Matthew 15:21-28

Rachel Workman: ²¹ Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Gentile^[e] woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

²³ But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

²⁵ But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

²⁶ Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷ She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
²⁸ “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed. It sounds like Jesus was testing her. And she passed. The disciples being human did not have the heart of Jesus. Jesus I thank you for your loving heart. A heart of compassion and patience. Where would any of us be without it?

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

John Burnett: ²¹ Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” ²³ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting ^[a]at us.” ²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and began ^[b]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” ²⁶ And He answered and said, “It is not ^[c]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord; ^[d]but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed ^[e]at once.  Interesting that He says he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  He is the Messiah they were looking for but He died for all the sins of the world.  This includes gentiles like this Canaanite woman and you and I.  Like the woman’s daughter, we are healed once we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  We are healed of our sin addiction and we become new, born again.

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Allen Michaels: ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

 

²³ 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.” I can see why Jesus appeared to be so short with these guys. The disciples showed no compassion for her or sensitivity to her needs. This just proves that it is possible to become so occupied with spiritual matters that we miss the real needs right around us. This is especially true if we are prejudiced against those seeking us, i.e. the poor, needy, unemployed, and homeless, etc., or those that just cause us inconvenience. As Christians we can’t let this bother us. We must always be aware of the opportunities that surround us. We must be open to the beauty of God’s message for ALL people, and make an effort not to shut out those who are different or less fortunate than us.

 

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Jesus was in Gentile territory on a mission to Gentile people. Jesus was simply telling this woman that Jews were to have the first opportunity to accept him as the Messiah because God wanted them to present the message of salvation to the rest of the world. Jesus was not rejecting the Canaanite woman. He may have wanted to test her faith, or he may have wanted to use the situation as another opportunity to teach that faith is available to all people.

 

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

 

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

 

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

 

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

 

Dog was a term the Jews commonly used to refer to Gentiles because the Jews considered these pagan people no more likely than dogs to receive God’s blessing. Jesus was not degrading the woman by using this term; he was reflecting the Jews attitude so as to contrast it with his own. This woman took the “high road” and did not argue. Instead, using Jesus’ choice of words, she agreed to be considered a dog as long as she could receive God’s blessing for her daughter. How ironic that so many Jews would lose God’s blessing and salvation because they rejected Jesus and many Gentiles would find salvation because they received and accepted him.