Reading through the Gospels #105

THE FAITH OF A SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN

Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus left where He spoke to the people about what defiles a person and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon where he entered a house secretly so that no one would know he was there, but the people knew anyway. Jesus cannot get away from the crowds. Jesus cannot be hidden. This reminds me of when Jesus will come again and all will recognize Him as Jesus. Jesus walked about 50 miles north to Gentile cities which was unusual because His focus had been on Israelite cities. The Jews would have nothing to do with the Gentiles, but Jesus is not any Jew, He is the Messiah who came for all.

The rumors and whispers of Jesus's presence reached the ears of a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, so she went to Jesus and fell down at His feet. This woman was not a Jew, but rather a Gentile from Syrophoenician, but that did not stop her. In Matthew's Gospel it says she is a Cannonite.

She begged Jesus to cast out the demon from within her daughter. In Matthew's Gospel it says she begged for mercy for herself (have mercy on me) and calls Jesus Lord and Son of David. This is significant because she is acknowledging that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah that was to come from the line of David, and also that Jesus was her personal Lord. No one would expect a Gentile to believe in Jesus so much.

She did not beg for mercy for her daughter, but rather for herself on behalf of her daughter. I ponder whether this woman had done a significant sin that she deemed as the cause of her daughter oppression by a demon. If Jesus forgave the woman, then she felt her daughter would be healed.

In Matthew's version it adds that Jesus did not say a word in reply. Was His pause to test her, or to test the disciples that were there? Or maybe he was merely thinking. 

Thereafter in Matthew's version, the disciples came to Jesus's aid begging that He send her away saying "for she is crying out after us." So first Jesus does not reply and then his disciples suggest she be sent away. The woman could have felt hopeless! This certainly was a test of faith to at first be told "no."

Jesus replied to them, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Isreal were the Jews and not the Gentiles, so this "no" must have been another devastating hit to the woman.

The woman asked again, "Lord, help me." What a great example of a short and effective prayer that I can use today. This is a fervent and persevering lady. Even when her requests seemed impossible, she kept asking Jesus.

CATECHISM: Lord's Prayer, sixth petition, "And lead us not into temptation." Does God ever tempt us? This story is how Jesus tested the faith of the Canaanite woman.

CATECHISM: Lord's Prayer introduction. For whom should we pray? We should pray for ourselves and for all other people, even for our enemies. The Canaanite woman who prayed for her daughter.

Jesus's reply was odd, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” Is Jesus really comparing this woman's daughter to a dog? What a derogatory comment! It seems out of character for Jesus. This was yet another blow to the woman. Wow! It is hard to imagine Jesus saying such things to anyone.

He testing her comparing the Jews (children) to the Gentiles (dogs)? Jesus does not tempt us as satan does that, but Jesus does test our faith. Here Jesus is testing the faith of a Gentile woman.

I would have been tempted to reply, "who are you calling a dog?" and been very offended. Instead, the woman replied, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” Instead of choosing to be offended, the woman choose to be humble. She accepts the level of a dog which is below that of children. She accepts the crumbs that even the children would not eat. It was her faith that changed the way she thought in that she knew even table scraps could heal her daughter.

What kind of faith did the woman have? A persevering faith. It never gives up hope. Even when faced with silence and seeming rejection, her faith did not give up. It never waivers. It believes. It is determined. It is humble. It is a confident faith.

Jesus said that because of her statement, she could go away because her daughter was healed. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus declares, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” In that very moment when the daughter was nowhere near the presence of Jesus, she was healed by the intercessions of her mother because of the mother's great faith in Jesus. This great faith did not give up believing that Jesus could and would help her.

The woman went home and found her daughter healed, just as Jesus had said.

In Matthew 8:10, Jesus also rewards the Roman centurion for his great faith when he asked Jesus to heal his servant. The servant was also Gentile.

First, I pray that Jesus never tests me with silence and rejection, but if He does, that I have persevering faith like this woman. I love the words said by Pastor after communion, "May the true body and true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart in peace. Amen." I always focus on praying that God strengthen and preserve my faith after communion. May this eating and drinking strengthen and preserve me in the true faith unto life everlasting.