Matthew 15:21-28
Chapter 15
21
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
After leaving that place, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22
A Canaanite woman from the region came and called out:
“Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering from a demon.”
23
But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said:
“Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.”
24
Then Jesus said to her:
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”
25
But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus and said:
“Sir, help me!”
26
Jesus replied:
“It is not right to take the bread from the children and toss it to the dogs.”
27
The woman replied:
“That is true, sir, but even puppies eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28
Then Jesus said:
“Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Commentaries
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman.
Matthew uses this story to illustrate Jesus’ earlier teaching. Jesus’ apparent objections to performing the miracle actually reflect the concerns of the Christian community for which Matthew is writing, which had not yet fully accepted believers converted from paganism among them. It’s as if Jesus raised objections only to dismiss them later with the miracle. The importance of racial purity in their Jewish heritage still heavily influenced those first-generation Judeo-Christians.