This Syro-Phoenician woman is a pathetic picture. She represents everything a good Jew wanted to avoid. She is a woman. And since there are apparently no men in her life, she is left alone to fend for herself in a hostile environment. Worse than this, her daughter is demon-possessed. This would raise suspicions that there was some kind of sin in her life. Worse than that, she is a dirty Gentile. Yet by the end of this episode, she will be a model of faith, what every Christian wants to be. Oddly enough, however, Jesus calls her a dog. We are a bit perplexed and embarrassed by that. It cries out for some kind of explanation.

Mt 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

Mk 7:24 He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

Mk 7:24 He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

Things are heating up in Galilee as a result of the recent murder of John the Baptist, feeding 5,000, sermon on the bread of life, and the investigative team from the Jerusalem Passover. In fact, things are getting a little too hot. It is time for Jesus to retire to a quieter spot. So he heads northwest to the region of Phoenicia, now called Lebanon. He doesn’t have to go far. This territory borders Galilee on the northwest. Phoenicia was hostile territory. Tyre and Sidon, the major cities of Phoenicia, epitomize Israel’s ancient enemies.

Here we find Jesus on the edge of “enemy territory” hunkered down in some secret hideaway. His seclusion is not long-lived because his reputation had already reached these parts a year ago (Mk 3:8; Lk 6:17). So it couldn’t have been more than a few days before this “woman came out” [exelthousa] of Gentile territory and cornered him in his hideout.

Mt 15:22 with Mk 7:25

How does this Gentile get into a Jewish home? We can only suppose that she slips in among a crowd of Jews, no doubt to the chagrin of this kosher home owner. Also, we can’t imagine that she is alone in finding out where Jesus is. So we can assume this event takes place amidst a fairly large and mongrel crowd.

{25 In factMK} 22 A Canaanite woman {a Greek, born in Syrian PhoeniciaMK} from that vicinity {as soon as she heard about himMK} came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My {littleMK} daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

Nationally this woman is a Phoenician. Politically she is a Syrian. Ethnically, her roots go back to the Canaanites (Mt 15:22). By using this term, Matthew takes us back to the OT and conjures up the ancient rivalries and angers that have festered for so long. Culturally and linguistically she is a Greek (probably meaning Gentile).

Her trouble is simple. Her daughter is demon-possessed. She knows she has no right to petition this Jewish healer, but neither does she have much choice. Jesus is the only one who can help her. She addresses him with a most kosher Messianic title: Son of David (cf. Mt 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30–31; 21:9, 15; 22:42). It is not what one expects to roll off the lips of a Syro-Phoenician woman. Why is this foreigner addressing Jesus like this? First, using the name of a powerful historical figure was a common feature in first-century magic and exorcisms (cf. Acts 19:13). In this bicultural, bilingual region, it would be reasonable to assume the locals are relatively fluent in Jewish affairs. She is probably familiar with the Jewish Messianic expectations and a few of their more common titles. She may be using this title both to honor Jesus and to invoke the power of his ancestor to appropriate a healing for her daughter.

Second, the OT predicted that Jehovah, the God of the Jews, would bless the whole world through these people and specifically David’s kingdom:

v Isaiah 9:7: Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

v Isaiah 11:10: In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

v Amos 9:11: In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the Nations who bear my name (See also Gen 12:3; Deut 32:43; Ps 18:49; 67:2; 98:2; 117:1; Isa 2:2; 42:6; 49:6, 22; 51:4; 52:10; 60:3; Joel 2:28; Mal 1:11).

What this woman is asking for, as an outsider, is to be blessed by the Jewish Messiah. Jesus is wanting her to realize is that she can be an insider in God’s plan. Jesus is now the Jewish Messiah but soon will become the universal Lord. So Jesus rejects her request, not because he disdains Gentiles (cf. Jn 4), but because she is not ready to receive the blessing until she understands who she is in God’s eyes. If Jesus were now to give her what she asked for, he would be capitulating to the popular demand to become a “do-gooder.” To label Jesus as a “nice guy who helps people” is to “damn him with faint praise.” What she must ask for is not merely a miracle, but primarily a sign.

Mt 15:23–24 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.”

