Faith Daily Lectio Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Gospel
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · Wednesday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, Son of David, You did not send the Canaanite woman away. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 15, that I may cry to You for mercy and receive what You give. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 15:21-39
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22And, 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.
23But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
28Then 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.
29And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
30And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
31Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
33And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
34And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
37And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
38And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
39And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (Matthew 15:27)
What other lines speak to you?
Jesus goes north into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman cries out for her daughter. He is silent, then speaks of the lost sheep of Israel and the children's bread, and still she clings to Him until He praises her faith. Back by the sea of Galilee He heals great multitudes and feeds four thousand men with seven loaves and a few little fishes.
The Law The woman has no claim on Jesus. She is a Canaanite, outside Israel, and Jesus says so plainly: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (v. 24). Neither do we come to God with anything we have earned. The disciples' answer, "Send her away; for she crieth after us" (v. 23), shows how quickly we can treat needy people as a bother.
The Gospel She does not argue that she deserves bread. She simply holds Jesus to His mercy: "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table" (v. 27). And Jesus answers, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt" (v. 28). The same Lord who said "I have compassion on the multitude" (v. 32) gives you far more than crumbs. He gives you His own body and blood at His table, for you.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I have come to You as if I had earned Your help, and that I have wished needy people away. Forgive me. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David, and feed me with Your gifts. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Sometimes it seems that Jesus "answered her not a word" (v. 23). Prayers go unanswered and the silence is hard. The woman kept praying anyway, with the shortest prayer in the chapter: "Lord, help me" (v. 25). Under trial it may help to pray those three words, trusting that His silence is not His final word to you.
Prayer Lord Jesus, when You seem silent, keep me crying to You. Help me, strengthen my faith, and let me rest on Your mercy alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
