Living By Faith
Psalm 67 and Matthew 15:21-28
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 16, 2026
By Pastor Jane Shelton
As we read through the gospels, there becomes an obvious theme we see develop where Jesus brings compassion to the people. We begin to identify Jesus as compassionate, understanding, and a gentle-spirited person.
Yet as we read our scripture in Matthew this morning, it seems the kumbaya comes to a screeching halt. Wait! What did he say?! Did Jesus just call this Canaanite woman a dog?!
I remember the first time I saw this scripture in the lectionary years ago and prepared a sermon. I did so because I wanted to understand exactly what Jesus was saying when he made this horrific statement to this woman.
This did not sound at all like the Jesus that I know, and keep in mind, this is not a private statement that he makes only to this woman, but also in front of the disciples who are already urging him to send her away.
Also, in the previous ten verses to this scripture, Jesus has explained to his disciples that it is not what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes from the heart.
The disciples are confused by the traditions that the Pharisees hold on to, and Jesus is making clear that it should not be traditions that guide their heart; rather, they should be led by the heart of God.
Right after Jesus gives this instruction for understanding to the disciples, they journey to a Gentile region and are immediately approached by a woman shouting at Jesus.
Notice how Jesus does not immediately respond to her. In fact, we are told he makes no response, and it is the disciples who first turn to him and ask him to send her away.
I believe Jesus waited to respond so that he could see how the disciples would respond to her, much like he waited to see how they would respond in the storm when they were battered by the wind at sea.
The disciples react like we often do when someone bothers us in a way that makes us uncomfortable.
Let’s pause a minute now and remind ourselves what has just happened in the prior verses that I mentioned. Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that traditions are not as important as the love of God.
The tradition of the disciples would not be to mingle with the Gentiles because, from their point of reference, they were worthless people. They were beneath them. They were dogs.
Now, let’s note the first thing Jesus says in reaction to this scene, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Does this statement sound like the Jesus we know? Was Jesus sent by God only to save the people of Israel? We know the answer to this is that he came for all people.
So why is this his response? I’m convinced that Jesus wanted to use this as another teaching experience for the disciples. I even wonder, should that sentence have been translated as a question that he was putting before the disciples? Think about it if it were a question instead of a statement.
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel?” He questioned the disciples.
Remember, in the previous scriptures Jesus has been teaching the disciples how God’s commands are what they are to live by rather than the Pharisees’ traditions. Jesus is using this incident as another learning experience for the disciples.
Although this woman is a Gentile, she calls to Jesus first as “Lord” as a means of title or respect, and then “Son of David,” allowing the reader to know that she fully understands who Jesus is as the Son of God.
As the woman pleads with Jesus, we see a Jesus we are not used to, replying in a non-compassionate way, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
What Jesus is telling her is that it is not fair to take what was meant for the people of the house of Israel and give it to the Gentiles.
The thought of Jesus making this statement to this poor woman begging for mercy for her child causes me to gasp!
It also causes me to wonder, did any of the disciples gasp at this statement? Did any of them want to reach out and help her, or were they cheering Jesus on in his words to her, knowing he was doing what was necessary to send her on her way?
But this beautiful, faithful Gentile woman responds in desperation to have her child saved, recognizing her place in tradition, but also knowing who the Son of David is and having faith in his ability to heal all people.
“Yes, Lord,” she pleads, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
All she wanted was a crumb. She knew her place in society, yet she also knew the power of Jesus’ healing. What courage and faith she shows! Because of her faith, her daughter is immediately healed, and I imagine if the disciples were not gasping before, they are now.
“Great is your faith!” Jesus says to the woman. “Great is your faith!”
Jesus uses this encounter to once again show the disciples that faith is stronger than tradition.
Jesus came to be a savior for all people, not just those in the house of Israel. While mercy may begin with Israel, because of the very nature of Israel’s God, his mercy overflows to other people and other nations.
In the New Testament, Jesus represents a new church that includes all people who believe that Jesus is the Son of Man sent by God the Father to redeem all who believe and follow him.
God’s plan was to keep and fulfill his promise to the people of Israel, and indeed he does this in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the beauty of the new covenant, the beauty of the gospel, is that in this great miracle of resurrection, God’s grace adopts all of us into this covenant tradition.
The New Testament church, this new covenant is one of inclusivity, not one of earthly tradition. This new covenant is for all nations, because as our Psalmist explains, God judges all people and all nations with equity, and all have been blessed.
Once again we see that God has compassion for all he has created.
To God be the glory!