So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they gave glory to the God of Israel. - Matthew 15:31
This is a typical scene in the life of Jesus. He was so generous with His time, His energies, and His power in God, that He could not help but heal crowds of needy people. Imagine yourself in this same situation. You would be amazed too. Stunned into silence, struck with wonder, awed to the point of praise and worship. And this is what the people did. They lifted up their voices in glory to the God of Israel. Then Jesus fed about 4,000 of them (actually about 8,000 if including women and children) in the middle of the wilderness much in the same way He fed the 5,000 (actually about 10,000 if including women and children).
What is not typical at all about this story is that the people Jesus helped, healed, and fed, were not Jews. They were heathens, pagans, for lack of a better term. The text does not state this overtly, but the location, the context, and even the words of praise are clues. The Bible states that they gave glory to the God of Israel. Why would Matthew have to point out the obvious if they were in fact Israelites? What makes the narrative come alive is the fact that here are these crowds of Gentiles, cut off from the “church”, wallowing in sin, stranded by their own gods, are finding that the God of Israel is greater and better than anything they could have ever imagined. They are discovering the blessings of God.
Meanwhile, the Jews were busy with their religious traditions. They were protecting their social customs and cultural norms. Some of these traditions were not bad in and of themselves. But the chosen people of God allowed the customs to sever them from a heart connection with God and to create distance between themselves and the lost world. So here is Jesus, breaking barriers down. He is not undermining the Word, or the Commandment, or that which had been delivered to Israel. He is upholding the Word, validating the Commandment, and revealing the heart of God for the unbelieving multitudes.
The question to the church in the postmodern age is, can our Christian traditions, accepted social customs, and Western cultural norms become a hinderance to our growth in Christ and our focus on Christ’s mission? Is it possible that our understandings of our role as a chosen people can actually work against the will of God?
Matthew chapter 15 will be our focus this Sabbath. We will journey through three unique stories with a common theme and will attempt to answer the questions posed above. Join us in worship as we study The Life and Teachings of Jesus: Traditions. We will also have a number of baptisms this Sabbath which is always an exciting thing. See you then!
Pastor Dean