Resource Detail

2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel

WOMAN, YOU HAVE GREAT FAITH!

Matthew 15:21-28

Key Verses 15:

1. Where are Tyre and Sidon located geographically, and what kind of cities were they in Jesus’ time (21)? Who came to Jesus, and what do we learn about her identity and problem (22)? What does her plea—“Lord, Son of David”—reveal about her faith compared to many Israelites?
2. Why do you think Jesus remained silent at first (23a)? What does the disciples’ request reveal about their attitude toward her (23b)? What did Jesus mean by saying he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, and how does this connect to God’s larger salvation plan (24)?
3. What does the woman’s posture show about her attitude toward Jesus (25)? In what way could Jesus’ response about the children’s bread and the dogs sound offensive to her (26)? Why do you think Jesus answered her in this way?
4. What was her reply, and how did she answer so wisely with humility (27)? What was Jesus’ reaction, and in what way did he see her faith as great (28)? How does this passage challenge us to put aside pride and come to Jesus with a desperate heart?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel September 7 , 2025

WOMAN, YOU HAVE GREAT FAITH

Matthew 15:21-28

Key Verse 14:28

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

I want to start my message by asking you a question: “Have you ever prayed for something and felt like God was silent?” I’m pretty sure many of us have had that experience. I also have some prayer topics that I’m still waiting for God to answer. But these days, I’ve been experiencing so much joy because of God’s answers to our prayers. When we prayed for Josephine Ban, God provided her with a job in a miraculous way. When we prayed for Guru’s visa, God granted him a two-year extension. Last Friday, M. James S. Kim’s surgery went really well. And we’ve had many other prayers answered too. For those who don’t pray, these things might look like good luck. But for those who pray, we know—they are God’s answers. Of course, prayer isn’t always answered quickly. But if we keep trusting Jesus, we will eventually experience God’s answer, and our faith will grow stronger. That’s what today’s story is about.

Please look at the map. Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. That region was Gentile territory—modern-day Lebanon. Jesus stepped outside of Israel’s boundaries. Why would Jesus go there? It seems he wanted to spend some personal time with his disciples. His Galilean ministry was coming to an end. Jesus’ ministry would move on to Jerusalem. And in this in-between moment, Jesus took his disciples into Gentile land for an important lesson.

So what happened there? A Canaanite woman came running to Jesus, crying out with all her heart: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” She was not a Jew, but a Gentile. Mark’s Gospel adds more detail: she was Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. What was her problem? Her daughter was demon-possessed. We can only imagine what that looked like—her child screaming, foaming at the mouth, collapsing in seizures. Matthew tells us the girl was “suffering terribly.” If the daughter was suffering, what about the mother? Her heart must have been breaking. Any of us who are parents know the truth: when our children hurt, we hurt even more. That’s why this woman came. Desperation pushed her straight to Jesus.

Notice something amazing—she called Jesus, “Lord, Son of David.” That’s a Jewish, Messianic title. She didn’t just call, “Healer!” or “Teacher!” She confessed him as the Son of David, the promised Messiah. That’s the very same title Jewish people had used when they came to Jesus for mercy. In Matthew 9:27, two blind men cried out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” How did she know that? The Gospel doesn’t tell us. But what we do know is this: somehow, somewhere, she heard enough about Jesus to believe. And that faith was extraordinary.

But when we look at Jesus’ response to this woman, we can’t help but ask a lot of questions. Verse 23 says: “Jesus did not answer a word.” Silence! She pours out her desperate cry, and Jesus doesn’t say anything. Jesus doesn’t acknowledge her. On the surface, it feels almost like Jesus ignored her. And what happened in that silence? The disciples jumped in. They said to Jesus, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” Can you picture the scene? This woman is following behind them, again and again shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Her voice rising, her cry echoing through the streets. Her desperation was real. But the disciples weren’t moved by compassion. They weren’t saying, “Lord, please help her.” No, they were annoyed. They were bothered. They were tired of the noise. “Just send her away!” That was their solution. Instead of showing mercy, they wanted comfort. Instead of seeing her pain, they only saw their own trouble.