This does not seem like the Jesus we have imagined. He has always befriended the down-and-outers. You could not get much more down and out in the Jewish community than to be a Gentile woman with a demonized daughter!

The disciples are annoyed by the situation. She is a persistent pest, following them around, begging, bothering, shouting to them as they are on their way. Aside from being a woman, she is a Gentile, which irks them all the more. It’s not too tough to imagine these guys asking Jesus to get rid of her (Jn 4:27; Lk 9:54). But this request may not be as harsh as it seems. The text does not say the disciples ask Jesus to send her away empty-handed, but merely that he gets rid of her. In fact, v. 24 makes much more sense if we understand the disciples to say, “Give her what she wants and be done with her.”

Verse 24 is clear enough to understand … but not in this context. We know that Jesus’ earthly ministry was directed toward the Jews (Mt 10:5–6; Jn 1:11) and that it would eventually extend to all peoples (Mt 10:18; 28:18–20; Jn 10:16). We find this “Jew first” pattern consistent in the book of Acts (1:8; 10:34–35; 13:46–47; 18:6; 19:8–9; 28:28) and stated by Paul himself in Romans 1:16; 2:9–10 (cf. Mk 7:27). The quandary in this context is why Jesus says, “I was sent only to Jews,” then he goes ahead and helps this woman anyway.
Jesus is not only teaching her, he is also teaching the Twelve. They need to understand this terribly difficult lesson that the Kingdom of God is for all people. True, she is not yet a part of the chosen people, but that does not mean that she has no place in the “house.” Jesus’ demonstration of this truth is subtle, but brilliant!

Mt 15:25–26 with Mk 7:25–27 The woman came and knelt before him {fell at his feet.MK} “Lord, help me!” she said. {26 She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.MK} 26 He replied, “{27 First let the children eat all they want,MK} It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

Mk 7:28–30 with Mt 15:27–28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs {that fall from their masters’ table.”MT} 29 Then he told her, “{Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.MT} For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” {And her daughter was healed from that very hour.MT} 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

This woman has resigned her pride; she needs help! In a society where men typically intercede for women, she oversteps her bounds out of her extreme need. Kneeling at Jesus’ feet, she is the only person in Mark’s Gospel to call him Lord. Jesus has already put her off with his silence and now he puts her off blatantly with his words. He does this not to kick her while she’s down, but to raise her level of understanding.

To the Jews all dogs were dirty. In addition, “dog” was one of the common Jewish terms for Gentiles. So Jesus is calling this woman a dirty dog. The Greeks, on the other hand, loved dogs and commonly allowed them in their houses as pets. That’s obviously how this Greek woman interprets Jesus’ word here, kynaria (especially with its diminutive ending). Even so, it was still a slam. This woman’s humility is impressive. So also is her wit and persistence. She has now come to understand (a) that Jesus is her only hope, and (b) that she has a part in God’s “household.” She is now ready to receive God’s blessing through Jesus, and he is happy to give it.

More details

(15:21-28) Introduction: this is a difficult passage to understand because of Jesus’ apparent attitude toward a person with such a desperate need. He was both silent (Matthew 15:23) and pointed (Matthew 15:24, 26). However, one thing needs to be remembered: we do not know what was happening in the heart of the woman, but Christ did. He knew every thought of her heart, and He knew exactly what was needed to lead her to a personal faith in Him.

In addition to this very basic fact, three other things are clearly known.

1. Christ was not rejecting the woman nor refusing to meet the need of a desperate person. He never turned from a person who genuinely sought Him.
2. Christ was not harsh or mean to the woman. His harshness (justice) is never manifested except against sin.
3. At first the woman saw Jesus only as the Son of David, a great miracle worker. She saw Him only in terms of earthly power, as a great man who was to liberate people from their ills and problems whether national or personal. She needed to grow in her concept of Christ.

 

The fact that the woman needed to grow in her faith is probably the key to interpreting what is happening between Christ and the woman. She simply needed to learn step by step that Jesus is the Lord who is to be worshipped (Matthew 15:25). He is the Master of all lives (or dogs, Matthew 15:26-27) and a person must persist and demonstrate humility in seeking Him.

