Matthew 15:21-39

A Canaanite woman came to Jesus asking that her daughter be healed. Initially, Jesus didn't answer her plea. She was persistent in her pleading though. The disciples asked Jesus to send her away because she wouldn't stop shouting at them. Jesus stated that He was only sent to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." The woman implored Him again and He said it would be like taking bread from children to give to dogs - in other words, "My ministry is to the Jews. Why should I give you what is rightly meant for someone else?" Undeterred, she countered that even dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. She knew her place, but was willing to take whatever she could get. Jesus rewarded her because she persevered in her request and humbled herself before Him.

It is important to note that Jesus did not feel that she was not worth helping. The common Jewish view of the day was that non-Jews were "unclean". They didn't follow the ceremonial laws that the Jews practiced and were seen as inferior. Much like other places in Jesus' ministry, He wanted to show that the current mindset was flawed. By doing it in this way, he tested the woman's faith and taught a lesson to those around Him.

Sometimes when we bring our needs to God, we expect an immediate solution. However, God does not work according to our timetable, but His own. Like the Canaanite woman, we should persevere in our requests to God. He hears every prayer, but sometimes He does not answer because it is not the right time or to test our faith. Go to God in prayer as many times as it takes, and don't give up.


After this, Jesus went to a mountain and crowds of people came to Him to be healed. After three days, food was running out and Jesus told the disciples He wanted to feed the crowd before sending them home. The disciples wondered where they would get enough food for that many people. After prompting, they told Jesus all they had was seven loaves of bread and a few fish. With that, Jesus sat everyone down and blessed the food, and had the disciples distribute it. After everyone had their fill, there were seven baskets of food left over.

It is somewhat amazing that the disciples didn't immediately know what was going to happen. After all, this was not the first time they had a large crowd to feed with little food. Jesus did basically the same thing as He had previously done (see Matthew 14:14-21). Why didn't they remember this and know that Jesus could do the same again? In times of need, it can be easy to be blind to the past in light of the current situation. These are the times we need to remember all the more though. We can draw strength and comfort by recalling times when God has brought us through a difficult situation, knowing that He can and will do it again.