21 Then Jesus went thence,
and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of
Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on
me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But
he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying,
Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but
unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and
worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast
it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the
crumbs which fall from their masters' table[1].
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O
woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her
daughter was made whole from that very hour. (Matthew
15:21-28)
This miracle is also recorded in the Gospel of St. Mark, chapter 7.
When we listen to the voice of
Christ with any measure of faith, our little faith cannot but grow larger.
Here, our Lord has gone out of
the bounds of Israel and out from the people of his own country to a country
that is not recognized by the Jews as a people of God. But that which man may
not recognize as worthy of God’s love and compassion may, in fact, be dear to
His heart and uppermost in His intentions. We read of a Canaanite woman who
approaches Christ with the familiarity of a fellow Jew, knowing the title of
the promised Messiah – thou Son of David! And she also calls Him Lord. How this
woman came to know about Christ is a mystery. There perhaps very many who know
the Lord of whom we have little knowledge.
But this woman approaches Him with firm faith and no little courage. She no
doubt loves her little daughter above all else. This great love has given her
ghostly strength and indomitable courage to speak. It is also her only hope for
ridding her daughter of the wicked devil which no doubt vexes her night and
day.
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is
grievously vexed with a devil.”
Love
is a powerful force. We are told in Proverbs 10:12 that “love covereth ALL
sins.” And we are assured in Romans 8:38-39 that love is even stronger than
death itself. So this woman comes as a beggar, albeit a bold one, to Christ.
She seems to have already rehearsed her responses to his possible rejection of
her petition.
Christ gave no audible answer perhaps to draw out the depth
of faith of this stranger of the people of Israel.
Now, please observe how the disciples, just as in times past, attempt to keep
this poor woman from approaching Christ. It is a familiar scene in which those
closest to Christ wish to exclude others who are in dire need of His mercy –
the little children in Matthew 19:13, blind Bartemeus over in Mark 10:48, and
then there were the crowds who pressed on Him making the approach of the woman
taken with an issue of blood so difficult that she had to crawl beneath the
crowd just to touch His garment. It is often those of us who make up the church
and people of God who are the greatest barriers for others in coming to Christ.
How does Jesus respond to this lady and to the objections of the disciples? I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Jesus came to
save that which was lost. That was you and I before ever we received the rich
mercies and grace of Christ. Christ has allowed this woman to hear His voice.
Her faith grows, and her determination to get a healing for her daughter is
unabated…..
Her desire to save her daughter is now growing into a thirst for the Bread
Christ offers. Though she once believed from a distance, she is now hearing His
very voice. The more we listen and know Him, the more we are drawn into His
love and grace. This woman is not unlike the woman taken in adultery who,
although never uttering a word in her defense, nevertheless heard the loving
authority in the voice of Jesus above the cruel and hateful voices of her
accusers.
And she is like unto the woman at Jacob’s Well who, even coming with little or
no faith, feels that faith grow into a tsunami of tidal waters as she leaves
the well without the water she came to fetch, but in possession of the water
came to her by grace and love.
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.But he answered
and said, It is not meet to take the children's
bread, and to cast it to dogs. This woman has seen much
heartache and continual despondency. Though her opportunity to know God is
diminished by her neighborhood, yet the very calamity that worries her is also
the very means by which she is drawn to Christ.
Christ is not demeaning the woman with his comment of the children’s bread, but
He is looking into a heart that is ripe for harvest and full of faith. He knows
it. Now He will demonstrate to those who doubt that this woman has greater
faith than perhaps many already of His own company. The woman did not
disappoint - Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from
their masters' table. The troubled woman is desperate for
Christ. If necessary, she is perfectly willing to be a dog if it means she will
have the favor of Christ.
Better to be a dog for Christ than a Queen for Satan! And this woman will
prefer the crumbs from the abundant table of Christ to dainty poisons from the
trough of Satan. Even crumbs are still bread! She is proud to sit as a dog
beneath the table and simply beg for the crumbs of Living Bread which the
children at the table austerely pass down. Such crumbs may not be much in
number, but they convey life in the smallest particle.
Christ, unlike those around Him, sees an open heart. This is a heart which
proclaims “You may have me as a dog if you prefer, but at any cost, let me have
the Bread of Life which you hold in abundance!” Even with this seeming
humiliation, she is not disparaged. She now comes and worships Him. Like Job of
the Old Testament – “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”
She will not be disappointed. She will come to Christ no
matter the shame or ridicule of those around her. All the while, she is hearing
more and more the voice of the Great Lord and merciful Redeemer. Her desires
are not instantly gratified, but she persists in her prayer.
The sinews and bones of our breasts cannot hide the beauty of a faithful heart
from the omniscience of God. Unlike the mortal eye which observes only the
outward appearance in a single instant of time, His eyes look into our very
being. And His span of vision tells Him not only who we may presently
be, but who we may eternally become in Him!
The purpose of Christ in allowing this strong expression of faith to be known
is now complete! Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
wilt.
Her
faithful patience has borne fruit and her daughter is freed from the living
hell which drew her mother to Christ. Though our prayers may seem to be
unheard, we persist at the feet of Christ. He may love us more than we can
understand. His great love for us may preclude the instant answer which we
seek.
So we wait upon the Lord for His time and for His wise grant of our petition.
And even when the answer is ‘NO, our blessings will be multiplied by that
better thing He shall grant for the good of our souls.
[1] This is the Scripture from
which the Prayer of Humble Access on Page 82 of the Book of Common Prayer is
drawn which is said during Holy Communion:
WE do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merci- ful
Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.
We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou
art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore,
gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink
his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls
washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him,
and he in us. Amen.
