Living in the Reality of God's Love

You ever wonder why God doesn’t just start striking people down who go against his law? Ever wonder why we don’t see the earth swallow people up when they go against God’s people? Ever wonder why God doesn’t send plagues or make people wander in deserts any more? You know, book of Exodus type of stuff.

The last time I got to share with you, I shared what God has been working on me. As our Church goes through a time of transition, I have been asking God what would you have me do. Because I have to tell you, I’m not interested in leading a local church, just to lead it or have a new title. If God decides that he wants me to lead a whole congregation, I want him to be the one directing me. Because I know I can easily mess things up. And while going after God on what he would have me do, he’s been opening my eyes to the path he wants us to take as a community.

The last time I shared with you, I shared the vision of God. We talked about how God had a vision of a perfect world were he could interact and teach his creation. We talked about how when we have visions of ourselves and those visions become hard to achieve we have a tendency to give up on them. But when humanity rebelled against God and committed the first sin of pride and disobedience, God didn’t give up on his vision of a world where he could interact with his creation. No, he didn’t give up on his vision, instead, he fought for it. He laid out a plan to bring his creation back to himself. Through the cross of Christ, God fought for his vision and he continues to fight and pursue that vision in the lives of people.

So, ever wonder why God doesn’t just start striking down people? He’s done it before, why not now? 

God says that sin is anything we do that is contrary to his law, his will or like we’ve been talking about, his vision. When a person sins, or breaks God’s vision, the result is separation from God. This is called death. The consequence of our sin actions are the death of our bodies and the separation of our spirits from God for eternity, that is called hell. So when I sin, my body moves towards death and my spirit moves towards hell. I personally know that I deserve the consequences of my actions. I know I deserve the death of my body and the separation of my spirit from God in hell. So why doesn’t God carry out the sentence? Why does he allow people to continue to go against his law, his will and his vision?

The apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15 that he is the chief, the foremost, the first among all sinners. Paul says of himself that he was a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent opponent of God. Think about that, this is the same guy that wrote that the wages, the payment we receive from our sin, from our rebellion against God, is death.

So why, why hasn’t God carried out our punishment? Why didn’t God take Paul out? Why hasn’t God taken me out?

Today, I want us to dive into an aspect of God that we talk so often about, yet we don’t tend live in.

I want to explore this aspect of God from the life of Jesus; would you turn with me to the book of Matthew chapter 15 verse 21? This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, because it shows us just who the God is. As you open to Matthew 15:21, let me tell you what has been happening so far in the text. Jesus was in a place called Gennesaret and when he arrived, people recognized him and started bringing the sick to him to be healed. Jesus was in the midst of this healing time when some Pharisees, or legalistic Jews who wanted to stop his work, found him to ask him questions. Jesus turns the tables on them and eventually teaches them that the things that make a person unclean or sinful comes from within and not from outside sources. 

At the end of this time, Jesus leaves the crowds behind and goes to a place to rest. And recuperate from the long journey. It’s at this point that we come to our passage today. Would you follow along as I read Matthew 15:21-28?

“Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’ The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’ ‘Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.”

Years ago when I first read this, the first thought that came to my mind was, “Jesus’ is a jerk.” I mean here’s this mother, pleading for her daughter’s release from a demon’s clutches and Jesus calls her a dog. I mean, that seems pretty rude. Yet, as I meditated and sought God to understand the passage more, God led me to the answer about, not only this passage, but to why he hasn’t struck me down in my sin.

If we go back to the passage and really begin to look at what’s going on, we can see the truth. Jesus being fully-man is tired and probably worn out physically, and here comes another person wanting a healing from him. Up until this point, how many people have sought out Jesus just so they could get something from him? How many have gotten their healing and have gone on their merry way. Take those and then ask how many stayed and followed him? It seems like the percentage of people who have stuck with Jesus after their healing is less that the percentage that got what they came for and then left. Well, here’s another person wanting a healing. 

So we can see the physically worn out Jesus continue walking, but it’s his disciples that ask for the women to be sent away, because their tired too. But Jesus never actually sends her away, could it be that Jesus was waiting for something? A breather? The right time. Because when Jesus speaks to the woman, he doesn't send her away. Instead Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Jesus doesn’t send her away, but rather gives her the reason why he is not responding to her. She is a Gentile, and his job is to get God’s chosen people, Israel, back. So in the response, Jesus is telling her, I have a mission that needs to be completed. He is telling her that he has to use his strength in the places that it’s most needed. He’s telling her, “I have a vision, a job to do and I need to focus on that.”

