Dog Scraps

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As we pick up in Matthew’s gospel, the rest of Chapter 15 is a series of connected events that are sandwiched between the encounters with the Pharisees.

In the first part of the chapter Jesus has it out with the Pharisees on hand washing and defilement. Chapter 16 starts with the Pharisees once again approaching him. In the middle is this sandwich of events that take place near Tyre and Sidon.

Let’s start by reading the three stories that make up the middle of this sandwich:

Canaanite Woman [a story of faith]

Matthew 15:21–28 CSB

21 When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” 23 Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.” 24 He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!” 26 He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed.

There are some things that seem odd in this passage.

First, Jesus did not respond to the woman - it says he kept silent until after the disciples implored him to do something so she would leave them alone.

Second, in their request and even in Jesus response, it seems like the disciples are encouraging Jesus to heal her, though she was not an Israelite.

The whole dog/scraps illustration has bothered people for centuries. Some commentators have made the assumption that this was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, with Jesus having a smile and being playful when he said it - just to try to reconcile how harsh it sounds. We do not have the tone of voice or facial expressions to know anything other than the words. However, realize that both the children and the dogs belonged in the house and both of them deserved to eat.

While we do not get the name of the Canaanite woman, we do know a few things about her - she loved her daughter enough to persistently pursue Jesus. Her interactions with Jesus are also uncommon:

she knelt before him - not many have done this

she calls him “Lord” 3 times - a title of authority

she calls him “Son of David” - a very Jewish title and surprising coming from a Canaanite

she refers to him as the “Master”

she had “great faith”

The faith of the Canaanite woman was “great”.

Matthew 15:28 CSB

28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed.

Only one other time have we heard of something like this: ⚡

Matthew 8:10 CSB

10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith.

That was about a Roman Centurion - another enemy of the Jews and a non-descendant of Abraham.

SIDE NOTE: Imagine being Peter when Jesus tells this Canaanite woman that her faith was great?! HE JUST stepped out of the boat and into the water and sank, and then was told he had little faith.

Apparently the disciples got their wish - Jesus healed her and we do not hear about this woman again, so she became silent. However, another similar scenario plays out:

The Crowds [a story of fulfilment]

Matthew 15:29–31 CSB

29 Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there, 30 and large crowds came to him, including the lame, the blind, the crippled, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they gave glory to the God of Israel.

Matthew gives is a very general listing that seems kinda insignificant only because we have seen this list before. [ref: Matthew 4:24; 8:16; 9:35; 12:15] Mark, on the other hand, gives one specific healing encounter that is special: ⚡

Mark 7:31–37 CSB

31 Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. 36 He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The fact that Jesus touched the man is significant. He touched his ears and his tongue. Then, he looked up to heaven (like he did when blessing the bread) and says one word. The man was healed.

At the end of Mark’s narrative the people will not stop talking about what Jesus has done, and at the end of Matthew’s account “they gave glory to the God of Israel.”

Matthew 15:31 CSB

31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they gave glory to the God of Israel.

“the God of Israel” - this is the only time on the gospel that Matthew uses this phrase. The non-Jews gave glory to Yahweh. In contrast we read nothing about the response of the Jews that were healed in chapter 14.

What a great reminder for you and me to make sure God is given the glory - even very publicly - for the great things he does!

Feeding 4,000 [a story of feeling]

The final part of the narrative is another feeding miracle.

Matthew 15:32–39 CSB

32 Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.” 33 The disciples said to him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them. “Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.” 35 After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. They collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. 38 Now there were four thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children. 39 After dismissing the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

This should be understood as a different event than the feeding of the 5,000. That being said, it is a very similar experience: some bread and fish, people a seated, a blessing given, Jesus gives food to the disciples, they give to the crowd, everyone eats plenty and there is a lot left over.

NOTE: when you come across something like this (two events that are described almost exactly the same way) it is often a way for the author to draw your attention to the differences between the two: It takes place in a different region and had different numbers referenced. We will look at both of these a bit later.

While we have read may times that Jesus had compassion or was moved with compassion, this (I believe) is the only time we have it recorded with Jesus actually saying, “I have compassion”.

