The Crumbs
A poem about Jesus and the Canaanite woman
“[The Canaanite woman] came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed from that moment.”
Matthew 15:25-28, NRSVUE
The Crumbs
After Matthew 15:21-28
I used to turn my nose
at the crumbs beneath
the worn, bowing table.
Now by some uncontroll-
able mystery they fill me
like I am a guest in glory.
I need God. I know this
so deeply and deep
calls out to deep.
I used to think I was
a Canaanite in an
anti-Canaanite world.
Now I stand tall
wearing the crown
that Jesus gave me.Thank you for taking the time to read this poem.
We are so often trying not to be “too much,” aren’t we? The disciples’ initial treatment of the woman in this story reminds me of how we today treat someone experiencing homelessness or begging on the street—with annoyance. It is such an interruption to our day to see such a clear display of need and desperation. What do we do? Do we drop everything? Do we act as if we don’t see the person in need?
I think this is also related to our own lives in how we often try to be radically self-sufficient. Being in need isn’t often seen as a good thing.
Yet, the story of the Canaanite woman is exactly that—she’s desperate. She is willing to receive anything if it means her daughter is delivered. Jesus doesn’t think we are too needy or too much. We can fall apart before Christ because Christ sees us not as mere projects or problematic people with imperfections, but as children in need of support, help, and love.
I am often drawn to idealistic visions for life. If you are familiar with the Enneagram, I resonate most with type 1. Yet, this story challenges my desire for ideals because neither Christ nor the woman chooses to operate within that paradigm: Jesus says he doesn’t want to throw the food meant for the Jewish people to someone who is clearly not in “the family,” like a Canaanite. Jesus is sort of saying, “Canaanites rarely approach a Rabbi, and Rabbis normally don’t teach or consider Canaanites.” The whole thing is far from normal.
But the woman doesn’t care. She wants help for her daughter. She’s being practical. She’s reaching for life. If the crumb is enough, she’ll take the crumb—she doesn’t need/want to sit at the table.
Jesus celebrates her faith. In all of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says only two people have great faith: The Roman Centurion and the Canaanite woman. Neither is Jewish. Neither is a close disciple. It’s all just so unusual and unexpected.
But this is life. Sometimes I wait for the best time to reach for God. Sometimes I wait for the right time to fall apart (see the irony in that?). Here we are. Life tends to be pretty messy. But Jesus enters the disorder of our lives and offers so much more than crumbs. Jesus holds nothing back from us.
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Thanks so much for reading!
-Drew