Christian Art | Faith Healing The Canaanite Woman
Matthew 15: 21-28 – Week 18 Wednesday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
21 ¶ Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Jesus has withdrawn from Galilee, and from the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, to Tyre and Sidon, Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, in what is now Lebanon, there to escape persecution from Herod and the Jewish authorities, and to concentrate on training his apostles.
Most of the people of this area were pagans, i.e. they were not Jewish. In St Matthew’s Gospel, the woman who approaches Jesus is called a Canaanite. In St Mark’s, she is described as a Syrophoenician. She is, then, a pagan, and as such her faith in Jesus is all the more remarkable. Where many Jewish people have refused to believe in Jesus, a pagan woman acknowledges our Lord as the Son of David, the Messiah. The woman cries to Jesus: ‘Have mercy on me.’ Powerless, only expressing her need, she places herself utterly in Jesus’ hands.
The reaction of the disciples may perhaps be understood as one of alarm. There is a certain threat to Jesus and his disciples, and here there is a woman and a stranger risking exposure and incident, when privacy and peace are required. Jesus’ response might strike us as very strange. The initial, literal meaning of Jesus’ words is that he says he is only sent to recall the lost sheep who are the people of Israel to God – to God from whom they have wandered. Jesus’ meaning appears to be clear: he is not sent to the pagans.
This must seem very strange to us. We read in the Gospels of Jesus travelling to pagan lands to heal people there. There is a great sending of the disciples to all nations. It is told to us clearly that Jesus came to heal the whole of mankind. And yet now these verses confront us.
In some ways, the exchange that follows may read like a battle of wits. We recall that the people of Israel are the initially chosen people, through whom the whole of mankind is to be saved. Jesus’ mission is to advance the people of Israel along this path, to recall them from their sinful wanderings and to render them a fit vessel to carry God’s truth to all. We could say in this sense that Jesus’ first words here express the dynamic progression of the Gospels and the New Testament as a whole. The seed is sown among those elect of the people of Israel who come to live closely with Jesus, and the seed will grow to bear fruit for the whole world.
More immediately, Jesus has come to this place to train his disciples in safety. These are the ones who are included in the gesture, as Jesus speaks of his coming to save God’s first chosen people. There is humour here. There is a touch of gentle irony. There is also an invitation to the woman to show herself as being in close sympathy with Jesus’ mode of address and of thought.
The woman rides above the initial saying of Jesus. She sees Jesus’ words as a gateway, enabling her to beg to him. Then she is able to respond with wit and intelligence as well as faith to Jesus’ second saying. If she is a puppy – which is the meaning of the Greek, rather than ‘dogs’; it is much more light and affectionate in tone than most English translations have it – then even those little dogs are entitled to eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. The woman has taken up Jesus’ aphorism and advanced it. This is faith and intelligence acting in unison. And Jesus is impressed! This Canaanite woman’s faith in this manner has made her daughter whole.
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, for he promised to be with his Church until the end of time. With confidence in his promise we pray: Stay with us, Lord Jesus.
Shed your light on our hearts, Lord,
so that walking continually in the way of your commandments,
we may never be deceived or misled.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
What Does It Mean To Take The Children’s Bread And Cast It To The Dogs?
To understand what Jesus meant when he referred to the ‘children’s bread’ and ‘dogs,’ we must first consider the historical and cultural context of the passage. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Jews believed that they were God’s chosen people, and that the blessings of salvation were reserved for them alone. This exclusive mindset was reflected in the term ‘children’, which Jesus used to describe the Jews. The Canaanites, on the other hand, were regarded as outsiders and unworthy of God’s grace.
The term ‘dogs’ was commonly used in Jewish culture as a derogatory term for Gentiles, particularly the Canaanites. In the Old Testament, dogs were considered unclean animals, and their scavenging behaviour made them symbols of moral impurity. This negative connotation carried over into the New Testament, where dogs were associated with the enemies of God’s people (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15).
