August 14, 2005 Matthew 15:21-28
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 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.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
What would Miss Manners have said of Jesus’ behavior in Tyre and Sidon? Here this poor lady comes for some help, and Jesus ignores her! If you wouldn’t know any better, you would assume that He didn’t really want this woman to believe - didn’t really care if she followed Him or not. What is worse, is that he takes it a step further and calls her a dog! What nerve! What outrage! Who does he think he is!?!
He is God. Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. He doesn’t have to answer to Miss Manners on Judgment Day. His main concern was not whether people liked Him or not, but whether people believed in Him or not. As we look at this text this morning - we need to keep this concept in mind. Jesus doesn’t want us to like Him, he wants us to love Him. He isn’t interesting in winning a popularity contest. He didn’t come to get voted on as most likely to save the world. He came to conquer death, defeat Satan, and put sin in the grave. He came to be our Savior, not just our friend. He was and is God and man.
That means we can call Him our Friend, but it also means we remember He is our Lord. When Jesus called His mother “woman,” He was reminding her of her place. When He calls us “children”, He is reminding us of our place. We are not made to be on an equal level with God - we are made to be under God. He can call us anything He wants. The key throughout all of this is to do like the Canaanite woman and remember -
Even Dogs Eat the Crumbs
I. You were a born Dog
When the Canaanite woman came to Jesus for help, after he ignored her, Jesus called her a “dog.” This term is used several times throughout the Scriptures. Philippians 3:2 says, “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.” Paul was referring to certain Judaizers who were telling the Christians of his day that they had to be circumcised if they wanted to be saved. This term is also found in Psalm 22:16 - Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. This would seem to be referring to the Jewish leaders or the Roman soldiers at the cross. Generally it was a term that Jews used for Gentiles. Most dogs back in that day would roam the street and were kind of mean and vicious. It wasn’t exactly a compliment.
But the term Jesus used for the Canaanite woman was actually a more gentle term in the Greek. It was - êõíáñßïéò. Basically it means “little dog” or “house pet.” He was telling her that she was not one of the children of Israel. She was only a Canaanite. Therefore, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” His commission of public preaching and teaching was to the Jews - who He referred to as “lost sheep.” Which is more insulting? Pet dog or lost sheep? Neither is exactly flattering. The word for lost also is used in the Greek for “condemned.” Jew or Gentile - Jesus used an animal to represent them both - not very impressive animals at that. One was lost and dumb and the other was a slobbering beggar.
The Scriptures are full of these terms - reminding us of who we were and where we came from.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians -
Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Ephesians 2:12 You were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
John wrote -
1 John 5:19 The whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Paul even said of himself -
1 Timothy 1:13 I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.
Jesus reminded the apostles -
Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
We may not like these passages. They insult us in all our humanity - saying that we were sinful, dead, unworthy, under to control of Satan. But here’s the key - they’re true.
Why do we need to go back to this time and again - especially if we’ve been freed from sin and brought to faith? If we ignore the truth about our origins, it affects our relationship with our Lord. How so? Back in the book of Esther, even as queen she still knew her place. When Mordecai wanted her to go before King Xerxes, she said, “any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life.” (Es 4:11) She knew that approaching the king, even as the queen - without an invitation - would endanger her life. She remembered how powerful the king was - even with her position. Imagine if we started to have the attitude that we deserve to be here. What would God think, if you came to church this morning thinking that you were doing HIM a favor? How would God look at you if you prayed and lived life as if God OWED you good health and wealth - that you somehow deserved your spouse and children because you’ve been a pretty good person. When Nebuchadnezzar boasted about “his” kingdom before God - it angered God greatly - so much so that he made Nebuchadnezzar go crazy for a time - to HUMBLE him. When we as Christians start talking about our “rights” - or start boasting to God about how much we prayed for something and how powerful OUR prayer life has been - it has to make God angry. When we think that we are better than those who don’t know God’s Word or who have fallen into blatantly sinful lifestyles - it is impermissible. How dare we stand before God’s throne - we who were stinking and rotten dogs at one time - and forget where God has brought us from.
