Matthew 15:21-28 (NIV)
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
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.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 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.
To understand why Jesus uttered such words to a mother of a demon-possessed, suffering daughter is an act of mercy to the woman and not the other way around. In fact He did not send her away urged by His disciples. But instead healed her daughter right after He exposed her great faith to His own disciples. When He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”, He is revealing Himself not only as the Son of David, but the Son Of the Living GOD, the Messiah who is the Shepherd of Israel (Ez. 34:12). He also revealed to this woman that His first mission according to prophecy should be to take care for Israel. But why He was in Tyre while He was still looking for the lost sheep of Israel? He was in Tyre a non-Jewish town to extend His Great Mercy for other nations secretly (Mark 7:24).
Let’s see the inside story here in our Gospel for today to better understand this. In Mark 7 : 26, it says that this woman in Tyre was really not a Jew, she was born in Syrian Phoenicia. Looking back at Matthew 10: 1 and 5-6, when Jesus Christ sent out the Twelve Apostles, He gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. But He sent out with the following instructions: “DO NOT GO AMONG GENTILES or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” This is the mission of the Messiah to fulfill as He quoted in verse 24 of today Gospel (Jer. 50:6). After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. But why in Galilee? it is a Trade Center and many Gentiles are there that could listen to His Words. Although His teaching are intended for God’s children, He knew many would pick up His teaching like a dog eating the crumbs from the Master’s table. But many Jews in Galilee did not repented and did not accepted as Him as the Messiah. He quoted this famous line to indicate how hard were their hearts;
“‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”
(Matthew 11:1-2,17) In Matthew 11:27, we can see the plan of GOD to give consideration to these non-Jewish nations. Jesus prayed and praised the Father that all things have been committed to Him and He mentioned that the Son has the authority to reveal the Father in Himself to anyone He chooses. The result of Jew’s stubbornness was the result of opening of His Mercy to Gentiles (Romans 11:25). In fact Jesus invited at this point in time all people to come to Him, those who were weary and burdened and learned from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). GOD had actually planned that pagan be included in His Mercy. Romans 9:15 says, “ For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
It purposed to proclaim His Name in All the earth.” The scene of this Canaanite woman is the display of Mercy of GOD for this purpose.
As a result of Jewish hardening of hearts, Jesus sent seventy-two others with the same mission of His Twelve Apostles BUT at this time to EVERY town and places. He even said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” This indicates that Jesus journey in Tyre and towns of Samaritans were stories of many conversions back to GOD (John 4:35-42). He woe in front of seventy two disciples these Jewish towns; Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, because the miracles that were performed in them were so many and were so great but did not repented because they did not believe in Him (Luke 10:1-15). (Betshaida is the native town of three Apostles: Peter, Philip and Andrew). Then Jesus had compared them to Tyre and Sidon, (non-Jewish town) were less hard hearted than these towns whom GOD considered to be His own people, His own children. In fact, great faith were found among Gentiles.
Jesus is the Grace of GOD (Titus 2:11). He chooses again to be gracious even it’s not yet time to be gracious like turning wine in Cana (John 2:4). Jesus also chooses to be gracious as Father to people who are not His own children. He chooses to be gracious by revealing Himself to people to increase their faith in Him. We can notice woman knelt and address Jesus as her Lord, after He revealed Himself as the Shepherd. She conveyed to Jesus that although that His words which is the Bread for Life are for the Jews, she listened to it, believed in it, taking it and making His words as her Food for Life.
Evidently, 'GOD is Gracious to whom HE will be Gracious' is not a limitation but an expansion of His super abounding Grace whether it is time or not, whether the sin still abounds us. We just be humble to GOD and stop sinning. He will always choose to be Gracious to us. AMEN
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