And the crowd is dispersed and Jesus travels once again.

Looking back

This section, on the surface, seems to be just more of the same. Right?

Jesus heals a woman’s daughter from a distance. We saw that before with the Centurion.

Large crowds find Jesus on a mountaintop and he heals all their diseases and impairments.

Jesus has compassion on the crowd and miraculously feeds 4,000 men (plus women and kids). Just saw that with even more people, so this one even seems a bit anti-climactic.

Jesus dismisses the crowd, gets into a boat and heads out to another location.

By now, this seems like S.O.P. for Jesus. His disciples are surely accustomed to it! So, if this is just more of the same, why is it in there?

Matthew has been building several themes through out his gospel account, and this section continues one of those themes, though it might not be immediately noticed by you and me.

So far, most of the healing and teaching ministry has taken place in Galilee, and to the Jews. In verse 21 there is a shift:

Matthew 15:21 CSB

21 When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.

When Jesus left Galilee, after the confrontation with the Pharisees about clean and unclean, he heads to a non-Jewish region of Tyre & Sidon. These two port cities resided on the Mediterranean Sea and were valuable trade regions.

[MAP 🗺️ ] ⚡

While Tyre once traded with David & Solomon for materials and had a friendly relationship with them, that soured and eventually the wrath of God was declared against them:

Amos 1:9–10 NLT

9 This is what the Lord says: “The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel, selling whole villages as slaves to Edom. 10 So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre, and all its fortresses will be destroyed.”

The region Jesus went to was not only non-Jewish, it was also to a people group that were the enemies of the Jews.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 15

Because these cities were denounced in Is 23 and Ezk 28, first-century Jews viewed them as notoriously wicked and deserving of divine wrath (11:21).

So, while you are I read that he went to the region of Tyre & Sidon, Jewish listeners would immediately know that it was a non-Jewish region filled with people that were the enemies of the Jews.

IMAGINE how the disciples would have felt?

Then, the first person that we her about is a woman, but not just any woman, a Canaanite woman.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 15

By labeling the woman a Canaanite (cp. Mk 7:26), Matthew associates her with the most notorious pagan enemy of Israel.

It was the Canaanites that had the gods Baal, Asherah and El. They worshiped many gods and offered sacrifices to them and even had temple prostitutes. The reason the Israelites were to drive out all of the inhabitants of the promised land was so that they would not follow false gods, like Baal, but would remain true to Yahweh.

If you go back to Elijah’s story, you read this: ⚡

1 Kings 18:17–19 CSB

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?” 18 He replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals. 19 Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

It was 450 prophets of Baal that Elijah confronted on mount Carmel, and it was Jezebel, a Sidonian and wife of King Ahab, that hunted down and killed the prophets of Yahweh and tried to kill Elijah as well.

By naming these places: Canaan, Tyre and Sidon, Matthew is painting a historical picture of evil and animosity between the Jews and the people of the region Jesus just entered with his disciples.

WHY Is this significant?

Jesus just taught his disciples that it is what you say and do to others that defiles you, or makes you holy. NOW, they are in the land of people that are NOT Jews, but enemies, and Jesus heals them and feeds them and feel compassion for them.

ASK: how do you treat your enemies? ⚡

Matthew 5:43–44 CSB

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

That is what Jesus taught in the sermon on the hill. Luke records this: ⚡

Luke 6:35 CSB

35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.

So, if nothing, else, this passage serves as a living illustration of the teaching of Jesus to love your enemies and a great reminder to you and me, especially in a society that leans towards hostility and not love for enemies.

Structural Lessons

I hope, as we have been studying Matthew, that you have picked up some tips on how to understand how the author uses structure to teach. Chapter 15 has a structure to it that is meant to reveal a truth to us:

Immediate Context

In our passage we have the following:

an acknowledgement of faith

healing of the multitudes

feeding of the multitudes

All of these things are taking place in the land of the Gentiles.

The 3 narratives we just read are mean to go together as a unit. This unit is bookmarked by encounters with the Pharisees. ⚡

15:1-20 - Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees about ritual cleaning.

