In Matthew 15:22-28 Christ is revealed as the crumbs, the fragments of bread, under the table.
In verse 26 the Lord Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” The children in this verse are the Jews, the children of Israel (v. 24). Here the Lord unveiled Himself to the Canaanite woman as bread. Christ came to the children of Israel as the bread of life (John 6:35), who came down from heaven to satisfy the hunger of the world. The Jews, however, refused to receive Him. The holy land of Israel was the table on which Christ, the heavenly bread, came as a portion to the children of Israel. But they despised and rejected Him, throwing Him off the table to the ground, the Gentile country.
In reply to the Lord’s word concerning the children’s bread, the Canaanite woman said, “Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matt. 14:27). Here we see that the Canaanite woman, not offended by the Lord’s word but rather admitting that she was a heathen dog, considered that at that time Christ, after being rejected by the children, the Jews, became crumbs under the table as a portion to the Gentiles. She realized that Christ, the children’s bread, had become broken crumbs as her portion. Such a Christ is also our portion for our experience and enjoyment.
We may enjoy Christ as the crumbs under the table through our faith in Him. This is revealed by the Lord’s word in verse 28: “O woman, great is your faith!” This indicates that the Canaanite woman’s dealings with the Lord were by faith, and her faith was great. To receive and enjoy Christ as the crumbs under the table, we need to have faith in Him. Like the Canaanite woman, we need to exercise faith to take in Christ as the crumbs to be our life supply.
In Matthew 16:16-19 we see that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The revelation here is crucial, for it concerns God’s economy, His eternal purpose.
In Matthew 16:16 Peter, receiving revelation from the Father, declared concerning the Lord Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Christ is a title of the Lord Jesus according to His office, His commission. This title refers to the Lord’s commission for the accomplishment of God’s purpose to have the church. Christ’s commission is to accomplish God’s eternal purpose through His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and second advent.
Christ is the anglicized form of the Greek word Christos, which is equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah. Both Messiah in Hebrew and Christos in Greek mean “the anointed One.” According to the Old Testament principle, anyone used by God to carry out His administration had to be anointed. For the carrying out of God’s administration, the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One.
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