Matthew 15:21-28/Mark 7:24-30 seems to be an interesting passage for
most of us to try and understand. A Canaanite woman asks the Lord to
heal her daughter, but He seems to ignore her and treat her in a way that many of us would call un-loving. Can this be right? Is Jesus cold hearted? Have YOU
ever felt like God is ignoring you? This all seems to be contradictory
to the character of Jesus, who is God...who IS LOVE!
We know that Scripture will never contradict itself otherwise it wouldn't be the Word of God.
So let's take a look at this portion of Scripture from Matthew.
"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 severly 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 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."
Matthew 15:21-28
At first, this almost makes Jesus sound as if He doesn't care about the Canaanite woman or her daughter, and that He is simply ignoring her. But is that really the case? Certainly not! Why? Because Yeshua (Jesus) was sent as the Light and Savior of the world (Isaiah 42:6; John 3:16)
So why did the Lord seem to ignore her?
It seems as though He wasn't ignoring her, but testing her. Testing her faith to be exact.
There are many examples of the LORD testing people to reveal the true nature of their faith (to themselves and those around them). For example:
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." - Deuteronomy 8:2
So what about the comment He makes about being sent only to the lost sheep of Israel?
As we know, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6), but there is a promise and plan with God, and an order to that plan.
As we read in Deuteronomy 18, Yahweh speaking to Moses says,
I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him."
Deuteronomy 18:18
Messiah was to come through the physical lineage that began with Abraham...according to the seed. Yeshua had to be born in the flesh, live perfectly in line with His Commandments, die and raise again to defeat sin, and it was through the physical seed of Abraham that that was to be accomplished. Also, in Romans chapter 2 we gain another look into the role of Jews and Gentiles outside of Christ.
"tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek[Gentiles]; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God." - Romans 2:9-11
God made a covenant with the children of Israel and because of that there is a particular order to His workings. However, that does not mean that any one is saved simply because they are a physical Israelite, unlike many of the heretical teachings of today's worldly Zionists. A Jew must be born again in Messiah just like a Gentile does.
So since the Father promised them that He would send a Prophet to them from among there own people He did that and as Paul says again in Romans -
"Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers." - Romans 15:8.
We know that Scripture will never contradict itself otherwise it wouldn't be the Word of God.
So let's take a look at this portion of Scripture from Matthew.
"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 severly 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 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."
Matthew 15:21-28
At first, this almost makes Jesus sound as if He doesn't care about the Canaanite woman or her daughter, and that He is simply ignoring her. But is that really the case? Certainly not! Why? Because Yeshua (Jesus) was sent as the Light and Savior of the world (Isaiah 42:6; John 3:16)
So why did the Lord seem to ignore her?
It seems as though He wasn't ignoring her, but testing her. Testing her faith to be exact.
There are many examples of the LORD testing people to reveal the true nature of their faith (to themselves and those around them). For example:
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." - Deuteronomy 8:2
So what about the comment He makes about being sent only to the lost sheep of Israel?
As we know, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6), but there is a promise and plan with God, and an order to that plan.
As we read in Deuteronomy 18, Yahweh speaking to Moses says,
I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him."
Deuteronomy 18:18
Messiah was to come through the physical lineage that began with Abraham...according to the seed. Yeshua had to be born in the flesh, live perfectly in line with His Commandments, die and raise again to defeat sin, and it was through the physical seed of Abraham that that was to be accomplished. Also, in Romans chapter 2 we gain another look into the role of Jews and Gentiles outside of Christ.
"tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek[Gentiles]; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God." - Romans 2:9-11
God made a covenant with the children of Israel and because of that there is a particular order to His workings. However, that does not mean that any one is saved simply because they are a physical Israelite, unlike many of the heretical teachings of today's worldly Zionists. A Jew must be born again in Messiah just like a Gentile does.
So since the Father promised them that He would send a Prophet to them from among there own people He did that and as Paul says again in Romans -
"Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers." - Romans 15:8.
He had to come to the Jews first to confirm the covenant that He made
with them centuries before.
Okay, what about what Yeshua said to the woman in verse 26, comparing her to dogs? The truth is that the Lord was reaching out to her AND His disciples through this conversation. The term 'dog' was often given to the Gentiles by the Jews which was a spiteful remark since many of the Jews thought they were the only ones chosen by God for salvation. However, God had much different ideas. He wanted all people to come to Him through His Son, Yeshua.
To better understand what Yeshua was doing in this particular situation we have to look back at the previous chapter in Matthew.
Here we read the story that most of us know - Jesus was miraculously walking on water during a storm when the disciples saw Him and Peter cried out to Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Of course, we know Jesus said 'Come' and Peter actually walked on water! But soon he began to take his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. He then began to sink and cried out for Jesus to save him. The Lord caught him and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Maybe it's just me, but I would think Peter's faith in Christ had to be pretty strong for him to actually walk on water! Yet the Lord still says, 'O you of little faith." Wow, Yeshua actually called Peter's faith "little". Yes, he began to sink, but still....the guy walked on water! Okay, so why would Yeshua say that to Peter? Well our answer is actually back in chapter 15 with the Canaanite woman.
Twice she came and pleaded with Him to heal her daughter. She, a Gentile acknowledged Him to be the true King and Prophet that would be sent in the name of Yahweh by calling Him the 'Son of David'. She also came and worshiped Him even when He seemed to ignore her. And even after He seemed to deny her request in verse 26, she STILL humbly pleaded with Him, and she did so by reasoning with Him. The Lord Himself pleaded with His people through the prophet Isaiah when He said,
"Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD"
- Isaiah 1:18
The faith of this Canaanite woman was stronger than that of the disciple Peter, or any of the others up to this point. Where Peter had failed to KEEP trusting the Lord through the storm, she continued with her faith through a time when the Lord was apparently not hearing her.
