You Can't Say That About Women, Jesus

In one paragraph

This was week three of the "Jesus Would Get Canceled For That" series, preached outdoors at the park. Brian walked through Matthew 15:21-28, where Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog, and asked the congregation to push past the surface-level offense to see what Jesus was actually doing. The deeper point was that Jesus was not insulting her identity, he was creating a moment to reveal her faith....

Read together

1. Luke 9 first week of series, Jesus says the way to find your life is by laying it down for him
2. John 14 second week of series, Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life
3. Matthew 15:21-28 main text, Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter

What was said

• The next time you pray about something hard, finish the prayer by saying 'but Lord, your word says' and name a specific promise instead of stopping at the problem.
• If you don't know what scripture speaks to what you're going through, Google 'what does God's word say about' and fill in your situation, or ask someone at Tribe.
• Scan the QR code by the donuts at the giving table and give toward groceries for the 12 IDF reserve soldiers coming to Jackson.
• Mark your calendar for Sunday September 6 at 5pm at First Baptist Jackson on 90 West Kelly Ave, and tell one person who comes to Tribe so they don't miss the switch.
• If you have been pulling back from Jesus because something he said or did offends you on the surface, take that passage and read past the surface this week, the same way the woman in Matthew 15 pressed through instead of walking away.

Talk about it

1. Brian said Jesus often hid what he was really up to behind things that were 'unusual, out of the ordinary, or surface level offensive.' Has there been a moment in your own reading of scripture where something Jesus said initially put you off, and what happened when you looked deeper?
2. The woman called Jesus 'son of David' and Brian made a point that a Gentile woman was publicly declaring him to be the Messiah. What do you think it cost her to say that out loud in that crowd, and why does Brian think that mattered so much to Jesus?
3. Brian said Jesus was not insulting the woman's identity by calling her a dog. He was creating a moment to demonstrate her devotion. How did her response to that offensive statement show her faith, and how do you think you would have responded in her place?
4. Brian pointed out that a woman was the first person in all of history to announce that Jesus had risen, and that Jesus thought of his mother while he was on the cross. What do those details say to you about how Jesus actually viewed and treated women, compared to the culture around him?
5. Near the end of the sermon Brian suggested coming to God not just with the problem but pairing it with a promise, saying something like 'but Lord, your word says.' Is that something that feels natural to you, or does it feel forced when you are in the middle of something hard? What would it take to get there?