The Day Jesus Was Healed

A Canaanite woman shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away.” Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.” He replied, “It’s not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” – Matthew 15:22-26 excerpted (CEB) 

Be clear: Jesus called them dogs. A desperate mother and her suffering child. Dogs. Mangy scavengers. Strays. He ignored her first plea. Insistent, she knelt before him, pleading a second time. Jesus barked, “You don’t give the children’s bread to dogs.” 

Again, be clear: He wasn’t testing her faith or having a bad day. This was a ready-to-go insult fueled by genuine prejudice. Some Canaanite woman wants my help? I don’t deal with those mutts.  

But she said, “Even dogs get crumbs.” 

Imagine the pin-drop silence. The Mother—gaze once cast down—now staring directly into Jesus’s eyes. Even dogs get crumbs. Are we less than dogs to you, Saving Sovereign? In that moment, something changed in Jesus. Moved (humbled?) to compassion, he praised her great faith and proclaimed her daughter healed. 

Alongside her great faith in Jesus, perhaps greater still was her faith that her bold, courageous, tenacious appeal to her humanity could turn his heart. And although no one should have to beg for crumbs when they’re starving for the bread of mercy, her daughter was ultimately healed from her demons that day. So, too, was Jesus healed from his. 

Prayer
Turn my heart and heal me, Son of David, when I believe there are those who are not deserving of your mercy. Amen.

About the Author
Chris Mereschuk (he/him) is an Unsettled Pastor and the Founder of RevCJM, LLC, specializing in church vitality and Legacy consulting and coaching.