Matthew 15:21-28

This story relates one of the most intriguing encounters that Jesus had with any person during His earthly ministry. Indeed, Christ’s initial response to a woman in desperate need appears, at first, to be a blight on His otherwise flawless nature. Further analysis of the story, however, reveals the heart of God Who longs to see faith in His children.

Matthew begins the story by revealing the setting: “Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.” The Savior had been battling the scribes and Pharisees, this time being questioned about His lack of adherence to tradition. He had left His detractors only after assuring them that inner defilement is far worse than outer defilement, for “those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man” (Matt. 15:18). Now, He had left the land of Israel and consequently the Jewish people.

Christ’s reputation having preceded Him, it was not long before “a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Matthew uses singular language to describe the despair of this mother. The word translated “cried” is a powerful word that Matthew used very sparingly. In fact, all the Biblical writers used this word only to convey powerful and deep emotion.

Contrary to expectation, the Savior “answered her not a word.” Surely the Omnipotent Creator had heard the cry of this importunate woman. Surely the God rich in mercy felt his heart ache for this woman and her daughter. Despite these truths, however, the Savior was silent to her cries.

Before long, the woman’s incessant pleas did arouse a response: “His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.” If Christ could not help her, then the least He could do was make her go away. The disciples failed to see the depth of emotion in this mother. The word they used to describe her crying is a different word, being more common and not necessarily conveying the depth of emotion suggested by the narrator.

The Savior’s response to the disciples baffles the mind: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Such words, especially in response to such desperate need, seem unimaginable. Could the Master’s heart be so cold to such a cry simply because it came from one who was not a Jew?

Would the Judge of all the earth, now come in the flesh, fail to do right? Christ knew that His primary ministry as prophet was not to Gentiles such as this woman. He had come to offer the kingdom to His chosen people, the Jews. The miracles He performed were the validation of His offer of Himself as the long awaited Jewish Messiah. Such miracles had no such purpose to Gentiles at the time.

The woman, however, was undaunted: “Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.” Matthew’s narrative presents three positions. The first is the Master’s position; the second, the disciples; and finally, the woman’s. Up till this point in the narrative, the disciples have come between the woman and Jesus. It was probably the disciples who repeated the woman’s cries for help to the Master. Now, things changed as the woman broke through the ring of disciples and came directly to where the Master stood. Though a Canaanite, she knew the importance of intimacy with God in time of need. Audience with disciples was insufficient; she must personally plead with the Lord.

Again, the reader is stunned by the calloused answer the woman received: “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” In Christ’s statement, the “children” referred to the Jewish nation, the bread to Christ’s power, and the dogs to Gentiles such as herself. Christ was reiterating what He had said to the disciples: that He had no ministry to those who were not Jews. In modern terms, Christ discriminated against this woman simply because of the color of her skin.

Most would have left in disbelief. Many would have cursed this Christ for His heartless refusal of someone’s need just because she had the wrong parents. The woman, however, still refused to be turned away. Her response revealed the depths of her heart: “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” That she was a dog was not in dispute. That the Master’s main ministry was to Israel was not denied. What this desperate mother did realize, however, was that she needed not a whole loaf of bread (the power of God), but only crumbs. To her, healing her daughter was a light thing in relation to the power at Christ’s disposal.

The woman’s affirmation of God’s power led Christ to answer, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Only at this point in the story does Christ begin to reveal His motivation for His initial silence. As omniscient God, He knew all along that He would heal her, but He refused her three times in order that He might showcase for the world “great faith.”

God still is looking for great faith. The trouble with man is that man must go through crisis in order to display great faith. The watching world does not see faith when everything goes well.

When the bills can be easily met with money to spare, what need is there for God? When the church is going well, the pastor is well liked, the offerings are up, and the spirit is good, what room is there for faith? Let crisis come, however, and suddenly faith becomes a necessity. Even the unsaved world raises its eyebrows when confronted by sustaining faith. More than being important in man’s eyes, faith is indispensable to God (Heb. 11:6).

The crises of faith can often be difficult to accept. The Canaanite woman must have known that Jesus had power to cast out demons. Doubtless it was by word of mouth that she first learned of His power. Now this One who had healed countless other demon possessed children refused to heal her daughter. Many other saints of God have found themselves in similar circumstances. The sister church across town is doing well, while my church struggles with bitterness and strife. A fellow evangelist has a full schedule while I have gaps of months or more. A missionary friend raised his needed support in nine months while I am struggling to even get deputation meetings. A classmate’s youth group is on fire for God while mine is replete with rebellion, both teens and parents. My friends are employed while I conduct empty search after fruitless interview. When things like this happen, the tendency is to ask God why. God has given a possible answer in the story of the Canaanite woman. Others seemingly see success while I seem to see failure because God wants to show through me what He can do with one trusts Him in everything. When the difficulty comes, when God seems silent, when others criticize and impugn my motives, the need is to look not to men, but to God trusting in His character. In reality, God wants to take my affliction that others never have to face and showcase through that affliction what He can do in one who simply has faith in Him.

The Canaanite woman stands as an example to everyone who has ever faced hardness and wondered why others are not going through the same thing. Her faith challenges those of all time to lay aside fear, push through the crowd and trustingly fall at the loving Savior’s feet. Her example reminds us that God is not heartless or pitiless to our cry. Rather, He wants to use our affliction to show to those around and to the world the great outworking of great faith.