True Faith Persists!
On the Second Sunday of Lent
Dr. Vince McLaughlin’s Teaching Manuscript:
Matthew 15:21-28
In this event in the ministry life of Yeshua, we see an illustration that true faith persists guided by humility and truth in the example of the Canaanite mother. In our study today we will address the issues and interaction of believing, of having faith, and of placing trust in something or placing one’s belief in an object.
Father Abraham provides us an excellent illustration of “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness – right relationship with God.” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:8).
Some background information is absolutely necessary in order to fully understand the significance of this event. There is a pagan god of healing (Eshmun) temple approximately 3 miles from where this event occurred. It appears the woman had heard of Yeshua and goes to Him instead.
Also of significance is the Canaanite women’s personal address to Yeshua is quite informative. The term “Lord” is probably just an expression of great respect, although she does further demonstrate a greater knowledge of Jewish thought referring to Him as Son of David.
The context of our passage is that Yeshua found incredible faith in a Gentile woman in the midst of the Pharisees’ incessant spiritual unbelief and whining. Devout religious Jews would not have considered entering a Gentile’s home, because they deemed such an act to be ceremonially defiling. Jews avoided Gentile territory out of prejudice and fear. Yeshua’s journey into Gentile territory took place immediately after the debate with the Jerusalem Jewish religious leaders. St. Matthew’s account follows a chronological order in these later chapters. Yeshua wanted to send two clear messages by this sequence of events.
First, He was backing up His challenge to the popular misconception regarding ceremonial cleanness and defilement (15:10–20). In 15:21–39, Yeshua would demonstrate that it was the inner character (a heart of faith) that determined acceptability before God, not a person’s nationality (an outward trait). A Gentile woman and thousands of other Gentiles (15:21–31) would express greater faith in Yeshua than the Jews (please refer to the centurion in 8:5–13). And the Heavenly Father would manifest His acceptance of their hearts by performing the healings and the miraculous feeding of the four thousand comprised of Gentiles (15:32–39).
Second, Yeshua was demonstrating His frustration with disbelieving Israel (11:16–24; 13:10–17; 15:7–9). Textually, it appears that Yeshua decided that the “washing” controversy of 15:1–20 was to be the “last straw.” He was not abandoning Israel entirely, for there would continue to be a faithful remnant, but He demonstrated to Israel that their faith was inadequate.
Their faithlessness was accented when compared to ignorant Gentiles, who did not have the privileged revelation of the Almighty God’s mind and heart through the Holy Scriptures. Yeshua stopped treating Israel with “favored nation status.” But because of the Almighty God’s promise to Father Abraham, Israel would always play a special role in His plan.
In 15:21, the place which Yeshua departed from was probably Gennesaret, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee (14:34). This was probably the location of the “washing” debate (15:1–20). From Gennesaret it would have been a forty-mile journey northwest to Tyre on the Mediterranean coast, and another twenty miles or so farther north along the coast to Sidon. How long Yeshua was there and where exactly He went in the region of Tyre and Sidon is not stated in the text. The two cities, the epitome of Gentile “uncleanness,” showed just how far into non-Jewish territory Yeshua was willing to go to find such persistent faith. Yeshua shook the dust of Israel off His feet as He reached out to the Gentiles.
In 15:22, it is important to note that of all the Gentile nationalities, those of Canaanite descent would have been among the most abhorred by the Jews. The Canaanites were one of the idolatrous nations Israel was instructed to exterminate when they entered the Promised Land (Deut. 7:1–2). In fact, this particular group was so prominent in Palestine that the entire area was frequently called “the land of Canaan” (Gen. 12:5; Lev. 18:3). When the Canaanite woman heard of Yeshua’s arrival, she came to Him— she pursued Yeshua in her desperation.
The Canaanite woman’s cry was virtually identical to that of the two pairs of blind men in 9:27 and 20:30–31: “Son of David, have mercy on us!” St. Matthew’s imagery in these three passages is unmistakable. In all three places, people who were perceived by others to be blind (figuratively blind in the case of this woman, because she, a Gentile, supposedly could not have known the Almighty God’s revealed Holy Scriptures)—these people were the ones who “saw” Yeshua clearly enough to proclaim His messianic title, “Son of David.” In contrast, those who had the capacity to see physically with healthy eyes and spiritually through greater knowledge of the Holy Scriptures were the ones who refused to acknowledge the identity of Yeshua as The Christ (Messiah).
In 15:23–24, we see that Yeshua ignored the woman, walking along the road without answering a single word. Although the disciples noticed. Was Yeshua deliberately letting the woman’s persistence sink in? She persisted so loudly that the disciples became somewhat annoyed. They repeatedly urged Yeshua to send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. The woman was following Yeshua and His disciples along the road causing a wee bit of an uncomfortable stir.
Yeshua finally stopped and gave a reason why He should not honor her request. The lost sheep of Israel was exactly the same phrase Yeshua used in 10:6, instructing the Twelve to go only to the Jews.
Two thousand years earlier, the Almighty God had made a promise to His friend Abraham, as well as to Abraham’s son Isaac, and then Abraham’s grandson Israel (Gen. 28:13–15; 32:28). Now He had come down in human form to keep His promise. But He had made no such promise to the descendants of Canaan, or anyone else outside of Israel (yet He had promised blessing on all nations through Israel, Gen. 12:3; 28:14). On this basis, Yeshua could say He was sent by the Father to Israel only.
