A Clever Woman Domesticated Jesus' Dog Metaphor
Daily Scripture
Matthew 15:21-28
21 From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” 23 But he didn’t respond to her at all.
His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.”
24 Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.”
25 But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.”
26 He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.”
27 She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.”
28 Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“The regions of Tyre and Sidon” were Gentile territory, beyond Jewish lands’ northern borders. That may have shaped the woman’s clever response to Jesus in verse 27: “Gentiles sometimes raised dogs as pets; they could clean up scraps of food left by the family. Too desperate to take offense, this woman humbles herself to seize any opportunity for healing.” * Those surroundings seem to have made the disciples nervous. But it seems Jesus went there, at least in part, to teach them a lesson.
- Written words can’t show tone of voice or expression. If verses 24 and 26 showed Jesus’ true beliefs about this desperate mother, his action and words in verse 28 don’t make sense. Might the story make more sense if we imagine Jesus with an ironic edge to his voice, and a bit of a twinkle in his eye, parodying the disciples’ attitude? Clearly, in the end, Jesus honored the mother’s plea. How did his behavior seek to change the disciples’ outlook from verse 23?
- Matthew’s gospel seems to have spoken particularly to Christians of Jewish background, some of whom struggled to accept Gentiles in the church (cf. Acts 15). How would this story have spoken to the ethnic, cultural and gender divisions the early church faced? How does it speak to divisions today, including between those who wish to silence and “send away” women who’ve faced abuse and those who demand we take them seriously?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you weren’t about to let national or gender barriers keep you from responding to this mother’s heartfelt plea. Give me a willingness to do all I can to respond to pleas for help, even from beyond my comfort zone. Amen.
GPS Insights
Caleb Sramek
Caleb Sramek, who is serving as a modern worship intern at Resurrection for the second time this summer, wrote today's Insights. He has been a member of the church since 2018 and has been fortunate enough to serve on many different worship teams. This fall he is going to Johnson County Community College for his second year to study psychology which he hopes to use toward a career in law enforcement or ministry.
I’ve been volunteering in worship and helping lead for quite some time now. Naturally I have a few songs that come to mind when specifically triggered. The theme for me in today’s passage was to be quick to help and slower to judge or look past those asking for it.
After playing the song “So Will I” in worship this week, reading this passage brought a few lyrics to my mind. Toward the end, the song says, “If You gave Your life to love them, so will I.” I think this fit perfectly with today’s Scripture. As Christians we are called to love and care for one another. This includes outcasts and even those we might consider to be enemies. In a world full of divides we are called to be the bridge builders, not only between people and God but between people with one another.
This means setting aside preconceived notions, labels, and titles, and seeing each other as the people we are. For a world of love instead of division, this is necessary. To me, this Scripture made it seem easy and almost seamless and made me realize how easy showing that love and care can be. Maybe it is as simple as giving a smile to a stranger, holding the door, or greeting people. With this, I encourage you all to go forward this week with kindness in your heart and let it show outwardly.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Craig Keener, comment on Matthew 15:27 in NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (p. 8452). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
