Jesus honours the persistent faith of a foreigner.

1. PERSISTANT
FAITH

2. GRACIOUS JESUS
(MATTHEW’S PERSPECTIVE WITH GOSPEL PARALLELS)
1. Presenting the King (Matt 1-4)
2. Winning Attitudes (Matt 5:1-12)
3. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 1 (Matt 5:13-
48)
4. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 2 (Matt 6)
5. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 3 (Matt 7)
6. The King’s Touch (Matt 8)
7. The King Calls (Matt 9)
8. The King Commissions (Matt 10)
9. Wisdom and Greatness (Matt 11)
10. Servant Leadership (Matt 12)
11. Hidden Wisdom (Matt 13:1-43)
12. Hidden Treasures (Matt 13:44-14)
13. Gates of Heaven and Hell
(Matt 15-17:9)
14. Winning Others Over (Matt 17:10-
18:35)
15. Kingdom Values, Kingdom Wealth
(Matt 20)
16. The Royal Entry (Matt 21)
17. The Chosen Few (Matt 22)
18. The King’s Glorious Coming (Matt
24:1-44)
19. The Final Reckoning (Matt 24:45 –
25:46)
20. The King’s last days (Matt 26)
21. The King Conquers (Matt 27)

3. GATES OF HEAVEN AND
HELL (MATT 15:1-17:9)
68. Empty Traditions
69. Persistent faith
70. Compelled by Compassion
71. Viral Influences
72. Keys to the Kingdom
73. Death Prediction
74. Discipleship
75. A glimpse of glory

4. Persistent faith Matt 15:21-28; Mark 7.24-30
Matthew 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to
the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman
from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son
of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-
possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples
came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she
keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of
Israel.”
PERSISTENT FAITH

5. Persistent faith Matt 15:21-28; Mark 7.24-30
Matthew 15:25 The woman came and knelt before
him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s
bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the
crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great
faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was
healed at that moment.
PERSISTENT FAITH

6. BACKGROUND
This passage at the outset
appears almost as an insult to
Gentiles calling them dogs.
However the original text does
not portray it in that manner.
“kuon”,in Greek means “wild
cur”, Jews often refer to
Gentiles as dogs in this manner.
Jesus however, is referring to
“kunarion”, meaning “small
dog” or “pet dog.”
Jesus is teaching the disciples
and communicating His main
purpose to minister to the Jews.
He is also testing the lady.

7. BACKGROUND
In Matthew 7:6 when Jesus
referred to “dogs” as “wild cur” or
“kuon”;, He refers to both
Gentiles and Jews who are
unresponsive to the gospel.
“Do not give what is holy to the
dogs; nor cast your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn and tear
you in pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

8. OVERVIEW
Jesus:
• Travelled a long way
• Had a Long term perspective
• Lingered before responding
but healed instantly
• Left a long term impact in
the region
The woman:
• Was persistent
• Positive
• On point

9. JESUS – TRAVELLED A LONG WAY
It was around
35 miles from
Capernaum to
Tyre.
Why did
Jesus make
this long trip
via a Gentile
area of Tyre
and Sidon?

10. TYRE, IN JESUS’ TIME
In New Testament times, Tyre was the main seaport
of the Roman province of Syria and Phoenicia – a
prosperous city with pagan temples and twin
harbours built on either side of a small island. The
Roman settlement, to the south of the island, was
constructed adjacent to the causeway linking it to
the mainland, built by Alexander the Great during
his seige in 332BC. Tyre became part of the Roman
Empire in 64BC and was one of the first Roman
cities in the region to embrace Christianity. [1]

11. JESUS – HAD A LONG
TERM PERSPECTIVE
On two occasions in this passage – first to
the disciples, then to the Canaanite woman,
Jesus stresses that his ministry is for the
Jews.
Matthew 15:24 He answered (to the
disciples), “I was sent only to the lost
sheep of Israel.”
Matthew 15:26 He replied (to the woman),
“It is not right to take the children’s bread
and toss it to the dogs.”

12. JESUS – HAD A LONG
TERM PERSPECTIVE
Jesus was communicating that his ministry
focus was to the Jews.
While our minds are too small to fathom
God’s purposes, my personal thought is
that in spite of current hardness, the
hastening of the chosen nation’s return to
Christ will hasten the return of the rest of
the world as well.

13. JESUS – LINGERED
BEFORE RESPONDING
BUT HEALED INSTANTLY
He ignored her
He responded in a way that could have
turned her off
Possibly this lingering was to bring out that
response of faith that resulted in immediate
healing.
To demonstrate this faith to the world.

14. JESUS – LEFT A LONG
TERM IMPACT IN THAT
REGION
Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel,
Jesus still ministered to them: crowds from Tyre
and Sidon came to see and listen to Him (Mark 3:7–
8).
For if the miracles that were performed in you had
been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. Matthew 11:22 But I tell you, it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you. Luke 10:13.

15. THE WOMAN – WAS
PERSISTENT
Matthew 15:23 Jesus did not answer a
word. So his disciples came to him and
urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps
crying out after us.”
Jesus ignored her. The disciples were
annoyed. But she kept crying for mercy.
In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus commends the widow
who’s persistence got her justice.

16. PERSISTENT PRAYER
When we pray
regularly for:
• The unsaved
• The unreconciled
• The falling away
In some way or other,
the persistence pays
off.

17. THE WOMAN WAS
POSITIVE
She well know the
precedence the Jews held in
Kingdom matters.
But she also knew that she
too can benefit from God’s
mercy.
Little did she know that that
healing was just about to be
poured out to the whole
world through Christ’s death.

18. THE WOMAN WAS ON
POINT
She had a perception many Jews didn’t
She knew He was the son of David
(Messiah)
She called Him Lord
She sought mercy – which characterized
God.

19. PERSISTENT FAITH
TODAY
In the 21st century how
should our faith scale
up?
Do we have perception
beyond our peers?
Are we able to see
things of true value and
pursue them with
persistence?

20. DISCUSSION
1. Jesus goes great distances to seek and
honour few, sometimes even one true
heart of faith. What do we learn?
2. What is the right kind of persistence and
wrong kind of persistence for a
Christian?
3. What motivates us to remain positive
even in negative situations?

21. RECAP
Jesus:
• Travelled a long way
• Had a Long term perspective
• Lingered before responding
but healed instantly
• Left a long term impact in
the region
The woman:
• Was persistent
• Positive
• On point

22. REFERENCES
1. Biblejourney.org