Matthew 15:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."

NIV: The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

NASB: But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, 'Lord, help me!'

CSB: But she came, knelt before him, and said, "Lord, help me!"

NLT: But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, 'Lord, help me!'

KJV: Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

NKJV: Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus has made His position about performing miracles in Gentile territories very clear. He was sent only to the "lost sheep" of the house of Israel. The apostles will later take the gospel of Jesus to all people. Jesus' specific mission, during His ministry on earth, is to heal and teach Israelites as Israel's promised Messiah. At this moment, He is in the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.

A non-Israelite woman has approached Jesus, suggesting she knows He is the Messiah, and begging Him to heal her daughter. She has heard His initial refusal, but she refuses to leave. In fact, she pesters to the point the disciples lose patience and ask Jesus to deal with her (Matthew 15:21–25).

All the same, the woman once again kneels and begs Christ for help. This woman has something in common with two women who asked for help from prophets in the Old Testament. The Sidonian woman and the Shunammite woman would not take a no answer from Elijah (1 Kings 17:18–19) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:28) respectively. God honored their perseverance and their faith. Jesus will do the same—His initial delay is for a purpose (Matthew 15:28).

Matthew 15:21–28 describes an encounter between Jesus and a Gentile woman. She knows Jesus is the Messiah and tells Him her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. At first, Jesus chooses not to cast the demon out. He tells the woman His mission is only to Israel, using a metaphor about table scraps. The woman persists, and Jesus praises her for her for faith. Her daughter is healed instantly. This seems to be a teaching moment for the disciples, as Jesus will continue to another Gentile-heavy area and heal many, in the next passage.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.