Avoiding the Uncomfortable

 

Avoiding the Uncomfortable

 

“And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Matthew15:26

Yes, Jesus called the Canaanite woman a dog. I have heard numerous pastors and commentators try to explain away why Jesus would call a woman a dog. Even the great Warren Wiersbe tries to soften the blow.

“In His reply, Jesus did not call her a “dog” the way the Pharisees would have addressed a Gentile. The Greek word means “a little pet dog” and not the filthy curs that ran the streets and ate the garbage.”

Wiersbe Be Series Matthew page 133.

With all due respect for Mr. Wiersbe while in this set the word in the Greek can mean puppy, the root word is still, dog.

Yes, Warren Jesus called the Canaanite woman a dog. It is what the scriptures says. Instead of softening the text, or worse yet, avoiding the text we need to explain what is meant when Jesus says to the woman, “it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Why is this important? Because the Christian life is full of uncomfortable moments. It is full of uncomfortable verses. It is full of uncomfortable conversations. The avoidance of the uncomfortable is not a part of the Christian life, and I would submit that you are comfortable in your walk with Christ, you are doing it wrong.

In Matthew 15:26, Jesus does not call the Canaanite woman a dog out of spite, He does not do this to be mean, or to laud His male headship over her. None of these are the reason for Jesus calling the woman a dog. The reason is quite simple, in the first century, Jews and Gentiles were not on the friendliest terms. Insults and name calling was normative, and each side participated. Jesus in this context was letting the Canaanite woman know, that He understood this cultural tension, and that the discussion between them was not normal. Jesus is saying, people like me, do not talk to people like you. These are just facts.

Jesus comes with the cold hard facts. This is nothing new, Jesus is always bringing cold hard facts to people. But because of our cultural norms, and because of the way that the modern church has framed the Christian faith, Jesus’ attitude comes off as well, un–Christ like. But in fact, it is anything but. The truest form of love is the love that is willing to tell the truth when it hurts the most.

Jesus says, it is not right for me to give us something that is only meant for people like me, because we are not the same. The harsh reality that Jesus is remarking that He does not need her, she needs Him.

This is the lesson for all of us, while we want to believe that Jesus needs us and that is why He loves us, it is the furthest thing from the truth. Just like the Canaanite woman, we are the dogs, we are unworthy of the blood of God being shed for us. Jesus is telling us all, because we are just like this Canaanite woman, we are Gentiles, we are the dogs, we are not worthy of the bread that is for the children. Who are these children? They are the children of God, Israel, those who have believed on the coming of the Messiah. This is the bread that Jesus speaks of in John 6:35

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

We are not worthy of this bread. What makes us worthy? The same thing that the Canaanite woman shows when she response to Jesus.

“She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Matthew 15:27

It is faith that makes us worthy, it is believing on the promises of God, that through God’s grace, that our faith in Christ Jesus in repentance of sin, that we are worthy to be called children of God, and so now we have a place at the table, we are worthy of the bread.

But this faith is not an easy faith, this is not a faith that is built on comfort, it is not a faith that is built on obedience. This faith is built on the uncomfortable moments of the realization that we are dogs, not worthy of God’s grace. This faith is built on the uncomfortable moments that we are to accept that God is God, and that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and that we are made in the image of God, and that God is not made into the image we want Him to be. And we cannot get to that faith if we are unwilling to deal with those uncomfortable verses, those uncomfortable conversations, those uncomfortable moments that we feel the tension, that we are tested.

The solution is as simple as the lesson. Stop avoiding the uncomfortable, deal with it, take it on, face it.

Pastors teach those hard lessons, teach, and preach on those things that are going to raise questions, are going to start conversations.

Members want to engage in those uncomfortable passages, seek to learn, God has a reason, even if the reason is, I am God. Get involved, reach out to those who are struggling, seek out those who need a hand, and realize that there are many who are out there suffering and it is through that suffering that you can be the light to show them the way out. But, yes in that suffering you will see the pain, you will feel and want to know why, and you will become uncomfortable, Good. It may be a burden on you, all the better, and you may feel that you are walking that path alone. Rest assure you are not, you are walking with those who are suffering, you are walking with those who are struggling, you will walk together, and if you have a worthy church, as pastor who embraces the faith and seeks out the uncomfortable you will have a church family that we be coming along beside you praying for you, encouraging you, and the Holy Spirit showing you the way.

Being uncomfortable is showing how we love God, and love others, being uncomfortable grows our faith. And in being uncomfortable we will experience the true love of God.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul notes how he struggled with his thorn in the flesh, something that was making him uncomfortable, whether this was physical or mental we do not know, but what we do know is that Paul asked God three times to remove what ever it was that was making him uncomfortable. We all know the response that God gave Paul

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

As it is for you, so go and embrace the uncomfortable.

Darin Bracy is the pastor at Yorktown Baptist Church in Yorktown Virginia. He is a graduate of Veritas Baptist College with a BA in Ministry and a minor in History. He has a wife Stacy, two daughters, Ashlynne and her husband Justin, their daughter Harper and Aftyn, and her two dogs, Eddie and Lulubelle.

You can reach Darin at his email address, Darinbracy@gmail.com and you can see his video content on YouTube – Basic Baptist Guy