“And behold, a Canaanite woman, who had come out of those confines, cried out to him, saying: Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” (Matthew 15:22)
READ MATTHEW 15:21-28; MARK 7:24-30. From the account we cannot tell if this woman was converted. Only that Jesus praised her faith and for her got her daughter freed from the devil, but we do not know if her faith was true faith for salvation. We are told that the woman persisted, despite her request being repeatedly rebuffed, and that finally Jesus agreed to grant her request.
We are not therefore told of spiritual grace. We see that Jesus’ comparison of this woman, “throwing bread to the little dogs” classifies her as alien to the people of Israel, not belonging to the covenant. The woman herself was a Canaanite, a descendant of the ancient people who occupied Canaan before the arrival of the Israelites. She lived near Tire and Sidon, cities of bad reputation.
The woman had faith that Jesus could heal her daughter. Faith in a miracle. We can suppose that this faith was not the product of a natural tendency, but the result of the common grace of God, which allowed the encounter of this woman with her beloved Son. As a result of this interview and the miracle, the people of Israel were embarrassed by her unbelief. This foreign woman adhered to the Messiah, although this adherence was external. It was a protest against the proud belief of the Israelites that they were forever to be the only favored nation.
God has compassion and frees men from human misery, without having to deal with the grace that generates saving faith. The woman teaches us that in every afflictive situation we must pray. The Canaanite woman prayed intelligently: she knew that Jesus could save his daughter. She persevered and won.
It is true that she did not ask for a spiritual blessing, neither for herself nor for her daughter. Despite this, he teaches us something about the mystery of prayer. Pray without the slightest hint of doubt. You have to surrender to the supreme sovereignty of God. The more she was reprimanded the more intensely she begged. Santiago already tells us that he who prays doubting is like a “wave of the sea thrown here and there by the winds”. This woman was the opposite. Faith is possible in the non-believer, although in this case it is not the genuine, true faith that works for salvation.
Suggested Questions for Study and Discussion:
1. What does the phrase mean: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs?
2Does God sometimes embarrass us, giving us as an example “faith in the miraculous” even in a pagan?
3. What does this woman teach us about prayer and perseverance?
Source: Women of the Bible