Jesus could be harsh at times. He called Pharisees “whitewashed tombs” (that is, nice on the outside, disgusting within); He called Herod a “fox”; He even called Peter “Satan” (Matthew 23:27; Luke 13:32; Mark 8:33). Yes, Jesus could be forthright—but rude and racist? Some think today’s story proves so. Jesus was hiding in a home in the region of Tyre and Sidon, trying to escape the crowds (Mark 7:24), when a Canaanite woman pushed her way in and begged Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. How did Jesus respond? With silence. Was He ignoring her or thinking through His options?
When Jesus does reply, He doesn’t give the woman much hope. His calling is first to the Jews, not to pagans like her (Matthew 15:24). Unperturbed, the woman kneels before Him and begs more urgently (Matthew 15:25). Then Jesus utters those troubling words: “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26).
We can’t avoid it: Jesus has just given a racial slur. Gentiles are but “dogs” in comparison to Jews. Ouch.
But did we miss the twinkle in His eye? Jesus is most likely using the sort of a language a Gentile person could expect from a Jew. He was throwing out a test to the woman, seeing how she’d respond. And she didn’t miss a beat, saying, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27). Her faith is proved and Jesus grants her request (Matthew 15:28-29). He probably even laughed at her reply, as author Elton Trueblood has suggested.
Jesus was no bigot or racist. He accepted prostitutes and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10); He healed and praised non-Jews (Matthew 8:5-10; Luke 17:11-19). He does, however, test our faith. How is He testing you today?
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 3:22-36
More:
Read Mark 7:31-35 and Luke 7:1-10 to see how Jesus treated other non- Jews of His day.
Next:
What does this story say to you about the personality of Jesus? How might Jesus test our faith today?
eppistle on June 20, 2011 at 8:36 am
The Lord must have a soft spot for Gentile dogs, because all of us breeds will surround His throne (Revelation 7:9,10).
followingHim on June 20, 2011 at 11:45 am
Right you are, Eppistle–including us mongrels! My parents were especially proud of our ancestry, and claimed we were descended from royalty. (I have since learned their research is suspect.) Being Christ- and Heaven-focused, I care not-at-all where I came from (a life of sin).
What matters is where I am (in Christ, Rom 6.11), and where my future is–in eternal glory.
The Canaanite woman teaches us that God’s blessings have no ethnic boundaries.
roxanne robbins on June 20, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I find great solace in knowing that, as with the Canaanite woman, that Christ welcomes our believing and persistent prayers rather than shrugging us off as nuisances. He wants us, regardless of nationality and religion, to come to Him for healing.
sheridan voysey on June 24, 2011 at 4:49 am
Amen to that, Roxanne!
alli on June 20, 2011 at 1:43 pm
it reminds me never to forget where i am from. Canannites were no doubt probably idol worshippers or promiscious ppl, so i mean God had every reason to call them thus. But it reminds me never to forget where God brought me from, or put someone else down who i think my sin is less then. im a dog just like them.
alli on June 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm
i have been treated this way by ppl, i used to get mad cuz i thought they were being unfair, but now i know i shouldn’t but continue to press.
tfedit on June 23, 2011 at 8:04 am
Submitted by a reader:
I don’t know who posted this devotional, but they have NOT rightly divided the Truth, and it needs to be corrected, IMMEDIATELY. The Greek word “Dog”, used in the Passage quoted, is actually- “Puppies.”
A first year student of Greek language, would discover this, easily.
In context, if we were to logically process this, the Greek word, “Dog” generally used as, “Wild, and/or Ravenous”, as most people would quickly assume, could/would NEVER be around children. They would attack and kill the livestock, let alone the children of the City. And,,,,you would NEVER be able to throw your scraps of bread to them, for the “wild dogs” knew they would be hunted & killed (if, discovered), and stayed away from public view.
Puppies were allowed (and, still are), at the feet of the family members, in that time & in that culture, while they ate.
Q: How many of us allow our pets in the same room as we eat, let alone at, the foot of the table? How about birds at McD’s, when your eating your fries?
Jesus WASN’T, “Dogging” her by using the term, puppy (Literally, in the Greek language). He was using a term of endearment, and saying, “Should that which is Holy, be given to mankind?” Testing her, and knowing what her response would be.
Example: Jesus said, “You being evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit, to those who ask Him.” -Lk.11.13
The woman was humbling herself, and was equating herself as a puppy.
Q: Am I being racist, if I call someone a name that is used as a term of endearment?
Don’t take my word for it….
Be a Berean,,,,read & study your, Bible.
