A Canaanite Woman

"Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tire and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Matt. 15:21-28.
This Canaanite woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation (Mark 7:26). Her readiness to accept whatever the Lord said to her and of her is a beautiful example of great faith.
As with each of us, it was her felt need that moved her to beseech the Lord for mercy. In so doing, she addressed Him as Son of David. That was true enough, but it was not suitable for a Gentile to approach the Jews' Messiah on that ground nor in those terms. It was not to the Gentiles that the Christ was sent. Her desperate plea for her afflicted daughter was met by silence from the Lord and earnest pleas from His disciples for Him to send her away.
The disciples may have known prohibitions of the law, but had not yet learned the grace and truth that come by Jesus Christ.
While the Lord's silence gave opportunity for the sad state of the disciples' hearts to be manifested, it also served to further the exercise in this woman's soul. When the Lord stated His mission of being sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, she dropped His title as Son of David and addressed Him alone as Lord. Her simple prayer is sublime in its directness: "Lord, help me." She did not waste words.
For this woman's great faith to be clearly witnessed, the Lord again seemingly rebuffed her. Well she knew what He meant by the children (the Jews) and the dogs (the Gentiles). Their bread was not hers. With unhesitating acceptance she owns His judgment as true, and in profound boldness claims the uneaten crumbs of bread for herself. It was in this same spirit that Ruth, the Moabitess, claimed redemption from Boaz. Compare Ruth chapter 2, verse 10, with chapter 3, verse 9.
How the Lord delights in faith that will not be turned aside from receiving blessing at His hand. To take our true place unreservedly before Him as those who are unworthy and who have no claim upon Him, and still to insist upon His blessing from having learned His character, is great faith indeed.
Faith is connected with grace, as works are with law. All blessing must be on the principle of grace. When the heart is established in grace, boldness of faith is realized.