A woman with a big heart

A WOMAN WITH A BIG HEART

Mt. 15:21-28

The event of today’s Gospel was the only occasion when Jesus was outside Jewish territory.  He knew He had not very long to live and before the end He wished some time of quiet when He could prepare for the end.  He also wanted to prepare His Apostles for the death that awaited Him.  There were things He had to tell them and help them to understand.  There was no place in Palestine where He could be sure of privacy.  Wherever He went, crowds would find Him.  So, He went to this Gentile territory where at least for a time, He would be safe from the hostility of the Scribes and Pharisees, and from the dangerous popularity of the people.  No Jew would be likely to follow Him into Gentile territory.  He was not running away, rather he was preparing Himself and His Apostles for the final and the decisive battle which lay so close ahead.

But even in these foreign parts Jesus could not escape the demands of people.  There was a woman who had a daughter who was grievously afflicted and she wanted His help.  She must have heard somehow of the wonderful things Jesus could do.  She followed Him and His Apostles crying desperately for help.  At first Jesus seemed to pay no attention to her.  The Apostles were embarrassed and said to Jesus, "Give her what she wants because she is shouting after us."   They said this not out of compassion, but to be rid of her as quickly as possible. 

It seemed to Jesus there was a problem here.  He told His Apostles, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.”  She was a Gentile not a Jew.  After all, Jesus had only come for the Jews.  Jesus wanted to awaken true faith in the heart of this woman.  She thought, “Yes, You may have come to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, but I want You to help me.”  She was determined to get what she wanted.  She knelt at Jesus’ feet and pleaded, “Lord, help me.”  Jesus could see the earnestness in her posture and the desperation in her voice.  He said to her, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.”  To call any person a dog is surely an insult?  The woman could have taken offence at these words and told Our Lord what to do with His miracles.  She would never say that because she was a desperate woman.  She rose above such a remark.  She had heard so much about Him that no matter what He called her she was not going to be put off.  She was not going to leave Him until her wish was granted.  All the while Jesus was testing her faith.  In fact, He was going to tease her.  If we had been present and heard the tone of His voice and the look He gave her we would appreciate what Jesus was doing.  Some words which can sound rude can be said with a twinkle in your eye.  We’ve done it ourselves.  We’ve called someone we love "a rascal" and “a rogue” with a smile and a tone which takes all the sting out of it.  In fact, it is a sign of affection.  We can be quite sure that the smile on Jesus' face and the compassion in His eyes robbed the words of all insult and bitterness.  The woman was a Greek and with a ready wit she beautifully took up our Lord’s analogy and said, “Ah yes, Sir; but even house dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master‘s table.”  With these words we can see she had understood the way the Lord was leading her and she was not offended.  She was saying in so many words, “I don‘t mind You calling me a pet-dog.  You know how the house dog waits patiently near the table and longs for some little scrap to be thrown to it.  Surely you have a scrap of a miracle for me?”  I can just see Jesus' eyes lit up with joy at such an indomitable faith.  He almost gasped as He said, “Woman, you have great faith.  Let your wish be granted.”  Although we are not told this, I’m sure Jesus helped the woman to her feet, gently touched her shoulder and sent her off on her way.  She was so grateful and knew that her daughter had been cured.

Like any good mother this woman had great love for her daughter.  It was love which made her approach this Stranger.  It was love which made her accept His silence and yet still appeal.  It was love which made her suffer the apparent rebuffs.  It was love which made her able to see the compassion behind the words of Jesus.  The driving force of this woman's heart was love; and there is nothing stronger and nothing more appealing to God than love.

Yes, this woman had extraordinary faith.  It was a faith that grew in the presence of Jesus.  She begins by calling Him Son of David.  She ends by calling Him Lord.  She began to see Jesus as divine.  That is precisely what Jesus wanted to awaken in her before He granted her request.  He wanted her to see that a request to a great man must be turned into a prayer to the living God.  It was a faith which worshipped.  She began by following; she ended on her knees.  She began with a request and ended with a prayer.  Whenever we come to Jesus, we must first adore His majesty, and only then state our need.

This woman had indomitable persistence.  There are some people who do not really believe in prayer.  They have only the feeling that something might just possibly happen.  This woman came because Jesus was not just a possible helper.  He was her only hope.  Nothing was going to discourage her.  Prayer for her was no ritual form.  It was the outpouring of the passionate desire of her soul, which somehow felt that she could not take no for an answer.

This woman also had the gift of cheerfulness.  She was truly troubled yet she could smile.  God loves that cheerful faith, the faith in whose eyes there is always the light of hope.

Lord Jesus, this woman brought to You a deep love, a faith which grew until it worshipped at Your feet.  She had an indomitable persistence springing from an unconquerable hope, a cheerfulness which would not be dismayed.  Surely that is the faith which will always find an answer to our prayers.

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