Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 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.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15:21-24)
Why wouldn't Jesus help her?
We can see from the remainder of this exchange with the Canaanite woman that Jesus was not teaching that he will only help Israelites - as has been interpreted by many teachers. Jesus considered the character of the spirit-person within the body rather than the temporary physical body as important:"Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." (Matthew 15:28)Jesus illustrated his mercy with this statement. While Jesus understands his mission ("I was sent") from God related to bringing back the lost generation of Israelites, he will not turn away those in need.
What about the rest of us?
Jesus is illustrating his mission, but it doesn't mean his mission cannot be expanded. This was in fact what Jesus asked of his other disciples, including Peter, James, and Thomas.Peter traveled throughout the Middle East preaching and converting people to love of God, as instructed by Jesus. And Thomas traveled widely, including to India, where he converted many people to Jesus' teachings.
These disciples of Jesus took Jesus' example and taught to those who were serious about having a change of heart. They taught widely but were not bent on creating institutions where they could exert power and authority.
This differed from Paul's strategy. Paul set out to attract many followers and created an institution where he could have authority. Paul argued with James and Peter about Jesus' teachings. Paul argued that Jesus' teachings should be amended to attract the "Gentiles."
While this may seem to be a virtuous agenda, we can see by the result that it was foolhardy. The result is that Paul's teachings (Pauline doctrine) cheapened Jesus' teachings. Yes, Paul may have made it easier for people to join his new church institution. But what was created was an institutional quagmire that allowed those who sought power to push up to the top of the institution and exert their quest for power and authority over others.
This in fact was the very same quagmire that Jesus fought against in the form of the institutional Jewish temple system and the Pharisees and high priests.
Thus, we find that Jesus carefully taught his disciples to avoid creating institutions that allowed people who weren't serious about coming to know and love God to use them to exert their own power. This is why James, John and Peter did not go out and develop institutions as Paul did.
The bottom line is that this event with the woman, along with the life of Peter and John illustrates that Jesus did want his teachings to be preached to people outside of the "sheep of Israel." But Jesus didn't want to cheapen those teachings and have them abused and used to promote people who would twist Jesus' teachings to satisfy their own agendas.
Jesus - and John before him - sought those who were serious and wanted to have a change of heart. This is why John the Baptist, Jesus and Jesus' disciples all taught:
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1)But we find Jesus also said:
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt. 4:17)
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’" (Matthew 10:7)
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." (John 7:37)This is precisely what took place with this Canaanite woman, the Samaritan woman, and others who were not Jews as they approached Jesus. Jesus also instructed his disciples according to the Book of Luke (Lost Gospels of Jesus):
And he told them, “Thus it is written that the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] will suffer and rise up from the dead on the third day. And that the change of heart leading to the release from sin would be preached on his behalf to all peoples, starting from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45-47)
Is Jesus the 'son of David'?
We notice here that Jesus is being referred to by the woman as the “son of David.” Jesus appeared probably a thousand years or more after the time of David. So how could he be referred to as David’s son?There are two genealogies for Jesus given in the books of the New Testament, but these do not agree. Matthew 1:1-17 traces back to Abraham.
But in Luke 3:23-28 we see a totally different genealogy tracing back to Adam, with many differences from Matthew's version. Both include David, but differ in many other respects. In Matthew, for example, David is followed by Solomon. In Luke, David is followed by Nathan, and there is no mention of Solomon. Why these discrepancies?
And on top of this is the conflict between this and a virgin birth: Jesus was supposed to have not had a physical father, yet in both Luke and Matthew, the genealogy connects Jesus to David through Joseph, assuming Joseph is Jesus’ father. And neither genealogy connects to Mary.
The key to understanding Jesus' real relationship with David lies in the meaning of the Greek word that has been translated to “son.” The word is υἱός (huios) - which can mean "son" only "in a restricted sense" according to the lexicon; but also, "used to describe one who depends on another or is his follower" according to the lexicon.
