As I read this morning's passage in my YouVersion app, it reminded me of this reflection I wrote in 2016, Be Holy Inside. I reread the reflection and it is still very relevant.
Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!” But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.” But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.” But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Matthew 15:21-28 WEB
Did Jesus buy into the Jewish racism in the culture he grew up with, and had to grow in this area? (The Bible did say that he grew in wisdom - Luke 2:52.)But he certainly crossed racial boundaries elsewhere—the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-26), the centurion whose servant was sick (Matthew 8:5-13), and the centurion incident was before the Syrophoenician woman incident, so it's not so plausible to say that Jesus was racist before this and then this incident taught him not to be racist.
Was Jesus using a question-and-answer method to teach? If so, who was he teaching? The Syrophoenician woman or the disciples?
Perhaps he was teaching the disciples, having word of knowledge that the Syrophoenician woman would not be put off by his line of questioning. (There is a danger that such a line of questioning could just hurt the Syrophoenician woman's feelings and push her away from the Gospel, if he didn't have special knowledge that it wouldn't.)
But I'm not sure, it’s not so clear-cut to me.
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