In Matthew 15:21-28, a Gentile woman begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter.
At first, Christ doesn't answer her. But when she persists, He says He has come for Jewish people, not Gentiles.(1)
She persists, so He asks if it's right to give the children's food to the dogs.
She humbly persists and Jesus heals her daughter.
At first glance, Christ's response seems harsh or confusing. But it's not.
This passage teaches four important truths (2) :
1. True faith involves humility (1 Peter 5:6).
This woman understood she had nothing to offer Jesus. She wasn't offended by His challenging response.
2. True faith involves perseverance.
This woman was like the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8. She was fixing her eyes on Jesus and refusing to give up (Hebrews 12:1-3).
3. God is pleased with humble perseverance (Matthew 23:12).
Wouldn't you love to hear Jesus say what He said to this woman: “Woman, you have great faith!”
4. Christ was/is/will always be perfect (1 Peter 2:22).
We don't know exactly what that woman was thinking; but Christ knew, and His response to her perfectly met her needs.
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(1) Jesus was testing both the disciples and the woman when He said He had come for the Jews.
It was true: From the time of Abraham, God set the Jews apart so they could bless the world with God's salvation (Genesis 18:18). Jesus served as the final and most important link in that mission. And even though most Jews rejected Jesus, the gospel was first proclaimed through the Jewish-born Jesus and Jewish-born apostles. That's why Christ's first mission was to the Jews who would take the gospel into all the world (Matthew 28:16-20).
It was soon to be changed: Part of Christ's mission to the Jews was to show them they were going to reach out to the non-Jewish world with the message of salvation. In fact, talking with this woman and commending her faith was part of that lesson.
2) On several occasions, Jesus used conversations with Gentile women to teach important principles and influence others present (John 4:4-44). Jesus was teaching His disciples that God's kingdom would include all people—Jew and Gentile, male and female (1 Corinthians 12:13).
⇨To address a heretical misunderstanding about this passage, see A Serious Feminist Error.
⇨For more in-depth study of this passage, see Debunking Feminist Views of Matthew 15:21-28.
⇨For a very thorough, scholarly explanation of this passage, see Bible.org.
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