A Famine Not of Bread

"Jesus and the Canaanite Woman" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Western society, for the most part, has a high view of dogs. We invest a lot of emotional and financial resources in taking care of them. For many, probably for many of you, dogs are part of the family. A significant number of modern young couples have opted to have fur babies rather than bringing children into the world. The average dog owner spends about $1,200 a year for each dog. Many others splurge on spas, designer dog collars, gourmet food, and even electronic devices that allow them to “facetime” their dogs during the day. But throughout most of history and all around the world, people had a rather low opinion of dogs. We see that throughout Scripture. In Exodus 22:31, the term “dog” refers to the dogs that roamed

"Christ with the Canaanite Woman and Her Daughter" by Henry Ossawa Tanner Click here to listen to this sermon. “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 15:25-28). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus withdraws to the district of Tyre and Sidon. This is Gentile territory, a coastal region northwest of Galilee that had never been part of Israel and had been dominated by the Phoenicians in Old Testament times. Jesus goes there, not primarily to engage in ministry, but to avoid the opposition arising from His recent confrontation with Pharisees from Jerusalem. The Canaanites who live there are descenda

Click here to listen to this sermon. But she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And [Jesus] 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” (Matthew 15:26-27). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! My one-year-old grandson, Boden, learned a new trick this week. When he’s full, he waits for their little dog, Poof, to come by. Then he reaches down from his high chair and hands Poof his leftovers and crumbs. Both of them seem quite happy with this arrangement. And let me tell you, when Poof has her teeth clamped on that scrap of food, you’re not going to get it away from her without a fight. The Canaanite woman was a lot like that little dog. When she got a hold of Jesus, she wasn’t going to let go until she got what she wanted—a few crumbs from the Master’s table. But Jesus wasn’t in a hurry to let her h