Therefore, God at times reminds us of who we are. Paul says, “you were dead. You were under the control of the evil one. You were NOTHING.” This serves to keep us in our place. (This reminds me of what happened to me when I went home on vacation. I used to take pride in my German heritage. But after interviewing my mother, I found out that I’m not pure German. I’m two eighths Swedish and one eighth Polish! I’m nothing but a mutt! How humbling!) On the serious side - we need these reality checks from God - so we don’t get a smug and spoiled little “look at me, I’m a Jesus boy”, “I’m a Christian!”, “I’ve dedicated my life to Christ, look at me,” “I knew my catechism in and out and can recite the books of the Bible in 30 seconds” - attitude.
II. Dogs aren’t ashamed to beg
Let’s take a moment now to look at this “dog.” She addressed Jesus as “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me.” This was not just some vague confession to a “higher power”. This is a confession that she believed Jesus was the LORD - the Promised Son of David. God had promised in Isaiah 11:1-3, A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. She firmly believed this - no matter how Jesus responded - she believed He was the Promised One from David’s line. In line with this, she asked for Jesus’ “mercy.” Mercy was the key term that God used in describing Himself to Moses in Exodus chapter 34. Exodus 34:6 says that, “he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Mercy has often been described as God’s faithful love. It means to have compassion on someone who is suffering - to want to do something to help. This was the first way that God wanted to describe Himself as - not a God who loves to punish - but a God who loves to have mercy.
This has to be the basis of our faith. When we, as filthy dogs, see God send His only Son - His Perfect Son - and put Him on the cross instead of us - how can we not know and believe that He is a God of mercy? When we hear God promise us that our many sins are FORGIVEN - we can’t help but appreciate the God of grace. When we see the cross - it is an overwhelming testimony to the MERCY of God. He could take my job, my wife and children, burn this church down, burn me in flames, take away all my friends, and yet this one sign of the cross should overwhelm any temptation for me to think that God hates me or God is not merciful. That was the faith of the Canaanite woman - she believed that Jesus was the merciful son of David. That’s what God wants your faith to be - to have a firm conviction that God is a God of mercy - even when He seems to be acting like a monster.
Therefore, when Jesus first of all ignored her - she wasn’t offended at this snub. She didn’t deserve his attention - and neither did her daughter. 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.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Jesus’ own disciples were wanting Jesus to get rid of her - knowing that Jesus had other priorities than this woman and her child. Jesus even flat out told her the purpose of his public ministry of preaching was to teach the Jews - and explain to them the Old Testament Scriptures so they could see Jesus in them. The ministry to the Gentiles would be down the line. Again, the Canaanite woman did not argue with Jesus about how SHE should be his priority. She believed that Jesus had a mission primarily to save the lost sheep of Israel. She accepted Jesus’ priorities.
In your prayer life, remember that Jesus has priorities with you as well. There isn’t the Jew/Gentile thing anymore. However, He is more concerned with your SPIRITUAL welfare than with your PHYSICAL welfare. That is HIS priority. If, in your prayers, you are asking for something PHYSICAL - and you think you really needing it, and Jesus seems to say - “this isn’t my priority for you,” don’t get angry with Him. If he doesn’t seem to answer a Word - don’t get all worked up about it. It can even be in spiritual things. Let’s say you’re praying to God and saying, “Lord, please make my husband more caring. Please - help him to listen better to me and my needs.” Jesus may not seem to listen to you - as your spouse continues down the same uncaring path. But maybe through this silence God is answering you by saying, “why not pray that I give you more patience instead?” Get the idea? He’s got different priorities than you. Don’t get miffed if He at first doesn’t seem to listen.
Instead of talking about how much her daughter was suffering, or accusing Jesus of being an uncaring Lord, how does the woman then respond? The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. She isn’t too proud to beg. That’s the true sign of a dog. Dogs have absolutely no pride. We used to have a dog named Tippy, and he didn’t hesitate one moment to sit there and stare at me - while I was eating. I would get mad at him - shove his head away and tell him to quit bugging me. But he’d just keep looking at me with those puppy dog eyes - drooling away. So sometimes I gave in and gave him some scraps right from the table. That’s how God wants us to be. Don’t’ be too proud to beg! Don’t be afraid to get on your knees and show some humility before God. Don’t worry about whether your knees hurt or whether your clothes will be soiled or how uncomfortable you feel. Don’t be too proud to bow before the Lord and ask for help. When you remember you were just a dog - you won’t be too proud to beg God for something.
III. Be glad to eat the crumbs
How did Jesus respond to the woman? He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” Even with this show of humility, Jesus felt no obligation to answer the woman’s request. Even if we get on our knees and beg God he doesn’t have to answer our prayer. The point Jesus was making again was that His primary mission of preaching on earth was to go to His chosen children - the Jews. Why should He then go aside from that mission to take care of this Gentile dog? If He were to ignore His calling to go and feed these “dogs,” he would not be doing what was “right.”
In this answer, it would appear that Jesus was shutting the door on the Gentile woman and saying, don’t bother me woman!” But it was that tiny phrase “dog” - that we need to revisit. This was NOT the term for the ugly and ravenous beasts that ran the streets of Jerusalem. This was the word for “little dogs” - the family pet. Sometimes family pets are more pampered than the children. Jesus said this shouldn’t be - but the point is that the pet dog is still a part of the family. Instead of looking at this answer as a door slamming shut, the Canaanite woman looked at it as an open door. “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” She was saying to Jesus, “I’m not asking for the main course from you Jesus. All I’d like is one little scrap from your table.” She regarded this healing of her daughter from DEMON possession as just a scrap - and that’s all she wanted - a scrap of Jesus time.
How did Jesus respond? “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. All the while it looked like Jesus was snubbing this woman - He was giving her room to be persistent - to exercise her faith! Through persistence the woman agreed with the woman’s reasoning - and felt happy to give this dog a crumb. He even went so far as to commend her faith! What was so great about her faith? She didn’t walk on water like Peter did last week! It was her humility, her persistence, her faith in the MERCY of Jesus - throughout all of the rejection - she clung to the belief that Jesus was a merciful Lord. She didn’t demand that Jesus revolve His public ministry around her - all she wanted was a crumb.
Great faith realizes that Jesus already has given us steak and potatoes - His own body and blood - and feels unworthy of such a gift! What more could we ask for? If we get nothing more - that’s fine. Yet God wants us to humbly ask for more - a crumb of peace - a crumb of health - a crumb of success. Great faith is willing to eat any crumb that God gives - realizing that a crumb from God is a million times more satisfying than a steak from Satan. God grant you the ability - through the eyes of a great faith - to be able to look at what you do have - even the smallest of things - the ability to smell - to walk - a place to hang your hat - and say, “thank you God for these things. In comparison to salvation - they are crumbs - but I am happy for these crumbs! I ask you for more!”
In the recent kids movie - Shrek 2, the story line talks about how the ugly green ogre - Shrek - and his wife go home to meet her parents. The father and mother are appalled at the sight of Shrek - and how their daughter gave up beauty to be with this creature. As the movie progressed however, it was found out that the father was actually a - frog. Here he was, looking down on Shrek his son in law, when he was at one time a frog! He was embarrassed and humbled when his origins were revealed.
God called the Gentile woman a dog - a pet dog. She was not embarrassed at this - instead - she was glad to be called a pet dog. Psalm 84:10 says, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” The neat thing about our status - is that we are no longer considered even pet dogs. In Ephesians 2, after Paul says that we were dead foreigners, he goes on to say in Ephesians 2:19, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” God changed us from dogs into citizens with God’s people - members of His household. We can eat at the master’s table - enjoying the meat and potatoes of Jesus’ labors - eternal salvation. But even if God throws us some crumbs - that’s fine with us - because we remember we weren’t even pet dogs - and we are thankful for whatever He gives us. If dogs can eat crumbs, so can we. Amen.
