Did Jesus Actually Just Say That!? -
Matthew 15:21-28, CEB - From there, Jesus went to
the regions of Tyre and Sidon. A
Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy,
Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” But he didn’t respond to her at all.
His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she
keeps shouting out after us.”
Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep,
the people of Israel.”
But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.”
He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread
and toss it to dogs.”
She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs
that fall off their masters’ table.”
Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be
just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed.
This is a troubling story to our
modern ears. We’re not used to Jesus
ignoring people and comparing them to dogs.
But Jesus does indeed do both to the Canaanite woman. She is a Gentile and she is desperate to get
help for her daughter. She is desperate enough to put aside some cultural and
religious differences to approach a Jewish Messiah who she has heard works
miracles for help. But initially, Jesus
does NOT put aside those differences. In
fact, Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge her presence even though she is screaming
out for help so loudly and persistently that the disciples beg Jesus to deal
with her and send her away. Just in case
it isn’t apparent why this story should be disturbing to us, I would point out
that all of us are gentiles. We’re in the
same category as this woman.
Further, when the woman finally
gets Jesus to respond, He basically tells her that what He h as isn’t for her
or her daughter. He says His focus is on
the “lost sheep of Israel” and that is not this woman. The determined mother will not be dismissed,
but she is not disrespectful. She
pleads, “Lord, help me.” He responds
with a metaphor; “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to
dogs.”
Seriously… did Jesus just compare
this woman to a dog to her face?!
Yes, He did. And don’t first-century
Jews view dogs as dirty, disgusting, and unclean animals? Yes, in fact, they do. Why would Jesus say such a thing? This is not the compassionate Jesus we all
know and love. What gives?
What Jesus said needs some cultural
context. First, we should notice that
the woman doesn’t seem especially insulted by Jesus’s words. While Jews did not generally have dogs as
pets, gentiles did. Jesus would not have
used this “feed the children first” metaphor with a Jewish audience, because
dogs would not even be a consideration in a Jewish household. But knowing that this woman (a mother
pleading for her child) would understand that children get fed before pets, he
used the image with her to explain that His first focus at the moment was on
Israel. The mission would expand to gentiles
later as we will see later in Matthew, but Jesus is resolute on trying get the
lost sheep of Israel to return to their Shepherd. Just as a mother’s priority is to feed her
children before the pets are fed, so Jesus needs to see to Israel before he
issues the Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)
The woman’s response here is the
turning point of the story. Still not
being deterred, she actually embraces the “dogs” image Jesus has used. She points that, while children do get fed
first, the dogs still get fed by the crumbs that fall from the table. She, in effect, is saying to Jesus. “ All I’m asking for is a crumb to you.” But for her, that “crumb” is her child’s
deliverance. In this moment, her faith
reaches Jesus’s heart and He changes His mind.
I don’t want us to miss this. The
woman’s determined faith changes Jesus’s mind. He grants her request and praises her “great
faith.” This praise should be contrasted
with the number of times Jesus described the faith of Israel and even the disciples
as being “little.”
Matthew’s gospel has been called
the most Jewish of the four in the New Testament, but by including this surprising
story, you might say he has thrown us gentiles a “crumb.” As the Gospel progresses, we will see more
and more crumbs falling from the table.
But for now, let’s focus on the tenacious faith of this remarkable
mother who reached Jesus’s heart and changed His mind with her persistence. Should we ever feel like a pet who is being
ignored or someone who is on the outside looking in, we should see in this
story that our Lord’s heart is moved by persistent faith that keeps asking for
what we need. Don’t give up. Keep asking and keep watching for those
crumbs.
Question: What is it
that you need to keep asking God about until answer comes?
Prayer: God, I need
your help with ______________. I’ve
asked before, but I’m still waiting for an answer. Help me recognize Your answer when it
comes. Thank you in advance. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Say the
above prayer again later today.
Song: Ask and Keep on
Asking - Liz Baddaley
