Howdy. If you've ever tried to learn another
language, you discover pretty quickly that sometimes
the smallest change can completely change what
you've said. I'm still working on the Spanish.
Don't worry. Just give me time. I'll get there.
All right. But for a year, I was living in China
and thought I would try to learn some basic Chinese.
And there was a word that is a good example of
this, because Chinese, it's a tonal language.
The tone changes the meaning. So you could say
ma, okay? You could say ma with a first tone
and it means mother. Isn't that sweet? You could
then say ma with a second tone and it means hemp.
It's a little different. You could then say ma
with a Third tone, and it means horse. Don't
get the first and third confused. Terrible for
Mother's Day card. And then the fourth tone,
ma. That means you're scolding somebody. And
then there's even a fifth one, ma. It's actually
really short, really quick, and you put it at
the end of a sentence to turn it into a question.
And all of these things, same basic sound, different
tone, completely different meaning. There was
even one, it was this phrase, Niagamala, and
if you say it, it's meaning, what are you doing?
But if you say it louder, Niagamala, it means
like, what the heck are you doing? And it completely
changes the feeling of what you're saying. But
you see, we do it in English all the time too.
Depending on how you say something, it could
mean, I am genuinely excited for you. You could
say, that's great. I'm genuinely excited for
you. But then you could also say, that's great.
Saying, I cannot believe you just did that. You
could say, come here. Because you're thinking,
hey, I want to give you a hug. But then you say
it the wrong way, come here. We need to have
a conversation now. Both could have come from
my parents. So sometimes you don't even need
words. You just have an eyebrow that's raised
or a pause at the wrong time, eye contact, a
little too long or a little too short. And sometimes
despite our best intentions, we communicate something
we never intended. You were joking, but they
thought you were insulting them. You were trying
to encourage them, but instead it was rejection
and your face. You thought you were saying, I'm
with you, and instead it said, you made a terrible
choice. And believe me, been there. But you know,
the point is that the words themselves, they
don't always contain the whole conversation.
It's worth remembering this when we get to Matthew
15. Because Matthew, he gives us the words that
Jesus spoke to the Canaanite woman. But Matthew
doesn't give us an audio recording, okay? This
was like a few years before eight tracks. And
we don't know exactly what Jesus' face had looked
like. We don't know exactly how he said every
word. We don't know if there was a pause, an
inflection, a wink -wink and a nudge -nudge.
Was there a rhetorical edge or some other element
of communication that Matthew just didn't think
to record? It doesn't mean that we can changed
Jesus to saying whatever we want, but it means
that we need to be careful about taking one difficult
sentence and building an entire meaning all around
it. We need to listen to the whole conversation.
And Matthew tells us that a Canaanite woman comes
to Jesus crying out, have mercy on me, oh Lord,
son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed
by a demon. She's not from Israel. She is a Canaanite.
These were the people that they were supposed
to kick out originally when they came to the
promised land. She is an outsider in their eyes,
and yet she knows exactly who Jesus is. She calls
Him Lord. She calls Him Son of David. That means
Messiah, by the way. She asks Him for mercy,
and Jesus initially doesn't answer her. He just
keeps going. The disciples, they're getting irritated.
Send her away for she is crying out after us.
That one annoying person just wished that they
would just quiet down. Jesus says, I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
I don't know if that was his tone. I kind of
wonder though. Because then she kneels before
him. Lord, help me. Clearly. She still knows
where his heart is. And then comes a sentence
that can stop us cold. It is not right to take
the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.
Oof, don't say that one at a family reunion.
If we read that sentence in isolation all by
itself, no tone, no facial expression, no context,
it sounds incredibly harsh. But listen to what
happens next. She doesn't walk away. She doesn't
say well fine if that's how you feel. I'll just
I'm done Did that go well? Thank you She answers
yes Lord yet even the dogs Eat the crumbs that
fall from their masters table. Oh a Detail worth
noticing the word that Matthew records for dogs.
