Sermon for Sunday, August 16, 2026 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, Illinois
“Yes, Lord, and the Crumbs?”
And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 27And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even (or just and) the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (NKJ Matthew 15.22-28)
Introduction
Today’s Gospel lesson introduces us to one of the most remarkable ladies of the Bible. We do not know her name, but if we did, I’m sure there would be many Christian girls named after her. She is one of those interesting people in the Bible who seems to “get it” before everyone else. As we look back at her story God impresses upon us three important things: First, that Jesus is truly the Messiah; Second, that Jesus, the Messiah, came to help people of every nation no matter how far away they may be either geographically or spiritually; and Thirdly, that Jesus helps us in the most needful way by healing us of spiritual wounds.
The Background
At the beginning of chapter fifteen Jesus had an encounter with the scribes and Pharisees. They came questioning him about “the tradition of the elders.” They had fallen into that temptation of focusing on their own man-made rules rather than focusing on the word of God. Jesus really let them have it by calling them hypocrites and the blind leading the blind. We can get caught up in this also when we skip over the word of God and start chasing all sorts of religious fads that replace the Gospel with psychology, politics, motivational self-help lectures, musical concerts, or perhaps most dangerous of all – the popular tradition of today: I don’t need the church to help me find Jesus, He’s always in my heart. Because of this confrontation with the Jewish leaders, Jesus probably decided to de-escalate the situation by venturing into the non-Jewish region of Tyre and Sidon. This is the Southern part of modern Lebanon.
There a woman came crying out to Him to heal her badly demon possessed daughter. Jesus tested her by first ignoring her and then telling her that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She cried “Lord, help me.” Now Jesus really tested her by saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” He actually calls her a “dog,” which is exactly what the Jewish people thought about these people from this region. They descended from the ancient Canaanites who were terribly wicked, practiced child-sacrifice, and were sworn enemies of Israel. Then the woman makes this remarkable statement: “Yes, Lord, and the dogs eat the crumbs that are falling from their master’s table” (my translation – See note below). Then Jesus said, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” Her daughter was then healed instantly. How can this woman, in her great faith, refresh us in our faith this morning?
Jesus Is the True Messiah
First, this woman shows us that Jesus is truly the Messiah. Almost everyone I’ve ever met likes Jesus. The problem with many is that they don’t love Jesus. They don’t fall down before Him and worship Him as the true Son of God, Messiah, and Savior of the world, and they really don’t know Him or listen to Him. Instead, they bend Him around to fit their own ideas about God. You hear this when people say things like Jesus was a failed prophet. Jesus wasn’t sinless. Jesus never said anything about abortion or homosexuality, therefore He affirmed those things. These are people who hold to Scripture and to Jesus loosely. They conform Jesus to their own ideas instead of being transformed by Jesus, who called us all to holiness according to the Ten Commandments. But, the Canaanite woman was not at all like this.
The Canaanite woman began by acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of David, and when Jesus says He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, she agreed. This woman knew the important prophecies about the Messiah… that He would come out of the people of Israel and particularly from the family of King David. Why is this important? Satan doesn’t want anyone to believe in Jesus. So, he misleads people with false messiahs such as the “restitution Jesus;” or the “politically correct Jesus;” or the “health and wealth Jesus,” and the “Jesus welcomes everybody repentant or not Jesus.” But the true Messiah is the Son of David. David always looked to God first for forgiveness and then for all the other blessings of this life: “Look on my affliction and pain, And forgive all my sins.” And again he blesses the LORD, “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 25.18 and 103.3).
The Messiah for All Nations and for You
Secondly this woman shows us that Jesus is truly the Messiah for all nations and for all people. The Canaanites had a horrible history. In many ways the deeds of her ancestors followed her like a shadow. But God doesn’t hold people guilty by association, either by association with your race, your family, or even your own past. It is precisely because Jesus is the Messiah of forgiveness, earned not by you but by His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection that He can be the Savior for all nations, for all people and for you. The Canaanite woman knew this with such certainty that she could say, “Yes, Lord, and the crumbs...” Even the crumbs of the powerful blessings of Jesus were good enough for her. This is why the Canaanite woman could approach Jesus so boldly. She knew that God’s Messiah was her messiah, even as a foreigner descended from a people that were hostile to God.