David was born somewhere around a thousand years before Jesus. It would thus be inappropriate to say that Jesus was the "son of David" because David was not Jesus' father. And according to the scriptures, even Joseph was not Jesus' father. The more appropriate translation, as defined above, would be "follower of David," "disciple of David" or "loving servant of David" within this context.
Yes, there is a connection between Jesus and David. What is that connection? David was a spiritual teacher that passed his teachings on to his students, who then passed it on to theirs. Yes, some of these were father-son relationships. But others are not. For example Eli was not the father of Samuel - even though he called him son. Eli was Samuel's spiritual teacher.
It is also illustrated by Joshua being Moses' student.
This same lineage of teachings was handed down from Jesus to his own students as well. And Jesus' students were told to take on their own students.
The great lineage of God's wisdom is illustrated in the Old Testament as it chronologically presents the teacher-student relationships for thousands of years. However, those eventual ecclesiastical translators and organizers of the books of the Bible eventually misunderstood the meaning of the teacher-student relationships that were presented by the Bible. This is because they were ecclesiastical scribes. They did not learn from a teacher within this great lineage of teachers and students.
Is Jesus part of a lineage of teachers?
Despite many mistranslations mischaracterizing dealings between the Prophets as family relationships, the books of the Old Testament describes a lineage of teachers each who handed down the Truth to students who passed that Truth to others.Many of these teachers are described as "Prophets" or "anointed ones," the Hebrew of which can also be translated to Messiah or even Christ. While many ecclesiastical sectarian teachers like to say there was only one "anointed one" - this is not supported by scripture. Consider these statements:
[God speaking] "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always. (1 Samuel 2:34-36)(Exodus 40:14-16)
[God speaking] "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm." (1 Chronicles 16:21-23 and Psalm 105:14-16)
O LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant." (2 Chronicles 6:41-42) (David referring to himself as "anointed")
For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one. (Psalm 132:9-11)
[God speaking] "Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come."
[God speaking] Then the anointed priest shall take .... (Leviticus 4:4)
[God speaking] "This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. (Leviticus 6:19-21)
[God speaking] "The son [student or follower] who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the LORD's regular share and is to be burned completely. (Leviticus 6:21-23)
He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him. (Leviticus 8:11-13)
[God speaking] "The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments. (Leviticus 16:31-33)
Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. (Numbers 3:2-4)
[God speaking] I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before My anointed one always. (1 Samuel 2:34-36)
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance? (1 Samuel 10:1-3)
Samuel said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." (1 Samuel 12:4-6)
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." (1 Samuel 16:5-7)
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:12-14)
He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD." (1 Samuel 24:5-7)
This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the LORD's anointed.' (1 Samuel 24:9-11)
What does being 'anointed' mean?
We can see from these statements that to be "anointed" was to become baptized or blessed as a student by the spiritual teacher. The teacher was accepting the student as a follower. And eventually, as their learning matured into the "priesthood." And what is the priesthood? The priesthood is the empowerment of being one of God's loving servants and messengers: Someone who passes the Supreme Being's message on to others, as did Jesus and the other prophets.This empowerment of becoming anointed is not simply a ritual, however. It is a process. It is the process that Jesus' disciples underwent as they heard from Jesus and were disciplined by Jesus. It is, in other words, a process of learning and applying the teachings of the spiritual teacher, and then passing those teachings on to others. This process requires not just learning from a philosophical sense: It requires establishing a relationship with the Supreme Being through God's representative.
This is like an introduction. The best and easiest way to come to know someone we don't currently know is to be introduced by someone who already knows them, yes? This is also God's process. He utilizes those who have established a loving relationship with Him to also introduce Him to others. This is what the teacher-student process is: It is the process of establishing a loving relationship with God. This is why Jesus, Moses and all of the other empowered representatives of God taught:
“ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)