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 suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
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 their dogs.”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
I went looking for some further information on this passage, because at first glance it seems strange that Jesus would ignore the woman and then at first refuse her because she was a Gentile. I know there is more to it!
Here is an excerpt from a study by Bob Deffinbaugh:
Let’s begin by focusing on this woman. She was a Canaanite, Matthew tells us. Think of what the Old Testament Law meant for her! (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). It was one thing to be a Gentile, and quite another to be a Canaanite. In Jewish eyes, this was about as low as one could go.
This woman was desperate because her daughter was demon possessed. She had no other hope than Jesus. And so when she saw Him, she persisted in crying out,9 “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed” (verse 22). This woman is not deterred from her mission by the scowling disapproval of the disciples, nor their pressing Jesus to be rid of her.
Once again the disciples do not come out looking good in our text. They find this woman’s persistence irritating and distracting. They revert to their shop-worn solution, “Send her away!” (verse 23), which reminds us of their insistence that Jesus send the hungry crowds away in Matthew 14:15. Compassion is not their strong point. I dare not fault them; I’ve been there myself.
I do have to wonder what factors contributed to the disciples’ indifference, even disdain toward this woman. Was it partly due to the fact that this woman was a Canaanite? Or was it that this Canaanite was a woman?
Just what is it that troubles us about our Lord’s words and actions? Are we troubled by His silence? How often in the Psalms does the psalmist ask God how long He will remain silent?10 Our Lord’s silence did several things. It conveys to the reader that He is not obligated to respond. She has no basis on which to appeal to Jesus, except to cling to His mercy. Our Lord’s silence was an encouragement to this woman. Remember, the disciples are pressing Jesus to get rid of her. When Jesus kept silent, He was refusing to grant the disciples’ request. A command from Him to leave would have ended her hope for mercy.
She saw herself for what she was – a woman in desperate need, who could not rid her daughter of the demon that tormented her. She saw Jesus for what He was – a gracious and compassionate Savior, who was able (and hopefully willing) to extend mercy to her, and to her daughter.
I believe she (alone) rightly interpreted our Lord’s silence. In spite of the disciples’ persistent prodding to have Jesus send this woman away, Jesus did not tell the woman to leave. His silence in this regard was golden for the Canaanite woman. And what Jesus said was also encouraging to her. He said He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. That was His mission. She was not seeking to dissuade Him from fulfilling His calling. And so she persisted to plead with Him to have mercy on her.
What seemed to be our Lord’s most inflammatory words did not put her off:
“It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” he said (Matthew 15:26).
It has been commonly observed that our Lord’s choice of words for “dogs” is significant. He did not employ the term used for dogs that run wild in the streets (see Matthew 7:6; Luke 16:21), or which is used negatively of men (see Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15). Instead, Jesus used a term which might be rendered “lap dog,” because it was a household pet.
The Canaanite woman listened well to Jesus, even to His choice of words. Did Jesus refer to her as a “lap dog” that was a “household pet”? Good! She seized on this word, and made this the basis for her appeal. It was as though she said this:
“Did you say it would be wrong to take bread away from the children and feed it to the dogs? You said these dogs were household pets. They don’t run wild in the street; they sit at the feet of their master. And if their master is at the dinner table, they are under the table, at his feet. It is to be expected that crumbs of bread will fall to the floor, and that the household dog will eat them. It might even be that the master of the house would throw the dog a scrap of bread. If I’m a “lap dog,” then simply grant me a scrap of bread. That’s all I’m asking of you.”
Far from being offended by Jesus, she was inspired by Him to ask for what she desired. She was, in truth, a dog, and thus she asked for what such a dog might reasonably expect from its master.
How she must have delighted in our Lord’s response to her request. Jesus commended her faith in a way that no Jew was ever commended. Only the Gentile centurion was commended in a similar way (Matthew 8:10-12). She, like this centurion, trusted Jesus to heal the afflicted “long distance.” She took Jesus at His word and returned home to find that her daughter had been delivered from her tormentor (Matthew 15:28; Mark 7:30).
What are we meant to learn from this text? Most importantly, we see the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see His compassion and mercy, and His grace. Jesus is merciful to the Canaanite woman, while His disciples want Jesus to get rid of her. Jesus is moved with compassion at her need, and delighted with the faith she reveals. The disciples are irritated by this woman and would love to be rid of her.
What set this Canaanite woman apart from and above others was her knowledge of her own helplessness, and of the fact that she was undeserving of divine favor. What set this woman apart was that she had no hope other than in Jesus – and she asked for it!
My friend, may you and I learn from this magnificent woman. May we see that we are no better than she, that we have no more claim on our Lord than she did. Let us not come to Jesus full of ourselves, demanding that He meet our desires. Let us come to Him in humility, recognizing that our sins separate us from God. Our sins make us less than dogs, even wild dogs. We deserve eternal hell, and nothing less. It is His sacrifice on Calvary in our place that saves. It is His righteousness, not ours; His mercy, not our goodness or merit. Let us come to Him as this woman did, clinging to His word and to His character. Let us come to Him in faith, assured that He will be gracious to all who cry out for mercy.
Amen.
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 15:29-39.
1 comment:
This passage has struck me every time I've read it since starting this blog a few years ago, I think I did both my posts for those years on this passage, it's just so rich and opposite to how we might first interpret it.
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