Are you haunted by things you’ve done in the past? Have you ever wished that you could undo some things that you have done? Perhaps it is just all the little things that you wish you could change – like a cloud that hangs over your past? Jacob, who was also called Israel, was a man like this. Early in life he deceived his father and cheated his brother. But at the end of his life he gave thanks to God saying that He was, “The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48.16). Jesus came, indeed, to redeem the lost house of Israel; and He came to redeem all nations; and He came to redeem you from all your lost ways.
Spiritual Wounds and Healing
The last thing I would like to take from this account of the Canaanite woman is the healing she received from her spiritual wounds. Jesus said, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” Listen closely to that. She came for the healing of her daughter, but Jesus first recognizes the healing of her own soul, then the healing of her daughter. People came to Jesus for many kinds of healing. But this woman came especially for spiritual healing. Her daughter was badly demon possessed. I don’t know where the line is between biology and demonology, but I believe that sin works in both. I believe that the afflictions of life can be both biological and spiritual. I thank God for doctors and for the physical healing they can bring. But I look to God even more for the healing and protection I know that I need against the non-biological evils of this world. They are powerful and prevalent. I pray for myself, for my family and for all of you the words of Jesus in the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil.”
Look at the problems in your life. (None? Be thankful. Prepare. They are coming!) How many are biological and how many are spiritual? How many can really be fixed with a pill or another dollar, and how many really need to be fixed with God’s help and a prayer? This Canaanite woman would not be dissuaded... Not by the disciples who wanted to shoo her away and not by Jesus who was testing her faith. Twice she came to Jesus with her fervent plea for help, and the third time she simply trusted in the truth of God’s word. We can learn a lot from that pattern: Pray and pray and finally just trust God according to His word. Does He like evil? No. Has He promised to save us from it? Yes. Might it take awhile? Perhaps. But we, like the Canaanite woman, will not lose heart.
Conclusion
Jesus tested the Canaanite woman three times. Should we be surprised when God tests us? It has rightly been said that there are at least three answers to prayer: Yes, No, and Wait. God tests our faith for good reasons – one of the most important is that it allows us to be a witness to His faithfulness. When this woman said to Jesus, “Yes Lord, and the little dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table…” she was holding God to His promises. Martin Luther said about this moment: “She catches Christ with His own words.” This is exactly what God wants us to do. Hold fast to Jesus. He is your Messiah, your Savior from sin and from every malady caused by sin. Amen.
Translation Note and the Importance of Israel
Verse 27 deserves special attention. Almost all English translations translate the woman’s words in a contrastive sense: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs…” But the Greek words for yet even are kai gar. Jeff Gibbs, in his commentary on Matthew, points out that this phrase is used approximately 40 times in the New Testament. In all cases but this one it is translated in an affirmative sense. For example Mat 8.9 when the centurion says to Jesus, “For I too am a man under authority…”
When it is translated in a contrastive sense, it sounds as it if the woman is correcting Jesus or contradicting Him. But this is not the case. She is affirming Him. Jesus was sent to the lost house of Israel. Israel is a priority in God’s plan of salvation. This is so important in order for us to understand and properly interpret the New Testament and the Gospels in particular. Many of the discussions that Jesus had with Jewish leaders and many of His parables were about this. The Messiah comes from Israel for Israel but is rejected by Israel. This was all prophesied and is one of the ways that Jesus is identified as the true Messiah. But the prophets also emphasize the universal reach of the Messiah’s ministry. Paul deals with this in Romans chapters 9-11. So this woman has a deep understanding of the ministry of the Messiah.
