Matthew 15:21 - 28

21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”

24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

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

26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus now goes to the area around the cities of Tyre and Sidon, this is in what is today known as Lebanon.

This woman was not a Jew, it is why she is designated as a woman of Canaan, the actual region covers just about all of Israel which is west of the river Jordan. She knew who Jesus was and she knew enough of the scriptures to recognize the fact he fulfilled the prophecies which told of Him being a descendant of David. Her daughter was possessed by a demon which gave her severe reactions to the demon.

Jesus ignored her to test her faith. But she was not discouraged by this tactic and continued to cry out after him until she got on the nerves of His disciples and they asked Him to send her away. He told her He was sent to heal the “lost sheep of Israel.”

But this did not discourage the woman anymore than ignoring her did. This time she showed an attitude of worship to go along with her plea.

Jesus did not try to disrespect the woman but his example of giving the children’s food to the dogs was only to mean she was not in the class of the children. His favors were intended for the children.

The woman was not discouraged or even hurt by the Lord's example, instead she used the example to help make her argument for His help. She pointed out as was the custom that after the children had been fed the scraps were gathered up and given to the dogs. The healing of her daughter she points out would be comparable to the leftover crumbs which was given to the dogs.

The woman's patience or endurance showed the faith she had in Jesus and showed the need of His power to heal her daughter. This example is a lesson for us showing we need not to lose our heart when we are hoping for God to bless us with a favor we are desiring. Jesus bases His desire to help someone based on the amount of faith they have of Him. And the woman was rewarded for her faith, her daughter was healed immediately.