Mat 15:32 I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

Like so much of Matthew, there is a pun hear that is completely lost in the English translation. Christ says here that he is reluctant to release these people (in the sense of free them) because they will release themselves (in the sense of fall down freely) on the way home. It is also interesting that the word for "compassion" takes its meaning from this usage in the New Testament. However, symbolically, this verse is about the relationship we have with our human body. Christ is saying that we have to provide for our bodies, our physical lives, because we need our strength for the philosophical journey.

Alternative version: I am eating my heart out for this mob, because they have kept with me for three days and I don't want to let the go away without eating because they will go away on the way [home].

"I have compassion" is from splagchnizomai (splanchnizomai) , which is an interesting term that only appears in the New Testament. It is from the word splanchnon, which means "the inward parts," meaning your internal organs and the seat of emotion. It is also is related to splanchneuô, which means eating the innards of a sacrifice or prophesing from those innards.

"Multitude" is from ochlos, which means "a throng" or "multitude" but which also mean "trouble" and "annoyance." Our word "mob" really captures the idea best.

"Continue with me" is from prosmenô, which means "to wait," "to remain attached," and "to cleave to."

"Send them away" is from apoluô, which means "to loose from" and "to set free."

"Faint" is from ekluô, which also means "to set free," "to unloose," and "to relax."

"The way" is from hodos, which means literally "the way" or "the road" but which is used symbolically to mean "a way of doing things" or "a philosophy of life." It is interesting that a term joining a path with philosophy exists in all languages with which I am familiar.

Mat 15:28 O woman, great [is] your faith: be it to you even as you will.

Christs's teachings describe the proper flow from the spirit through the mind, body, and emotions. The question is: what role does faith play? Here and elsewhere, Christ makes faith sound like the source of all power. You power to control the physical world and get what you want comes directly from the quality of your faith and confidence. In this case, confidence that God will provide what you need.

In Greek, the phrase reads much like the English. "Faith" is from pistis, which means the conviction of the truth of something. The only slight difference is that "be it" is from ginomai, which means "to become" and "to come into existence." "Will" is from thelo , which means "to be resolved to a purpose" and "to desire."

Mat 15:26 It is not good to take the children's bread and to cast [it] to dogs.

Again, this is a surprising statement from Christ, referring to the Canaanites as dogs compared to the children of Israel. Didn't Christ come to save all humanity? However, this point of view doesn't take into account who the Canaanites were and what they believed. Though I am no expert, (and get my information from websites like theology.edu), the Canaanites were among the most immoral forms of pagans, who literally worshipped immorality, practiced religious prostitution, and sacrificed their children to their gods. In Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Israelites were instructed to exterminate the Canaanites so that they wouldn't be infected by their immoral beliefs.

The idea that Christ could "love the sinner but hate the sin" is certainly correct, but that doesn't mean that Christ could accept perverted practices as acceptable in the name of religion. In our time, when most world religions have been heavily influenced by Christianity, it is hard to think about an "immoral religion," but we still have them with us today. The "if it feels good, do it" ethic of much of modern culture is a secular form of the original Canaanite faith. Though it doesn't have the Canaanite pantheon to put a face on what it values, the pursuit of sensual and orgiastic pleasures is just as much a religion today as it was in Christ's time.

Characterizing such people as "dogs" is descriptive. Such people have as little moral sense as a dog. The idea that people should live their lives like dogs is unacceptable to any moral person of any faith.