The Unexpected Jesus
Matthew 15:21-28
March 16, 2025 anno Domini
Never be surprised that Jesus doesn’t do what you expect. That’s His modus operandi. He operates according to His Father’s will and not your expectations.
The Canaanite woman does everything right. She is a model of prayer. Learn from her. She carries her daughter to Jesus in prayer. God hasn’t given us access to Him so we can treat Him like a Genie in the heavenly bottle, going to Him with our wishes. God has given us prayer so we can be His priests on earth and lift the needs of those around us to Him. Do you think the rest of the United States prayed for President Biden like we did, or prays for President Trump like we do? Do you think the average resident of Saint Cloud is praying for the homeless, those in prison, the sick, and dying, like the Church prays? Who’s praying for the family, for women who are pregnant, for single mom’s and those who have suffered the trauma of abortion? Do you think anyone else is praying for your children like you are? This is what the Church does week in and week out and we learned it from this woman.
She isn’t praying that her daughter gets a great date for the prom or even that she doesn’t marry a jerk. Her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. Her daughter is out of control. If she’s like other demoniacs in Scripture she is being thrown into fires, tossed here and there, screaming, and out of control. This mother is praying for her daughter’s salvation. It could not be a better prayer. Should be a no brainer for God to answer this one.
Jesus did not answer her a word. After that even the disciples get on the side of the woman. When they urge Jesus to send her away, they are asking that He just take care of her. Answer her prayer and get her out of our hair. This is no big deal. But to the disciples He replies, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” First Jesus says nothing. Then He says, “Not her” she’s not on my list.
When you hear this story, it makes you think the hymnwriter was mistaken when he wrote, “Come my soul with every care, Jesus loves to answer prayer.” Unless you’re a Canaanite woman with a demon possessed daughter offering up the perfect prayer.
There are two Biblical explanations as to why Jesus does what He does.
The first is that Jesus always does the will of His Father. His Father has a course set out for Him; a course established in the Old Testament. Salvation will come to the Jews and through the Jews. Jesus is only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He was born in David’s line, a son of Abraham. He is the Savior of Israel first and this woman is not of Israel. The Gospel will go first to the Jews and then, when rejected by them, to the Gentiles. Jesus is not there yet. That may sound harsh, but take it up with God the Father.
There are few people in more need than this woman. That’s evident in her prayer, her boldness, and her faith. But Jesus has something bigger that is always controlling Him. His Father’s will. His suffering and death. His cross. Mission one is faithfulness to His Father, the salvation of the world. After that comes the pressing individual needs He encounters.
Remember that. Mission one as Christians is faithfulness. After that comes all the other needs you might have or encounter. Try to remember a crisis you faced. An accident. An illness. A divorce. An unwed pregnancy. A child in trouble at school, with the law, at his job. Remember that disgruntled person who lobbed a hand grenade of threats or complaints into the congregation. What was your first response? Was it, “How can I be faithful? Or was it, “How can I ease the pain? Satisfy the need?”
For Jesus it was faithfulness. He did not immediately meet the need of every person He encountered. He put this woman off. He waited four days to go visit Lazarus when he was dying. He did not give signs and miracles to those who insisted on them. He even remained silent before His lying accusers. Why? Because mission one was the cross. He is Savior first. Every other work is gravy or dessert. The cross is the meat and potatoes, or better said, His body and blood are the food and drink of life. Without the giving of His body and the shedding of His blood – this Canaanite woman, her daughter, your son, your marriage, doesn’t have a chance. A miracle apart from the cross serves no purpose. Without the shedding of His blood there is no forgiveness, no life, no future.
Reason two for Jesus’ behavior is the woman’s faith. Jesus is going to test her faith in the fire of His refusal. Everything that the woman might have brought will be burned away, until all that’s left is Jesus and His Word.
She is not put off by His silence. Or by His rejection even after the disciples begged on her behalf. She has been rebuffed twice, but she keeps coming. She kneels before Jesus and says, “Lord, help me.” Now, by this point we’re on the woman’s side. It’s like one of those movies where you’re hoping the main character does the right thing. Come on, just ask her to marry you. Take hold of her hand. Don’t walk away. To our disappointment Jesus tries to walk away, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” You may not like it, but that’s His faithfulness. Israel first. He’s from them and for them. They have to hear the Gospel first, then it will be preached to the Gentiles. But Jesus, in His words has left the woman something. A little bait by which she can catch Him and reel Him in. It’s a disgusting smelly piece of bait. It’s that word “dog.”
Obviously, Jesus is not about flattery or niceties. This woman’s faith doesn’t need flattery. She doesn’t even need Jesus to be nice to her. She needs her daughter freed of a demon and only Jesus can do that. So, she grabs hold of that bait, puts it on her hook of her faith, and gets Jesus to bite. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table.” This is faith. Lord, it isn’t about me. I don’t deserve anything. I’m a dog and in my sin, just like a dog, I return to my own vomit. I certainly don’t deserve a place at the table, but even dogs get crumbs, and all I need is a crumb Jesus.
She is not denying that Jesus is for Israel first, but she also knows the bounty of His mercy. A crumb falling from the table won’t deprive the children of Israel from anything. Her faith is not about her, but about Jesus. He can call her anything He wants and she’ll take it because she takes Him at His Word.
Do you take Jesus at His Word? Even when He is silent to your prayers? Even when He calls you something disgusting? Even when He speaks what you don’t want to hear? You should, because He not only knows what He is doing (He’s God after all), but He knows what you and your faith need, that’s why His cross comes first, your salvation is first. Without His body and blood crucified and risen your faith has nothing to hold on to. In the end what Jesus wants is to be able to say of you, “Great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire” because you desired what He desires, His death for your sins and His resurrection to make all things right before His Father, including you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.