In Matthew 15, Jesus has a very fascinating encounter with a Canaanite woman. She asks for him to heal her daughter. His first response is startling to us. He dismisses her request, even basically calling her a "dog." What is possibly going on here? How can we ever excuse his actions, let alone learn from them?

Yet, the story turns on a dime. We find quickly that Jesus is exposing something. You see, Jesus' response was what was expected of a Jewish teacher in his position. He was supposed to be dismissive and exclusionary. And what happens next changes everything: Jesus turns to her to teach his lesson while he plays the fool. In doing so, Jesus exalts the Canaanite woman from the lowest place in society to the highest, someone He can learn from and one of "great faith."