Preparing for Sunday - Matthew 15:21-28

May 1, 2014 by Bret Capranica Preparing for Sunday

Read Matthew 15:21-28.
Find a map of Palestine (back of your Bible). Find the region of Tyre and Sidon and notice its location to Galilee.
From where was the woman who came up to Jesus? Why is this significant? How did she address Jesus? How is that significant? What did she want from Jesus?
How did Jesus respond to the woman's request? How did the disciples repond to the woman?
What did Jesus mean with his comment in v 24 in relation to the woman's and disciples' request?
What attitide did the woman show toward Jesus' comments to her? What does this say about what she thought about Jesus?
How did Jesus describe this woman at the end of the encounter? What was it that made her faith great?

From what you learned about the woman in this passage, what does great faith look like? Compare this to Peter (14:22-33), and the Pharisees (15:1-20). What does "little faith" or "no faith" look like?
What lesson was the disciples learning from Jesus as they watched his interaction with the woman?
Why did Jesus treat this woman in the way he did? What does it reveal about him and his desires?
What does this passage reveal about how great faith pursues Christ? What would motivate this kind of great faith to this degree?

How would you describe your pursuit of Christ? What hinders it? What encourages it? What hindered the woman's pursuit of Christ? What encouraged it? What can you learn from her?
How valuable is Christ to you? Has his response or non-response to you discouraged you from pursuing him deeper, more intensely? Why? How?
What do you need to be encouraged by what is found in this passage? Convicted of what you need to forsake or realign?
Pray for non-Christians who will be present this Sunday to be conviced of their need for Christ and to come to him in great faith.
Pray for Christians to examine their affections for Christ and be encouraged to greater more passionate pursuits of the Savior.
Pray that those who lead the service will edify the congregation well: Dawson Bryant, music; Rob Stouffer, Elders' Prayer and Scripture Reading; Bret Capranica, teaching.
Listen to the songs we will be singing this week and make yourself familiar with them, meditating on the lyrics so you are prepared to sing with the church with zeal and in understanding.