1. Jesus withdrew to Gentile coasts (v.21-22).
2. A cry of need (v.22).
3. A persistence that would not quit (v.23-24).
4. A spirit that worshipped Jesus as Lord (v.25).
5. A spirit of humility and surrender (v.26-27).
6. A great faith (v.28).

 

The Bible has much to say about faith. It speaks of weak faith, strong faith, bold faith, rich faith, abiding faith, steadfast faith, dead faith, precious faith, common faith, unfeigned faith, working faith, obedient faith, and many other kinds.

It also speaks of little faith and great faith, and this text contains the second reference in Matthew’s gospel in which Jesus speaks of great faith. Of the Roman centurion who asked for his servant to be healed Jesus said, “I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel” (8:10). In both cases the person expressing great faith was a Gentile; and in this second instance the context seems to imply that the woman’s faith not only was for the deliverance of her daughter but was also for personal salvation.

(15:21-22) Coasts: Jesus withdrew to Gentile coasts. He withdrew to the northern border of Tyre and Sidon. The word “coasts” (ta mere) means the ports or borders. Jesus was deliberately withdrawing to the borders of Gentile country. He needed time and quiet to prepare both Himself and His disciples for the end. The only place He could find freedom from the crowds and from His opponents was in the northern area, the area bordering Gentile territory. No Jew was likely to enter Gentile areas. From this point to His re-entering the coasts of Magdala (Matthew 15:39), the miracles He performed were in behalf of the Gentiles. In the present passage a desperate woman approached Jesus .

It should be noted that this event foreshadowed the spread of the gospel worldwide and God’s great desire for all barriers to be broken down.

Until this time Jesus had carried on most of His ministry in Galilee; but now He went away because of the rapidly mounting pressures that faced Him there.

He was under pressure first of all from the multitudes who followed Him from place to place and were convinced He was the long-predicted Messiah. They were right in recognizing that His miraculous powers marked Him as the true Messiah, but they were wrong about the kind of Messiah He had come to be. They expected Him to deliver them from the oppressive Romans and their Herodian lackeys and to usher in an unending period of political freedom and material prosperity. After His feeding of the five thousand, they even intended “to come and take Him by force, to make Him king” John 6:15.

Second, Jesus was under the pressure of possible arrest and execution by Herod Antipas, who thought Jesus was John the Baptist come back from the dead (Matt. 14:2). The king’s jealous hatred of anyone who threatened his throne would have led him to murder Jesus just as coldly as he had John.

The greatest pressure, however, was from the Jewish religious leaders. The scribes and Pharisees of Galilee had already determined to destroy Jesus (12:14), and after He rebuked and embarrassed the delegation from Jerusalem by showing the ungodliness of their man-made traditions (15:1-9), the danger from the religious establishment escalated. As Alfred Edersheim commented, Jesus “was saying distinctly un-Jewish things,” and even the enthusiasm of the multitudes cooled rapidly when He began to make clear what allegiance to Him demanded (John 6:60-66).

Besides His need for physical refreshment and time to be alone with the twelve, Jesus therefore had those additional reasons to find a place of temporary retreat. He had moved away by going across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida Julias, only to be followed by a massive crowd whom He miraculously fed. And after crossing back over to the Plain of Gennesaret just south of Capernaum, He was immediately recognized and was again surrounded by the sick, crippled, and diseased who wanted healing.

Jesus therefore withdrew from the frenzy of Galilee and traveled northwest into the district of Tyre and Sidon, out of the land of Israel and beyond the jurisdiction of both Herod and the Jewish religious leaders. The district of Tyre and Sidon was the Gentile territory of ancient Phoenicia, an area now in southern Lebanon, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is possible that He and the disciples spent most of their time in the foothills of the mountains, which would have been a refreshing change in climate from the hot and arid region of Galilee.

More importantly, Jesus would gain time to be alone with the disciples and to further prepare them for His coming crucifixion and their apostolic ministry. Palestine afforded no privacy and numerous dangers, but Jesus did not withdraw out of fear. When the time came for Him to face the cross, “He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem” Luke 9:51; cf. 19:28.

