Matthew
15:21-28
Then
Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and
Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried
out to Him saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My
daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a
word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her
away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I
was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Then she came and worshiped Him saying, “Lord help me!” But he
answered her and said, “It is not good to take the children’s
bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes,
Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their
masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O
woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And
her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Canaanites
were the Old Testament enemies of Israel. Deservedly so,
participating in things such as temple prostitution and child
sacrifice gave them a reputation as a perverse people. While this
desperate woman has lots of obstacles going against her, she still
tries to interact with Jesus. Because of the desire to see her
daughter healed, she cries out to Him for mercy. Linking Him to the
royal line of Israel, she refers to Jesus as the Son of David as she
asks Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter.
Despite
Jesus’ lack of a response, the woman continues to cry out for help.
The disciples want her gone. As a mom, I can relate to the
determination she has to get help for her ailing daughter. Watching
your child suffer while being unable to help is one of the worst
feelings. Jesus responds to them by saying He was sent to save the
lost in Israel, which echoes back to His words as He was sending out
the disciples back in chapter 10:5-6-These twelve Jesus sent out and
commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles,
and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel”. Ultimately the plan was for all
people, but Jesus’s earthly ministry was primarily for the Jews.
This
woman still doesn’t give up! Although His response seems overly
harsh, I’ve learned from studying scripture, intentional is an
appropriate word used to describe Jesus’ interactions with people.
Telling her it isn’t good to take food from the children and give
it to the dogs, means taking from the Israelites and giving to the
Gentiles. Frequently referred to as dogs by the Jewish people, the
Greek word here to describe the Gentile woman was a term used for a
pet, instead of an insult. Not insulted by Jesus’ metaphor, she
uses it to further plead her case. After her display of great
faith, Jesus heals the demon-possessed girl.
What
can we learn from this woman? Humility and confidence. Boldly and
confidently this woman approached Jesus, but she also did it with
humility. While she showed boldness and confidence, it didn’t come
from her knowledge of herself and her abilities, but rather in her
knowledge of Jesus and His abilities. That’s the difference
between this woman and a lot of what I see today. Among the trend of
boldness and confidence of Christians currently, is a “me”
focused attitude. Our “Believer” banner waved high becomes a
free pass to get whatever we want. Problems arise when we start from
the wrong mindset. Do we approach scripture or prayer time to find
validation for how great we are or to be reminded of how great the
Lord is? If we go to scripture to be more confident in ourselves and
our own abilities, we’re doing it wrong. Instead, we should be
going to scripture to learn more about who the Lord is and be
reminded of all He has done and can do. We should walk away more
confident in Him and His abilities. Drinking from the well of our
own vanity, we find out how shallow the waters really are and we’re
quickly left thirsting again. Riding in an ambulance watching my son
deteriorate before my eyes didn’t leave me wishing someone would
tell me of my beauty. Hearing how special I am did nothing to help me
through my own health struggles. Being told of my uniqueness is
completely useless as I walk alongside my daughter and her
debilitating health issues. In those moments, and the everyday
little moments of life, what really matters is that God is the same
yesterday, today, and tomorrow. No matter what I face, He doesn’t
change! When all around me is chaos, He is sovereign. He is our
peace. He is our comfort. Charles Spurgeon said, “The more the
wind rages the more you feel that the anchor holds you.” In my
life I have found this quote to be true. The greater the struggle,
the more I get to learn about the Lord and who I am in Him. My
challenge for each of us as women, as mothers, is to dig deep into
scripture and learn as much as we can about the Lord. When our
foundation is solid, the problems we face will be seen through the
lens of our confidence in the Lord.
