Lesson 2 Encounters with Jesus: Jesus and the Canaanite Woman

Sunday, 28 January 2024

SUNDAY MORNING EAGLES:

ROSTER:

Sunday 28 Jan 2 Jesus & Canaanite Woman Matt 15:21-28

8am Eagles Yvonne
Kelly, Nirvana &
10am Eagles Carmen Lance & Wano

VENUE:

Kids Church (up to G5) meet in Classroom 2 - - - - - - - - →

Striders (G6 & G7) meet in Classroom 1 - - - - - - - - →

Eagles (G8 & above), order your drinks before heading into
church → Then go into church for WORSHIP (a few songs). When the
announcement appears on the screen, meet your leaders in the courtyard
who will then fetch the drinks from the kid’s church fridge before heading to
the office.

Please try to start the lesson by the half hour (8.30/10.30am).

Thanks

BIG IDEA & AIM:

Big Idea: Jesus helped a Canaanite woman who humbly came to him, knowing that she didn't
deserve his kindness.

Aim: To teach that Jesus shows kindness to those who humbly come to him, no matter how
unworthy they may be.

PRIMARY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 15:21-28

CHECK-IN:
07:45 / Leaders and Assistants pray together. Get clipboard (scriptures and info slips) from
09:45 the Striders classroom. Be ready to greet the students as they arrive.

Take the teenagers into the service for Worship (about 3 songs).

After worship take the teens to the Kids Church fridge to grab their drinks and head
through the office block by 8.20am/10.20am for Eagles.
08:20 – 1. WELCOME & ADMIN (10 min.)
08:30 /
Assistants:
10:20 –
10:30  Go to Kids Church fridge to get the drinks. Encourage the students to move to class.

Leaders:

 Introduce yourselves.
 Greet the old students by name. Welcome any new students and get to know them.
 Complete the attendance register. Take details & photos of new kids, if any.
 Check the birthday list; celebrate birthdays if any (See below).
 Hand out scriptures.

January

Danae Anders Female 01/02/2006

Matthew Gee Male 01/07/2009
Benjamin Grobler Male 01/13/2006
Robynn McBryne Female 01/13/2008
Josh Steyn Male 01/13/2009
Bethia Mawhinney Female 01/15/2008
Ruben van Rensburg Male 01/16/2009
Justin van Rensburg Male 01/16/2009
Roux Wasserman Male 01/17/2008
Nelia Kotze Female 01/19/2009
Joshua Kirby Male 01/23/2009
Danny Stokell Male 01/25/2007
Karla Setzkorn Female 01/27/2006
Stella Kretchmer Female 01/30/2007
Tireagh Bruwer Female 01/30/2008
08:30-08:40 / 10.30- 2. ADDRESS THE BIG GROUP (10 min.)
10:40

OPEN IN PRAYER (1 min)

 Ask a student to open in prayer.

 Ask everyone else to respond by saying Amen aloud at the end.

ANNOUNCEMENTS (1 min)

Just a heads up that there’s no Eagles class next Sunday, 4 Feb as it’s Holy Communion so there’s no
Eagles. Hope to see you in church next week!
INTRODUCE SERIES AND WHAT WE ARE COVERING TODAY (1 min)

SAY: We are continuing with our series, called ‘Encounters with Jesus.’ In this series of studies in
Matthew's Gospel, we will see the life-changing impact of the encounters that people from different
cultural, religious, social and political backgrounds had with Jesus. Some demonstrated humility
and faith in Jesus, while others were proud and reluctant to submit to him as king.

SAY: Today, we’re talking about Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite Woman

ICE BREAKER: Starter questions (2 mins)

SAY:

Let’s get into smaller groups to think about the following questions before feeding back:

• How would you feel if you were not paid for a job you agreed to do?

• How do you feel when given something that you don't deserve?

• Have you ever benefited from something intended for someone else?

SAY: In today's true story from the Bible, a Canaanite woman showed great humility in coming to
Jesus, knowing she did not deserve his kindness or help.

SCRIPTURE READING (5 mins)

Ask for a volunteer to read the passage. Read Matthew 15:21-28

Afterwards, the reader says: “This is the word of the Lord.”

Everyone responds: “Thanks be to God.”
SAY: Let’s dig into this passage of Scripture to better understand the encounter Jesus had with the
canaanite woman.
08:40 / 10:40 3. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS (20 min.)

5 mins 1) The Woman's Humble Request (15:21-22)

ASK:

• Why do you think the woman says “Son of David?”

• Why is it surprising that the woman used this title?
• What did the woman do in response to her desperate situation?
•
SAY: The centurion acknowledged his need for Jesus' help and his unworthiness to
receive it.

5 mins 2. Persistent Pleading and the Messiah's Mission (15:23-26)

ASK:
• What did the woman do in response to her desperate situation?
• How did the disciples respond?
• What did that show about their view of her and themselves?
• How did Jesus initially respond to the woman's plea?

SAY: Faith, like the centurion’s recognizes the power of Jesus’ word alone. It’s
significant as he was not a Jew and would have had no expectation of what the
Messiah was supposed to be like.

