Matthew 15:21-28

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! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In our Old Testament lesson today (Gen. 32:22-32), you heard how Jacob wrestled with God. Jacob was already tired and under a lot of stress. He was returning home after living with and working for his father-in-law for a couple decades, and he was approaching his brother Esau who had sworn to kill Jacob for taking his birthright and blessing (Gen. 27:41-42). The night before Jacob and Esau met, God came down to Jacob, and they wrestled mano a mano. Once the dust from their scuffle settled, God blessed Jacob and gave him a new name. Now, Jacob is known as ‘Israel’ which means ‘God strives.’

That text is a fantastic set-up for this Gospel lesson. Here, God has again descended, and Jesus wrestles with one of His creatures who, like Jacob, is already tired and afraid. This time, God’s opponent is a woman; she is a foreigner; and she is a pagan. Three strikes, so she should be out. But she approaches Jesus in great need. She comes boldly, and her prayer is violent. It doesn’t sound so violent in our translation. We heard that she is ‘crying out,’ but the Greek word there conveys the shrieking of a raven. We heard that she ‘knelt’ before Jesus, but the Greek word there is more along the lines of flung – she flung herself at Jesus feet.

Notice how she addresses Jesus with two titles: ‘Lord’ and ‘Son of David.’ In the Gospel of Matthew, only disciples address Jesus as ‘Lord.’ And she refers to Jesus as only an Israelite would with the kingly title, ‘Son of David.’ And her request isn’t for herself. Her little daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. So, her prayer checks all the right boxes. Jesus is the Lord and King. And He has come to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). But Jesus acts in a way that can make us Christians feel a bit awkward.

Christ first ignores her. The disciples start praying against her and beg Jesus to send her away. Then, Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when she flings herself into the dust before Jesus’ feet with a last gasp prayer, “Lord, help me,” Jesus calls her a dog. This isn’t the Jesus we are used to hearing about in the Gospels, the one who welcomes the lowly and despised, the one who heals, the one who casts out all sorts of demons.

But even though Jesus has her in a submission hold (figuratively speaking), this woman has one last punch to throw at Jesus to win this fight, and it’s a haymaker. Yes, Jesus has called her a dog, but she takes the insult. She says, in effect, “Yes Lord, I am a dog. I don’t belong or have any right to sit at Your table. I don’t deserve the bread that You feed to Your children. But if You call me a dog, I’ll be your dog. And I’ll be content with nothing more than what the dogs get. The crumbs from Your table are enough for me.”

After that statement, Jesus taps out, “O woman, great is your faith!” This is one of two times in the Gospels that Jesus praises someone’s faith (Mt. 8:5-13 is the other). “Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

This wrestling match between Jesus and the Canaanite woman reminds me of the parable of the unrighteous judge that Jesus tells in Lk. 18:1-6. In that parable, a woman repeatedly asks an unjust judge for justice. The judge just ignores her, but the woman keeps crying out for justice. Finally, the judge gives her what she wants because, according to the judge, the woman is beating him down with her continual requests. Luke tells us that Jesus told that parable to encourage His disciples to be persistent in their prayers because God is just and will not delay in answering.

There is no question, Jesus heard every one of this Canaanite woman’s prayers. Christ loved this woman and her daughter and had come to set them free from the oppression of demons. So, why did it take so long for Jesus to give her what she wanted, and why did He treat her like this? I think the only safe answer to those questions is, “I don’t know.” God’s ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8-9). But we can say this because Scripture clearly teaches it:

By delaying His answer to her prayer, Jesus purifies this woman’s faith. James 1:2-3 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” And our Epistle Lesson today (Ro. 5:1-5) says that we can rejoice in our suffering because suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Jesus knows how much heat this woman can take, and she comes out the other side with a stronger faith than what she had before this violent wrestling match of prayer.

There is no question that Jesus sent trial after trial to this woman. But that is what makes her faith so beautiful. Rather than turning her back on Jesus for being a jerk, her roots sink in deeper. She knows there is no other help for her and her daughter. So, here is the real question. Can you trust God when, to all appearances, He ignores you? Can you trust God when the wicked prosper, when the world is falling apart, and when your loved ones die too early? Will you trust Him when He doesn’t do what you ask? Faith trusts in God even when it is contrary to experience and our fallen reason.

The greatness of the woman’s faith wasn’t in her confidence or certainty. Its greatness was in its weakness. Her faith was great not when she was crying, “Son of David have mercy on me,” but it was great when she says, “Yes, Lord. I am Your dog.” It was great then because it only wanted what He gave.

In your walk of faith, remember that God doesn’t keep every promise you can imagine. But He has, does, and will keep every promise He has made. When it appears – and please note, I said, appears – that God isn’t listening to your prayers and seems to be sending you away, have the ingenuity of this woman. When God tells you, “You are lost,” you can take God at His Word and cry to Him, “Yes, God. I’m lost; find me.” When God says, “You’re a sinner,” say, “Yes, God. I’m a sinner; save me.” When God says, “You’re dead,” cry to Him “Yes, raise me.”

Finally, don’t give up on your prayers. Keep wrestling in them. You can’t hurt God by getting too violent with your prayer. Jesus wants you, like this woman did, to continue bringing your requests to Him. Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7). So, keep asking; keep seeking; keep knocking. God will answer in the best way and at the exact right time.

Dear saints, you can be bold in your prayers because Christ has come and restored peace between you and God; you now stand in God’s grace (Ro. 5:2). He will remember His mercy and steadfast love, and He will redeem you out of all your troubles (Ps. 25:6, 22). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.