A project for you to try: The next time you see an abandoned dog, go over to it (if, you can get close enough), and toss some bread toward it. By nature, the dog is ALREADY scared of humans. It will run away, or vacate that area. It is in survival mode. If the dog feels threatened or alarmed, it will growl, and show it’s teeth. If, the dog feels cornered, it WILL attack. Just, ask any, animal control person, how they approach this scene, time and again. They will confirm this as fact.
Mark T. Marshall
sheridan voysey on June 24, 2011 at 5:10 am
Hi Mark, thanks for taking the time to write.
Some preachers and commentators over the years have put forward the ‘puppy / endearing’ theory related to Matthew and Mark’s use of the Greek word ‘kunariois / dog’ here (Jesus’ original words, of course, were Aramaic). There are some problems with it:
1) As Ben Witherington in his The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, there is no real evidence that people in Jesus’ era actually had dogs or puppies as pets in the home.
2) Even Strongs Concordance has ‘a little worthless dog’ as its description of kunariois, (http://www.greek-dictionary.net/kynarion) – hardly endearing.
3) ‘Dog’ was a well-known derogatory term used by Jews to describe Gentiles in the day.
Hence, I think the above interpretation of Jesus using the term in a non-literal, non-offensive, goading/testing way makes best sense of the context of the verse.
Jesus was throwing a well-known term back at the woman, giving her an opportunity to respond to him in faith. And she did!
daisymarygoldr on June 23, 2011 at 5:45 pm
I agree Jesus was not a bigot or racist. But I don’s see any twinkle and neither do I consider dog as an endearing word. It is also not a case of testing because testing is done only after the teaching. This woman was an outsider and Jesus will do no such unfair thing to test people’s faith without first teaching them the Word.
Jesus meant just that—when He called the woman a dog. In the Bible “dogs” refers to all those who are unclean and outside the Kingdom of God (Rev 22:15). In His encounter with the Canaanite woman Jesus was teaching His disciples an important Kingdom principle. Because of God’s grace, by faith even dogs can now enter the Kingdom of God.
In this story Jesus commends the woman’s great faith. And what was great about her faith? She did not ask for the bread meant for the children. She took no offense to the slur but in all humility asked for the scraps that fell from their plates. She believed even a little morsel of God’s grace that spilled over from the table was enough to heal her daughter. Jesus as always was impressed by her faith and readily answered her prayer.
So, how does this apply to us today? God’s Word calls us sinners who fall short of God’s standard of holiness. As sinners we cannot enter His Kingdom. We should take no offense but humble ourselves to seek His forgiveness. For, by His grace through faith God declares us righteous. Also, today in the Church there is no prostitute or publican, Jew or non Jew. No matter who we are, know this: without faith it is impossible to please God.
Faith is rewarded by a deeper insight into God’s will. By faith, the woman could see a glimpse of the Messiah’s future mission. She recognized He came to save His people from their sins—the Jew first and also the Gentile (Romans 1:16). So, this Canaanite woman did not try to match wits to play along with Jesus. She boldly claimed for what God had already provided for her in His eternal will. In other words, her asking was in full accord with the will of God.
Lesson to be learned: It is not enough to pray persistently. Our prayers need to align with God’s will (I John 5:14-15 NIV). Faith so delights God, that He will give us anything we ask—according to His will.
mike wittmer on June 24, 2011 at 11:37 am
Sheridan:
Thank you for your diligent homework and exegesis of this passage. I had wondered about it myself, and your devotional helped a lot!
sheridan voysey on June 26, 2011 at 10:38 am
Thanks Mike. Glad it was useful!
melville29 on October 16, 2011 at 8:10 am
Hi, Good evenin!!. My name is Melville and I’m a Christian. But I believe that people created Religion. Not God. God just showed us the way of how to live our lives which is with full of love. And since he loves us, he has given us such freedom to choose the right and wrong.
I’m just a confused lot here. If any of you could help me understand here. I just happened to read this part of the bible today and I was lookin for answer and just got to this site.
I would like to know…. When the canaanite woman asked Jesus for help, first Jesus was silent and then after some pleadin, Jesus said “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
Why did Jesus Say this? What about the other people in the world? I know that God Created the whole world and loves all as one. I know that God promised never to punish us again. And God and his angels celebrate in heaven when a sinner comes to right path. Faith should be there. That is important. As sinners and humans we are not strong too. But, shouldn’t Jesus have been more kind and lovin towards us? Yes, Jesus healed the daugher of this lady. But then Jesus also said, you must take care of the words that come out from your mouth, cos they are the ones which can hurt a person the most.
Jesus also say’s to this lady later “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
So then, what about us? Are we all humans not the Children of God? The canaanite lady was a pagan. Fine. But she believed in Jesus and she came to him for help.
