Matthew 15:10-28 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 15:10-28 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: Verse 11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Verse 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" Verse 13He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Verse 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." Verse 15But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Verse 16Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Verse 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? Verse 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. Verse 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. Verse 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
Verse 21Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Verse 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." Verse 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." Verse 24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Verse 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." Verse 26He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." Verse 27She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Verse 28Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Devotion
A woman shouts and makes a scene. Her daughter needs healing. Like loving parents today might take their sick child to specialist after specialist until they get help they need, this woman will stop at nothing.
I cringe when I read this text. How could Jesus be so cruel? How could Jesus let anything – race, religion, history, gender – get in the way of healing? He seems confident that this woman’s problems are not his responsibility.
But the woman is confident as well. She knows that the healing power of Jesus Christ is what her daughter needs. She knows that society sees her as unworthy – but she offers her unworthiness in exchange for his healing. It seems like an impossible trade, but it works. “Great is your faith” Jesus responds. “Let it be done for you as you wish.”
Prayer
Lord, we search for ways to deserve your love. All we need to bring is our deepest need. Amen.