Jump Start # 1722

Matthew 15:23 “But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’”

The election is now over. Did your favorite win? I write this eight days before the election. It seems as if new discoveries are being made every day. The talk shows will debate the impact all of this had on the election for months. There will be some today who are disappointed. Many of the Hollywood set has promised to move out of the country if Trump wins. We want to consider a subject greater than the election, and that is disappointments.

Disappointments are part of life. It happens to the child who didn’t get the teacher that he wanted, or the Christmas present that he hoped for. The teenager who doesn’t make the team is disappointed. The young man who asks out a girl for a date, but she turns him down. Disappointment. You don’t land the job that you applied for. Disappointment. The house you really love sells before you can put an offer on it. Disappointment. Your favorite player is traded from the team you love. Disappointment. Your favorite TV is cancelled. Disappointment. Your favorite place to eat closes. Disappointment.

It seems that some disappointments are rather simple and even shallow and we are not greatly moved by them. Others, can have a long and lasting effect upon us. When we have let down others, especially family, those disappointments can become long lasting regrets.

Our verse involves someone who ask Jesus for help and He didn’t come through. Not at first. This comes from the Syrophoenician woman. Her daughter was possessed by a demon. Matthew reports that she was “cruelly demon-possessed.” That very statement speaks volumes. It shows that demons possessed Gentiles as well as Jews. It also shows that this woman understood what was wrong with her daughter. She didn’t declare that she was diseased, sick or injured. She somehow knew that she was demon possessed. She also knew that Jesus could do something. Jesus had cast demons out before. Jesus had helped Gentiles before. She calls Jesus, “Lord, Son of David,” which was a very messianic and prophetic expression. She seemed to understand things that most of the Jews didn’t. She didn’t demand. She asked. She begged. She cried, “Have mercy on me.” Our verse tells Jesus’ response. He didn’t answer her a word. WOW! Talk about disappointment. He didn’t say, “No.” He said nothing.

Remember, it wasn’t this woman who was possessed, but her daughter. How could Jesus turn His back on children? He always rushes to the aid of children. But here, He says nothing. Not a word. The disciples want Jesus to send the woman away. That is always their answer. When it was time to feed the 5,000, they said send them away. When children were around Jesus, they said, send them away. Get rid of the problem. Go somewhere else. Some in the church still act this way. Shame on them and us when we do that. Jesus was testing her. He then reports to her that He was sent only to the house of Israel. The persistent woman bows and pleads, “Lord, help me.” It was then that He said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” That last word bothers us. It seems that Jesus was calling this woman a dog. The commentators are torn about what to do with this. Some claim Jesus was just stating the common Jewish thought about Gentiles. Others state that He was never so unChrist like as He was at this moment. The woman doesn’t seem offended. She doesn’t shout, “How dare you call be a dog.” Some want to explain this by the word dog. There was a word for a lap dog and a different word for a street dog. I think all of this misses the point. Jesus is illustrating His point about taking care of Israel. The thought is easy for us to understand. Mama doesn’t cook dinner for the family, and when everyone sits down at the table, she first fixes a plate and gives it to the pets. We don’t do that. We give the pets the left overs. That was Jesus’ point. The woman got it. She understood it. She wasn’t asking for a plateful. She wasn’t asking for a complete meal. She wasn’t demanding equality with the Jews. She didn’t expect to receive everything that the Jews were given. Just the crumbs. The crumbs are all that is necessary to heal her daughter. She wasn’t demanding that she was just as good as the Jews. She was happy with just a crumb. That impressed Jesus. He said, “your faith is great.” He said that to a gentile. He said that to a woman. To Peter, Jesus often said, “O ye of little faith.”

But in this amazing story, we find Jesus saying nothing. That could be us and our prayers. We pray and nothing. Not a yes and not a no. Simply, nothing. What do you do? Do you keep praying? Do you get disappointed and quit?

People will disappoint us. They let us down. They make promises that they don’t remember or keep. They hurt us. This is why the New Testament speaks so often about forgiveness. It is the heart that has been hurt that needs to forgive. Your preacher may disappoint you. Your shepherds may disappoint you. They don’t mean to, but sometimes that happens. Maybe you were in and out of the hospital and no one came and visited you. That’s disappointing. Maybe you reached out and no one was there for you. That’s disappointing. Maybe you wanted some to pray for you and they didn’t. That’s disappointing. Maybe you had your life all figured out. Plan A is what it’s going to be, but God has in mind Plan B. Things do not turn out as you expected. Maybe the journey for you has been longer and harder than what you wanted.

Here are some things I have learned about disappointments:

First, Heaven won’t be a disappointment. You won’t be in Heaven and think “Disney was nicer.” No way. Much of what bothers us won’t matter once we are in Heaven.

Second, God’s word won’t let you down. It may not allow you to do what you want, but that’s the problem. It’s not about us, but the Lord. God’s word will lead to holiness, righteousness and Him. Saturate yourself in His word and you won’t be disappointed.

Third, God will always be there for you. This does not mean that things will always work out the way you want nor as you expected. God will not abandon you. Draw near to God, James reminds us, and He will draw near to us.

Fourth, keeping the big picture before you will help you with disappointments. The big picture is getting to Heaven. It’s walking with Christ daily. It’s becoming what God wants.

Fifth, when you have disappointed others, do what you can to make things right. Apologize. Be there. Do better.

When you think about this election, there has been other elections. Sometimes the candidate I wanted wins. Sometimes he doesn’t. We move on, we continue on, and looking back, it hasn’t had much of an impact upon my faith. That’s what really matters.

Disappointments… learn to deal with them and not to let them conquer or change you.

Roger