“Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying,
‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.’ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” (Matthew 15:21-28)
Jesus rightly called the religious leaders of the Jews hypocrites. They had complained about the fact that Jesus’ apostles did not adhere to strict standards of ritual cleanliness, but they were the ones who were unclean. On the outside they looked and talked like righteous men. They followed the Law to the letter. They espoused all the right moral and religious values. They despised all those who did not agree with them as well as those who could not live up to their standards. That would include all the Gentiles. The Pharisees were so proud of their righteousness that they had forgotten that they were sinners in need of God’s mercy and love.
They did not like Jesus because He extended grace, love and mercy to those the Pharisees despised: prostitutes, tax-collectors, lepers, sinners, as well as all pagans such as the woman who came to ask for help for her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus appeared to insult her by referring to her as a dog. That was the term the 1st Century Jews applied to pagans. But it was not offered as an insult; Jesus never insults or turns away anyone who earnestly seeks His help. He was testing her faith. She recognized Him not just as a miracle worker or a good man, but worshipped Him as God incarnate. Jesus did not turn her away, but rewarded her faith and persistence. He had compassion on her and expelled the demon from her child.
How often do we who are members of the Body of Christ, the Church behave like those Pharisees? Are we hypocrites like they were? Are we so zealous about the need for Christian moral values in our society that it seems we are malevolent, hateful, and angry? While we must never condone, promote, ignore, or compromise with immorality, such as that which our culture, media, and government promote and call good, we are angry at sin and the devil. We must always extend mercy, grace, kindness, and love to sinners. Many of them seem happy and care free, but they are to be pitied: they are covering up a life of hate, abuse, and self-loathing as they are slaves to the devil. It does no good to accept their ungodly lifestyle as normal or good, for as they stand, they will never be at peace in this life. And their end is eternal separation from God unless they are touched by His love manifested in the compassion of we believers as we tell them the good news of new life, joy, and peace in and through Jesus alone.