Matthew 15:21-28 — 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 demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 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 the dogs.” “Yes, it is, Lord,” she said; “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
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This is one of the most difficult stories in the Bible. There are many troublesome parts of the Old Testament, and anyone who has tried reading it through from beginning to end is usually shocked at how weird and violent it can be. But the New Testament, especially the stories of Jesus, are different. The tone there is one of love and grace and compassion and acceptance of everyone; especially, the acceptance of everyone. That is what often got Jesus into trouble with the religious leaders. Jesus was always seeking out people that the religious leaders, and sometimes even His own disciples, thought he should be avoiding, because of their questionable morality, background, or race. But Jesus always ignored the objections, spending time with and helping anyone He wanted to help; and that was always everyone.
That is why the behavior of Jesus in this story is so harsh and out of character, making it tough to understand. A desperate woman came to Jesus pleading for help. Her daughter needed healing. The woman had seen Jesus heal others with just a word or a touch, and so she cried out to Jesus for mercy. If you have ever had a very sick child, you know how it feels. You know the desperation and the emotion in those cries for help.
But what did Jesus do? At first, Jesus completely ignored the woman. He did not even acknowledge her. She kept pleading, and finally he answered, saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Or, in other words, “No, I can’t help you because you are a Canaanite woman.” Unfortunately, she was of the wrong race. What? Jesus did not ignore people, even when he was very tired, and he did not ever, in any other place, discriminate of the basis of race. He healed not just Jews, but also Samaritans, Romans, foreigners of any type, and anyone else who came to him.
But not this woman’s daughter. So, the mother kept pleading. Then came the worst reply of all. Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Dogs? Is that what Jesus is calling this woman? A dog? Is this even Jesus? But the woman remained undaunted. She said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” “It’s okay if I’m a dog,” she implied, “just toss me a crumb like anybody would for any dog, and heal my daughter.”
Then, finally, Jesus responded. The woman’s request was granted, her daughter was healed, and Jesus praised the woman for her great faith.
There is much we cannot understand in this little story, but there is one simple and profound lesson; and that one lesson, so true to our own lives, has made this one of my favorite Bible stories. I love this story primarily because it is so difficult.
Most of what happened between Jesus and this woman I cannot explain. I do not know why Jesus acted as he did. I am sure he had a good reason, but I have no idea what it could have been. I don’t know why this poor woman was ignored for so long. I don’t know why Jesus was always so good to everyone else and so hesitant to help this woman. I don’t know why he spoke so harshly to her when he did finally speak to her. I don’t know why Jesus called her a dog. I could tell you a half a dozen reasons that scholars have come up with to explain Jesus’ behavior here, but they are all just guesses. The text tells us nothing of what is going on in Jesus’ mind, and no reason is given for his unusual behavior. We therefore have to set that part of the story aside, along with those many other things in the Bible that we do not fully understand.
But the part of the story we need to focus on is the ending, and that is easy to understand. There is no mistaking the fact that there is a happy ending. The woman received what she came for. Her daughter was healed. So, the message there for us is that God at times, maybe even oftentimes, may seem to ignore your most fervent prayers. You might see others getting answers to their prayers, but not you. You, like this woman, might find God impossible to understand at times. Do you know what I mean? I am sure you do. In that way, this harsh story is truer to our own lives than those many other stories where someone comes to Jesus and asks to be healed, and Jesus immediately performs a miracle. That’s how it went most of the time when Jesus was here in person. But I think this story was included in the Bible for those who would come after Jesus’ life here on earth; folks who would not see Jesus in person, and would not get their requests answered so quickly and obviously. (continued…)
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