Great Faith: Lessons Learned from an Audacious Mother Part I

In Matthew 15:21-28, we read the moving account of a woman who is relentless in her pursuit of a miracle for her daughter. Let’s read the story together.

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’ But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matt 15:21-28, NKJV).

There are only two people in the Bible whom Jesus praised for having great faith. First, a Roman centurion (see Matthew 8:5-13) and then, this woman. She was from the region of Tyre and Sidon—Gentile territory. The text calls her a Canaanite, which in Old Testament language was synonymous with "pagan," "idol worshipper" or even, "enemy of Israel." She was, by Jewish standards, as much of an outsider as one could be. Yet, Jesus would declare her faith great.

His initial response to her, however, seemed unnecessarily harsh: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Yet, there was a deeper strategy at work.

The Expected Messiah

The Jews expected their Messiah to be both a spiritual liberator (one who would somehow deal with sin and reconcile man to God) and a political liberator (a conqueror who would free Israel from her enemies and change the world order).

Yet, for the spiritual part of this mission to succeed, Jesus had to be rejected by the very people He came to save. That rejection would then lead to His death on the cross, whereby salvation would be purchased for all—Jew and Gentile alike.

If Jesus had divided His time equally between Jews and Gentiles during His three-year period of public ministry, the Gentiles would probably have speedily recognised His divinity. They may have even protected Him from Jewish persecution, not allowing Him to be crucified. This would have short-circuited the plan of redemption. We see an indication of this behaviour in Acts 14, when the people of Lystra thought Paul and Barnabas to be the Greek gods Hermes and Zeus, due to the miracles that followed their preaching. Can you imagine the fervour that Jesus would have aroused, had He let the power of God loose on Gentile streets!

If the Gentiles had fallen in love with Jesus, then Pilate may not have handed him over to the jealous Jewish leaders and He never would have become the Lamb. In order for Him to become the victorious Messiah, He had to first become the crucified Messiah. Jesus had to be the Lamb of God before He could become the Lion of Judah.

Exceptions to the Rule

Consequently, Jesus focused His earthly ministry on the Jewish people. However, He did make exceptions.

One such example was when He healed the servant of the Roman centurion, whose faith Jesus called great. This man, although a Gentile, interacted reverently with the Lord and had even built a synagogue for the Jews, so great was his love for the nation (Luke 7:5). It is evident from his behaviour that he had aligned himself with the God of Israel, submitting himself to Yahweh.

So, if we follow this pattern, if Jesus was going to help the Gentile mother in our story, she likewise needed to be a follower of God Almighty. Yes, she called Him “Lord”. Yes, she called Him “Son of David”. She even worshipped him. But, how could He truly know the state of her heart? She would have said anything to get Him to help her child. He had emptied himself of his omniscience when He became flesh and blood. He knew only what the Spirit revealed to Him.

The Statement

The true state of her heart required further investigation. Jesus made that now-famous statement, which we are going to unpack: “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

In the original Greek text, the word used here for “little dogs” does not refer to wild, mangy strays. It is not the word used in Scripture when we are instructed not to give what is holy to the dogs (Matt 7:6) or told that the street mutts licked the sores of Lazarus, the begger (Luke 16:21). Rather, it is the diminutive form of dog: Think perrito in Spanish or hondjie in Afrikaans. It is a term of endearment, used for household pets—those under the protection of the Master.

This changes everything.

If the woman was not a follower of God, she would have been highly insulted and stormed off in offence. After all, Jesus had just called her a dog, endearingly or not. But, she caught the hint. She saw where He was going with this.

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Brilliant. Humble. Full of faith.

She was saying, “Even if I am just a pet in the house of the Master, the same Master who feeds the children feeds the dogs. I belong to His household. I am under His roof. I am His responsibility. I know that He will care for me and care about what concerns me!”

This woman understood. Even though she was no Jewess, she had chosen to submit her life to the Lord of the Heavens and Earth. She was under His roof, in His household. He was obligated to step in and involve Himself in her affairs.

Jesus got what He needed: A sincere profession of faith. “O woman, great is your faith!” He declared. “Let it be to you as you desire.”

What can we learn from this mother? Read it now in Part 2