A Woman Of Great Faith

Matthew 15:21-28

“Are you listening to me?”  “Do you hear what I’m saying?”  How many times do parents say that to their children, or wives say that to their husbands?  That is not something that we would feel that we would need to ask God.  At first glance, though, it seems like a question that would go with our Scripture reading today.  Let’s take a look.

As our passage opens, Jesus and His disciples have traveled northwest of Galilee to the area near Tyre and Sidon, cities outside of Israel, in Gentile territory.  While here a Canaanite woman of pagan ancestry came to Jesus, beseeching Him to heal her daughter who was demon-possessed (vs. 22).  Astonishingly Jesus doesn’t answer her.  He seems to ignore her, oblivious to her desperate pleas, and His disciples are annoyed, even angry.  They want this woman, this heathen Gentile sent away!  They had no compassion or sensitivity for her plight or the terrible condition of her daughter (vs. 23).

As we read, it would seem that Jesus was not much better than the disciples.  He doesn’t answer her at first.  Then, when He does, He says He was sent to the house of Israel, the Jews, not to the Gentiles (vs. 24).  Following that, His response to her seemed like He was calling her a dog! (vs. 26)   What was going on here?  That doesn’t seem like Jesus!  He had healed Gentiles before, as seen with the Roman centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13).   What is meant by verse 24?  Scripture does say that God’s message is for all people (Psalm 22:27; Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 28:19; Romans 15:9-12).  Jesus was saying that the Jews were to have first opportunity to accept Him as the Messiah.  God wanted the Jews to then spread His message to the Gentiles.  Jesus was not rejecting her.  He was using this opportunity to show that salvation and faith are available to all.

In verse 25 we see that this woman did not give up.  Her daughter was in a horrible state, and she was not going to just turn around and go home.  We read here that she worshipped Him.  She acknowledged that Jesus was not just some “good man”, but He was the Messiah, someone worthy of worship.   In verse 26, the word Jesus used was one that meant “little dog” or “puppy”, like a lap dog or child’s pet. Jesus was not calling this woman a “filthy dog”, not like the ravenous dogs who roamed the streets, which is what the Jews often called Gentiles.  Jesus spoke this statement to really contrast with what He really felt about Gentiles.  The woman did not give up or get offended.  If being called a puppy dog would get her Jesus’s blessings, she would take that.

We know that Jesus loves everyone, regardless of their race or ethnic background.  He liked spunky faith, which is what He was seeing in this Canaanite woman.  This was a faith that was unlike what He saw in the Pharisees, the general population around Him, and even in His disciples.  This woman had nothing to give Jesus.  She did not have the Jewish heritage, she was not a learned scholar.  All she knew was that her daughter was in great need, and only Jesus could help.  She grabbed on and was not going to let go, even if only for crumbs (vs. 27).  Jesus saw that great faith, faith that would not take a “no”, and granted her petition (vs. 28).

There were only two people of whom Jesus said that they had “great faith”.  One was the Roman centurion in Matthew 8, who came to Jesus for the healing of his servant, and the other was this Canaanite woman.  Both of these people were Gentiles.  The Jewish people had the Scriptures, the Word of God, yet it was not any of them whom Jesus praised for their great faith.  She had great faith, and received her request and His praise.

The Canaanite woman was also not going to let any hurt feelings or super-sensitivity turn her away, either.  Some of us may have taken offense at being referred to as a puppy dog, even by Jesus.  She could have gotten offended, turned away and left, but she didn’t.  If she was a puppy dog, well then she was Jesus’s puppy dog!  She looked to Him expectantly and received her request with His love.

Are we willing to be persistent in prayer, in spite of any seeming roadblocks?  Can we pass the test of our faith, knowing that Jesus is the only source and answer to our need?  This is the type of faith that earned the praise of Jesus.  This is the type of faith that we need.