And so we see when the Lord said to the woman, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."
A strong, great faith is one that continues on, even through trials and tribulations, not one that caves in when things get rough.
There are many times when in my own life I felt like God wasn't hearing a word I said, but He heard them. He just wanted to test me and reveal my heart so that I might see it. To see if I was seeking His will or my own. He will not listen to us if we are pursuing our own gain or will. It's only when we, like the Gentile woman who sought Him, worship Him for who He is and humbly seek His will that He will hear us.
We must not forget either, that just previous to this situation, but after the event with Peter in the storm, Yeshua talked with the scribes and Pharisees. He rebuked them for the fact that they held their traditions and commandments at, or above the commandments of God. This is what He said to them:
"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" - Matthew 15:7-9
The religious leaders of the day did not realize that Yeshua was the Messiah and they murdered Him on a cross. They did not see Him for who He was because they had placed their own commandments and doctrines at the level of, or even in place of, God's. They added to and/or took away from the Word of God. This is why they were blinded, and this is also why many of the disciples themselves were blinded at times. Yeshua had to continually tear down those walls that were built up around them in order for them to see Him...the Truth.
The disciples were going through all of this (the storm, the argument with the religous leaders, the situation with the Canaanite woman) and were beginning to realize that it wasn't because of their heritage, or doctrines, or anything else that Yeshua had come to them, but because He is God and the Savior of all those who place their faith and trust in Him alone! Even though the Canaanite woman belonged to a people that God had told the children of Israel to drive out when they entered the land (Exodus 33:2), she still worshiped Him and cried out to Him....Yeshua....Salvation!
What a testimony of faith and perseverance.
Praise Yahweh for His mercy and goodness!
Let's read, again, the promise to Jews and Gentiles from the Lord. "Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (Jews) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the father, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
'For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.'
And again he says: 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!'
And again: 'Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!'
And again Isaiah says: 'There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.'"
- Romans 15:8-12
Okay, what about what Yeshua said to the woman in verse 26, comparing her to dogs? The truth is that the Lord was reaching out to her AND His disciples through this conversation. The term 'dog' was often given to the Gentiles by the Jews which was a spiteful remark since many of the Jews thought they were the only ones chosen by God for salvation. However, God had much different ideas. He wanted all people to come to Him through His Son, Yeshua.
To better understand what Yeshua was doing in this particular situation we have to look back at the previous chapter in Matthew.
Here we read the story that most of us know - Jesus was miraculously walking on water during a storm when the disciples saw Him and Peter cried out to Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Of course, we know Jesus said 'Come' and Peter actually walked on water! But soon he began to take his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. He then began to sink and cried out for Jesus to save him. The Lord caught him and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Maybe it's just me, but I would think Peter's faith in Christ had to be pretty strong for him to actually walk on water! Yet the Lord still says, 'O you of little faith." Wow, Yeshua actually called Peter's faith "little". Yes, he began to sink, but still....the guy walked on water! Okay, so why would Yeshua say that to Peter? Well our answer is actually back in chapter 15 with the Canaanite woman.
Twice she came and pleaded with Him to heal her daughter. She, a Gentile acknowledged Him to be the true King and Prophet that would be sent in the name of Yahweh by calling Him the 'Son of David'. She also came and worshiped Him even when He seemed to ignore her. And even after He seemed to deny her request in verse 26, she STILL humbly pleaded with Him, and she did so by reasoning with Him. The Lord Himself pleaded with His people through the prophet Isaiah when He said,
"Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD"
- Isaiah 1:18
The faith of this Canaanite woman was stronger than that of the disciple Peter, or any of the others up to this point. Where Peter had failed to KEEP trusting the Lord through the storm, she continued with her faith through a time when the Lord was apparently not hearing her.
And so we see when the Lord said to the woman, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."
A strong, great faith is one that continues on, even through trials and tribulations, not one that caves in when things get rough.
There are many times when in my own life I felt like God wasn't hearing a word I said, but He heard them. He just wanted to test me and reveal my heart so that I might see it. To see if I was seeking His will or my own. He will not listen to us if we are pursuing our own gain or will. It's only when we, like the Gentile woman who sought Him, worship Him for who He is and humbly seek His will that He will hear us.
We must not forget either, that just previous to this situation, but after the event with Peter in the storm, Yeshua talked with the scribes and Pharisees. He rebuked them for the fact that they held their traditions and commandments at, or above the commandments of God. This is what He said to them:
"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" - Matthew 15:7-9
The religious leaders of the day did not realize that Yeshua was the Messiah and they murdered Him on a cross. They did not see Him for who He was because they had placed their own commandments and doctrines at the level of, or even in place of, God's. They added to and/or took away from the Word of God. This is why they were blinded, and this is also why many of the disciples themselves were blinded at times. Yeshua had to continually tear down those walls that were built up around them in order for them to see Him...the Truth.
The disciples were going through all of this (the storm, the argument with the religous leaders, the situation with the Canaanite woman) and were beginning to realize that it wasn't because of their heritage, or doctrines, or anything else that Yeshua had come to them, but because He is God and the Savior of all those who place their faith and trust in Him alone! Even though the Canaanite woman belonged to a people that God had told the children of Israel to drive out when they entered the land (Exodus 33:2), she still worshiped Him and cried out to Him....Yeshua....Salvation!
What a testimony of faith and perseverance.
Praise Yahweh for His mercy and goodness!
Let's read, again, the promise to Jews and Gentiles from the Lord. "Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (Jews) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the father, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
'For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.'
And again he says: 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!'
And again: 'Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!'
And again Isaiah says: 'There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.'"
- Romans 15:8-12
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