Overview
Love is a looker: it does not look at the outward, it looks on the inward, and Jesus Christ showed how when a Canaanite mother came to Him in Tyre and Sidon. In this Love of Christ Conference teaching on Mark 7 and Matthew 15, the speaker walks through everything Jesus had just endured — Pharisees accusing Him of a devil spirit, His own countrymen offended, leaders taking counsel to destroy Him — and then a woman from an idolatrous heritage asks for mercy for her daughter. She got honest, came boldly but addressed Him humbly, and kept asking. Jesus looked on her heart, said, O woman, great is thy faith, and her daughter was made whole that very hour.
Transcript
Love Is a Looker: Jesus Christ Is the How of Life
If I were to title this presentation, I would title it, Love is a Looker. Love is a Looker. And the first scripture I’d like to go to is in Mark chapter 7. The pinnacle of all Christian activity is the love of God and in our relationships. And Jesus Christ is the how of life. He took it to the highest level and showed us how. Everybody knows I should be loving, but how do I do it? Love, looking at Jesus Christ.
He’s an example, the pinnacle of an example of what a human being can do to love God and to love other people. So leading up to the record that we’re going to look at, here’s some of the things he went through. He’s walking along with his disciples through a field and they grab some corn because they’re hungry and they ate it. Well, the Pharisees saw them and said, that is not lawful to do. And Jesus Christ said, no, haven’t you ever read the scriptures? David ate the show bread. And then Jesus Christ goes into the synagogue and then he heals the man with the withered hand.
And the Pharisees saw it and they took counsel to destroy him. So then Jesus Christ leaves and a great multitude follow him and he heals them all. He heals them all, including a man who was possessed with the devil spirit, who was blind and dumb. And so then the Pharisees said, Jesus, you have a devil spirit, you have a big one. And that’s how you did that. And Jesus Christ said, no, you’re a generation of vipers.
How can you being evil speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh? Well, the same day, Jesus Christ goes to the seaside and he’s there and a great multitude gather around him. So he shares the word, talks about the parable of the sower and the seed and on and on. And then he departs to his own country and he taught in the synagogue. And when he did that, the people were offended. So he could not do many great works. Then he’s told about John the Baptist and how he had just been beheaded.
The Rejection Jesus Endured: Pharisees, Accusations and Cancel Culture
And he departed and went to a desert. He was by the seaside. Now he’s in the desert. And a great multitude follow him and he heals them all. And he feeds 5000 plus the women and children. And then he went to the mountain to pray. And it’s nighttime and a big storm comes and his disciples are in a ship. So he walks on the water, he calms the sea, they land on the other shore and there’s more healing. And then the disciples ate without washing their hands.
The Pharisees said, you transgress the traditions because your disciples didn’t wash their hands. And Jesus Christ said, it’s not what goes into your belly that defiles a man. It’s what comes out of your heart. And then the disciples said, Jesus, do you know that they were offended by what you said? And then Jesus did not say, oh, sorry, I might lose my job of becoming the Christ. Maybe I’ll back up on the truth. He didn’t do that.
Don’t you realize the cancel culture has existed for centuries? The Pharisees wanted to edit and remove and control people so they couldn’t have access to the truth. So Jesus Christ has endured all this rejection, this hassle, these attacks on him. And attacks and rejection of God.
Mark 7:24-25 — She Had Heard of Him, So Somebody Had to Be Speaking
And that brings us to our record in Matthew chapter 7 verse 24. It’s Mark chapter 7 verse 24. And from thence he arose and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon and entered into a house and would have no man know it, but he could not be hid. So after all these things have been going on, he goes to Tyre and Sidon along the coast and he goes into a house because he wants to chill, but it could not be hidden. Verse 25, for a certain woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell at his feet. So here you have a woman. She’s got a young daughter. This is a very small child. And she came because she had heard of him. She had heard of Jesus Christ. In other words, for her to hear that, somebody had to speak. Somebody had to be speaking about Jesus Christ.
There’s a lot of maladies in our day and time. Often I sit back in my lifetime, I wonder at how the culture has changed where I see so many people that are afflicted in their bodies. Their souls are torn and oppressed and burdened. They’re in conflict and confused, much like what happened in the gospel time. Perhaps you would agree. And you know what? The same thing, people want to see the same kind of healings and remarkable things happen. And it happens the same way in our time as it did in the gospel time. Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ? Christians will talk about all sorts of things. I can go weeks and weeks out in the community with my Christian acquaintances and friends and no one mentions that name that’s above all names, Jesus Christ.
I’m walking along and I see an acquaintance of mine and he’s talking about a political issue with the president. We have a new administration now in our presidency. And he’s down a ways. It’s almost a football field. He’s down a ways and he says, Good morning, Robin. Isn’t today good because of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I stopped for a moment and I said, Daryl, today’s a great day because you know what? My salvation comes from Jesus Christ. He goes, yeah, that’s right. Now let’s go to Matthew chapter 15.
Jesus Christ and what he accomplished, his finished work will help every single person. It’s a great name. It’s a great name to use every day. You want to drop a name? Drop the name of Jesus Christ. It has power in it. It has love in it. It has wisdom in it. It has heart in it. We’re in Matthew chapter 15, verse 21.