Some interpreters believe that Jesus’ statement “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24) indicates that He could not have actually gone into a Gentile area and that this woman must have come down into Galilee to see Jesus just as many others had done. But Mark makes clear that Jesus not only went to the “region of Tyre” but that He “came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee” (7:24, 31). It is true, however, that the Lord did not go to this area to minister but to rest, just as centuries earlier the Lord had sent Elijah to that same region to rest at the home of the widow at “Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon” 1 Kings 17:9.

When Jesus went to the house near Tyre, “He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice” (Mark 7:24b). As Archbishop Trench commented, “Like perfume betrays itself, so He whose name is perfume poured out cannot be hid.” Jesus did not purposely expand His ministry into Gentile territory, but many people of that area had heard of Him and already had gone into Galilee to see and hear Him and to be healed (Matt. 4:24-25; Mark 3:8).

In His omniscience Jesus was not surprised at being discovered or of being drawn into ministry. Many Gentiles, illustrated by the Roman centurion, were more humbly receptive than the Jewish multitudes, who often took Jesus’ healings as a matter of their rightful heritage. In their thinking, the Messiah belonged exclusively to Israel, and He was obligated to serve, heal, and liberate His fellow Jews. It was that proud and self-righteous attitude that drove the multitude to try to force a crown on Him (John 6:15).

But most of the native Gentiles in and near Palestine were less religiously and intellectually proud than their Jewish neighbors. They had long since lost their military and commercial power as well as much of their religious and cultural heritage. Their pagan religious systems had repeatedly failed them and now had little influence on their living. They were empty, in need, and open to help. Jesus had told the Jews of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum that if Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom had experienced a revelation of God’s power such as they had been witnessing, those Gentile cities would have repented and been spared judgment (Matt. 11:21-23).

Jesus’ first priority was to minister to God’s people Israel, to reveal Himself as their Messiah and to offer them the kingdom; but He always extended Himself to open hearts and never refused a person of any race or culture who came to Him in faith. The Lord’s going to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon must have been refreshing because of the people as well as the climate. They were deep in darkness, but many anxiously sought for light (cf. John 1:9-11).

Whether Jew or Gentile, the person who approached Jesus with true faith and humility was always received. The person who came with an empty but open heart left with a filled heart, while the person who came with a filled and closed heart left with nothing. Jesus declared, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28); and He promised, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” John 6:37.

The gospel came through the Jews (John 4:22) and first to the Jews, but it was never intended to be only for them. The gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The Great Commission was to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19), beginning with Jerusalem but reaching “even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Israel was the channel through which the gospel would be carried to the entire world.

 

(15:22) Intercession: a cry of need. The woman cried out for three things.

1. She cried for mercy. No matter the need, Jesus can never turn from a desperate cry for His mercy. But two things are essential: one must cry for mercy, and one must cry to Him, the true Lord. Many cry, but not to Him.
2. She cried for the Son of David to hear her.
3. She cried not for herself, but for another person, her daughter. The woman had a desperate need—her daughter was under the power of Satan.

Note another fact. She had an inadequate concept of Jesus, yet she got Jesus’ attention. How? She possessed two qualities from which Jesus can never turn.

1. She truly loved another person, her own daughter. She loved so deeply that she considered her daughter’s problem her own: “Have mercy on me,” she cried. Her love was much more than the normal love or sympathy. It was true oneness, a union of living between her and her daughter that she felt.
2. She approached the right person, Jesus Himself, and cried out for mercy. Despite her inadequate understanding of Him, she did the right thing: she approached the true Lord and cried for His mercy.

 

Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman is the story of a faith Jesus called great (v. 28). Great faith is, of course, a relative term. This woman’s faith was not great because it was stronger or more sincere or mature than the faith of many Jews who believed in Christ but because it was based on so little light. When Peter’s faith faltered and he began to sink into the water, Jesus referred to it as “little faith” (Matt. 14:31). In general character it was greater than this woman’s faith and surely greater than the faith of the other eleven disciples, who did not even attempt to walk on the water, but it was not as strong as it should have been for that situation. Peter was a Jew and therefore had the heritage of God’s Word and special blessing. More than that, he had lived for nearly two years in intimate fellowship with the Son of God. He had seen virtually every miracle Jesus performed and heard virtually every word He preached and taught. He had saving faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior and had left everything to follow Him; but his great privilege and advantage was no guarantee that, under severe testing, his faith might not be reduced to relatively little.

