21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly. 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel) 25The woman came and knelt before him “Lord, help me!” she said. 26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15: 21-28
During the time of Jesus, demon-possession was one of the most feared human conditions. Ancients believed that when one is demon- possessed, his or her entire being — body, mind, and spirit — is entirely under the control of an evil spirit.
Today’s scripture reading brings us back to a time when a certain mother, out of sheer desperation, came to the Lord for help because of her daughter’s condition who was demon-possessed. It was obvious that the woman was very emotional; almost hysterical. “Lord, Son of David have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
It’s hard to be overtaken by difficult situations involving people we truly love and care for.
Remember the overwhelming feeling when a husband or wife or mother or father was rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night because of chest pains? What about a parent who suddenly receives news that their child had been involved in a motorcycle accident or drowning incident?
I still recall when my daughter who was two years old then, had convulsions one afternoon. I just recall picking her up in my arms, running to the gate, taking a cab without even thinking if I had money in my pocket. It was a good thing my husband who had just come home from work was able to immediately follow, and was able to pay for my fare.
These kinds of situations are never for the weak of heart. And so, we can only imagine how this mother must have felt the moment she came face to face with Jesus. She expected immediate and urgent help from him.
But Jesus gave her a rather strange and odd reaction. In verse 23, we read that Jesus, upon hearing the desperate cry for help, did not say a single word. He was quiet; a reaction that seemingly showed he was not interested at all with her situation.
To further complicate the matter, the disciples around him urged Jesus to send the woman away most likely because she was a Canaanite, a “second” class citizen as far as the Jewish disciples of Jesus were concerned.
Instead of following the advise of the disciples, however, Jesus gave a more bizarre reply; this time sounding apparently more sarcastic and haughty. Jesus tests the woman’s perseverance, “I am sent only to the lost sheep of Israel…”
Those who are listening between the lines know that what Jesus truly meant was, “Sorry, woman, I can’t help you; you’re not one of us…”
But instead of giving up, the woman pushed her faith further, and even knelt before the Lord and said, “Lord, help me.”
Jesus, however, pushing her faith further, said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread [referring to the Jews] and toss it to the dogs” [referring to the Canaanites].
Now that was really hurting; but instead of giving up because of the seeming- rudeness of the Lord, she gave Jesus an even more astounding reply, 27“Yes it is, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
With that reply, the woman asserted her right for a blessing, despite the fact that she was a cultural “outsider.”
The assertion was not done in the spirit of pride or self-entitlement. It was an assertion that came from a heart that had been truly and deeply humbled by the very presence of the Lord.
This reply greatly impressed the Lord who said to her, “Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed that same moment.
Every so often, friends, the Lord invites us to the higher ground of our faith. God orchestrates events and situations in our lives that allow us the opportunity to stretch our faith in ways we never imagined. These kinds of situations “force” us to somehow wait longer than before.
You see, we all want instant and quick solutions to our troubles. We want to get immediately what we desire for. This kind of spiritual posture must be checked. We need to watch ourselves and stop behaving as if God owes us, or is obligated to us.
Chuck Colson, former adviser to US President Nixon, who was known to have experienced a dramatic spiritual conversion while in prison, and founder of Prison Ministry Fellowship, calls this phenomenon “the entitlement mentality”.
Speaking about the American economy, he said, “Many believe that the government had an endless supply of cash – and the responsibility to give us whatever we wanted. Our entire economic system has become captive to the entitlement mentality.”
This can be expanded to issues regarding our faith. Many believers today, because of a wrong and twisted sense of entitlement mentality, want it easy and convenient all the time. They feel that it is God’s responsibility to care for them. It is God’s job to look after them and their families, therefore, they eventually become lazy, irresponsible, and negligent of their God-given tasks.
The Word of God reminds us today that we cannot get what we want, when we want, each and every time. There are moments when we need to respect God’s intentions and God’s time.
Like the Caananite woman, God permits our situations to become a little more difficult that we expect. He calls us to struggle it out just a little bit, with ourselves, with our problems, and at times, even with the Lord, until we are brought to a level where we can truly bend our hearts more before the Lord in genuine and heartfelt faith and humility.
How about us? Are we almost in the verge of quitting and walking away because God’s answers still seem to be so far away?
There are beautiful lessons of faith we can learn from the Canaanite mother. When our life-situations become difficult, and when our circumstances become too much to bear, may we find it in our heart to humble before the Lord in the spirit of sincere and absolute dependence.
It is mind-boggling why God seems to be quiet at the time when we need his voice the most. Or why he seems cold and uninvolved just when we are most desperate.
But it is in these times when we can learn best to hold fast, not to become easily frustrated, to respect God’s good intentions for the wait and seeming silence, and to maintain a posture of faith and joyous expectancy, despite, and in spite of.
In the proper time, our help will eventually come. It always does, if only we will not give up.