By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“We need to replace the lies of the enemy with the truth of God” – Christine Caine

One of the most shocking stories of Jesus occurs in Matthew 15:21-28. Jesus is on his way to the region of Tyre and Sidon. All of the sudden, a woman approaches Him and cries out to Him: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

Jesus doesn’t say anything in response. Rather, it is the disciples that speak: “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

Then Jesus says something shocking. He says: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Whoa! Hold up, Jesus. Here is this woman whose daughter is suffering and you’re going to deny her simply because she isn’t a Jew? This doesn’t sound like the Jesus I know at all!

But I believe there’s more here than what lies on the surface.

Looks what happens next:

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

Did Jesus just call that woman a dog? Jesus, that’s really offensive! But here’s the catch: The Jews commonly referred to the Gentiles as dogs. Too many Gentiles may have believed that they were nothing more than mutts. Many probably believed that they were but mangy street hounds.

What Jesus was doing here was relaying to her the lies that many of her people already believed. But he said this because he saw her faith. He saw that she did not believe the lies that so many of her people believed. She knew that the great and only lie breaker and truth sayer was Jesus Christ. That is why she said:

“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Too many of us are like the Gentiles in the woman’s day. We believe the lies that are fed to us. That we are worthless. That we are nothing. That we can’t do anything right. We take these lies to heart and all they give us is disappointment, guilt, and shame. These are the lies of the enemy.

The good news is that we don’t have to hold onto the lies that we are fed. Just like the woman in Matthew15, we have to have faith that Jesus is greater than the lies that we believe. Our lies must be taken to Christ who disavows the lies and sets truth in stone. In return, He too will say to us:

“You have great faith! Your request is granted.”

Parents: Read your children this story and ask them what they think Jesus meant. Explain to them that we must give Christ the lies we believe in faith.