The Canaanite woman, on the other hand, had been raised in a pagan culture that had been renowned for its wickedness and vileness. She was a descendant of a people God had commanded Israel to conquer and “utterly destroy” (Deut. 7:2). She had no heritage of God’s Word, God’s blessing, or of His Tabernacle, Temple, priesthood, or sacrifices. Therefore, because she believed so much relative to so little revelation, Jesus called her faith great (Matt. 15:28). And from her story we can propose five general qualities that mark all great faith: It is repentant, properly directed, reverent, persistent, and humble.

 

Because this woman was a Canaanite, “of the Syrophoenician race” (Mark 7:26), she was probably a worshiper of Astarte and other pagan deities that were popular in that region. The fact that she came to Jesus, a Jewish teacher and healer, indicates she was disillusioned with the idolatry and immoral debauchery that characterized her religion. In turning to Jesus, she turned from the way of Satan and sin to the way of God, and that is the essence of repentance.

 

The woman’s plea is further proof of her penitence. She knew she did not deserve Jesus’ help, that she was unworthy of Him, and that her only hope for undeserved forgiveness was in His gracious mercy. By definition, the person who asks for mercy asks for something undeserved. This woman did not come demanding but pleading. She did not ask Jesus’ help on the basis of her own goodness but on the basis of His.

 

Mercy is integral to God’s redemptive work for man. From the time of the Fall, man has had no way back to God except through His merciful grace. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the New Testament and the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) various forms of the verb     (to have mercy) are used some five hundred times.

 

When the Sinai covenant was renewed with the people of Israel, God declared Himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7). In his reply Moses said, “If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate; and do Thou pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession” (v. 9). In his profound penitential psalm written after he confessed his sin with Bathsheba, David pleaded for nothing but mercy: “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions” Ps. 51:1.

 

Faith that apprehends the blessings of Christ involves repentance that comes from a deep and sincere sense of unworthiness. In his book All of Grace (Chicago: Moody, pp. 97-100) Charles Spurgeon wrote:  Repentance is the inseparable companion of faith. All the while that we walk by faith and not by sight, the tear of
repentance glitters in the eye of faith. That is not true repentance which does not come of faith in Jesus, and that is not true faith in Jesus which is not tinctured with repentance. Faith and repentance, like Siamese twins, are vitally joined together.… Faith and repentance are but two spokes in the same wheel, two handles of the same plow. Repentance has been well described as a heart broken for sin and from sin, and it may equally well be spoken of as turning and returning. It is a change of mind of the most thorough and radical sort, and it is attended with sorrow for the past and a resolve of amendment in the future.… Repentance of sin and faith in divine pardon are the warp and woof of the fabric of real conversion.

 

Repentance adds nothing to faith but is rather an integral part of it. Saving faith is repentant faith. “Repentance toward God and faith in [the] Lord Jesus Christ” are inseparable (Acts 20:21). Because they are inseparable, Scripture sometimes refers to salvation as repentance. Paul declares that “the kindness of God leads you to repentance’ (Rom. 2:4), and Peter that God does not desire “for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” 2 Pet. 3:9.

 

Great faith must, of course, be directed at the right object. Those who believe that somehow in some way, by some means everything will ultimately work out for the good have faith in an illusion. To declare, “Somewhere there’s somebody who hears every prayer” or “I believe in the darkest night a candle glows,” is to believe in nothing more trustworthy than your own imagination and wishful thinking. It is unbelievably foolish to put ultimate trust in something or someone you know nothing about. When John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “The steps of faith fall on the seeming void and find the rock beneath,” he proved himself a better poet than theologian.

 

That sort of faith is essentially faith in faith, which is to say no faith at all. To jump out of an airplane with a parachute is an act of faith. To jump without a parachute while exclaiming, “I believe,” is an act of stupidity. To say no more than, “I believe in love,” “I believe in believing,” or, “I believe it will all work out,” is contentless faith and therefore pointless and powerless. It shows no more sense than to go on vacation and leave your three-year-old child behind with instructions to look after the house and pay all the bills while you are gone.