How did Jesus respond? He didn’t say, “Fine, I’ll send her away.” Instead, he gave them an explanation. “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” That sounds like Jesus is saying, “I’m not here for Gentiles.” Some people may immediately ask, “Wait a second—does that mean Jesus came only for the Jews? Didn’t he come to save the whole world?” Yes, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of Israel first. That was the direction of his earthly mission. But his mission was never limited to Israel alone. His purpose was always for the whole world—for every nation, every tribe, every people.

Jesus is God, but when he came into this world, he took on human flesh. That meant he lived with limits—time, space, only three short years of ministry. And his mission wasn’t to heal every sickness in every nation; his mission was the cross—his death and resurrection for the salvation of the world. So during those three years, he focused on Israel. Not because Jesus didn’t care about the other nations, but because that was the Father’s plan. The gospel had to begin with the Jews, God’s chosen people, and then spread to the Gentiles. His focus on “the lost sheep of Israel” wasn’t exclusion—it was strategy. It was the foundation for salvation to reach the whole world.

But let’s be clear: even while following God’s plan, Jesus at times poured out grace beyond the boundaries of Israel. Think about the Roman centurion, a man who amazed Jesus with his faith; the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes, who was set free by Jesus; the Samaritan leper, who returned to give thanks after being healed; and now, in today’s passage, this Canaanite woman. They were Gentiles, but they received grace from Jesus. Jesus’ heart was always with all the people of the world. After his resurrection, Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That’s his vision. That’s his passion. Jesus wants all nations to hear the good news, to turn back to God, and to be saved. That is the heart of Jesus and the heart of God. But everything has its time. Jesus’ earthly mission was focused on the cross. The global mission—the spreading of the gospel to every nation—he entrusted to his disciples and, ultimately, to us. God’s salvation work began in Israel, then moved to Judea and Samaria, and finally spread to the ends of the earth. That’s the pattern of God’s mission.

When we look at the history of our church, we see a similar pattern. God started UBF ministry with a campus mission. Today, our missionaries are serving in more than 90 countries around the world, sharing the gospel with college students. This is an amazing work of God. So let me ask you: what do you believe is God’s vision for our campus mission? Many of you have already heard it—our vision is to raise leaders with Christian values for our nation. This vision is not only to evangelize campuses but also to transform our society with the gospel of Jesus. Starting from the campus, the gospel will transform our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and every corner of our nation. That’s why we speak of building a Campus Mission Centered Church. Not because we only care about students, but because we believe the campus is where God plants the seeds that will later bear fruit in every sphere of our society. A Campus Mission Centered Church is ultimately a world-impacting church. That’s the vision of New York UBF Church.

Now let’s turn our eyes back to the Canaanite woman. At last, she came and knelt before Jesus. And she said just three simple words: “Lord, help me!” What a posture of humility. It’s not easy for us to kneel before someone and ask for help. To kneel means to lower oneself, to acknowledge the authority of the other person. That’s what she did. By kneeling, she was saying, “Jesus, I submit myself to you. I have no other hope but you.”

If someone pleads like that, surely Jesus would respond with compassion, right? But look at what he said: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Wait—what? Did we hear that correctly? If we were in her shoes, we might have been shocked, even offended. In this parable, “children” refers to the Jews, “dogs” refers to the Gentiles, and “bread” symbolizes the grace and blessings of Jesus. On the surface, Jesus was putting Gentiles in the category of dogs. And in those days, Jews often used that word as an insult against Gentiles. They thought of Gentiles like dirty, dangerous street dogs. Then, was Jesus insulting this woman? Not at all. When we look closely at the original Greek, we find he didn’t use the harsh word kyōn (κύων), which means wild, filthy street dogs. Instead, he used kynarion (κυνάριον), which means “little dogs,” or “household dogs”—like pets. In other words, Jesus softened the metaphor. Jesus wasn’t degrading her.

