This Sunday we’ll be reading Matthew 15:21-28.

This is a distressing section of Scripture. We are confronted with a Jesus who seems strange to us; uncharacteristically distant and even apparently rude. He and his disciples have left Israel and are 50 miles north in the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, which is modern day Lebanon. While there, a local woman calls out for Jesus’ help on behalf of her demonized daughter. Jesus doesn’t answer her, but remains silent.

Jesus’ response and statements about and to this woman are perplexing – they have been since he spoke them, I guess. What lessons can we learn about faith – faith that’s not easy, exercised in a world that is not easy on us either. In what ways can she inspire us when we feel frustrated by God’s silence or by circumstances that seem to be against us?

We will be hearing a very interesting take on this passage tomorrow from a guest speaker. I’m very excited to hear what it said!

Click here for a pdf version of the teaching slideshow.