = from, away from + stello = to withdraw from, avoid) means to send off, to send forth, to send out. To send out; to commission as a representative, an ambassador, an envoy. The idea is to send forth from one place to another. But the meaning of apostello is more than just to send because it means "to send off on a commission to do something as one’s personal representative, with credentials furnished" (Wuest) To send upon some business (Mt. 2:16; 10:5; 20:2). To send away in the sense of to dismiss (Mk 12:3, 4). To send or thrust forth as a sickle among corn (Mk 4:29). John Broadus on lost sheep (comment on Mt 10:6) - To the lost sheep, etc., comp. on Mt 9:36; and see the same figure employed in Isa. 53:6; Jer. 50:6; Ezek. 34:5. Our Lord confined his own personal labors almost entirely to the Jews; he declares, in 15:24, that his mission was ‘to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,’ the same expression as here; though at a later period he says that he has ‘other sheep which are not of this fold.’ (John. 10:16.) It was a part of the peculiar privileges of the Jewish nation that the gospel should be first preached to them (Luke 24:47; Acts 13:46; Rom. 1:16); yet Jesus frequently intimated that these exclusive privileges could not last always. (Mt 8:11; 10:18; 21:43; 22:9; 24:14.) By Confining his labors and those of the Twelve to them he avoided exciting their prejudices, and thus deprived them of even the poor excuse for rejecting him which they would have found in his preaching freely among the Gentiles and Samaritans. Accordingly, Matthew mentions this limitation, while Mark and Luke do not. Even at a later period, Paul found it almost impossible to convince some Jewish Christians that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the privileges of the gospel, without becoming Jews. And then had the reign of Messiah been proclaimed to the Gentiles before it had been welcomed by many Jews, the former might have made it a very plausible objection to the new religion that it was not believed in at home, where it was best understood. Furthermore, as regards this mission of the Twelve, they were as yet too ignorant themselves of the true nature of Messiah’s kingdom to undertake its propagation among the Gentiles; they would have introduced the current Jewish errors on the subject. Some years later, when their own course of early instruction was completed, and the Spirit was come, they were prepared to preach “repentance and remission of sins … unto all the nations.” (Luke 24:47) For the present they could prepare the Jews among whom they went for the preaching of Jesus, and what they said would not strengthen, but so far as it went would rather correct the popular errors. Such a restriction of labor to the Jews is not addressed to the Seventy (Luke 10:1ff.), but it is really involved in the statement that they were to go where Jesus was going. Mormons Answered Verse by Verse Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. A footnote to this verse in the LDS Salt Lake City Bible ties in the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” with the “scattering” of Israel, representatives of the tribe of Joseph allegedly having migrated to the Americas. Book of Mormon verses in the Topical Guide section cited in this footnote tell of Jesus’ alleged visits to these Israelites in the Americas. But, is that what Jesus meant when he referred to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”? No. Rather, he meant the Israelites to whom he was preaching in Judah and in Galilee who were in a “lost” condition in God’s eyes. This is clear from the way he used the same expression earlier in Matthew’s Gospel when he sent out his apostles into towns he himself was about to visit, instructing them, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5, 6). Obviously, he did not send them to the Americas. Norman Geisler - When Cultists Ask - MATTHEW 15:24—Did the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” mentioned in this verse migrate to America? MISINTERPRETATION: Mormons believe the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” mentioned in this verse refers not to Israelites in the Palestine area but to Israelites who migrated to America (Smith, 1975, 3:214). CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: The Mormon understanding is not supported either by the text or its context. Jesus was referring to Israelites that were spiritually lost, not geographically lost, more specifically, Israelites in the Palestine area who were in a lost condition in God’s eyes. Further, recall that Jesus had instructed the disciples: “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” (Matt. 10:6–7 NASB). Jesus’ disciples fulfilled these instructions not by going to America to preach, but by preaching to Israelites in and around Palestine. Question - Why did Jesus say that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24)? Answer: Jesus was in the area of Tyre and Sidon, a coastal region in extreme northeastern Galilee (Matthew 15:21) when a Canaanite woman came to Him with a request to heal her demon-possessed daughter. For a while, Jesus did not respond to the woman’s entreaties, and she followed Him and continued to beg for mercy. Finally, the disciples, feeling that the woman was a nuisance, asked Jesus to send her away. Then Jesus said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). We should understand Jesus’ words here not as an outright rejection of the Gentiles—moments later, He heals the woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:28)—but as a fulfillment of prophecy, a setting of priorities, and a test of the woman’s faith. In Jeremiah 50:6, God calls Israel His people and “lost sheep.” The Messiah, spoken of throughout the Old Testament, was seen as the one who would gather these “lost sheep” (Ezekiel 34:23-24; Micah 5:4-5). When Jesus presented Himself as a shepherd to Israel, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy (Mark 6:34, 14:27; John 10:11-16; see also Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4; and Revelation 7:17). Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman also show an awareness of Israel’s place in God’s plan of salvation. God revealed through Moses that the children of Israel were “a holy people to the LORD . . . chosen . . . a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). It was through the Jews that God issued His Law, preserved His Word, and sent His Son. This is why, elsewhere, Jesus tells a Samaritan that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). In Matthew 15, when the Jewish Messiah says that He was sent to “the house of Israel,” He is simply connecting His presence with God’s purpose in Old Testament history. Christ was “born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5). Every ministry must have priorities, and Christ’s ministry was no exception. When Jesus sent His disciples to preach the good news of the kingdom, He expressly told them, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). Jesus did not forbid their preaching to all Gentiles; He did, however, narrow their focus to the areas which should be most receptive—those who knew the Law and were expecting the Messiah. Paul, in his missionary journeys, followed the same priority of preaching to the Jews first (Romans 1:16). Finally, Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman served as a test of her faith. She came to Jesus believing that He was the “Lord,” the “Son of David,” and the giver of mercy (Matthew 15:22). His delayed answer and seemingly exclusionary statement brought from her a further, passionate, public expression of her faith in His unlimited power (Matthew 15:27). This act of compassion and healing of a Gentile is a beautiful picture of Christ’s ministry to the whole world—the Jewish Messiah is also the Savior of all who will believe (Matthew 28:19; John 10:16; Acts 10:34-36; Revelation 5:9). (Source - Gotquestions) D L Moody - Matthew 15: The woman’s faith overcame His— Silence. Matthew 15:23. Sovereignty. Matthew 15:24. Severity. Matthew 15:26. Related Resource: Did Jesus come only for the Jews and not the Gentiles? Matthew 15:25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" NET Matthew 15:25 But she came and bowed down before him and said, "Lord, help me!" NLT Matthew 15:25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord, help me!" ESV Matthew 15:25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." NIV Matthew 15:25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. GNT Matthew 15:25 ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα, Κύριε, βοήθει μοι. KJV Matthew 15:25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. came: Mt 20:31 Ge 32:26 Ho 12:4 Lu 11:8-10 18:1-8 bow down before: Mt 14:33 Lord: Mk 9:22,24 Matthew 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE BEST PRAYER: HELP LORD But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" - She was not to be deterred, for she was a determined mother with a demonized daughter! Mark specified her request for help writing "she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter." (Mark 7:26+ ) Her cry for help is in present imperative, a bold request! Note that she says "help me," not "help my daughter." She is intimately involved in the intercessory prayer, a good pattern for all intercessors, praying with "personal, possessive passion." The brightest jewels are found in the darkest places. Brian Bell - Press through all obstacles & throw yourself a His feet. Knowing that, the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. d) Slide9 Jesus was creating an opportunity for the complete activity of her faith.
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - Jesus was not playing games with the woman, nor was He trying to make the situation more difficult. He was drawing out of her a growing response of faith. Wuest makes a great point about Jesus going first to the Jews - The Jews looked upon all Gentiles as dogs. It was a term of reproach. Paul called the Judaizers, dogs when he said (Phil. 3:2+), “Beware of the dogs.” But our Lord did not use the Greek word kuōn here, the term for a dog. And He must have spoken Greek to this woman, for she would not know the Aramaic of the Jews. Greek was the international language of the day. The word Jesus used was kunarion “a little dog.” In answering the woman thus, He was just staying by His commission, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. And that order of procedure was not favoritism, but only the method of reaching the large number through a selected smaller group. The Jew was the chosen channel through which God has elected to reach the Gentiles. It would be just a wise efficiency to thus go to the Jew first. The Messiah, sent to Israel, was careful to preserve that order. And even when about to minister to a Gentile to whom His compassionate heart went out, He was careful to remind her of the fact that she came second, not first, in the great program of God. Dogs (2952)(kunarion) is the term for a little dog or puppy or what we might refer to as a "house dog." TDNT makes an interesting comment that "is probably chosen by Jesus in Mk. 7:27; Mt. 25:26 to show that there is a distinction between Jews and Gentiles but still to give the Gentiles a place in the house. The woman in her reply accepts the distinction but in so doing takes the place that is offered and finds the help she seeks." In sum, Jesus is not talking about a street scavenger but a household pet. Used 4x - Matt. 15:26; Matt. 15:27; Mk. 7:27; Mk. 7:28. No uses in the Septuagint.
