Matthew 15 ~ The Greatest Banquet on Earth
Many of us would have attended some kind of banquet at least once in our lifetime. But how would the greatest banquet on earth look like? Matthew 8:11 illustrates a grand feast when many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. And when Jesus fed the five thousand and the four thousand respectively in Matthew 14 and 15, everyone ate until they were fully satisfied. It is a little foretaste of God's future banquet.
In Matthew 15, the Pharisees and scribes believed they were invited to this "banquet" but lo and behold, Jesus soon pointed out that they would be denied entry. What prompted them to come see Jesus in the first place (verse 1)? Why, nothing else but to accuse Jesus for not following the tradition of the elders (verse 2). What they failed to realize was that such tradition is nothing but man-made laws on top of God's laws. Jesus responded by calling them hypocrites (verse 7) for they broke God's commandment for the sake of their tradition (verse 3). Isaiah rightly prophesied that "this people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (verses 8-9). What makes one unclean then is not the non-washing of hands before eating but the very dark and sinful heart itself.
Being an "invited" guest who is denied entry is one thing but what about an uninvited guest? Verses 21-28 tell us the faith of a Canaanite woman. Here was a Gentile whom God's promises to the Jews did not apply to. When she requested for Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter, He calmly replied her in verse 26 that it is not right to take the children's (referring to God's children i.e. Jews) bread and throw it to the dogs (referring to Gentiles). In saying this, Jesus was not putting her down but asking her to wait her turn. It is not a question of "if you eat" but "when you eat" at this "great banquet".
Does this then make us Gentiles only second-class citizens? Most certainly not! To understand this, we need to analyze the geographical context of the passage. Verse 21 tells us that Jesus was in Tyre and Sidon, and then moved on to the Sea of Galilee in verse 29. A little background info is necessary here. On the west bank of this Sea of Galilee was a populated area where Jews resided while the east bank was a desolate area inhabited by the Gentiles. The disciples' remark on them being in such a desolate place (verse 33) implied that Jesus had chosen to enter the Gentiles' territory where He performed many miracles that saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing (verse 31). This shows us that there is no favouritism, that even the Gentiles are fully included - Jesus' miracles were not partial or second-class healing for the Gentiles were healed completely (verse 31). The earlier mentioned illustration of Jesus feeding the four thousand in this chapter also indicates that both Jews and Gentiles will be dining at the "banquet". We fully participate in God's banquet for it is for all people.
A word of caution here though: Don't miss out on God's banquet! There are two main reasons why people often miss out. First, we may make up our own invitation by playing religion, just like the Pharisees with their human traditions. We need to examine ourselves carefully and ask ourselves if we haven't been playing spiritual charades all along, thinking that playing this game pleases God when it doesn't. Secondly, we may miss out if we think we are not invited. The inner conflict of "surely God doesn't want rubbish like me to be at His banquet" can sometimes plague us when we think of a past that we are ashamed of, a life where we always failed at things, or perhaps getting caught up in a destructive habit (e.g. pornography) and not being able to get out of it. We need to recognize that deep down inside, we are all the same: our hearts are all black inside.
Everyone is invited to the greatest banquet on earth. Will you not emulate the Canaanite woman's faith and not miss out on your invitation by calling out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David" (verse 22)?
In Matthew 15, the Pharisees and scribes believed they were invited to this "banquet" but lo and behold, Jesus soon pointed out that they would be denied entry. What prompted them to come see Jesus in the first place (verse 1)? Why, nothing else but to accuse Jesus for not following the tradition of the elders (verse 2). What they failed to realize was that such tradition is nothing but man-made laws on top of God's laws. Jesus responded by calling them hypocrites (verse 7) for they broke God's commandment for the sake of their tradition (verse 3). Isaiah rightly prophesied that "this people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (verses 8-9). What makes one unclean then is not the non-washing of hands before eating but the very dark and sinful heart itself.
Being an "invited" guest who is denied entry is one thing but what about an uninvited guest? Verses 21-28 tell us the faith of a Canaanite woman. Here was a Gentile whom God's promises to the Jews did not apply to. When she requested for Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter, He calmly replied her in verse 26 that it is not right to take the children's (referring to God's children i.e. Jews) bread and throw it to the dogs (referring to Gentiles). In saying this, Jesus was not putting her down but asking her to wait her turn. It is not a question of "if you eat" but "when you eat" at this "great banquet".
Does this then make us Gentiles only second-class citizens? Most certainly not! To understand this, we need to analyze the geographical context of the passage. Verse 21 tells us that Jesus was in Tyre and Sidon, and then moved on to the Sea of Galilee in verse 29. A little background info is necessary here. On the west bank of this Sea of Galilee was a populated area where Jews resided while the east bank was a desolate area inhabited by the Gentiles. The disciples' remark on them being in such a desolate place (verse 33) implied that Jesus had chosen to enter the Gentiles' territory where He performed many miracles that saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing (verse 31). This shows us that there is no favouritism, that even the Gentiles are fully included - Jesus' miracles were not partial or second-class healing for the Gentiles were healed completely (verse 31). The earlier mentioned illustration of Jesus feeding the four thousand in this chapter also indicates that both Jews and Gentiles will be dining at the "banquet". We fully participate in God's banquet for it is for all people.
A word of caution here though: Don't miss out on God's banquet! There are two main reasons why people often miss out. First, we may make up our own invitation by playing religion, just like the Pharisees with their human traditions. We need to examine ourselves carefully and ask ourselves if we haven't been playing spiritual charades all along, thinking that playing this game pleases God when it doesn't. Secondly, we may miss out if we think we are not invited. The inner conflict of "surely God doesn't want rubbish like me to be at His banquet" can sometimes plague us when we think of a past that we are ashamed of, a life where we always failed at things, or perhaps getting caught up in a destructive habit (e.g. pornography) and not being able to get out of it. We need to recognize that deep down inside, we are all the same: our hearts are all black inside.
Everyone is invited to the greatest banquet on earth. Will you not emulate the Canaanite woman's faith and not miss out on your invitation by calling out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David" (verse 22)?
Labels: Australia, Christianity, Matthew
posted by Shih Ying GUN (Jane) @ 1:11 AM
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