But this is where it gets good, because in Jesus’ reply to the women, he’s actually vetting her. He’s trying to see if she truly believes or she just wants something from him.

Her reply is, “Lord, help me!” It’s a response of a person who recognizes Jesus as Lord. It’s a response of a person who recognizes that Jesus is her only hope.

Jesus replies with what seems like very harsh words, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Ouch? Jesus just called this lady a dog. The God of Creation just called this pleading mother a dog. And if we left it there, who would want to follow a God who’s like this, right? But there’s more to that statement than the harsh words; there’s insight. We see Jesus purposefully pushing this women to reveal her faith or walk away hurt. Jesus is not sending her away, but he is actually pursuing her to see just how deep her faith is. Jesus is seeing if the woman is just there for a healing because she’s heard the rumors, or if she is there because she really knows that Jesus is Lord and has put her faith in him.

And her response is momentous. I picture all this going down like this: a broken mother on the ground clinging to Jesus’ robe, with tears on her face, looking straight into her Creator’s eyes when she says, “Yes it is Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” This women understands who Jesus is, he is Lord and Master. She understands his mission to Israel, but she also knows something about Jesus, that he hasn’t revealed to her in their interaction. This mother, who it seems Jesus is pushing away, understands that Jesus loves the world and has come for all his creation. She understands that even though she is not a Jew, that this Jesus will not reject her, because he loves her.

She understands what Jesus is saying, she understands that he has a job to do, and she might even understand that he is tired and needs a break. But she responds with the insight and  understanding of who the Master is. Though the dogs are not his children, they are still loved by the master, why else would they be allowed into his house? She understands that the Master loves his dogs, that the dogs are a part of the family and she shows how much she understood who Jesus was, that he wouldn’t neglect even the dogs of his house.

If Jesus called us dogs, most of us would have walked away angry right there and then, but this women had a deeper insight and faith than that. She understood who Jesus was. She understood the God that loved his people and she responded accordingly.

And what’s amazing to me is that Jesus recognizes her faith. He sees that this isn't someone who is out to get something for themselves, this is someone who has put their faith into the God who created them, because they know the depth of love that Jesus has for his creation.

Why doesn’t God just strike us down? It’s because of the love that he has for us. Peter says in his second letter chapter three verse nine, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The reason why I haven’t been struck down, the reason Paul wasn’t struck down, the reason none of us haven been struck down, is because God is patient with us. This is due to his deep love for us. But do we live in that love?

Do we have the faith, like this pleading mother, to look our God in the eyes and understand that he loves us deeply? That this love is not some emotional drive, feel good thing. But, rather, this love is desiring us to respond in strength and understanding?

This women had everything stacked against her, the disciples didn’t want her there. Jesus was tired, she was called a dog. But she understood that her God loved her deeply and that he would respond to her.

We might know that God loves us, but do we live in that reality? Do we live in the reality that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us even though we are rebellious children?

Paul said it like this in his letter to Timothy, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

Paul realized the depth of God’s love for him, because he understood the depth of his need for God. The pleading mother understood the depth of God’s love, because she understood the depth of her need for God. Do we understand God’s love for us, or do we need to understand more of our need for him?

If we took a hard look at ourselves, we are pretty dog like in our actions. You know the saying, that good for nothing dirty dog, isn’t a complement right? And when we realize that when we sin by going against God’s law, his will and his vision, we don’t deserve the scraps from his table. Yet, even though that’s true, God still loves us. He is still fighting for us, he is still pursuing us.

God has been directing me to know how deep his love for me is, though I still fail, his love never does. The first part of the vision that God has revealed for me for this church to live in, is love. Knowing that he loves us. Knowing that he loves his creation, knowing that he loves us unlovable dogs. And knowing that we need to live in the reality of God’s love for us.

But here’s the thing: that love must drive us to something, we must be able to respond to that love. God is wanting to pour out his love on us, and because of that, God is looking for us to respond to him. The next time I get to speak with you, we’ll talk about what God’s love must drive us towards. And what God desires for this church to do for his vision. Until then, God bless.