Do you have faith like the Canaanite Woman?

Matthew 15:21-28

It may be hard to place yourself in this story of the Canaanite woman, for the Canaanites are Gentile, and were lower than humans to the Jewish people; in fact, they were referred to as dogs.  Then there is the problem of the Canaanites having been archenemies of Israel for many years.  In Exodus 33:2, we have God telling Moses that He will drive out the Canaanites by sending an angel before them.  And in Chapter 34:11, God once more tells them in the verse that follows; He will do it all for them, but they should not make covenant with them.  God goes on to tell them what to do on entering the land of the Canaanites; “you shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), . . .” 

This is information that may be helpful in placing your self in the story, Jesus has entered the area of Tyre and Sidon; they were port cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea north of Galilee.  Isaiah viewed the people of Tyre and Sidon as wicked and deserving God’s wrath, so would you and I, and yet God extended mercy and grace to us.  Jesus has just arrived in the area when this woman comes to Him crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” If you were Jewish and had been there you would not have been surprised at how Jesus handled this woman, He ignored her, no reply, He just kept walking.  But when you have a problem and there is only one person who can put the broken pieces together, being ignored is not going to stop you. 

But someone who will not give up can become somewhat of a nuisance and she was to the disciples.  Matthew reports the following; “And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  “But she came and knelt before him saying, “Lord help me.”  Now at this point what would you do, well this is what Jesus did, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  Did Jesus call this poor women a dog, before you get all righteous on me look at the rest of the story.  “She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O women, great is your faith!  Be it done for you as you desire.”  And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Do you have faith like the Canaanite woman?  She never owned a Bible, she had never been to a church that preached the gospel, she only heard about Jesus, but she believed in Him, the power of God dwelled and by faith she acted on that faith.  You like her have all the faith you will ever need, but it is acting on that faith, as she did, then you will see the power of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice