Reminiscere

Our text this morning may be one of the most difficult encounters with Jesus in the Gospels. Nothing about the way Jesus treats with the Canaanite woman seems to match our understanding of whom Jesus is. We know that Jesus is full of compassion, love, and mercy. We know that he answers the cries of all who come to him in need. So how do we reconcile what we know about God with his words and actions toward this poor woman? Let us consider our text:

Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon (Mt 15:21). This is one of the few times in Jesus’ ministry that he journeyed outside the land of God’s people. He went past the northern border of Israel toward the pagan cites of Tyre and Sidon, into modern day Lebanon. And behold a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David” (Mt 15:22). This is pretty impressive. She’s not an Israelite. She lives in a pagan country. They don’t have the Scriptures; they don’t know about the promised Savior; they don’t know that the Messiah will be the Son of David. But she says, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” You would expect Jesus to be impressed. He should stop and say to her, “How do you know this? The brightest scholars of my own people, the Pharisees, won’t believe who I am. You are amazing!” Instead, Jesus did not answer her a word (Mt 15:23). He ignored her and kept walking.

Imagine you were this woman. You heard about this man, named Jesus, that he was merciful, that he had the power to heal, even that he was God in human form. You went out looking for him. Somehow, without a cell phone or GPS, you found him as he walked by, and you begged him for mercy. And you weren’t even asking for yourself; it was for your child. “Lord, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon” (Mt 15:22). But Jesus ignored you and kept walking. What would you do? Turn around and go home? Some people probably would, but not this woman. She followed after Jesus, crying out as she went. Imagine that. Thirteen men walking down a road with a woman following behind, crying, begging, pleading. Things got so awkward the disciples start to beg Jesus, “Do something, Lord. Send her away. Give her want she wants. Do something!”

Finally Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (15:21–28). In other words, “You are not an Israelite. You are not one of the chosen people. You are not part of my mission. I’m not here for you.” Wow! “What would Jesus do?” we like to ask. Are you sure you want to know? But what did the woman do when she heard this? She came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me!” (Mt 15:25). “I know I don’t qualify. I know I’m a sinner and don’t deserve your mercy. But I heard that you are merciful, and I believe that even more. I’m holding on to that promise and I’m not letting go. Lord, help me!”

And now at last, surely Jesus will give her what she asks! He ignored her and she followed after him pleading. He said to her, “I was sent only to the nation of Israel,” and she came and knelt at his feet. Jesus said to her, “It is not right to take bread away from the children and throw it to dogs” (Mt 15:26). Is this in your Bible? Is this your Jesus? I’ve got to tell you, this has to be one of the hardest sayings recorded in the Gospels. This woman believed in Jesus. She came and found him. She begged for his mercy. She knelt at his feet. And Jesus called her a dog. Unbelievable! Now, certainly she had every right to go away angry. If you were in her shoes what would you have thought? “What kind of Savior is this? How could a God of love allow me to suffer? Why won’t he answer my prayers? Why would Jesus call me a dog?

But you know what she thought? She didn’t hear an insult. She heard a promise. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table (Mt 15:27). Yes, Lord, I know it’s true. I’m not worthy of the least of your mercies. I am a dog, and that means I get to have a crumb. I hear in your Word even now the hint of a promise, and I’m grabbing on to that like a dog to a bone and I’m not letting go until you keep your promise. Check mate, Jesus. You promised, so whenever you’re ready, I’ll be sitting right here, waiting for my crumb.

Jesus said to her, “O woman, you have conquered me. Great is your faith! I had to travel all the way to Lebanon to find someone who would hold me to my word. Such faith I have not found in Israel. You are right. I cannot break my promises. My word is truth and life, and I have always desired to be merciful to you. Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at that very hour (Mt 15:28). Jesus knew the end from the beginning. He knew that he would answer the woman’s prayer. There is never a time in the Gospels when Jesus sends anyone away empty. But he often delays in order to draw out the faith that the Holy Spirit had planted in the hearts of his saints. God is never late to keep his promises, but oh the opportunities he misses to be early. Our heavenly Father does this to teach us to cling to his Word as the Canaanite woman did.

Sometimes when you pray, it seems that there’s no answer. Jesus must be hearing, but he answers not a word and continues on his way. What do we do? Follow after him and keep asking. Sometimes when you read God’s Word, it seems that the promises of blessing apply to someone else and not you. The blessing of the Lord is upon the house of the righteous, but his curse is upon the wicked” (Prov 3:33). “Lord, it sure sounds like you’re saying you have not come to bless me, that you’ve come for the other people, the good people, the true children of Israel.” What should we do? Fall at his feet and cry out, “Even so, Lord, bless me!”

And there are times when everything falls apart. Your boss tells you to clean out your desk. The doctor shows you the CAT scan. A close friend betrays you, the car breaks down, the headache won’t go away, there is turmoil in your beloved church, and you cry out saying, “Where are you Lord? You promised to be my Heavenly Father. You promised to provide for all my needs. But everything that I see tells me you must be angry with me. Everything I hear sounds like you are calling me a dog.” What do you do? You remember God’s promise and you hang on to it with everything you have.

“Yes, Lord, I am empty, but your Word says you send the empty away full. I am a sinner, but your Word tells me that all who come to your table go away forgiven. I know I’m unworthy, but your Word promises that the blood of Jesus makes me worthy. I don’t care what my eyes tell me. I don’t care what my ears hear. You promised me that I get to have a crumb from your table, and I know that even one crumb is more than enough to sustain me. One drop from your chalice is more than enough to wash away all my sins. Lord, I trust your Word. I know you will be merciful. I’m holding on to your promise and I won’t let go until you are merciful to me.

This is the faith that God delights in. He wants to be reminded of his promises, because his desire is to be merciful to you. Whether you can see it or not, your Heavenly Father is always with you. He always hears you. And he is ever at work drawing out the faith that he has planted in your heart. In this faith we live on earth, we suffer, and yes, we die. And then comes the day when our Lord keeps his final promise to raise and gather every believer, not as dogs, but as true children, to eat from the bounty of his table forever. Amen.

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