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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Matthew 15:25:
Matthew 15:25-27
Excerpted from: The Canaanite Woman's FaithSo she was able to speak to Him, and as soon as she came into His presence, she hit the floor and worshipped Him, bowed down to Him. And, of course, begs, repeats her request here, begging for help for her little daughter. She shows immediately the proper attitude for beseeching God for His aid. She is very humble. She worshipped Him. She shows that she knows who He is and how worthy He is of worship. She does not demand. She asks as humbly as she can. This woman, this Canaanite woman who should not know a thing, who should not be this far advanced, is doing everything right.
He is telling her, in this metaphor of the children and the dogs, that she is asking for something that has been designated for others at the time. The bread, notice that it is bread, is given to the children, the children of Israel, God's children, as it were. We could say, in the vernacular again, He is saying, "Why should I give you a blessing intended for others?"
Now, Jesus' response here about the children and the little dogs is not intended as a statement of inequality between them, which is how modern people take it, but of timing or priority. He is establishing a difference in the imagery to show that, in the proper sequence of things, in the proper way things happen, children in a household have priority over pets, or priority over their working dogs. Maybe it is a shepherd's house, and they have got a sheepdog. That shepherd is going to put his children above that dog every time.
So He is telling her, "Should I give Myself to My own people, or should I give Myself to you, whom I do not have a relationship with?" Now, Jesus' words are clearly not meant by Jesus as a slur, but He is giving her a metaphor that she could understand. You could even call it a parable or a proverb.
And just as an aside, He does not use the normal term for dogs here that the Jews would probably have used. He uses a diminutive that suggests a little dog, as it says here, or a puppy. Who does not love a puppy? He is making it more endearing than a slur.
But He is saying that, in an ordered household—which she could understand—feeding the children has a far higher priority than feeding the dogs. It is as simple as that. It does not matter how beloved the pet is or how much work the working dog does, you feed your children first.
And so she takes no offense, and there is no call to take offense for her. Instead, her reply indicates that she understands that the Jewish prophets, or the Jewish Messiah, would be sent chiefly to Jews or to Israelites. Unlike the leftists out there, she accepts reality. She accepts truth. This is the way that God has chosen to work: first through the Jews, then to the Gentiles.
However, she points out that puppies happily lick up whatever little crumbs fall from their master's table. This is another indication that she got it. She said the master's table. She knew who the master was. She had called Him Lord already twice, and Son of David. She understood His parable. She understood what He was getting at.
Commentator F.F. Bruce calls it "a curiously felicitous combination of ready wit, humility, and faith," what she says there in verse 27. It shows that this woman does not mean to be presumptuous. She knows she is not part of Israel, not one of the chosen people, but she counters, surely there are a few crumbs for the Gentiles. And He could not deny it.
Bible StudiesThe Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Syro-Phoenecian (Part One)
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Syro-Phoenician (Part Two)
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Centurion's Servant (Part Three)
SermonsThe Father's Promise of Power!
Remember the Christians
Matthew (Part Twenty)
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