1. This story helps us to understand God’s plan of salvation. There is an important principle found in the Bible, and it is essential to understanding the New Testament, especially the Gospels and the book of Acts. This principle is found in John 1:11, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not."
2. To the Jews, the Gentiles were nothing but "dogs." And the type of dogs that wandered the streets of Israel were wild and ferocious, not cute and lovable household pets.
3. According to the Bible, the Gentiles were "without God in the world" (Eph.2:11,12).
4. The Bible teaches that Jesus came first to the nation Israel (Matt.10:5,6).
5. But the Jews rejected their Messiah, and so then the Gospel went out to the Gentiles (cf. Matt.28:19,20; Acts 18:5,6; 28:25-28).
6. With this in mind, let us look at this healing of the Syrophenician woman’s daughter. Matt.15:21 says our Lord "departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon." This is northwest of Israel and was known as Syro-Phoenecia.
7. Spurgeon said, "Let us always plow to the very end of the field, and serve our day and generation to the extreme limits of our sphere."
8. He was approached by a Gentile woman, "a woman of Canaan" (Matt.15:22). Mark refers to her as "a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation" (Mark 7:26).

1. SHE CALLED JESUS LORD (15:22,25,27)

1. We need to understand that our Lord had intentionally entered into heathen territory. This reminds us of the time He deliberately went up to Samaria. John tells us, "And He must needs go through Samaria" (John 4:4).
2. Up to this time our Lord had traveled among the areas populated by Jews. But now He entered into the country of Phoenicia, "into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon" (Matt.15:21).
3. In this pagan land, there came to our Lord a Syrophenician woman, and she cried out to Him, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil" (15:22).
4. Many people have wondered why our Lord "answered her not a word" (15:23). It certainly was not rudeness, for our Lord could never be rude. He was teaching her a lesson. Many Bible teachers have taught that as a Gentile she had no claim on Jesus as the son of David. Our Lord’s response in 15:24 seems to suggest this.
5. She called him "Lord" and "thou son of David" (15:22). There is no question but that this poor, desperate woman represents the countless millions from the Gentile nations who have accepted the Jewish Messiah and for centuries now have filled up the ranks of the church.
6. You will recall that our Lord had just been criticized by the scribes and Pharisees, who had come from Jerusalem to give Him a hard time (15:1,2). Our Lord rebuked them, calling them hypocrites (15:7,8,14).
7. After that unpleasant encounter, our Lord departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon and cast the devil out of the Syrophenician woman’s daughter.

2. SHE WORSHIPPED OUR LORD

1. Matthew tells us this was "a woman of Canaan" (15:22). The Canaanites worshipped devils and idols, but we read here that this woman worshipped our Lord (15:25).
2. Way back in the days of Noah, God put a curse on Canaan (Gen.9:20-27).
3. God told the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites (Ex.23:23-33; Joshua 3:10; Judges 1:1).
4. Unger’s Bible Dictionary tells us that the Canaanite fertility cults were more base than anywhere else in the ancient world. The Jews worshipped the true God, but were continually in danger of being contaminated by the lewd and sensual worship of their neighbors, the Canaanites, with their immoral gods and their prostitute goddesses.
5. Baal worship originated with the Canaanites. Their favorite goddess was Astarte, from whence we get our English word "Easter."
6. When we consider how wicked and idolatrous the Canaanites were, we should not be surprised to discover that demon-possession was very common among them (Matt.15:22).
7. Apparently the fame of our Lord had reached the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and this desperate Syrophenician woman went to Him for help (15:22).
8. She called Him Lord and that is impressive. And she called Him "thou son of David" (15:22). Back in I Kings 5, we read that Hiram, the king of Tyre helped King Solomon build the temple because Hiram "was ever a lover of David." That may account for the way the woman addressed our Lord as the son of David.
9. Also, by referring to our Lord as the son of David, she was acknowledging that He was the Messiah (cf. Matt.22:42).
10. What is particularly fascinating is that this desperate heathen woman came and "worshipped Him" (15:25).

3. SHE WAS TESTED BY OUR LORD AND SHE PASSED THE TEST (15:23).

1. Notice that the Bible says three times, "But He answered" (15:23,24,26). But this desperate woman was determined to get help for her demon-possessed daughter. I often wonder how determined (or how desperate) we are.
2. Our Lord’s words seem unkind but He was only testing her faith (15:24-26). Harry Ironside said, "It was a hard saying, but it was meant to manifest the true attitude of her soul."
3. Another preacher said: "The Jews had been offered everything and believed nothing. This Gentile was offered nothing and believed everything" (John Phillips).
4. It is worth noting that the word used by our Lord is a diminutive; it is literally "little dogs." These were the little dogs that were allowed in the house, not the dirty dogs that roamed the streets looking for garbage to eat (cf. 7:6).
5. She would not be put off. Rather than walk away insulted, she humbly replied, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ tables" (15:27).
6. She would be content with scraps from the table, that usually went to the dogs.
7. Matthew tells us our Lord commended her for her faith, "and her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (15:28; cf. Mark 7:29,30).

1. There are several lessons for us here but there are two in particular that I want to emphasize. First, the key word is reproach. There is a reproach associated with the cross of Christ.
2. The hymn-writer put it this way:

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear.

3. This Syrophenician woman was willing to bear the reproach. Most people would have stormed off after what our Lord said in 15:26, but she was humble and responded wisely and so our Lord commended her (15:28; cf. 8:10).
4. The second word is persistence. Her faith was "great" because she persisted in asking and trusting when everything seemed to be against her. She was a Gentile. The disciples said, "Send her away" (15:23).
5. Even our Lord seemed to be against her (15:24,26). But she persisted and our Lord granted her request (15:28).
6. We need that kind of faith and that kind of persistence. She plead with our Lord till she got through.
7. If you have lost loved ones, let’s pray. If you are carrying a great burden, let’s pray, etc.