Matthew 15:21-22 — A Woman of Canaan Cries Out for Mercy
Then Jesus, this is the same record, but we’re going to look at it in Matthew. Verse 21, then Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord. My daughter is grievously vexed with the devil. So what do we know about this woman? We know she’s a mother. We know that she’s from Canaan.
Canaan has a heritage of Baal worship. In other words, her whole lineage is idolatry from generation and generation and generation gone by. She’s a Gentile. It’s a whole idolatrous community currently where she’s living. And she comes to him and says, Have mercy on me. She had to get honest.
She didn’t hide it. She recognized this is a spiritual situation. My daughter is vexed with the devil spirit. That’s not solved by Hallmark cards and good words and fair speeches. You can’t take a pill for it. There isn’t any kind of quick fix for that.
Getting Honest About a Spiritual Situation: Humility Asks for Help
It’s a spiritual situation. And she recognizes that it’s beyond her control. She can’t resolve it on her own. She needs a spiritual man. And she knows he’s a spiritual man because she called him Lord. She recognized who he was.
And she had heard of him and what he had done. Verse 23. Well, you know, I want to make this point. She got honest with her problem and asked for help. One of my friends and I were talking yesterday about how you really have to be humble sometimes and ask for help. Let people help you.
That’s not egotism. That’s humility. She knew her limitations. She was honest. And she needed God’s involvement. Verse 23.
He Answered Her Not a Word: She Kept at It
But he answered her not a word. Now, I get this. Have you ever talked to your husband during a ball game? He’s focused. He answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him saying, send her away for she crieth after us. She crieth after us.
She kept at it. It was continuous. It was repetitive. Right? A lot of you had a long trip here. I’ve been on long trips. I was on a long trip once.
We took a family vacation. And we had seen some place. It was called San Martin. We had a very long trip back. I think it was, it took us 100 years to get back. And I’m sitting, our son is sitting next to me. And by the way, at this time, he wasn’t five. He was like, I don’t know, 19. And we’re sitting next to each other.
And he goes, ba, ba, ba, San Martin. Ba, ba, ba, San Martin. And I thought it was really odd. And he kept doing it. And it was kind of funny. And he kept doing it. And it got annoying. And I closed my eyes, because I wanted to rest, because we were only 25 years into the trip. And I could feel heat coming to my ear and breath.
And then I heard, ba, ba, ba, San Martin. Ba, ba, ba. So I can relate to the disciples. They’re like, can you get rid of this person? Rico, can I change seats with you? She kept talking to them. She kept saying what her need was. And he answered, Jesus answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Sent to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel: Why Leaders Must Shepherd
That was his response. The disciples’ response to her was, get rid of her. Right? These are the guys that, I don’t know, from what I’ve read in the Gospels, I wouldn’t always follow their lead. Because this is a sense knowledge response to a woman that’s coming to them with an expectation that the spiritual burden that she is asking for, she’s asking for mercy, and they want to send her away. Then Jesus Christ says, well, hey, I’ve been sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That was part of Jesus Christ’s mission.
They needed a shepherd. They needed leadership. They needed someone to guide them, someone to provide direction, someone to bind their wounds, someone to nourish them spiritually. It’s an analogy. And I put before you that today, people are lost like sheep, and Christian leaders need to rise up and guide and lead and nourish spiritually and heal the wounds of people so they have direction, so they know where to go, so they can find their Heavenly Father and understand His heart for them. That’s what He says.
He says, that’s my mission. I’ve been sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Verse 25, Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. And He answered and said, It is not meat to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs. Now, He didn’t call her a dog. It’s an analogy, right? He’s sent to lead and guide God’s people as a priority.
It Is Not Meat to Take the Children’s Bread: Priority, Not Rejection
There was nothing that says that the Gentiles wouldn’t be blessed, that there wouldn’t be favor in their regard. Heck, in a few months, they’re going to be joint heirs, Jews and Gentiles. They’re all going to be in. They’re going to be in the grace administration and be able to have that salvation and healing wholeness in every aspect of life. But He said, right now, My mission is to these, the children of Israel. And that was the truth.
It was the truth in terms of a priority. You know what’s interesting about this woman? She’s a great example of someone whose attitude towards God was reflected in her treatment of people. She asked for mercy. She asked for help. She was respectful. She addressed Him, and she came before Him boldly, but addressed Him respectfully and humbly.
This woman was not timid. She was not afraid. She was not emotional. She was seeking spiritual solutions. Many people get that reversed. They try to boss God around.
Bold Before God, Humble in Address: Truth, Lord, Yet the Dogs Eat of the Crumbs
They try to tell Him what to do. Hey, all right, I got this great idea. You make it right. You make your will match mine, God. Thanks so much, and when you’re done, I’ll give you another list. She came before Him boldly, but addressed Him humbly.
That’s quite the opposite of the Pharisees, isn’t it? And she said, truth, Lord. She recognized that what He said is truth. What a humble heart. Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table. When she said this, a remarkable thing happened. Jesus Christ changed His mind because man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the… He just experienced all of this rejection from the people that He’s been sent to minister to.