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - She immediately seized on His illustration about the children’s bread, which was exactly what He wanted her to do. We may paraphrase her reply: “It is true that we Gentiles do not sit at the table as children and eat the bread. But even the pet dogs under the table can eat some of the crumbs!” What a tremendous testimony of faith!
Mateus 15
Wiersbe - It is worth noting that both of the persons in the Gospel of Matthew who had “great faith” were Gentiles: this Canaanite woman and the Roman centurion (Matt. 8:5–13). In both cases, Jesus healed the one in need from a distance. Spiritually speaking, the Gentiles were “afar off” until Calvary, when Jesus Christ died for both Jews and Gentiles and made reconciliation possible (Eph. 2:11ff). This woman’s faith was great because she persisted in asking and trusting when everything seemed against her. Certainly her race was against her: She was a Gentile. Her sex was against her, for most Jewish rabbis paid little attention to women. It seemed that the disciples were against her, and Christ’s words might have led her to believe that even He was against her. All of these obstacles only made her persist in asking. Edwards points out that ""In contrast to the tradition of the elders Jesus [authoritatively] embraces the alienated of the Mosaic and rabbinic tradition: a leper (Mark 1:40-45+), tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13-17+), and even unclean Gentiles, including a Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30)." (PNTC-Mark) Mark Akin applies this story to us today - What a magnificent picture of salvation we have in this story. Yes Lord, we are all dogs under the table with no rights whatsoever as a member of the family. I acknowledge I don‟t deserve a place at the table, but I believe there is enough even for me on the table! I know you have some for me. I don‟t deserve it, but I desperately need it. Just a few crumbs will be enough. That I believe. Then in amazing grace and mercy our Savior lifts us up, no longer a dog (sinner) but a child (saved), no longer under the table but now a member of the family at the table. Are you willing to see yourself as the dog you are that you might be transformed into the child you might become?! Your sin is greater than perhaps you realize but His grace is greater than you could ever imagine. Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much; None can ever ask too much. This Gentile woman came in faith in the greatness of the One she was addressing Lord, the one Who is our King, which reminds me of Newton's great hymn Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare (Listen to a beautiful vocal by Matt Foreman - it will move you deeply!) by John Newton Come, my soul, thy suit prepare: Jesus loves to answer prayer; He Himself has bid thee pray, Therefore will not say thee nay; Therefore will not say thee nay. Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much; None can ever ask too much. With my burden I begin: Lord, remove this load of sin; Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt, Set my conscience free from guilt; Set my conscience free from guilt. Lord, I come to Thee for rest, Take possession of my breast; There Thy blood bought right maintain, And without a rival reign; And without a rival reign. As the image in the glass Answers the beholder's face; Thus unto my heart appear, Print Thine own resemblance there; Print Thine own resemblance there. While I am a pilgrim here, Let Thy love my spirit cheer; As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend, Lead me to my journey's end; Lead me to my journey's end. Show me what I have to do, Every hour my strength renew: Let me live a life of faith, Let me die Thy people's death; Let me die Thy people's death. May God open the eyes of our heart to the priceless truth of the privilege that we are "coming to a King" so that "large petitions with thee bring." Amen And so Jesus is teaching His disciples that FOODS ARE CLEAN GENTILES ARE CLEAN! Guzik on why her faith was great: Her faith was great, even compared to her other virtues. She was humble, she was patient, she was persevering, she cared for her child. Yet Jesus didn’t compliment any of these good things, but only her faith. Her faith was great because it was unlikely. No one might have expected a Gentile to trust Jesus so much. Her faith was great because she worshipped Jesus even before she had an answer from Him. Her faith was great because it had been tested so severely. It’s hard to think of a greater test than a demon-possessed child; but her faith was also tried by the seeming indifference or coldness of Jesus. Her faith was great because it was clever. She turned Jesus’ word inside-out and made what might have been taken as an insult as a door open for faith Her faith was great because it concerned a need right in front of her, and a real need at that. Many people have faith for everything except those things that are right in front of them. Her faith was great because it would not give up. She did not stop until she got what she needed from Jesus. You could say that her faith conquered Jesus. He not only healed her daughter but He did so immediately, something that she had not even asked for. Greg Laurie - CARTE BLANCHE “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” —MATTHEW 15:28 HOW THE CHURCH needs intercessors today! The woman described in Matthew 15 fits this description. Her daughter was “severely demon-possessed” and she pleaded with Jesus to heal