 

For faith to make sense and to have power it must be placed in a trustworthy object; and as the Canaanite woman turned her back on her idols she placed her faith in the Lord, the Son of David. Despite her pagan background, she had heard of the Jews’ coming Messiah, who was called the Son of David; and she reverently addressed Jesus as her sovereign and omnipotent Lord. She had heard of the Messiah’s great power and also sensed His great goodness; and she treated Him with both dignity and expectancy. She approached Him in the same reverent, trusting spirit as the leper who met Jesus after the Sermon on the Mount “and bowed down to Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matt. 8:2).

 

After the irreverent treatment of the Lord by the scribes and Pharisees—who had called Him a drunk, a companion of sinners, and demon-controlled—it must have been refreshing for Jesus to hear this Gentile woman come to Him with such respect and submission. Although she did not yet understand the full meaning of Christ’s lordship or messiahship, she came with a sense of awe and wonder.

 

This woman loved her young daughter more than her own life, and she came to the only source of help she knew of. Her faith was great because she turned from faith in false gods, dumb idols, and pagan deities to faith in Jesus Christ. Her trust in Astarte may have seemed satisfactory while things were going well; but when her daughter became cruelly demon-possessed, the mother discovered she could get no help from a goddess of stone. She therefore left her religious system, left her pagan family and friends, left her false belief that had no answers or power, and came to the only One who could help her. By her appeal to Christ, she publicly affirmed His power over her former gods of wood and stone and metal. Like the Thessalonian believers, she had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” 1 Thess. 1:9.

 

(15:23-24) Persistence: a persistence that would not quit. The woman faced three major obstacles.

1. There was the silence of Jesus. Note what really happened: the woman’s love and sense of desperation were really seen. She loved so much that she was not going to let Jesus go until He helped her. She kept after Jesus…

• despite His silence.
• despite the objection of the disciples.
• despite her being undeserving.

2. There was the objection of the disciples. It seems that two things happened to the disciples. The woman was creating an embarrassing situation by “crying after” them. Because of their aggravation and because of their life-long training, they judged the lady to be unworthy of Jesus’ help because she was a Gentile. They expected Jesus to send her away. She must have followed them for some time. Jesus seemed to ignore her, so the disciples assumed He would not help such a despised person. The disciples had two lessons to learn.
3. Faith has to be awakened in a person’s heart before Christ can minister. A person cannot just haphazardly approach Christ at every whim and fancy and expect to receive help. There must be a true and sincere heart, a genuine seeking and an awakened faith. This is apparently what Jesus was doing with the woman: awakening her faith.
4. The servant of God must minister from a heart filled with compassion for all. He must minister to the despised as well as to the accepted.

 

3. There was the strange statement of Jesus that she was undeserving: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” There was no rejection whatever in this statement to the woman. It was merely a statement of fact. Jesus had come primarily to the house of Israel while on earth. He had to concentrate His ministry if He was to achieve His purpose. But why make this statement to the woman? There were apparently two reasons.
4. The woman needed to learn persistence, humility, and trust.
5. The woman needed to learn that there is only one true religion and only one true Messiah. She was a Greek from a proud pagan society. She had been and probably still was a worshipper of false gods; therefore she was undeserving of being heard by the true Messiah or true Lord. She had recognized Christ as the Son of David, as the miracle worker of the Jews who was delivering them from their diseases, but what she needed was to see that He was the only Messiah of all and the only hope of all. No other religion, no other gods could do anything for her or for anyone else. He alone was her hope. He alone was to be the Lord and Master whom she was to worship. She had to learn the same lesson that the Samaritan woman at the well had to learn: salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22).

 

Thought 1. There is a difference in the way people seek Jesus and pray.

1) There is the prayer of chance or of no expectancy. Many people pray this way. They pray because they think God just might hear. They are not quite sure—they cannot point to any (and certainly not to many) instances when He really did answer, but they pray anyway just in case He might hear.

2) There is the prayer of persistence or perseverance, the prayer that will not take “no” or silence for an answer. This was the woman’s prayer. She truly loved her daughter and she was desperate. She knew Jesus was her only hope, so she would not quit. She would not be discouraged by anything—not by silence, not by an objection, not even by an apparent rebuff.

