And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was 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 begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after 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, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
- Matthew 15:21-28
Jesus’ Response To The Canaanite Woman
We see Jesus make three startling statements in Matthew 15:21-28 to a Canaanite woman (a gentile like us). Statements that are undoubtedly something we either have or will eventually have to wrestle with. Here we see a Canaanite woman approaching Jesus and requesting for Him to heal her daughter who was oppressed by demons. It seems rather apparent that Jesus seldom rejects anyone, yet, we find him not answering her in this one rare occasion.
“I was sent to the lost sheep of the household of Israel.” [Matthew 15:24] was the first controversial statement He made. The first thought I had was, “Wasn’t Jesus sent to save the world? Why would He say that He was sent to the lost sheep of the household of Israel?” This got me thinking and searching.
Following that, Jesus made a rather strong second statement that would probably make us squirm in awkwardness if we were to be present there and then. In his very own words, He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” [Matthew 15:26] Did Jesus really say these words? How is it even possible for a loving Jesus to make such a “derogatory” remark?
I encourage us all to approach scripture by not trying to reason Jesus out of situations, fit him into our own human perception of what God looks like or sweep portions of scripture under the carpet for the fear of offense that may come with God’s sovereign election of Israel. Instead, try to wrestle through these words of Jesus and have His word reveal the areas of our hearts that may possibly be resisting the words and truths He so desires to reveal.
God’s Covenant With Israel
The bible is the story of God’s commitment to the covenant He has made with Israel. The bible we are reading is a Jewish book. It contains the prophetic promises for a people whom God has made a covenant with. In it, you will read about God’s pursuit of Israel and Jesus’s commitment to her destiny. It is through the story of Israel that we begin to see how the nations are brought into His redemption purposes.
The Faith Of Abraham
It all started when God called Abram (A Babylonian, later known as Abraham) from Chaldean [Gen 12] who by faith, set out on a journey to look for The City of God, Jerusalem [Hebrews 11:8-10]. God then, made a covenant with Abraham because of his faith. In this covenant, you find God’s desire to make him a nation through his descendants [Gen 15], one where He will be their God and they will be their people. God promised to make him a nation through his descendants, and He will be their God [Gen 17:4-8]. He so desires that the nations of the earth will be blessed and learn of ways of God through the descendants of Abraham.
The Birth Of A Nation
400 years later, we see Israel oppressed in Egypt and God having to raise Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt. At Mount Sinai, A significant covenant (also known as the marriage covenant) between God and Israel was made and that marked a fulfilment of how she later became a nation [Exodus 19:1-6].
“The bible is the story of God’s commitment to the covenant He has made with Israel.”
They embarked on a journey from Sinai to look for a land (Jerusalem) promised by God where He will dwell among them and as their God, and they will be His people. God’s desire was always to make them a great nation by making Himself known through a people, so that the nations of the earth will look to Israel, learn the ways of God and be blessed through them.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
Unfortunately, we find Israel not keeping the covenant countless and repeated times. These cycles of being exiled and conquered by foreign powers were the consequences of their unfaithfulness [Leviticus 26]. But what is evident is God’s continual commitment in His pursuit of Israel despite her rebellion and unfaithfulness even till this day. Read scripture and you’d see that the story moves to an “almost-end” where Israel will experience great trouble again because of her resistance towards God, and yet God takes on the faithful posture of being fully committed to her by delivering her through a greater Moses (Jesus) as in the days of Exodus.
Jesus Came For The Lost Sheep Of Israel
It was in the context of Jesus not having any dealings with anyone outside the covenant that He responded with “I was sent only to the lost sheep (the children of Israel who did not keep the covenant) of the house of Israel (the family and descendents of Abraham).” Our Father in Heaven is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is the prophesied Jewish Messiah. The Father sent Jesus to bring the lost sheep of Israel because of His commitment to the Covenant and His deep love for her.