Some say that Jesus was a racist cos he said that he came only for Israel and Jews. I know the Lord tests our faith. But for Gods love for us, these words were a bit harsh. Don’t you think? The faith part is okay where Jesus tests the lady by callin her a dog. (A bit harsh and kind of racist statement I thought) I don’t know. I’m confused. Please let me know.
What about other countries? what about other people? Jesus also says “Love your fellow Jews as you love yourself”. What about us? I know God Loves all equally and takes care of us all without thinkin from which religion we come. I know that he like the pure hearted who love truly.
Please explain to me and let me know.
Thank you.
Melville
sheridan voysey on October 17, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Hi Melville.
Thanks for posting your comments.
We can be certain that God does love all people and has always wanted people of all nations to be in his family. God so loved the ‘world’ that He sent Jesus to save us all (John 3:16). When God chose Abraham to start a nation that He would rebuild the world through He said that this nation (Israel) would be a blessing to ‘all’ people (Genesis 12:3). God was wanting to bless the whole world through the Israelites and reveal Himself to us through them.
Though Jesus’ earthly ministry focused on the Jews, he healed many Gentiles and even praised them for their faith (Matthew 8:5-13, 15:21-28). The disciples were at first instructed to spread the word to their fellow Jews (10:5-7), but would be a witness to Gentiles also (10:18). After his resurrection Jesus commanded his disciples to preach to everyone (28:19, Acts 1:8). And they did! That’s how you and I became Christians.
So why did Jesus say that he was sent ‘only’ to the lost sheep of Israel? The Israelites had been the chosen people of God (remember God’s call to Abraham) and so they had a ‘right’ to hear the good news of Jesus first (read Romans 1:16). They, and not the Gentiles, were waiting for the Messiah. Now he had arrived. But the Jews were only ever to be the first to hear about Jesus, not the last. This was always a salvation for the whole world.
Jesus was being strategic with his time on earth. He called his disciples, preached in the synagogues and started his ‘movement’. Along the way he healed, fed and released Gentiles from evil spirits too. But his strategic focus was the Jews because of his very short time on earth.
As to the ‘dog’ comment, as has been discussed significantly in the article and then in the comments, Jesus wasn’t giving a racial slur at all but sharing an ‘in joke’ with the woman who, as a Gentile, would’ve been called a ‘dog’ by some of the Jews. He praised the woman for her faith. This was no racist comment.
I hope this helps Melville!
melville29 on October 16, 2011 at 8:18 am
I read daisymarygoldr reply and I’m satisfied with it. But why the Jew first? Why not all people? All were not bad.
Yes, the womans faith was very strong. (I don’t know if I would have been so strong with my faith if I was in that womans place.) But wasn’t Jesus Harsh in callin her a dog? A human who has been Created by our father, our God in his own image?
daisymarygoldr on October 17, 2011 at 2:45 pm
melville29, thanks for your thoughtful comments. You have asked some deep and profound questions. Since you are a Christian, I used Bible verses in my response—to reiterate some of the points that Sheridan Voysey has already explained above.
“Why the Jew first” is similar to asking why the oldest child was born into the family, first. Israel is God’s firstborn (Exodus 4:22). So, the priority of Jew over Gentile is merely a matter of order and not an issue of pre-eminence.
Why Israel was chosen and not another country? It is because of God’s relationship with one man, Abraham—that God chose out of all the men on earth, to become the father of His chosen people, the nation of Israel. Why Abraham and not another man? Because God knows he will direct his children and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just (Genesis 18:19)
Why do they say “God of Israel”? It was to Israel that God revealed Himself; they were the ones who received the promise of the Messiah. God chose those people because they were the smallest of all nations ( Deuteronomy 7:7) Israel was not chosen to be the only people to receive God’s blessings but— to be a means of blessing to all the nations and people of the world (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8).
Jesus did call the woman a “dog. Harsh? Yes. Racist? No. Jesus called His own Jewish religious leaders “Snakes and Sons of vipers” (Matthew 23:33). Truth is harsh. Jesus did not come to tickle our ears with smooth talk. He came to speak the truth.
Truth is, all of us have sinned and are like dogs and hogs. Jesus simply called a spade a spade. The woman had great faith and accepted she was, in truth, a dog. Hence, she asked for what a dog reasonably expects from its master.
Similarly, we should take no offense at being called sinners but choose not to continue in sin. We need to choose Christ who offers to make us clean—to choose relationship over religion. As you have so rightly said, God did not create religion. Hope this helps answer your Qs…
melville29 on October 16, 2011 at 8:21 am
I believe in God, I believe in the Holyspirit, I believe in Jesus Christ. And more importantly, I believe in Love as God the Father, The holy spirit and The son said “Love each and everyone” Just confused with these words of Jesus.
melville29 on October 16, 2011 at 8:24 am
Why do they say “God of Israel”?