21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”

Withdrawing for the fourth time does not mean Jesus was fearful. Three times before He had diverted His ministry, first at the arrest of John the Baptist (Matt 4:12), second when the Pharisees first began plans to kill Him (12:5) and third, when the news arrived of John’s execution (14:13). Now He retreated after His denunciation of the Pharisees. At each pivot point in His ministry, the threat existed to short-circuit the timing of the Divine plan. When His half-brothers mockingly told Him to be more public in His efforts, He responded, “My time is not yet here … ” (John 7:5). That the timing of Jesus’ death was orchestrated by the Father’s sovereign plan cannot be denied. Peter in his great Day of Pentecost message, made this point, “… this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23). Jesus’ withdrawals were simply a means of controlling the tempo as the events unfolded.

Now the Lord made a rare excursion into Gentile territory to the north, while the fervor settled down. His reputation preceded Him even beyond the boundaries of Israel. A woman there beat a path to where Jesus was and imme-diately cried out to Him, identifying Him as “Son of David,” just like blind Bartemaeus (Mark 10:47). This was an odd comment for a Gentile to make, since non-Jews generally did not recognize the historical importance of David in Jewish history or even the significance of the title, which identified the dynastic right of Jesus to the godly, kingly line. She must be numbered among the so-called, “God-fearing Gentiles,” like the centurion of Matthew 8 or Cornelius of Acts 10:22, see also 13:43, 17:4, 7). These were non-Jews who were believers in the God of Jews, though not necessarily converts to the Jewish religion.

The woman’s plea to the Lord indicates that she had likely tried everything else to win freedom and relief for her daughter. In asking for mercy, she abandoned all inducements except an appeal to that which resided in the One from whom mercy is sought. This was a carte-blanche, tacit giving up of self-justification, a recognition of no merit on her own part. Whatever the cause of her misfortune, the need for a cure justified the humility to ask for mercy.

Lord, Your help in my life comes despite my falling short of holiness. Your mercies are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness (Lam 3:21).