The Canaanite Woman

“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.’

      Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to Him and urged Him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’

      He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’

      The woman came and knelt before Him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.

      He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’

      ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’

       Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very moment.” –Matthew 15: 22-28 NIV

As I read this passage of Scripture, I wondered why Jesus was being so unkind to this woman. First, He ignored her. The passage says He said nothing in response to her. He ignored her to the point that she went after His disciples for compassion. Then, when He did finally respond, He claimed that He wasn't there for her.

     If it had been me, I may have left after this. The man who so many were talking about as being merciful, loving, and powerful was treating this woman without dignity and even allowed His disciples to ignore her desperation and pain. But, the woman so wanted to see her daughter rid of the demon that she was not deterred. She knelt before Jesus and again begged Him. In response He further degraded her by alluding to her (and her daughter) as dogs. Still, this woman was not swayed from seeing her daughter well. She didn't care how she was referred to; she would take whatever scraps Jesus would give her because she knew that He was Lord and that He could cast out the demon that possessed her daughter.

       At the end of this piece of Scripture, Jesus praises the woman's faith and heals her daughter. His change of attitude toward the woman confused me. I tried to understand what the purpose was for it. As I prayed about it, I felt God change my perspective. He kept bringing me to the last line and letting the fact that He was pleased with her sink in. Rather than feeling sorry for the woman and wondering what it was that made Jesus so cold toward her, God showed me that He was pleased with her and desires for us to be more like her. 

      The Canaanite woman was not so prideful that her dignity went before the needs of her daughter. That's the heart for people WE are supposed to have. We are to be persistent and think of ourselves as lowly (humble ourselves and see what we really are). She knew her place in the kingdom. She allowed herself to be humiliated and inconvenienced for the sake of her daughter, who was plagued by a demon.
      I'm not saying we should let people demean or mistreat us, but we can't think so highly of ourselves that we refuse to get dirty to bring others to God. Sometimes we hide our lack of heart for people by the knowledge of our worth. "I am a precious child of God and I will not be mistreated! I deserve better than this!"
      Knowing that you have worth is important, but you (and I) are not worth more than anyone else. God created each of us. He has a purpose for each of us. He wants and loves each of us. When we are willing to humble ourselves and place others before us, we will do more for the Kingdom than someone who is prideful and compares his or herself with others.

      The Canaanite woman was an example of a person whose heart and attitude honors and pleases God. This is the character and mindset we are supposed to take for those who are lost or unsaved. Their value and well being should be our focus, not our own comfort and recognition. We should have a desperation to see them have an encounter with God and be saved. Like the woman, to see this happen, we will have to sacrifice something of ourselves (our dignity, time, energy, etc.) and we may get hurt (emotionally and in some cases physically, such as in places where believers are persecuted, abused, or killed). In the end the reward is greater than anything we could endure.

      I'm sure that the woman celebrated her daughter's freedom from the demon and that she was grateful that she persevered in seeking after Jesus' intervention in her life. Her love for her daughter propelled her and that is the same love we are to have for others. Don't give up or give in. There is too much at stake for us to stop fighting for the lost just because we've been unrecognized, offended, or mistreated. Let the image of what could be move you to action, bring you to your knees in prayer, and call out to God. Let it be what inspires you to do whatever it takes to see that person saved.