The disciples are annoyed. As Jesus sits in silence, they grow more smug. “Send her away,” they demand. The spotlight is put on Jesus. He looks at the disciples, then looks at the woman. And what follows is one of the most intriguing dialogues in the New Testament.

This reminds of a situation that happened to me not too long ago.  A relative of one of the church attenders needed help.  I was new on staff at this church but not new to ministry.  Know and realize that a church of any size and belief will get requests for help weekly.  Assuming we would help in some form, but still learning their protocol, I contacted the pastor who oversaw this area of caring service.  I was told, we help those “in the church” first, then if there are funds left over, we help others in real need.  Then I was sent a copy of their bylaws pertaining to this procedure.  Okay, but I now I must relay this information to the attender and their relative of the decision.  I’m the one put on the spot.  I would rather dig deep from my own finances and just give as much as I can.

We don’t like being put on the spot to make a decision that will affect a person’s life, do we?  Maybe that’s why this passage is challenging for us to read and understand.

Matthew 15, The Message

Healing the People

^21-22 From there Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon. They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, “Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit.”

²³ Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, “Now she’s bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She’s driving us crazy.”

²⁴ Jesus refused, telling them, “I’ve got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ Then the woman came back to Jesus, dropped to her knees, and begged. “Master, help me.”

²⁶ He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.”

²⁷ She was quick: “You’re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master’s table.”

²⁸ Jesus gave in. “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!” Right then her daughter became well.

^29-31 After Jesus returned, he walked along Lake Galilee and then climbed a mountain and took his place, ready to receive visitors. They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute—all sorts of people in need—and more or less threw them down at Jesus’ feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them. When the people saw the mutes speaking, the maimed healthy, the paraplegics walking around, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is Truth.  Jesus is Wisdom.  Jesus is Love, Mercy, and Grace. 

Jesus knows our hearts and our motivations for serving, helping, asking, and receiving.

We are not Jesus.  We go and tell His story.  We give and serve for His glory where He leads. 

In our early days of ministry, Randy and I fielded many requests from passersby who needed money for food to get to a job interview in another town, money to fix a worn tire, money for food for their children, money for a meal, etc. You get the picture.  These requests came often because of the church’s location at the crossroads of two main highways.  Randy had no fund to draw from so he relied on God’s leading and the few dollars in our own bank account or in his pocket.  As a family of five, living from paycheck to paycheck, he knew how to make the most of what you have.  Randy began to teach those skills to those in need by helping them learn what he had learned. 

To the man who needed a new tire, Randy led the man to a salvage yard who specialized in acquiring tires that still had tread.  For just a few dollars, the man’s problem was solved.  The salvage yard owner even put the tire on for him at no charge when he realized what Randy was doing.  Instead of handing out money, Randy got involved and helped in ways that not many in our congregation realized.

But this conversation between Jesus and the Canaanite woman, though—is still challenging. 

Consider these comments from Max Lucado:

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel,” he says.

“Lord, help me!”

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs,” he answers.

“But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables,” she responds.

Is Jesus being rude? Is he worn-out? Is he frustrated? Is he calling this woman a dog? How do we explain this dialogue?

Could it be that Jesus’ tongue is poking his cheek? Could it be that he and the woman are engaging in satirical banter? Is it wry exchange in which God’s unlimited grace is being highlighted? Could Jesus be so delighted to have found one who is not bartering with a religious system or proud of a heritage that he can’t resist a bit of satire?

He knows he can heal her daughter. He knows he isn’t bound by a plan. He knows her heart is good. So he decides to engage in a humorous moment with a faithful woman. In essence, here’s what they said:

“Now, you know that God only cares about Jews,” he says smiling.

And when she catches on, she volleys back, “But your bread is so precious, I’ll be happy to eat the crumbs.”

In a spirit of exuberance, he bursts out, “Never have I seen such faith! Your daughter is healed.”

This story does not portray a contemptuous God. It portrays a willing One who delights in a sincere seeker.

Aren’t you glad he does?

When you obey certain rules today, think through why you obey. “I don’t speed because . . .” “I don’t falsify expense reports because . . .” “I honor my parents because . . .” and the list goes on and on…  –Max Lucado, Study Bible

God knows the motivations of our hearts and responds accordingly.

Lucado goes on to write, “Matthew notes that Jesus says nothing at first. Nothing. He doesn’t open his mouth. Why? I think that he was admiring her. I think that it did his heart good to see some spunky faith for a change. I think that it refreshed him to see someone asking him to do the very thing he came to do—give great gifts to unworthy children.  How strange that we don’t allow him to do it more often for us.

Perhaps the most amazing response to God’s gift is our reluctance to accept it. We want it. But on our terms. For some odd reason, we feel better if we earn it. So we create religious hoops and hop through them—making God a trainer, us his pets, and religion a circus.  The Canaanite woman knew better. She had no résumé. She claimed no heritage. She had no earned degrees.

She knew only two things: Her daughter was weak and Jesus was strong.

Lord,

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so, Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong”—

These simple words to a childhood chorus leap to my memory this morning in praise to you!  Cleanse our hearts and make them pure.  We know you can and will.  I trust in you, dear Jesus!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen