If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 15.  Last week as we were looking at Matthew 15: 21 through 28, we commented that 15:21 begins a new section in Jesus' ministry.  Scholars of the gospel call this the retirement ministry where He draws away from Galilee and ministers in Gentile territory for a while, ministering to His disciples and to others.  We don't know exactly how long it lasts, but it is a turning point of sorts.  And it's a turning point in the midst of a turning point because we also commented that the central chapters of Matthew's gospel, chapters 15, 16, and 17 remind us of a very significant turning point in Jesus' ministry.   Jesus had been followed by crowds from the very beginning of His ministry, but He…