Become a Mother of Great Faith - Matthew 15

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Honoring Mothers and Pointing Faith Toward Christ

Happy Mother’s Day! We’re glad that you’re here today to reflect on God’s gift of mothers. Everyone here has a mother, no exceptions, and today is a day to give thanks to God for the mothers that He has given us in His wisdom. Some here today are mothers and others will be mothers in the future, and a mother’s love for her children is a picture of God’s love for His children.

Today, we want to say thank you to all the mothers that are here today. Thank you for the sacrificial love you have demonstrated in raising your children. I’d like all the mothers to stand so we can honor you with a flower and pray for you. Father, thank you for each mother represented here today, and thank you for the children you have blessed them with the opportunity to raise.

For those who still have children at home, give each mother strength and wisdom to raise those children for you. For those whose children have already left home, we pray that those mothers would continue to pray for and encourage their children to walk in your ways. For those mothers who have grandchildren, we pray that they would pass on a godly heritage to their children’s children.

We thank you for the love each mother has for her children and how it reminds us of your love for us. May we honor our mothers today as we give thanks to you for creating them. In Jesus’ name we pray Amen, and let’s show these mothers our appreciation as you may be seated.

Proverbs 31:30 (ESV) Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

So often in today’s society, a woman’s outward appearance is all that is noticed. But God’s Word here teaches us that what’s inside a mother is what should be noticed. If a women fears the Lord, she should be praised and honored.

To fear the Lord is to have faith the Lord. To trust Him for yourself and your family, and today my message is entitled “Become a Mother of Great Faith.” Wherever you are at in your life’s journey as a mother, God wants you to grow in your faith, and even though my message this morning will be directed towards mothers, the principles will apply to each and every one of us.

Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

God commended people in the Old Testament for their faith, and Hebrews 11 gives us a list of people, both men and women, whom are commended for their faith. In the Gospels, Jesus commended only two people for having “great faith.” The first was a Roman centurion and the second was a Canaanite mother, whom we’re going to talk about today.

This woman who is not named in Scripture was not from God’s chosen nation of Israel, but she was commended by Jesus for her great faith. Today, God wants each mother here to learn from her example how to have great faith. Mothers with great faith will see God do great things in their lives and families.

Recognize Jesus Is a Great Lord

Matthew 15:21-22a (ESV) And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; …

Immediately previous to these verses, Jesus had been teaching in Jerusalem. In these verses, Jesus traveled to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region. A Canaanite woman heard the news that Jesus had come to her part of the country.

She found out where He was at and came to Him, even though she was not an Israelite. As she nears Him, she cries out “Lord, Son of David,” and she recognized Jesus as both Lord and Messiah. She cried out for mercy, for she knew that He had the power to help her.

The first characteristic of a mother of great faith is that she recognizes that the Lord Jesus is the one with the answers for all her problems. When you have a problem or issue as a mother, perhaps with a child, who or what do you do first. A mother of great faith goes to Jesus first and foremost to ask for His mercy.

Jesus understands what you’re going through, and He wants to build your faith and grant you the mercy that you need to be the mother He created you to be. Not only must you recognize that you have a great Lord, but you must also understand your condition before Him. That leads us to the next truth.

Acknowledge Your Great Need

Matthew 15:22b (ESV) … my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

Now we see why this mother was crying out for Jesus’ help. In the parallel passage in the gospel of Mark, we see that her little daughter is suffering terribly. Her daughter has been possessed by a demonic spirit.

We know from other accounts in the Gospels that demon-possession can result in various forms of sickness, self-harm or mental derangement and bizarre behavior. Whatever the symptoms in this case, this mother knew that she had a great need and was powerless do anything about it herself. She needed Jesus.

A mother of great faith acknowledges that her problems are too great to solve in her own strength. A mother of great faith acknowledges that she cannot protect her child at all times or bring healing to every sickness. A mother of great faith acknowledges her own limitations when she comes to Jesus for help.

This morning, think about your greatest need as a mother, and often it will be a request for one of your children. It may be a physical need, a financial need, a relational need or a spiritual need. Bring that need to Jesus and acknowledge that you can’t fix it yourself, because it’s something that only Jesus can solve.

Ask With Great Determination

Matthew 15:23 (ESV) But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”

So this desperate mother cries out to Jesus with her problem and Jesus does not respond, and there is only silence. We’ll talk about why Jesus did not answer her in a few minutes. Does this mother immediately go home when Jesus does not answer her request.

No, she keeps right on crying after Jesus and the disciples to help her. The disciples urge Jesus to send her away, and they were undoubtedly getting upset with her cries for help. This mother was asking with great determination and she was not easily discouraged.

