Verses 23-24
The disciples probably wanted Jesus to heal the woman’s daughter so she would stop bothering them. Jesus had previously healed many demon-possessed people (Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16; Matthew 8:28; Matthew 8:33; Matthew 9:32; Matthew 12:22). However, He declined to do so here because His mission was to the Jews. "The lost sheep of the house of Israel" probably means the lost sheep, namely, the house of Israel rather than the lost sheep who are a part of the house of Israel (cf. Matthew 10:6).
"He still claims the place of the King who shall shepherd Israel (Matthew 2:6; 2 Samuel 5:2)." [Note: Toussaint, Behold the . . ., p. 195.]
"A good teacher may sometimes aim to draw out a pupil’s best insight by a deliberate challenge which does not necessarily represent the teacher’s own view-even if the phrase ’devil’s advocate’ may not be quite appropriate to this context!" [Note: France, The Gospel . . ., p. 591.]
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