Matthew 15:21-24

“Just 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.’ But he did not answer her at all.” vss. 22-23a

It’s not clear why Jesus entered into Gentile territory with his disciples. It could be that he simply wanted time away from the crowds that were following him everywhere that he went. He doesn’t seem to have been interested in ministry in that region. His whole purpose had been to announce the coming of God’s kingdom to the Jews. 

But somehow this Canaanite woman had heard about him, and because her daughter was tormented by a demon, when he passed by she shouted to Jesus for help. And he did nothing! He didn’t answer her a word, a response that surprises us, given the amount of compassion he had been showing to the crowds in Galilee. And then when she continues to harass him, he hurls a kind of insult in her direction, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs!”

But the woman was unfazed; she didn’t care about such things. The needs of her child were more important than anything else, and she persisted. Like we would do, she didn’t let red tape stand in the way of the care her child needed. Sometimes the rules just need to be broken and barriers removed, and she continued to beg Jesus until she got her way.

Thought for the Day: How do I react to restrictive red tape?