And when He gave them the truth, they wanted to kill Him. They told Him He was possessed and from the devil. They despised Him. They wanted to cancel Him. They gave Him a thumbs-down on Facebook. And yet here’s this woman with an idolatrous background, a heritage antagonistic to God, who comes before Him and asks for help, and you know what He did? That love that He had, He was a looker.
He Looked on Her Heart: No Accusation, No Condemnation
He looked on her heart. He looked on her heart. He didn’t say, oh, well, you’re a Canaanite woman, so because you have an idolatrous background, it’s all your fault that your daughter is like this. He didn’t accuse her. He didn’t rub her nose in it. He didn’t condemn her.
This is what He did. Verse 28, Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Great is thy faith. And that faith is her believing God. She was a loving parent. There’s many parents in here.
You would do the same for your child if a horrible spiritual situation had occurred to them. But this went far beyond that. She was a spiritual woman seeking God and His deliverance and His evidence of love in her family situation. It went far beyond any five senses natural affection between a mother and a child. And He saw it. And that’s why He could change His mind.
Great Is Thy Faith: Her Daughter Was Made Whole That Very Hour
And He said, Woman, you got it going on. You have great believing in God. It’s not just believing alone. Anybody can do that. But there are a lot of situations that you need God’s involvement, and a humble heart will ask for it and accept it. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith.
Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole that very hour. Jesus Christ had compassion with her. He saw the suffering of this woman and took action to alleviate it. And you know what? He didn’t follow a formula. Love isn’t plastic.
It doesn’t follow a formula. It’s not down the conveyor belt. It’s not a list of things to do. Love is in the moment. It has to have a focused heart. When she was talking to Him, He had eyes on.
Focused Attention and the God of Mercies: There Is Enough Mercy for Everyone
His concentration, His focus was on her. You know, that happens here. You’re talking to somebody, and sometimes, you know, you talk to people. They’re talking to you, but their eyes are like looking for everybody else going down the hallway. He wasn’t like that. His attention was focused on her.
The most important thing at that moment was who He was talking to. And all He did, He didn’t even pray for her. All He did was confirm to her she already had it. Great is your believing in God, the God of mercies. He’s called the Father of mercies in Corinthians. He’s rich in mercy.
There’s enough for anyone. There’s enough mercy for everyone. That’s God’s heart. And Jesus Christ got to see it. Kind of maybe boggled the mind because sometimes you expect somebody’s going to receive the Word and they reject it. And other times you can think, oh, she’ll never believe.
God Always Looks on the Heart: Love Big and Be a Looker
And boop, there she is. Because it’s a heart issue. You can’t tell by any other metrics. And to do that, you need God’s involvement. You need God’s involvement in your heart because she had a heart to see God. Jesus Christ is the how of life.
And He exhibited God’s heart for this woman and gave her mercy and help and confirmed to her that she did believe God. And she saw it. And when she got home, it says her daughter was up and on her bed. In other words, she was already eating. You know, a little kid, she’s eating. So what I want you to take away from this is that love is a looker.
Love doesn’t look at the outward. It looks on the inward. It looks at people through the vision that God has. And God always looks on a person’s heart. My exhortation to you, love big. Love with all your heart. And be a looker. I love you.
Key Takeaways
- Jesus Christ is the how of life: everybody knows they should be loving, and He showed at the highest level what a human being can do to love God and to love other people.
- The woman came because she had heard of Him — which means somebody had to be speaking the name of Jesus Christ.
- She got honest with her problem and asked for help. She recognized it was a spiritual situation beyond her control, and asking for help is not egotism, it is humility.
- She came before Him boldly but addressed Him humbly — the opposite of the Pharisees, who tried to boss God around.
- Jesus did not follow a formula. Love is not plastic, it is in the moment, and His focus was entirely on the person in front of Him.
- Love is a looker: it looks at people through the vision God has, and God always looks on a person’s heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jesus at first answer the Canaanite woman not a word?
Jesus told her, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and it is not meat to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs. He was not calling her a dog; it is an analogy. His mission at that moment was to the children of Israel as a priority, and that was the truth in terms of a priority. Nothing in it said that the Gentiles would not be blessed.
What does it mean that love is a looker?
Love does not look at the outward, it looks on the inward. Jesus had just been rejected, accused of having a devil spirit and threatened with death, yet when this woman came to Him out of an idolatrous Canaanite background He looked on her heart. He did not accuse her, He did not rub her nose in it and He did not condemn her. He looked at her through the vision that God has, because God always looks on a person’s heart.
Why did Jesus say, O woman, great is thy faith?
Because He saw that her believing went far beyond the natural affection of a mother for her child. She got honest about her problem, recognized it was a spiritual situation beyond her own control, called Him Lord, came before Him boldly but addressed Him humbly, and she kept asking. Jesus did not even pray for her; all He did was confirm to her that she already had it, and her daughter was made whole that very hour.
Scripture References
Mark 7:24; Mark 7:25; Matthew 15:21; Matthew 15:23; Matthew 15:25; Matthew 15:28