It's a diminutive form. It's it's like a puppy
dog. That's like a family pet, okay? But that
doesn't necessarily mean that it's about using
an affectionate pet name. We shouldn't make the
passage out to be cute. But it does fit the picture
of Jesus having children at the table, but others
still receiving what falls from the table. But
notice what the woman does. She doesn't reject
Jesus' image. She doesn't assume all the worst.
even though it sounds pretty difficult. She finds
hope inside of it. Yes, Lord, yet even the little
dogs eat the crumbs. Not demanding the children's
bread, trusting that there is enough mercy in
the master for her, too. When was the last time
we heard something difficult and assumed the
best instead of the worst? Jesus responds, oh
woman, great is your faith. The woman came asking
for mercy, and she leaves having received mercy.
Whatever precisely was happening in the tone
and the rhetoric, we cannot understand verse
26 if we don't also look at verse 28. The whole
conversation matters. Matthew is showing us something
bigger than some argument between Jesus and a
desperate mother. He's showing us a gospel breaking
through boundaries. And to understand what is
happening, we do have to remember Isaiah, these
I will bring to my holy mountain and make them
joyful in my house of prayer. For my house shall
be called the house of prayer for all peoples,
all peoples. That's the astonishing thing. God
chose Israel, but Israel was never chosen because
Israel was somehow more worthy than somebody
else. Israel was chosen to be the vessel through
which God would reveal his salvation to the world.
Did you catch that? It was meant for the world.
Israel was the vessel, not the only recipient.
God gave Israel the covenant, the promises, the
law, the prophets, the scriptures. Through Israel
would come the Messiah, thanks be to God. But
there is a tremendous difference. Between being
the vessel through which God brings salvation
to the world versus being the people who somehow
deserve it alone Israel was not chosen because
God looked down and said oh these people they're
better than everyone else so Clearly they get
to be saved and everyone else is just out of
luck God chose Israel Because God had a purpose
for Israel The promise given to Abraham was always
bigger than Abraham's family. Even Genesis 12,
it says, in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed. Israel was supposed to be a
beacon for the world, not a barricade to the
world. A sign pointing toward God, not a wall
keeping everyone else away. And that beacon ultimately
had a name, Jesus. Israel was not the destination.
Israel was the people through whom God would
bring the Savior. The promises were pointing
somewhere. The covenant, the sacrifices, the
prophets were pointing somewhere. They were pointing
to Christ who would come from Israel. And when
the Canaanite woman comes to Jesus, she isn't
finding a new way around God's promises to Israel.
She's coming directly to the one toward whom
those promises had always been pointing. Isaiah
makes that clear. God's house would be a house
of prayer for all peoples. The nations were always
part of the story. And that's where, frankly,
God's people can be confused. God gives us blessings
that point people toward Him, and eventually
we start treating those things as though they
belong exclusively to us, to keep everyone else
out. The covenant becomes like a security badge.
The temple, like a personal possession. The law,
a weapon against others. Traditions, a test of
who belongs and who doesn't. The things that
God has intended to proclaim, come and see who
God is, instead, they might become, you aren't
one of us. And frankly, Israel's not the only
ones who did it. The church. can do exactly the
same thing. There are times when someone says,
I am growing in my Christian faith, and then
they follow it with, I've been listening to more
Christian music. As if somehow that is now the
measure of their discipleship. Yes, we have Christian
music, Christian books, Christian television,
podcasts, schools, conferences, Bible studies,
Christian buildings and programs, vocabulary
and traditions. And all those things can be wonderful.
They can be vessels through which the gospel
is communicated. We should not despise them because
they matter, they teach us, they form us, a language
and a way of seeing God, but they are the means,
not medals to be proud of. They are gifts through
which grace is carried, not evidence that somehow
we've become worthy of grace. We have to remember
that the vessel carrying the gospel is not the
same thing as fruit produced by the gospel. A
person can sing Christian music and be bitter
in their hearts. A person can read Christian
books and be arrogant of mind. A person can know
the Bible and be cruel in their actions. A congregation
can have beautiful worship, and some can still
have prejudice in their hearts. A person can
know exactly what the pastor is supposed to say
about forgiveness, but still refuse to forgive
the person three rows away. They looked at them
funny. The question is not merely, do we have
Christian things? The question is, what is Christ
producing in us? Paul tells us what the fruit
should look like. The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness. Self -control, I know.
