Devotion 8.15.26

Matthew 15

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

"21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly."

Remember the Geico commercial about why drill sergeants make lousy counselors? I'll put it at the end of the devotion for you to watch as a chuckle, but in essence, the drill sergeant-turned-counselor chided the young man who had just confessed that the color yellow "made him sad." The sergeant replies, "You know what makes me sad? You do!" and after a brief lecture, throws a box of Kleenex at him.

I have two questions with regard to Christ. The first is why the harsh tone? The second is do his disciples ever show compassion? Let's start with the second.

The disciples seem to always want to send the people, children, or individuals asking Christ for something away. There is a great lesson for us as faithful there: Always be attentive and on point as disciples of Christ.

Christ, though, has been moved by crowds who are lost and in search of redemption. He has been moved by moms, a Roman centurion, and even a Samaritan woman at a well whom he asks for water. Why the harsh tones with this Canaanite woman?

I'm not sure about you, but if my wife came home and said the doctor said medicine was intended for a (fill in the blank) and not the dogs (v 26), that doctor would have bigger worries than where to eat that night.

The notes offer no insight on this, but we do know Christ was without sin. So, we can surmise he's making a point. What's his point? Let's look at his answer:

First, he's telling the lost sheep of Israel he came for them (v 24). They are usually present and hearing the same exchange. "I'm still here and have come for you."

As we have read this week in Isaiah and Romans, Christ also came for Gentiles and "foreigners" (people like us and the Canaanite woman). His push back is a great reminder that Christ will answer our prayer, but he will answer it on his time.

His exchange with the woman gives us all hope via her reply. "Dogs get crumbs that fall from the table" When it comes to redemption, I'll take whatever Christ gives out - if it's crumbs, I'll take it.

We all know what Christ ultimately gave for our redemption. His body and blood and his life. When we come to his meal for forgiveness, strength and renewal, we get all of him, not just the crumbs.

Pray with me: Heavenly Father, I'm not worthy for even the crumbs. Thank you for the full body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ for the full pardon of my sins and iniquities. Great is your faithfulness O Lord. In Christ's name, Amen.

As promised, here you go:

Geico Commercial - worth the watch for a laugh

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.