Even the Dogs Get Crumbs

Jesus had about enough of nitpicky Pharisees, who complained that the disciples didn’t wash their hands the right way. So he left town and traveled north into the area of Tyre and Sidon, in what is now Lebanon. Surely the Pharisees wouldn’t follow him into the land of the unclean.

What he didn’t count on was a loud, obnoxious woman screaming at him for mercy. Matthew identifies her as “a Canaanite woman” whose daughter suffered terribly from demonization. We do not know exactly how it affected her, but we can be sure it was severe enough to deeply trouble this desperate mother.

Jesus’ response was to completely ignore her.

The woman’s continual shouts were extremely annoying. The pagan religious practice of the area called for obnoxious continual loud shrieks and calls. The woman’s persistent repetition and loud volume got on the disciples’ nerves. “Send her away, she keeps shouting after us!”

“I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel,” Jesus said.

Then the woman knelt before Jesus. “Please help me.”

Jesus’ response is surprising to our Western sensitivities. “It is not right to take the children’s food and toss it to dogs.” That was a huge insult, because in Hebrew thought dogs were nasty, unclean, and deplorable. Jesus implied the woman was a filthy dog because she wasn’t Hebrew. Worse than that, she was descended from Israel’s worst long-time enemies, the Canaanites.

But the woman’s quick wit turned the entire situation around. “Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall off the table!” Jesus commended her great faith and granted her desire. Her daughter was healed.

What do dogs under the table have to do with faith?

The Hebrew word for faith is אמןנה (emunah), meaning that which is established, firm, and certain. When we express faith in God we understand that he is firm and sure. It is safe to base our lives on him. When we apply the word to people we say we are firmly fixed and therefore faithful.

Jesus posed a few barriers to discern her faith.

First, when she approached Jesus she addressed him as “O Lord, Son of David.” Apparently she had knowledge of the coming Hebrew Messiah and believed that to be him. That was far greater than the critical Pharisees who had nitpicked about unwashed hands amid spectacular signs that only the Messiah could perform.

But Jesus ignored her. That was normal practice. Jewish men did not have conversation with women in public, especially women they did not know, and even more especially with Gentile women. Jesus disregarded that convention with the woman at the well, be here he observed it. She would have expected as much.

Then, when the disciples grew tired of her noisy petitions they implored, essentially, “Please! Give her what she wants so she will go away! She’s driving us all nuts!” Jesus said, “Nope. My mission now is to the lost sheep of Israel, not these people.”

Despite being first ignored and then rebuffed, the woman came close to worship him. That is, she knelt so that her knees and her face were to the ground. And she said, “Lord, help me.” This was a deep and profound act of worship and acknowledgment that Jesus was Messiah.

But he rebuffed her again, this time to her face. “It’s not right to take the children’s food and toss it to dogs.” It was normal for Jews to refer to Gentiles as dogs, and those living as close to Jews as this woman did knew that.She was not put off by that.

Fair enough, she said. Even the dogs eat the food the children waste.

The “children” had just wasted the food he was giving them in Galilee because they were worried more about the hand-washing ceremony. Jesus may as well allow her to benefit from the cast-offs. Even dogs get crumbs.

Sure of her faith, Jesus granted her desire. Her daughter was relieved of her oppressive spirits.

She was certain Jesus was the promised Son of David. She was convinced he could grant her request. She was determined she was in line for the blessings intended for but wasted by her neighbors the Jews. And she was willing to persist and persevere until she got it.

And that is faith.

Matthew 15:21-28 (Proper 15 A)