You memorize them. There's nine of them. The
first three have one syllable. The next three
have two syllables. The last three have three
syllables. The math teacher does that to remember
them. I love it. But you know, the fruit, it's
not what earns us God's love. It's what begins
to grow because we've already received it. We
don't become worthy vessels of grace by becoming
good enough We become vessels of grace because
Christ has already been gracious to us and the
more deeply we understand that The more we begin
to look like the one whose grace we carry Christian
things are useful Christian practices matter
Christian traditions can be beautiful But none
of them are trophies proving that we've become
holy We don't possess grace as if it were exclusively
ours. We carry grace because it's intended for
us and for all people. And that matters when
somebody walks through the doors of the church
carrying a difficult past. Oh, not any of you.
I'm sure you're all perfect. But you see, maybe
they didn't grow up in church. Maybe they have,
maybe there were choices made that we wouldn't
have made. Maybe they don't know the Bible the
way that we do. Maybe they're still learning
what it means to follow Christ, taking one step
at a time. Maybe you were given an opportunity
to learn some of these things when you were younger,
and that is a gift. But don't turn the gift you
received into a measuring stick for somebody
who didn't receive it the same way. We have to
allow people to grow. We have to allow people
the chance to learn. We have to allow people
the chance to stumble. Because the church is
not a museum for displaying finished Christians.
It's a community of people still being formed
by Christ. And that means that there will be
broken people here. Yes. There will be difficult
people here. I know. Hard to believe. There will
be people who say things they shouldn't say,
people who have prejudices that they still need
to confront, people who are angry, people judgmental,
people who are perpetually unhappy, that frown
somehow has been formed. There will be people
who read words, not because they want to understand
the meaning, but because they're ready to attack.
We're working on them, but we're also working
on ourselves too. Believe me, I've had the strange
of experience of standing here, proclaiming something
directly from Jesus, only discover that I too
would sometimes rather defend what I've already
decided than let Jesus change me. And I've certainly
discovered there are others that do the same.
Sometimes the messenger gets caught in the crossfire,
but even then, we don't give up on people. Because
the fact that someone is struggling does not
mean that God has stopped working on them. We're
all still making our way toward Christ because
He already came to us to bring us His grace.
This is where Romans 11 becomes very important.
Everything Paul has said about Israel's unbelief,
God's chosen people, Paul asks, has God rejected
His people. And He emphatically says, by no means.
God's mercy toward the Gentiles does not mean
God has abandoned the Jewish community. He wants
them to know Christ as well. Paul warns the Gentile
Christians not to become arrogant about their
place in God's family. Why? Because they didn't
earn it either. They were brought in by grace
the same. And the Gentiles being brought in does
not mean that Israel was some failed experiment.
How many from Israel did come to know and believe
in Christ? And Israel's place in God's story
does not mean the Gentiles have to somehow become
Israel in order to receive God's mercy. God's
one gracious person, God's one gracious purpose
is already unfolding in Christ. And then Paul
gives us one of the most remarkable statements
in the passage where he says, for God has consigned
all to disobedience that he may have mercy on
all. All. Israel needs mercy. Gentiles need mercy.
The church needs mercy. The world needs mercy.
The person who has been sitting in the pews for
60 years needs mercy still. The person who just
walked in this morning needs mercy still. The
person who wandered away as well as the person
who never wandered both still need mercy. Nobody
gets to boast about deserving the table. We all
need Jesus. And that's why even our testimonies
of coming to faith, they have to be handled with
humility too. How often we hear somebody with
this proclaimed testimony and gets on a magazine
or on a TV show. I walked away from God and enjoyed
life for so many years, but I came back and now
I understand grace so much better than all those
other people. There may be something beautiful
and true in a testimony, but it doesn't mean
I was outside and now I'm better than the people
who stayed. On the other hand, someone who grew
up in the church cannot say, I have been faithful
all these years, so clearly I'm better than the
person who just wandered in. What about the person
baptized as an adult? I remember the day. I remember
my decision. I remember what I felt. But what
about the person baptized as an infant? I don't
remember that day, but I trust that God's grace
is mine in Christ Jesus. Which baptism is better?