 

Great faith does not give up; it is not deterred by obstacles, setbacks, or disappointments. Jesus therefore tested the faith of this woman by setting up a series of barriers. Some people have to struggle against strong doubts before they come to fully trust Christ for salvation. Others have to struggle against the objections and arguments of friends and family. Still others struggle to believe because they have never heard the gospel clearly presented or because they see inconsistencies in the lives of Christians they know. This woman, however, had barriers placed in her way by the Savior Himself.

 

Sometimes the hardest response to accept is no response at all, and that is what this woman received from Jesus as He did not answer her a word. The disciples apparently interpreted Jesus’ ignoring the woman as a sign of unconcern and wondered why He did not dismiss her. As she continued to plead with Jesus and He continued to ignore her, His disciples became more upset with the woman and more puzzled about the Lord. In frustration they came to Him and kept asking Him to do something about this nuisance who not only was getting on their nerves but was attracting attention at a time when Jesus wanted to get away from the pressures and demands of the crowds. Finally they said, “Send her away, for she is shouting after us.”

 

The disciples response was insensitive and prejudiced. They did not want to be bothered by this Gentile woman who was interfering with their plans and peace of mind. In advising the Lord to send her away, they may have had in mind His healing the daughter first, sensing that that would be the only thing that would make the woman leave. And on the surface it seems as if Jesus was equally, if not more, insensitive, because He did not even acknowledge her presence. Commenting on the Lord’s seeming indifference, the early church Father Chrysostom wrote, “The Word has no word. The fountain is sealed. The Physician holds back his remedy.”

 

But Jesus did nothing unloving and nothing without a divine purpose. He had had enough of superficiality and shallowness, of the pretended faith of those who selfishly got what they wanted from Him and left. But more than that He wanted to test the woman’s faith to bring it to full flower. He put up the barriers not to keep her away but to draw her closer. He also used the occasion to show the disciples the value of persistent faith and to help them distinguish between the genuine and the superficial. He erected barriers that only genuine, persistent faith could hurdle. (Cf. Matt. 19:16-22, where Jesus placed barriers before the young man to test the genuineness of his plea for eternal life.)

 

Speaking directly to the disciples, but within the hearing of the woman, Jesus said, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The hardness of heart suggested by His silence now seemed to be confirmed by His words. We do not know what the disciples thought of Jesus’ comment, but they must have wondered why He had so willingly healed the servant of the Roman centurion and offered the water of life to the Samaritan woman at Sychar but now refused to help this woman simply because she was not of the house of Israel.

 

But by those words Jesus assured the disciples that His plan of redemption was still on course. Israel was still the Lord’s chosen people and the kingdom was still offered first to the seed of Abraham. Despite their hostility, resentment, and rejection, the Lord would continue to call the house of Israel to repentance. His primary ministry was still to the children of the covenant. It was not yet time to move to the Gentile nations, because the full opportunity to Israel had not as yet been presented. It is important to note that even after the crucifixion and resurrection, Peter still referred to Israel as “the sons … of the covenant,” to whom Jesus was first sent for blessing and cleansing (Acts 3:25-26).

 

Whatever effect Jesus’ response had on the disciples, it must have been a painful blow to the woman. Most people would have indignantly said, “So much for your God of love, your message of compassion, and your narrow bigoted religion. I want nothing to do with a God or religion like that.” But this woman had no resentment or bitterness, only an abiding love for her afflicted little girl and a determination to have her freed from her demonic torture. She also knew that the gods her people worshiped did not care. She knew Jesus was the only hope and that she had nowhere else to turn. She said in effect what Peter had said not long before: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68).

 

(15:25) Worship: a spirit that worships Jesus as Lord. The woman came to Jesus and worshipped Him as Lord. She called Him “Lord” before (Matthew 15:22), but now she took the one essential step: she worshipped Him as Lord.

 

To bow down means to prostrate oneself and is frequently translated “to worship.” Whether or not the woman’s bowing down was intended to be worship, it was clearly an act of humility. She threw herself at Jesus feet and pleaded with even greater desperation, Lord, help me!

 

But again Jesus put her off, saying to her the same basic truth He had just pointed out to the disciples (v. 24): It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.

