i have yet to read a commentary that has this right

[littlelight]

Matt 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
NIV


If a commentary makes a statement about this it is that Jesus only called her a "little dog" as if that makes it acceptable. One said that it was the custom of the Jews to call gentiles dogs. I really find it hard to believe that someone who claims to know Jesus would say such a thing. Jesus did not follow the customs if they violated God's law. And calling a widow who is seeking help a dog is a violation of God's law. Here are some old testament verses that prove it is a sin for Jesus to call her a dog.


Ex 22:21
21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
NIV
Deut 10:16-20
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.
NIV

 

[littlelight]

When Jesus said that He was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.Then she knelt down and worshipped Him.


Rom 9:6-8
6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring
NIV


By worshipping Him she claimed her right as a lost sheep. All believers were once lost sheep of Israel.

Next Jesus uttered the misunderstood words "It is not right to take the childrens bread and toss it to their dogs".


Acts 17:26-27
26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
NIV


What He said was "It is not right to take your daughters spiritual bread and cast it to the dogs." God had known that the demon possession of her daughter would get her to God. And I might add that it was also made to get her mother to seek Jesus and thereby both would meet Jesus. It worked.

Then she replied " yes but don't the dogs eat the crumbs from the table".


1 Cor 7:14
14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
NIV


What she meant was " you are my spiritual bread. Doesn't my daughter get some spiritual blessing from that." Her daughter has to accept Jesus on her own. But being a child of believers puts the children in a special class. It is true that she likened her daughter to a dog, but she was just replying in like manner.

Believe it or not. But give up the thought that Jesus called a widow seeking help a dog just because she was not a Jew.