her. This woman, like any loving mother, cared for her daughter. She loved her more than life itself. She wanted Jesus to take action—but on her initial approach, the Lord appeared almost heartless and uncaring. The text simply says He “answered her not a word” (verse 23). Why did He respond this way? First, it would be helpful to understand the woman’s background. The Bible says she was a Canaanite. The Canaanites, you’ll remember, were idol worshipers, the ancient enemies of Israel whom God ordered destroyed. Here was a descendant of the avowed enemies of Israel. It’s entirely possible that this woman (whom Mark identifies as a Syro-Phoenician) was a worshiper of the false goddess Ashtoreth. Yet she comes to Jesus, seeking help. Apparently, her idols had been unable to assist her—in fact, they had contributed to the problem. They no doubt helped to bring her daughter under the control of demons. When Jesus “answered her not a word,” it appeared He was rejecting her. But He was not trying to destroy her faith; He wanted to develop it. He was not playing games with her, nor was He trying to make the situation more difficult. He was seeking to draw out her faith. He could see how strong her faith was and how she was aligning herself with His will—so He set her apart as an example of true faith. He put up barriers so she might step over them and show her true commitment. Jesus knew what she wanted and He knew what He was going to do. The Master had grown tired of phoniness and superficiality. He had spent considerable time exposing the sham religion of the Pharisees and repeatedly emphasized the critical importance of the heart. Finally, He encountered someone with a true heart. He discovered an honest person, someone who wanted Him for the right reason. How did the woman react to His silence? No sooner had Jesus put up this barrier than the woman stepped over it. She was absolutely undeterred. She pleaded with Him a second time, “Lord, help me!” (verse 25). At that point Jesus moved to level two. Listen to His response: “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (verse 26). What strong words to say to a woman with a demon-possessed daughter! His words sound insulting, but they’re not as harsh as they first seem. In those days people used two different words to talk about dogs. One was a phrase that described mangy, dirty mongrels which roamed the streets and lived off of garbage. The second was used for the family pet, the dog you really loved. The latter is the word Jesus used here. He was saying, “It is not right to take food from the master’s table and give it to the family pet.” But not even this response could deter this woman. Her faith was so strong that she realized even a tiny leftover of Jesus’ power would be enough to heal her daughter. She first scaled the barrier of silence and now she hurdled the barrier of seeming rejection. She replied, “True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (verse 27). This is what Jesus had been waiting to hear; here was a woman who would not let go. At that moment the heavens opened and Jesus gave her carte blanche: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire” (verse 28). And her daughter was healed that instant. What earned this woman such an incredible privilege? Persistence and commitment. When the door was shut in her face, she kept knocking. When Christ portrayed her as a dog, she simply picked up His words—just like a good little dog would pick up his master’s stick—and dropped them at His feet. She would not give up. She would not go home without the touch of the Master on her daughter’s life. If at first she did not succeed, she would keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. This woman was a true intercessor. Intercessory prayer means that you stand in the gap for someone and you will not give up. You are going to keep praying for that person till you see something happen. People can reject your influence and escape your presence, but they can never escape your prayers. Sidlow Baxter said, “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” So take a tip from this Syro-Phoenician woman. Don’t give up! Hang in there! Keep praying! Keep seeking! Keep knocking! If an obstacle lies in front of you, go over it. If a door is shut, knock harder. Don’t give up! The hurdle in front of you may be the last one before the finish line. Look at the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, where He speaks about the value and reward of persistent prayer (Matthew 7:7–12). Simpson - Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Oh, the victories of prayer! They are the mountain tops of the Bible. They take us back to the plains of Mamre, to the fords of Peniel, to the prison of Joseph, to the triumphs of Moses, to the transcendent victories of Joshua, to the deliverances of David, to the miracles of Elijah and Elisha, to the whole story of the Master’s life, to the secret of Pentecost, to the keynote of Paul’s unparalleled ministry, to the lives of saints and the deaths of martyrs, to all that is most sacred and sweet in the history of the Church and the experience of the children of God. And when, for us, the last conflict shall have passed, and the footstool of prayer shall have given place to the harp of praise, the spots of time that shall be gilded with the most celestial and eternal radiance, shall be those, often linked with deepest sorrow and darkest night, over which we have the inscription, “Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord was there!” F B