Breadcrumbs For The Gentiles
However, the response of Jesus to the Canaanite woman in [Matt 15:28] gives us an insight into the future destiny of the nations. There is no reason for the Canaanite woman to call Jesus the Son of David, acknowledge His Messianic identity and put her faith in Him. Moreover, the Canaanites had a long history with Israel and they were considered Israel's enemies in the history book of the kings. The very act of the Canaanite woman asking for the “breadcrumbs” is a manifestation of her desire to embrace Jesus as the true bread of life as He is to Israel.
“The Father sent Jesus to bring the lost sheep of Israel because of His commitment to the Covenant and His deep love for her.”
For some of us, we get a little uncomfortable reading the “derogatory” remarks of Jesus towards the woman who came pleading for mercy. Yet, Jesus’ third statement towards the great faith of the woman at the end was filled with tenderness. Read the scripture and you would be able to feel His compassion and love towards her through His words of “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” [Matt 15:28] This Canaanite woman exhibited the same faith as Abraham did. Not only did she receive the help which led her to seek Jesus, her faith in Jesus also grafted her into the story of God’s pursuit of Israel’s salvation
Canaanite Woman - Our Story
The story of the Canaanite woman is really our story as gentile believers. We were enemies of God [Romans 5:10, Col 1:21] and there remains absolutely no reason for us to be able to have the privilege of holding a book filled with Jewish writings about their expectations of a coming Messiah. There is no reason for us to call Jesus the Son of David and what more, embrace His Messianic identity. There is little impetus and comprehensible reason for us to make Jesus, a Jewish Man our king.
Yet, like this Canaanite woman, we have been given the privilege to see something about this Jewish Man. He so mercifully and graciously showed us what the God of Israel is like and what He is able to do. When we put our faith to embrace Him as the only One who can save us, He responds by grafting us into His story with Israel. In fact, Jesus did more than what the woman requested for us. He did not give us only the breadcrumbs of Israel’s bread, He gave Himself as the broken bread from Israel to all humanity. All who put their faith in Him are now grafted into the storyline and inheritance of Israel [Romans 11:11-36].
Be A Part Of His Story
This is good news! This is the gospel narrative! Salvation is made available to us because we are now part of Israel’s story through the redemptive purposes of Jesus. God’s sovereign election of Israel and His inclusion of Gentiles should cause our hearts to respond in worship instead of act as a stumbling block of offense to us. The fact is, we did nothing to earn this salvation. We were aliens to the covenant, but His grace & compassion towards us has brought us into the commonwealth of Israel. Oh, friends! This reality of God’s mercy towards us (gentiles) ought to bring us to our knees in worship!
“The story of the Canaanite woman is really our story as gentile believers.”
We must not forget the heart of His narrative in the midst of enjoying all the privileges of being called His own, labouring in the nations and experiencing all His benefits. We must remember that Jesus has a deep longing to bring back lost sheep of the household of Israel. The gospel narrative will not end with only the salvation of the nations, but it ends with the salvation of Israel.
In the same way Ruth (a gentile grafted into Naomi’s family) said to Naomi, "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” [Ruth 1:16], we should embrace Israel to be our people on God’s terms. As His Church and body, we must carry His desire and labour with Him towards the salvation of Israel; His inheritance. What a privilege to be invited into the storyline of God.
The End Of Israel’s Story
Prior to Jesus’ return, Jerusalem will be under siege by her enemies from the nations [Zechariah 14]. We will have to decide if we will stand with Jesus by standing with Israel [Matt 25:31-46]. Then Jesus will return as the Messiah to deliver Israel [Rev 19:11-16, Isaiah 24:21-23], together with all His resurrected saints (His church), from her trouble at the end of the age. He will be crowned as King, and He will rule from Jerusalem. In that day, all the nations will witness the glory of God through the salvation of Israel. All the promises of God and His covenants made to Israel will be fulfilled. He will have for Himself a people, a holy nation (New Israel), a kingdom of priest from every nation tribe and tongue [Exo 19:6, Rev 5:9-10]. He will be our God and we will be His people forever.