As a mother, have you ever cried out to Jesus with a desperate problem and yet heard no answer. Just because the answer has not yet come doesn’t mean that Jesus has not heard your cry. Jesus’ timing for your answer and what you would like may be different, but Jesus’ timing of His answer is always perfect.

So continue to ask with great determination even though there is no immediate answer. Even if others discourage you from continuing to seek God’s help, keep on seeking. Determined faith continues to pray even when silence seems overwhelming.

Show Great Persistence in Prayer

Matthew 15:24-25 (ESV) He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

In this verse, Jesus is answering his disciples who are urging Him to help the mother so that she will stop crying out and be able to go away. Jesus replies to them that He was sent only to nation of Israel, and we know from the rest of the Gospels that Jesus primarily ministered to the Jews. However, from time to time, He did minister to Gentiles.

So here, the mother undoubtedly heard Jesus say He was sent to the Jews, and she was not a Jews. Did she give up then. No, she knelt down in worship and again implored the Lord Jesus to help her. Her posture revealed her persistence and her trust in who Jesus was.

There will be times in your life as a mother when God’s answer to your prayers will seem to be taking forever. Continue to worship Jesus and don’t get mad or bitter at Him for your prayers which are not yet answered, because if you do, the answer will never come. This woman knew from Jesus’ other ministry that He could heal her daughter.

She was not going to give up in her prayer request until the answer came through. When you know your prayer request is according to God’s will, never give up and keep persisting in your prayers. Particularly if your children are not saved or have wandered from walking with God, don’t give up until the answer comes.

Even though Jesus has helped someone else and not you, realize that God’s timing is perfect. He does care about you and He wants to help your faith grow strong. He wants you to become a mother of great faith as you trust Him more deeply.

Demonstrate Great Faith in God’s Power

Matthew 15:26-27 (ESV) And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Jesus answers the mother by saying that the children, referring to the children of Israel, must be given an opportunity to eat first. In other words, Jesus’ ministry of healing and miracles was first to the Jews. The Gentiles here are referred to in the Greek as little dogs or puppies.

The mother responds that even when the children are fed, the pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table. She had such great faith in the power of God that even a crumb would be enough to heal her daughter. Her confidence rested fully in who Jesus was and what He could do.

Sometimes as a mother, you may be tempted to think that your problem may be too big for God to solve. If He has not answered your prayer for awhile, that temptation may grow. Or perhaps you may think that He answers other people’s prayers, but for some reason, He isn’t going to answer yours.

God wants you to have great faith, and I believe the reason Jesus didn’t immediately answer this mother’s request is because He wanted her faith to grow as she persisted in her prayer. God wants your faith to grow and He wants you as a mother to have great faith in God’s power to impact your children’s lives.

Receive a Great Reward From Jesus

Matthew 15:28 (ESV) Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus commended this nameless woman for having great faith. He granted her request and her daughter was healed at a distance in her home at that exact time. The parallel passage in Mark records that when the mother went home, she found her daughter lying on the bed and the demon was gone.

Whatever the demonic symptoms were that caused such terrible suffering, they were gone and her daughter was healed. This mother had received a great reward from Jesus through her great faith. Her persistence and trust were met with divine power.

Mothers of great faith are rewarded, their requests are granted and their children are blessed. Jesus does not answer every request immediately, and more often than not, you must ask with great determination, great persistence and great faith until the reward comes from the Lord. However, it’s worth the wait in the end.

Just as with this mother thousands of years ago, the devil is after your children. He wants to tempt them, oppress or possess them and lead them astray today, just as He did with that woman’s daughter. But God wants to raise up mothers of great faith, godly mothers who persist in prayer until they see the breakthrough in their children’s lives.

It may take days, weeks, months or even years until the answer comes, but don’t give up. Jesus wants to grant your request and He wants to give you a great reward. He wants each of your children to be His children.

Conclusion: Living as Mothers of Great Faith

God wants every mother here to be a mother of great faith. He desires for you to grow in your prayer life so that you see more and more of your request granted by the Lord Jesus. Today, we’ve been speaking of your physical children in your family.

God wants you to intercede on their behalf so that those children become and grow as God’s spiritual children. But did you know that God also wants you to intercede for spiritual children, those who are not your physical children. Perhaps they do not have a mother of great faith.

As a mother of great faith, God desires you to pray for the children of others who need to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Expand your horizons beyond your own family and see God do great things through mothers of great faith.

📘 Continue the Journey

Reflect deeper and apply this week’s message with the Message Study Guide — perfect for personal devotions, family discussion, or your Life Group.

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