Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 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.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 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 at once.^[1]

Here is the story of a woman of whom Jesus says, “O woman, your faith is great . . .” What was it that made her faith great in the eyes of our Savior? To the casual reader the passage is both difficult to read and understand. It appears that Jesus is both rude and racist, or at least nationalist, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” and then He calls her a dog. The disciples thought her to be a distraction because she kept shouting at Jesus for His help.

One of the things you learn about Jesus’ earthly ministry is that He never did anything without intention. He was always ready to teach and instruct. Here was a woman whose daughter was in great distress. She says that her daughter is “cruelly demon-possessed.” This is a cry of desperation. She does not know what else to do, and perhaps she has tried everything she knows to do in her culture and her faith. But here is a man whom she has no doubt heard can perform miracles, and it is a miracle she needs. She is not of the house of Israel. She is a foreigner, a gentile crying to the Lord, shouting, imploring Jesus to have mercy, and Jesus is silent. It would have been reasonable for her to stop and move on but she did not. She was put off, told she was not the right nationality, but she cried all the more. She was insulted but she continued to plead, and give a response that finally got Jesus’ attention.

Jesus commended the woman for having great faith because she would not give up. It was her humble persistence that got Jesus’ attention. “She continued to plead her case with humility even after Jesus didn’t respond the way she wanted Him to.” Far too many quit too soon. Could it be that, like this Canaanite woman, Jesus is waiting to see if we will humbly persist? Walking and living in the realm of faith takes persistence.

Lord Jesus, make us humble like this Canannite woman. Give us such great faith that we will not faint or fall while we wait for our change to come. Give us the capacity to overcome the temptation to give up and quit. Remind us again of your promises that never fail and how You are no respecter of persons. Strengthen us today to display great faith so that others will know and believe that You are God and fully capable of doing just what You said You would do. We ask it all in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 15:21–28.