The disciples were aware of these covenant implications for the children of Israel. But it appeared that Yeshua was going overboard to emphasize the contrast between this ignorant foreign woman’s faith and lack of faith on the part of the arrogant religious teachers of Israel. They had the covenants and they should have known better. We can almost see Yeshua asking the disciples, “Can you see this woman? Do you understand?”
In 15:25, the woman came close to Yeshua and knelt before Him. Please note that the verb used here for knelt (Greek – proskyneō; Hebrew/Aramaic – barakh shachah) is the common word that means “to worship” (15:9) in both Greek and Aramaic.
In this vivid account, there is probably an emphasis on the literal meaning of the word, “to bow down,” but there is also a deliberate contrast between this woman’s genuine, heart-felt response to Yeshua and Israel’s false, superficial “worship” in 15:9. This woman knew she needed a Savior, but Israel thought they were doing fine on their own.
This is true worship in its most basic form—to cast ourselves on the Almighty God in helplessness, acknowledging the Lord’s power, love, and wisdom as our only source of help. Selah!
In 15:26, in that day, dogs as pets were far less common than today. Most dogs were wild, filthy, dangerous animals that roamed the streets. Jews commonly referred to Gentiles as “dogs” meaning “unclean, wild dogs.” This single word explained the Jews’ attitude toward Gentiles.
Yeshua referred to house dogs (kynarion), alluding to the election of the Jews over the Gentiles, but in a much less derogatory manner suggesting a more affectionate term for domestic pets.
Yeshua was not denying the dogs their keep; He was saying it was not right for the children’s portion to go to the dogs. While the Lord had demonstrated that He valued and loved the Gentiles, He was seeking to drive home to the disciples that He was shifting away from Israel as the national carrier of faith in the age between His two advents.
The promise to Abraham and Israel to bless all nations through them certainly affected the Gentiles, but it was not a promise to the Gentiles. This would change under the new covenant, in which there would no longer be a distinction between Jew and Gentile (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:11–3:6). God’s covenant blessings would be equally available to both.
The Gentiles had now been grafted into God’s covenant with Israel (Rom. 11), but even this picture assumed some kind of priority for the Jews. The promise of the King’s reign from the throne of David (Rom. 11:29) had not been revoked. Yeshua had come to bring believers of all nations into one kingdom and one church, but He had come first to keep His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Rom. 1:16).
In 15:27, St. Matthew began to show his readers the contrast between Yeshua’s statement and the woman’s response. Yes, Lord, she began, humbly acknowledging her place in the household of faith. Then, with surprising wisdom, she continued, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. She worded her response not as a contradiction of what Yeshua had just said but as an extension of the argument Yeshua had presented. She seemed to grasp more of the reality of the moment than the disciples did.
Moreover, she displayed mature humility by continuing to refer to herself and other Gentiles as dogs and to Israel as their masters. At the same time, she called on the compassion of the Almighty God, who promised blessings on all nations through Israel’s Messiah.
In 15:28, Yeshua having seen ample proof of this dear woman’s heart of faith, and having “rubbed it in” for the disciples, Yeshua broke His feigned “resistance” with this enthusiastic response: “Woman, you have great faith and it is in the right object of faith - ME!” Clearly, He was deeply touched by such mature and persistent faith in this Gentile/Canaanite woman.
There was no longer any reason to test the woman’s faith, so Yeshua assured her that her deepest desire had been granted. Just as with the centurion’s servant (8:13), Yeshua performed a long-distance healing. Matthew records that the woman’s daughter was healed that very hour. The woman of faith left believing and trusting in the object of her faith – Yeshua the Messiah.
Key observations:
Yeshua was not trying to destroy the woman’s faith but to develop it.
Yeshua initial silence was an encouragement to continue seeking and asking.
It was this faith that Yeshua acknowledged, and immediately He healed her daughter. It is worth noting that both of the persons in the Gospel of Matthew who had “great faith” were Gentiles: this Canaanite woman and the Roman centurion (Matt. 8:5–13). In both cases, Yeshua healed the one in need from a distance. Spiritually speaking, the Gentiles were “afar off” until Calvary, when Yeshua the Christ died for both Jews and Gentiles and made reconciliation possible (Eph. 2:11ff).
In conclusion, let me suggest four practical learnings from this desperate mother:
Be Humble. The Canaanite woman remained humble and respectfully persistent even when she was rejected. She didn’t become defensive. She remained trustful even when the initial answer was no. She continued to worship because she realized who Yeshua was even though she was outside of Israel.
Be Bold in Faith. She continued to ask for what she needed even after she was rejected. She knew she needed help desperately and she believed and trusted that Yeshua could help her, so she persisted. She was desperate for help, so she asked until she received an answer.
Don’t Judge by Exteriors. Yeshua does not judge people by their nationality, race, or religious criteria. At the beginning of the conversation with this woman, He was simply sticking to His main purpose in mission. He wasn’t judging her for being a Gentile. Unfortunately, we have a natural tendency to judge by exteriors, which we need to fight daily. Man looks at the outer appearance; the Almighty God looks at the heart. We should too.
Faith Should Be Applauded. When Yeshua saw this woman’s great faith, He lauded her and granted her request. We need to have and show faith even when we are far out of our comfort zones. Persistent faith is a quality that Yeshua spoke highly of during His earthly ministry. He always spoke up when He witnessed great faith. He even told some that their faith had healed them. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is powerful and without it, it is impossible to please God. Faith looks to the Almighty God as the center of all things.