 

Two different Greek words are used in the New Testament for dogs. One refers to the mangy and often vicious mongrels that ran in packs and lived largely off garbage and carcasses of dead animals. The dogs referred to here, however, were household pets that were sometimes treated almost like family.

 

Even so, Jesus’ remarks were far from a compliment. The woman knew that children’s referred to Jews and dogs referred to Gentiles, because both figures were commonly used by Jews. Jesus’ words sounded much like the insults Jews frequently cast at Gentiles and that the woman had probably heard many times before.

 

But she was undaunted, and in an incredible flash of insight she picked up on Jesus’ own illustration, saying, Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. She knew she was sinful and unworthy of anything He had to offer and was willing to concede that she was less deserving than Jews. In doing so she demonstrated a complete absence of the pride, self-reliance, and self-righteousness that characterized most Jews. She was willing to settle for the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, because that would be enough to meet her needs. A tiny leftover of Jesus’ great power could heal her daughter, and that was all she asked.

 

Although Jesus’ priority mission was to the Jews, the crumbs of the gospel did indeed fall from their table and feed humble Gentiles who hungered for the Bread of Life.

 

(15:26-27) Humility: a spirit of humility and surrender. These words could be interpreted as harsh except for one thing: Jesus never spoke harshly or rejected anyone who came to Him with a desperate need. If a person was truly sincere and had the potential of trusting Him as Lord, He always accepted the person. So whatever happened, we know the words were not meant to be harsh or rejecting.

What do they mean then? Again, Jesus had to move the woman forward in faith and trust and in a clear understanding of just who He is: the Lord and Master of everyone’s life, not just of the Jews. He is much more than just the Son of David. He also had to teach her that salvation is of the Jews and that He is that Salvation, the Master of all lives. He is telling her this: “It is not right to take the bread of the gospel that belongs to the true worshippers of God and give it to the “dogs,” that is, the heathen.

The woman was a Greek, a proud people with a rich heritage who despised the Jews. She was a worshipper of false gods, a heathen, an outsider, a sinner; and He was the Messiah, the Master of all lives. Was she willing to humble and surrender herself to Him as the Master of her life?

With great spiritual insight, she clearly saw and confessed in humility that she was nothing spiritually: she was only “a dog,” but being a dog of the family she had the right to eat the crumbs that fell from His table.

 

(15:28) Faith: the woman had a great faith. One thing rises above all others in the experience of this mother: she believed that Jesus could meet her need, and she would not let Him go until He met her need. Her belief was so strong that she would not quit—despite being met with silence, irritation, opposition, apparent rebuff, and being told that she was undeserving (Matthew 15:23-24). There is no way to describe the scene except “O woman, great is thy faith.”

Imagine this also: she believed that Christ’s power could overcome space and time. Her daughter was back home! What enormous faith!

But note a critical point: her faith in Jesus’ power, as great as it was, was not enough. Her faith was not what caused Jesus to answer her prayer. What caused Jesus to answer her prayer was her personal humility (surrender) and worship of Him as Lord. Christ answers the prayer and exercises His power in behalf of those who (1) surrender (humble) themselves to Him and (2) worship Him as Lord.

 

After putting up a barrier of silence and then a double barrier of seeming rejection, Jesus heard what He wanted to hear. Her seeking heart would not give up. Like Abraham, she grew strong in faith through God’s testing (Rom. 4:20), and like Jacob wrestling with the Lord (Gen. 32:26), she would not let go until He blessed her. She fulfilled the pledge of Jeremiah 29:13-14, “‘And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”

 

Highly pleased with the woman’s response, Jesus declared, O woman, your faith is great. Without having heard the Sermon on the Mount, she came with the humble, mourning, meek, and seeking heart that God requires for kingdom entrance (Matt. 5:3-6). She exhibited the attitude expressed in Luke 16:16 of vigorously pressing forward into the kingdom and in Luke 13:24 of striving, struggling, straining every nerve to enter it.

 

Because of her great faith, Jesus granted her wish that her little child be delivered from the demon, and her daughter was healed at once. As Spurgeon observed, “The Lord of glory surrendered to the faith of the woman.” She kept asking until she received, seeking until she found, and knocking until it was opened to her (cf. Matt. 7:7).