A CANAANITE WOMAN’S PERSISTENT FAITH

Passage: Matthew 15:21-28

Key verse: 28

NIV

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman(A)

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.(B) 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David,(C) have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”(D)

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”(E)

25 The woman came and knelt before him.(F) “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!(G) Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 (A)And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, (B)a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, (C)“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, (D)“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, (E)“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and (F)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and (G)throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat (H)the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, (I)great is your faith! (J)Let it be done for you as you desire.” (K)And her daughter was (L)healed instantly.[a]

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Footnotes
  1. Matthew 15:28 Greek from that hour
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This was a predominantly Gentile area where the disciples might not have expected people to engage with or even know about Jesus.

Yet we see that Jesus’ reputation as the Messiah preceded him to this region. A Canaanite woman, whose daughter was demon-possessed and suffering terribly, cried out to Jesus for mercy. She called Jesus, “Lord, Son of David.” She believed that Jesus could drive out the demons from her daughter and heal her. She had faith.

At first, Jesus did not answer. The disciples even requested that she be sent away. Then Jesus indicated that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, that is, the Jews. This was an unusual response from Jesus. It was a test of faith that revealed a remarkable faith. The woman persisted and begged for help. When Jesus replied that it was not right take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs, the woman wisely and humbly responded that all she needed were crumbs of mercy from Jesus. She was not discouraged. She persisted in coming to Jesus, despite obstacles. How do you respond when God does not answer your prayers immediately? Jesus commended her great faith and healed her daughter that moment.

Prayer: Father, thank you for hearing our humble prayers. Grant me faith to pray persistently.

One Word: Pray continually