Raise the Steaks!
Crumbs From Our Master's Table, Primer Series - Pt. 3
In a humorous magazine article, a pet-owning couple rushed home from work to prepare for guests they had invited to dinner, only to discover their dog had been sick and left his stomach contents—along with its putrid odor—throughout the entire house. Of course, they were shocked and distressed.
The article recounts the rollicking antics of the couple’s unfortunate discoveries and hilarious attempts to rectify their frantic situation. After the dust settled and the house was cleaned up, they determined one of them must have left packages of thawing steaks, intended for their guests, low enough for the dog to get a hold of them. The moral of the story was captured in the title of the article: “Raise the Steaks!”
One of the great things about the gospel is its accessibility. Jesus didn’t “raise the steaks.” He put the gospel down on the bottom shelf where everyone—including the dogs—could get to it (Galatians 3:28–29, ESV). The Canaanite woman's desperate situation opened her eyes to the severity and hopelessness of her spiritual condition. When she humbled herself and acknowledged that Jesus's assessment of her condition was true, the gospel, having always been well within reach, was now visible to her once blind eyes.
It’s further interesting to note that during this period of time, the Gentiles of the Tyre region were constantly robbing the impoverished Jews of earthly bread. By acknowledging Jesus as Lord, Son of David (vs. 22), the Jews as the children of the Lord (cf. Mark 7:27-28), and herself as a dog, the Canaanite woman was doing more than acknowledging her humble station as a sinner and alien to the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). She was making a spiritual observation about this ongoing conflict between the Jews and the Canaanites of the region.
In a word, she was acknowledging the priority of Israel in God’s plan to provide spiritual bread to the Gentiles through the Jews; and in an expression of faith, she thought it not stealing to eat the crumbs that fell from the Master's table. Again, Matthew's gospel provides following account:
Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is your faith!” By resisting her initial request, but without heeding his disciples’ plea to send her away, Jesus proved (i.e., tested) her faith, revealing a mere crumb of the great wisdom of God.
“Be it done for you as you desire,” Jesus said. By answering her petition, he gave her a mere crumb of mercy, a foretaste of the healing all his elect would experience when the fullness of his kingdom is realized (Revelation 21:4).
Matthew tells us, “And her daughter was healed instantly.” By healing the woman’s daughter, Jesus revealed a mere crumb of the power of God.
Not many days later, He would unleash the full power of the Godhead by dying on a cross and then raising to life again (Romans 1:16 cf. 2 Corinthians 13:4).
This same wisdom, mercy, and power of God is available to every dog who desires the crumbs that fall from our Master's table (John 6:37).