[Message] Pastor Jung Myeong Seok
[Scriptures] Matthew 15:21-28
“......Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
Hallelujah!
In today’s scriptures, Jesus was traveling about preaching the gospel, and when he withdrew to a particular region, a woman cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
However, Jesus did not answer her but kept going his way. On the way, his disciples kept urging him to send her away, so he spoke:
“I was sent to look only for the lost sheep of Israel and not for others.
I’ve come to save the Israelites.
When parents lose their children, how much would they yearn to find them!
I have come to find them: the Israelites whom God has lost! I’ve come here to find them for Him.
Therefore, I have no time to be distracted.”
Jesus clearly said this.
Jesus’ purpose was to find the lost people of Israel for God.
Then Jesus kept going his way but the woman chased after him.
And she said,
“Son of David, please have mercy on me. Please help me.”
At that time, Jesus spoke,
“It is the children’s bread. The bread is for the children, so then how can I give it to you?
I came to give it to my beloved sons and daughters.”
In the New Testament, people are either children or brothers in relation to Jesus.
In the New Testament, the relationship with God was not that of master and servant. It was the relationship of brothers.
“I’ve brought this bread for my children and brothers, so tell me how it is that I can give this to you,” Jesus enlightened her.
“How can I toss the children’s bread to the dogs?” he said.
He likened the Gentiles to dogs as a parable.
He likened the people who had ignored and did not believe in God to dogs as a parable.
Because they lived without believing in God, Jesus said they lived like animals.
It is not that Jesus was speaking ill of them.
If children from a family distrust their parents, we call them unfilial children.
It is the same in this case. It was the appropriate parable for that situation.
It is not right to toss the children’s bread to the dogs.
Jesus had to speak like this in order for others to understand him, based on their existing perceptions. If he had spoken in a different way, the people would not have understood.
But then the woman said,
“You are right. What you say is true.”
What she had wanted from Jesus was his help to cast away the demon from her daughter who was suffering terribly from demon possession.
She had come to Jesus for this very reason.
Upon hearing Jesus’ words, the woman said,
“Yes, You are right. But aren’t the dogs allowed to eat the crumbs that have fallen from their master’s table? What if the dogs eat the crumbs that have already fallen?
Please give me the crumbs at least.
If you cannot give me that precious bread, then at least give me just the crumbs.
Even the crumbs are enough for me.”
The woman said this to Jesus.
Isn’t she amazing?
That’s why she is recorded in the Bible.
Those in the Bible are not simply ordinary people.
The stories written in the Bible are educational resources that can be used from generation to generation. In it are the people who can be used as a mirror of those to come.
Jesus said,
“Woman, you have great faith! It is truly great. Let it be done exactly as you have requested and believed.”
From that moment on, her daughter was healed.
Maternal love is really powerful.
She fulfilled her purpose, at the risk of public shame. The purpose is the purpose!!
In this way, you should also strive after a purpose with all your heart, will and life.
People set purposes that can alter their destinies.
All people have a great purpose that they want to fulfill in their lives.
They live their lives with hope towards their purpose, yearning to fulfill it and wishing for it.
Once they fulfill the purpose, they can resolve their life’s issues, so they live with hope towards that.
When a person lives with a purpose that determines his fate, which of the two is better: not fulfilling the purpose while living comfortably or fulfilling the purpose while facing shame, difficulties and hardship?
Everyone, are you thinking, ‘Even amidst suffering, we will fulfill that purpose!’?
Is there anyone who would think, ‘Ah, I don’t want to fulfill the purpose while going through suffering. I’d rather live a comfortable life’?
Since the purpose determines your fate, living comfortably will also be a result of fulfilling the purpose.
The purpose is the purpose.
In other words, a mountain is a mountain and water is water. They are the same.
A person is a person! The purpose is the purpose!
People ask, “What is your purpose in life?”
Life is for fulfilling the purpose.
For God too, life is for fulfilling the Will.
It is the history of the Earth for the sake of the Will.
This also applies to the story in the scriptures above. The woman fulfilled her purpose after going through difficulties during the process.
But having fulfilled the purpose, she was able to live joyfully with her daughter forever.
The hardship was brief. The suffering was just for an instant.
Feeling embarrassed was just a moment’s suffering.
Likewise, regardless of the process, if you fulfill the purpose, wouldn’t that be enough?
Our purpose is currently being fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled in greater ways in the future, so we should continue living with thankfulness that our hope is being fulfilled.
The path to fulfilling the purpose is difficult and tough,
but don’t only think that the process is difficult.
While history unfolds, there are times that are sweet and times that are bitter, but there are also moments that are profound and mysterious as well. So go on your path while experiencing the process.
The purpose of taking care of families, living a life of faith and going to church is to fulfill your wishes. In the future, everything will continuously unravel exactly as you have envisioned.
I bless all of you to have your wishes of ‘fulfilling the purpose’ granted by the power and grace of the Trinity.
