Matthew 15:21-28 (New International Version)
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
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.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
”Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
> so check this out…two things that stuck out like a soar thumb to my heart in this passage were the extremity of selflessness and humility that the canaanite woman seems to portray and the passionate pursuit Christ has for any and all of His children.
i guess ill elaborate:)
ok lets kinda get a perspective here just to see the bigger picture. if you read a couple chapters ahead, you find (no surprise) Jesus beginning to step on a lot of toes (especially the pharisees). basically it is almost like you can feel it in the text…tension is rising, pharisees are becoming more and more pissed, and john the freekin’ baptist was just beheaded. as far as everything we can see and hear from the pharisees, if Jesus continues to do what He is doing…well…desire to kill Jesus was probably pretty high (just my guess). obviously the timing is not correct for Jesus to be crucified because His death was of perfect timing and…well…it didnt happen in this chapter:)
so what does He do?
Jesus withdraws from israel…outa sight outa mind…almost like He is looking to cool the heat in israel just so His death can be precise. AND, as we already know about Jesus, He is an INCREDIBLE multi-tasker. not only is His mind fully aware of the timing that His death needs to take place but He is on another mission to teach His disciples a lesson and show His (might i add awesome) heart to a very specific, non-accidental woman.
Where we at now? we are in the region of Tyre and Sidon…aka Gentile Land! (not israel)
so this canaanite woman hears Jesus has come to where she is. what does she do? at first it seems like the typical “Jesus encounter”…she cries out to the Lord for mercy. BUT the picture i want you to see that comes with more understanding as the story goes on is the woman’s extreme selflessness and humility. first and for-most, what does she say to Jesus? ”Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” DO YOU SEE WHAT SHE IS ASKING FOR!? this woman is begging for the Lord to have mercy on her that He might heal her daughter. from the beginning, she aint there for herself, but her joy and desire begins in the betterment of her daughter. her ONE chance to speak to the Messiah (the God she KNOWS she is unworthy to approach) she presents ONE thing to Him…her daughter. what an awesome picture of authentically placing others above yourself.
What does Jesus do after this woman pours her heart and soul into proclaiming her desire to the Saviour of the world? He decides to say nothing. JESUS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! THAT DOESNT SEEM LIKE YOU AT ALL! …ya know…Jesus continues to blow my mind in how strategic His ways are just to teach and draw others closer to himself, whether it be through…well…anything He wants because He sees the bigger picture. the thing we can ALWAYS bank on is that everything Jesus does is perfect. period. so if it seems crazy or we dont necessarily agree with what Jesus says or does, we better as hell get out of our foolishness and lean on truth. and what better truth to lean on than TRUTH HIMSELF (John 14:6)…the one and only JESUS CHRIST! (sorry kinda a bunny trail:)
so it seems crazy right? but we know Jesus does everything perfectly and with a purpose…so we must look into it.
so what happens next?
His disciples came to Him and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” oh silly disciples…how you imitate our humanity so well:) anyways back to the woman. what is she doing? well she is obviously crying out a lot…so much so that the disciples seem to be getting annoyed (i think it is safe assumption that she was persistent:)
so after the disciples whine to Jesus about this woman, what does He say? ”I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” …WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? what about russia, bolivia, or for goodness sake what about AMERICA JESUS!? the cool picture we begin to receive from what Jesus is trying to teach us is that Jesus, though the Saviour of the world and possessing a mindset that is world-wide, was given one job while He was on this earth: to minister FIRST to the lost sheep of israel (as prophesied all through the old testament) (keep in mind, geographically, where we are at). SO, in knowing this, it helps explain the response Jesus gives after the woman comes to Him a second time, getting on her knees before Him and crying, “Jesus, help me!”.
Jesus responds in saying, ”It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
my first reaction was once again…Huh? ya know, it would be nice if you would stay on topic here. BUT, if you meditate on it for a while, the picture sort of becomes clear. Jesus’s purpose is to minister only to the lost sheep of israel…or the children of israel. i think what He is trying to say is that it is not right for Him to take what is rightfully the lost sheep of israel’s and toss it to who it is not meant for. (now this could be taken in a lot of ways, but keep in mind that Jesus’s long term plan is world-wide but His purpose while on earth is for the lost people of israel). NOW GET THIS! not only in doing this does Jesus show the disciples and the woman that He is a man that stays true ONLY to what the Lord calls Him to be doing AND He tests and challenges the woman’s faith in her belief that He is the Messiah, BUT what comes next shows God’s greater heart for each and every one of His children. almost like He is trying to tell us that He will always stay true ONLY to the Father’s will, BUT the Father’s will is one in the same when it comes to ALL of His children…almost like His children TRUMP everything if you will (but we also have to keep in mind that Jesus also chooses when it is ok to extend mercy). (that whole paragraph felt like a mouth-full).
ok to move on…take a look at this…though it is harsh, Jesus basically calls this woman a dog because she is not in the boundaries of israel. now, it is obvious that the woman knows what Jesus is referring to and that His life is meant for the people of israel because immediately, from the beginning, she refers to Jesus as “Lord” and “Son of David”. she knows there is a Messiah to come, and i get the feeling she knows His very focused ministry as well, because she does not become offended by what Jesus declares her to be (according to the law) but rather accepts it and states: ”but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” this woman HUMBLY takes the position of the dog and CONTINUES to lean on her faith. almost like she is saying in a round about way, “yes i know i am a dog and that i am not part of the ministry that You are called to while You are on earth, but i believe without a doubt that You are the Messiah, the One to come, my Saviour, that i will take whatever i can get from my Master. You can reject my plea over and over again but that cannot take my faith away that You are God”. no one can be that persistent and take that much crap from that many people for a person other than herself unless she believes with ALL OF HER HEART. talk about passing the test with flying colors.
Now, once again, Jesus BEAUTIFULLY brings everything together. He states: ”Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” He tests the woman, teaches both the disciples and the woman about the importance of doing ONLY what the Father calls us to do, BUT also shows His abundant mercy He is dying to give away to ALL of His children.
What an incredible God.
(know that these are just my thoughts…if you are reading this, ask for the truth in it. i am not a scholar:)