5 mins
4. The Woman's Great Faith (15:27-28)

ASK:
• What was it about the woman's response that showed 'great faith' and
humility?
• What impact did this encounter have on the Canaanite woman?
• How would this encounter have changed/challenged the disciple's (and other
Jews') understanding of the breadth of Jesus' saving mission?
• How did it challenge their understanding of who has a place in God’s kingdom?

SAY: All devout Jews assumed they had a seat at this feast because of their ethnicity
and religion, but Jesus' words in 8:10-12 would've shocked them. Jesus' declaration of
who will be thrown out reveals that a place at the table is through faith and, therefore,
open to all people who will trust in him, regardless of where they come from.
5 mins APPLICATION

As you ask the following questions, make a note of at least one prayer point
per person and get the group to pray for each other.

ASK:
• Why do you think we like to do things independently?
• What areas do you need Jesus' help with right now?
• What barriers stop you from coming to Jesus in this way? Pride? Apparent
success? Etc.
• How persistent are you in coming to Jesus?
• How could you be more patient and trusting in God's care for you?
(Ask: Can we pray for that?)

CLOSE IN PRAYER

Encourage your students to each pray for at least one other person, and they may also
pray for themselves, of course.

09:00 / ALL LEADERS & ASSISTANTS:

11:00
 Please tidy up and pack away after your class.
 Please leave attendance registers in the Striders cupboard in Classroom 1.

THANKS FOR SERVING AT PVC!

PRE-READING FOR LEADERS AND ASSISTANTS:

LESSON OVERVIEW:

In this lesson, a Canaanite woman's situation was desperate because her daughter suffered terribly.
Her approach to Jesus and her conversation with him demonstrate the humility and faith that should
be seen in our lives, too. Encourage the teens to come to grips with questions of how they have tried
to earn their salvation by how good they are or their feelings of self-sufficiency.

TEACHING PREP:

Read Matthew 15:21-28, noting how Jesus treats this woman and what he does for her.

Use the following notes to help you think about the passage in more detail.

In the previous passage (15:1-20), the Pharisees confronted Jesus because his disciples did not
ceremonially wash their hands before eating. Jesus explained that being 'clean' is not a matter of
eating, drinking, or any other religious ritual but of a person's heart towards God. In this passage,
Jesus illustrated his teaching in a shocking conversation with a Gentile woman who asked him for
help.

15:21-22 — Jesus moved into Gentile territory, where a Canaanite woman approached him. The
Israelites were supposed to have destroyed the Canaanites as an act of God's judgement when
they entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). For any Jew, it would have been
outrageous that an enemy of God and his people should ask the Messiah (Son of David) for
anything, let alone mercy! It was also socially unacceptable for a Jewish man to interact with a
woman in this way.

15:23-25 — At first, Jesus ignored her, and his disciples, feeling awkward, requested that he would
send her away. Jesus' response to their request indicates that she should not expect any help from
him because she is not an Israelite. But she persists and humbly kneels before Jesus, pleading for
help.

Not only would the Pharisees have thought of such a woman as being excluded from any share in
God's kingdom, but they would've assumed themselves to be included because they were Jewish.
Jesus' reply appears to mean that the Messiah was sent only to Israel. However, in referring to his
mission as being for the 'lost sheep of Israel', Jesus implies that even the people of God, by
heritage, can be 'lost' if they don't recognise Jesus as the Messiah and trust in him as saviour. Jews
still needed to emulate the humility of the Canaanite woman in coming to Jesus, realising they were
lost and requesting his help.

It is clear in the Scriptures that Jesus' death was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole
world (1 John 2:2). Later, the resurrected Jesus instructs his followers to preach the gospel and
make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus' statement (15:24) does not contradict this
or put forward the claim that the kingdom of God was exclusively for the kingdom of Israel. It
simply expresses the primary mission of the Messiah to God's chosen people.

15:26-27 — This appears to be a very harsh response compared with Jesus' eagerness to visit the
centurion's home (Matthew 8:7). It's hard to judge Jesus' tone here; perhaps there is some irony in
his words. He treats her as she might expect any religious Jew to treat an 'unclean' gentile woman.
However, she persists, agreeing with him about her status but pointing out that sometimes even
those who are not the intended beneficiaries receive what they do not deserve, like a dog eating
fallen crumbs from a table.
15:28 — Jesus takes her persistence and humility as a sign of genuine faith and grants her request.
As with the centurion, Jesus performs this healing with a powerful word and without even seeing
the demon-possessed child, she is healed instantly.

While Jesus' harsh words to this woman reflect the attitude of the Pharisees in the previous
passage, his actions show that he is very different from them. Jesus doesn't help people because
they are 'clean' or religious; he helps those who come humbly to him, knowing they do not deserve
his mercy.

Matthew 15:21-28

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A
Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering
terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him,
“Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent
only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25 The woman came and knelt before him.
“Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the
dogs.”27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from
their master’s table.”28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!
Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.