Crumbs from the Table
TRANSLATION
(21) And Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. (22) And behold, a Canaanite woman from that area came to him crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” (23) But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and entreated him saying, “Send her away, for she keeps on crying out to us.” (24) He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (25) But she came and knelt before him imploring, “Lord, help me.” (26) He answered, “It is not fitting to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” (27) She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” (28) Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, your faith is great! Let be it done for you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed that very hour.
OBSERVATIONS
Several repetitions help us grasp the message of this passage. Three times Matthew used the verb “came” (vss. 22, 23, & 25). Four times the verb, “answer(ed),” occurred (vss. 23, 24, 26, & 27). Twice the “woman” (found twice in vss. 22 & 28) was described as “crying” out to Jesus (vss. 22 & 23). Twice the woman used the title, “Lord,” to address Jesus (vss. 22 & 25) and once “Son of David” (vs. 22). The most disturbing term found in the passage is “dogs,” used first by Jesus and then by the woman (vss. 26 & 27).
OUTLINE
I. A Gentile woman begged Jesus to heal her daughter of demon possession. (21 & 22)
II. When his disciples wanted to send her away, he answered that he was sent only to Israel. (23 & 24)
III. When she demonstrated persistence and great faith, Jesus granted her request. (25-28)
IDEA STATEMENT
While the ministry of the Messiah was initially intended only for Israel, all who come to him in persistent faith, both Jew and Gentile, are welcome.
APPLICATION
Jesus’ response to the Canaanite woman’s request for her daughter’s healing seemed so harsh, so out of character for the one who came to save sinners. However, when we remember the divine order Paul set forth in Romans, that the Gospel was intended for the Jew first and then for the Gentiles (Rom. 1:16), we realize that Jesus was not out of line in what he said to the woman from Tyre. In her remarkable answer, asking only to be given table crumbs, we hear the response of a desperate heart that astonished the Savior. In this exchange we see an example of what John stated in the first chapter of his Gospel: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (Jn. 1:11 & 12).
Since the moment when the church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), this has been the trajectory of the Gospel. The early church in Jerusalem at first consisted of Jews almost exclusively. However, as the Good News spread first to Judea, then to Samaria and beyond, Gentiles were gradually assimilated into the fellowship of believers. While some Jewish believers struggled with the inclusion of Gentiles, Paul in Ephesians by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit declared that Gentile believers were “fellow heirs (with the Jewish believers), members of the same body, and partakers of the promises of God in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Eph. 3:6). Eventually, the church would contain far more Gentiles than Jews as it does today in most parts of the world. However, there will always be a remnant of Jewish believers among the Gentiles until the day of consummation when the Lord returns to establish his Messianic Kingdom.