Neither. Because baptism is not ultimately a
story about what we do for God, as if we can
do anything for Him. It's a story about what
God did for us on the cross, in which we are
buried and raised. One baptism, one Christ, one
grace, one promise. The difference isn't in the
worth of the person receiving it or how ready
they feel they are. The difference is only in
the story that God has written around the people.
because one remembers the font, the other one
does not. Well, they probably remember a little
baptismal tub because if I tried to take an adult
and try to baptize them in that little font over
there, that'd be really difficult, a little too
heavy for me, but we could try. You see, neither
has more of Jesus. God says, you are mine. We
don't possess the grace, we carry it. Because
we finally see what is happening with this Canaanite
woman. The disciples, well, they're the insiders,
and clearly she must be the outsider, right?
You're the people that we should have gotten
rid of. We were supposed to kill y 'all off a
long time ago. You don't belong here. You don't
belong with us. Be quiet. You shouldn't be here.
The disciples spent the time with Jesus. She
hasn't. They understand the Scriptures. She's
just a Canaanite. But in this moment, who demonstrates
the faith? She does. Oh woman, great is your
faith. The outsider becomes a witness to the
insiders. That's a lesson that the church needs.
Sometimes the person we think needs to be brought
into the circle is the person God is using to
remind those inside why the circle existed in
the first place. Because we're meant to bring
people in. Not to just decide who should stay
out. That's why we don't get to say, oh, those
people, they need God's grace. We need God's
grace. When somebody comes into the church with
a difficult background, we don't simply say,
clean yourself up and then we'll let you belong.
We walk with them. We teach them. We correct
them. We forgive. We help them grow. We let them
take the next step. Yes, there are times when
you see us wondering, why do you let someone
like that here in the church? Because Christ
is working on them, even as he's working on us
all. And when we encounter the angry person,
the bitter person, the judgmental one, the prejudiced
one, even if they happen to be members, we don't
write them off either. We don't approve of the
sin. Grace is not approval. Christ loves you
too much to leave you there. And sometimes God
uses another person to bring us back on track.
And maybe that's what it means to be the church.
Not a collection of people who have it figured
out, not a community that eliminated all the
difficult people, not a place where everyone
has the same history or everyone arrived at the
same level of maturity, but a people who have
received grace and are now vessels of it. Because
if we keep walking away, every time we discover
someone in our community who has failed, we're
never gonna stop running. Start another church,
find another group, change the worship style,
find different people, start over. Eventually
we discover something. The new people have problems
too. Sorry for all the visitors here. Because
the problem was never simply the old people,
nor was it the new people. The problem is we're
all human. And the Christian response isn't,
how do we find better people? The Christian response
is, how do we become better together at bringing
people we already have back to Christ? And that's
what grace does. Here's the beautiful part. The
person who comes back to Christ may have something
to teach the person who never left. But also
the person who's been in church for 60 years
may have something to teach the person who arrived
yesterday. The person who feels like an outsider,
they may be blessed by one of those so -called
insiders, but the person who thinks they have
everything figured out may discover the outsider
has something that they had forgotten. Because
we don't possess grace just for ourselves. Grace
is something that we carry for the world as well.
Sometimes God carries that grace to us through
the people who expose our own immaturity. The
Canaanite woman came to Jesus for mercy and in
the process, Jesus used her to teach his own
disciples. The outsider was the vessel of grace
to the inside and perhaps that's what the church
is supposed to be. Not a place to prove we're
better, not a place where we see anything. except
God's mercy still moving. Christ to us, us to
one another, to our neighbors. But sometimes,
through the very people we thought needed us
most, back to us. We carry that grace. And God
keeps putting broken people in our lives because
He hasn't forgotten how broken they are. And
He knows exactly the grace they need. And he
has decided to carry some of that grace through
you. Congratulations, you're a vessel. And that
doesn't mean we're the source. We're not the
answer to somebody's brokenness, but we are simply
people who receive the mercy of Christ and have
been given the privilege to carry that mercy
to someone else. For God has consigned all to
disobedience that he may have mercy. And that
mercy is yours right now, because Christ died
and rose for you. Thanks be to God.