16:1-12 - Jesus is again confronted by the Pharisees.

The unbelief of the Pharisees is bread on both ends of this sandwich. They accuse Jesus of ignoring the tradition of the Elders regarding purity - we then have these 3 stories of Jesus healing, teaching and feeding the Gentiles - and then we have the Pharisees demanding a sign.

The Gentiles saw what Jesus did and that was sign enough - as it should have been for the Pharisees! The Pharisees considered the Gentiles unclean, Jesus went to them, touched them, ate with them, healed them and felt compassion on them - right after declaring what it really means to be “unclean”.

LESSON: The Gentiles had greater faith in Jesus as the Messiah than the Pharisees did. It is possible to be be so enamored with the “religious system” that we miss the God we are devoting ourselves to. We can also be so committed to our faith and religion that we fail to accomplish our mission of loving even our enemies.

The Gentiles also had a response of faith, where the Pharisees had a response of hate. The Jews rejected Jesus. The large crowds in Tyre and Sidon gave praise to the God of Israel. (this is an indicator that this was in a region that was not Jewish). This is the only time that phrase is used in the gospel of Matthew.

Bigger Context

If you zoom out a bit to look at more of this section of narrative in Matthew, you may see yet another lesson being presented.

These events mirror the events that took place just prior with the Jews: ⚡

14:13-21 - Jesus has compassion on the crowd and feeds 5,000 collecting 12 baskets

14:22-33 - Jesus performs a miracle (walking on water) on comments on Peter’s lack of faith

14:34-36 - the crowds bring sick to Jesus and he heals them

15:1-20 - Jesus & Pharisees teach on clean/unclean

15:21-28 - Jesus heals the Canaanite woman’s daughter and commends her faith (in Tyre & Sidon)

15:29-31 - crowds bring sick and lame and Jesus heals them (in the Decapolis)

15:32-39 - Jesus feeds the 4,000 collecting 7 baskets (in the Decapolis)

The entire section is sandwiched between two miracles of feeding multitudes. In the middle are stories of faith and healing of the masses. In the very center is a lesson on what is clean and unclean.

RIGHT AFTER Jesus teaches about clean/unclean he heads into the land of the unclean and performs the same miracles for them that he did for the Jews.

LESSON: Jesus is making it abundantly clear that, though he was sent to the Jews, and though he was an Israelite from the Tribe of Judah and a descendant of David, the RECONCILIATION that he brings will extend to all who will receive it. It will not be limited to the Jews, and was never meant to be.

There MAY also be a subtle lesson on this in the numerology of the two feeding stories that start and finish this structure that continues the this theme of the Gentiles receiving the same as the Jews.

FEEDINGS:

The first feeding was to Jews with 12 baskets of leftovers. 12 is a typical connection to the 12 tribes. Perhaps symbolizing that Jesus came to provide the blessings of Eden and abundant life to the Jews.

The second feeding was to the gentiles with 7 baskets of leftovers. 7 is a typical connection to the completion of creation and of rest. Perhaps symbolizing that Jesus also came to being rest and abundant life to all creation.

While this is a fascinating thing to consider when trying to figure out why the numbers of leftovers are spelled out and different, I would say I am comfortable with it as a fun, nerd thing but would not be dogmatic about it.

Gentiles...

Ever wonder WHY Jesus kept trying to reach the Jews? Why would his primary mission be to the lost sheep of Israel when those people continue to reject and oppose him?

THINK ABOUT THIS:

If Jesus “only came for the lost sheep of Israel”, why was he in these Gentile regions at all? Would he just be walking through there and hoping to ignore everyone?

Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome (a Gentile region for sure!) said this: ⚡

Romans 15:7–13 CSB

7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, 9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name. 10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people! 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him! 12 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Responses

I believe we are meant to see at least a few things in this passage:

Jesus came to save all creation - though only those that accept him will receive it.

Faith does not come from heritage or pedigree - even if you did not grow up in church you can still have great faith.

Jesus was living out what he preached - uncleaness was not from what you touched or were around, but what comes from the inside.