Still, even with that nuance, it’s not easy to understand why Jesus didn’t welcome her right away. Isn’t Jesus the one who receives anyone who humbly comes to him? So why this hesitation? The most traditional interpretation is that Jesus was testing her. He wanted to strengthen her faith. We don’t like tests, do we? Students don’t like exams. Exams mean study hard, late nights, stress. And the fear of failure hangs over every test—if you don’t pass, your future feels uncertain. That’s why some students dream of a world with no exams at all. But what is the true purpose of a test? Not to destroy students. But to strengthen them, to help them grow. They show us what we’ve learned and where we need to grow. Without tests, we would remain weak and unprepared.

Faith works the same way. If we never faced trials, if our faith was never tested, it would never grow. It’s when obstacles stand in our way, when challenges push us to our limits, that our faith is exercised and strengthened. In the very process of struggling through hardship, our trust in God grows deeper. Trials don’t kill faith—they refine it, they purify it, they make it strong. Think about someone else who faced the test of faith: Abraham. God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac—the very son of promise, the one he had waited for all his life. It made no sense at all. And yet, Abraham obeyed. He passed the test. And in passing the test, his faith grew stronger. God confirmed his faith and established him as the father of many nations, the source of blessing for the world.

Now, this woman faced a similar kind of test. How did she respond? Look at verse 27: “Yes it is, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” That’s amazing. She could have been deeply offended. She could have stood up and said, “How dare you! Did you just call me a dog? Who do you think you are? You Jews think you’re so superior—that’s exactly why we hate Jews!” But she didn’t. She didn’t fight back. She didn’t argue. She didn’t let pride get in the way. Instead, she humbly accepted Jesus’ words. “Yes, Lord. I am a dog.” She humbled herself fully. That’s radical humility.

And not only humility, but wisdom. She didn’t stop there—she added, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” In other words, “Lord, I may not be worthy to sit at the table as a child of Israel. But even a crumb from your table is enough to heal my daughter.” What faith! She believed that even the smallest measure of Jesus’ mercy was more than enough for her desperate need. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She was right. Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows the scene. The family gathers around the table, the children eat their food, and the dog sits right underneath, waiting patiently. As soon as a crumb drops, that dog snatches it up with joy. Sometimes the master even drops a piece on purpose, just to make the dog happy. And the dog never feels insulted. Never once does a dog say, “How dare you give me crumbs?” No—the dog wags its tail, grateful for whatever falls. That’s a dog. This woman must have known dogs well. Maybe she had one at home. Her answer showed wisdom, wit, and a deep understanding of her place—and of Jesus’ mercy.

Where did this kind of humility and wisdom come from? It came from faith–a full trust in Jesus. She trusted in the love of Jesus. She knew Jesus’ heart so well that she could understand his intention. She believed, “Even if he seems to push me away, I know he cares. Even if his words sting, I know his heart is love. And even a crumb of his mercy is enough for me.”

And then comes Jesus’ final response. Look at verse 28: “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Jesus had shaken her once, maybe twice, to test her faith. But her faith did not move. Not even a little. Instead, her persistence, her humility, and her trust became even more evident. This wasn’t ordinary faith. This was great faith. And Jesus blessed her for it. Right then and there, he healed her daughter.

Now let me ask you—don’t you want to hear those words from Jesus one day? “You have great faith!” Don’t you want to experience that kind of breakthrough faith? But how easily we doubt. When Jesus doesn’t answer right away, we lose patience. We wonder, “Does he care? Is he listening?” But sometimes the silence of Jesus is not rejection—it’s invitation. He delays his answer so that our faith can grow deeper. He withholds the immediate “yes” so that we can learn endurance, so that our faith can be purified into something greater. We all face those moments of doubt. We’ve taken a step of faith, and suddenly fear grips us: “What if I fail? What if this doesn’t work out?” We know that feeling well. But it’s in those moments that Jesus is calling us to keep our eyes on him, to trust him, and to hold on just a little longer. We know he is testing us, training us, asking us to wait patiently so that our faith may grow stronger. And that’s why this life of faith is actually joyful. Because as we pray, as we trust, as we endure—we get to experience God’s power. And every time we experience his power, our faith grows. Let’s trust Jesus fully. Let’s humble ourselves before him. Let’s ask him for wisdom. Then we will grow in faith, and one day Jesus will say to us: “You have great faith!” Amen.