Thus, when Jesus referred to the Canaanite woman as a ‘dog’, he was using a culturally ingrained metaphor to indicate that he viewed her as outside the circle of God’s chosen people. Jesus was suggesting that it was not appropriate to give the blessings of God’s grace to those who were not part of the Jewish community.
However, the woman’s response to Jesus’ statement demonstrated her faith and humility. She acknowledged her unworthiness and asked for even the crumbs that fell from the children’s table. This display of faith and persistence impressed Jesus, who praised her for her great faith and healed her daughter.
Interpretation of this passage has been the subject of debate among Christians. Some have argued that Jesus’ use of the term ‘dogs’ was intended to test the woman’s faith and provoke her to a deeper level of belief. Others have suggested that Jesus was demonstrating his willingness to extend salvation to all people, regardless of their background or ethnicity.
Catholic and Protestant theologians have offered various interpretations of this passage. For example, Saint Augustine of Hippo suggested that the woman’s faith was a demonstration of prevenient grace, which is the grace that prepares the heart to receive the gospel. In his commentary on Matthew, John Calvin argued that the woman’s faith was a sign of election, which is the doctrine that God chooses certain individuals for salvation.
Some have argued that it demonstrates Jesus’ willingness to challenge cultural norms and extend salvation to all people, regardless of their background or ethnicity. Others have suggested that it reveals the depth of faith that is required to receive God’s blessings.
‘Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.’ In this verse, Jesus elevates the relationship with his followers from servants to friends. He shares his knowledge and heart with us, inviting us into a deep and intimate friendship. This passage encourages us to reflect on the significance of being called friends by Jesus and the responsibilities and blessings that come with such a relationship [ … ]
Saint Aelred was a 12th-century Cistercian abbot who lived within a spiritual tradition that emphasised both community life and the inner journey to God. His reflections on friendship are deeply shaped by Cistercian ideals of caritas—a love that is disinterested, holy and rooted in the life of Christ. Unlike worldly friendships based on advantage or pleasure, spiritual friendship seeks what is good for the other in God. It is a school of charity, a training ground for grace [ … ]
Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek What I have treasur’d in my memorie! Since, if my soul make even with the week, Each seventh note by right is due to thee. I finde there quarries of pil’d vanities, But shreds of holinesse, that dare not venture To shew their face, since crosse to thy decrees. There the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre. In so much dregs the quintessence is small: The spirit and good extract of my heart Comes to about the many hundredth part. Yet Lord restore thine image, heare my call: And though my hard heart scarce to thee can grone, Remember that thou once didst write in stone. George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner The poet reflects on his spiritual state, describing a struggle with weakness, sin, and the desire for divine alignment. The poem opens with the poet addressing God, expressing discomfort, likened to an ‘ague’ (fever or chill), when he searches his memory for spiritual treasures. This ‘ague’ suggests both a physical and spiritual unease, revealing the tension the poet feels in self-examination. The second line conveys a sense of regret as the poet searches for ‘treasur’d’ holiness in his memory. He recognizes that, although he might strive to keep his soul ‘even with the week’, dedicating every seventh day to God, he falls short. This phrase reflects the expectation to honour the Sabbath, but the poet’s efforts are met with disappointment in their perceived spiritual emptiness. The poet goes on to examine his inner self, describing ‘quarries of pil’d vanities’ that dominate his mind. Here, ‘quarries’ implies an overwhelming quantity of earthly or superficial concerns, while ‘vanities’ suggests that these concerns are meaningless in the context of divine expectation. In contrast, he finds only ‘shreds of holinesse’, fragmented attempts at righteousness, which he hesitates to bring forward as these elements are ‘crosse to thy decrees’, or in opposition to God’s laws. This imagery underscores the poet’s internal conflict and recognition of shortcomings. Further, the poet contrasts earth and heaven, saying that ‘the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre.’ This phrase symbolizes the poet’s focus on worldly concerns (the circumference) that orbit around a neglected spiritual core (the heavenly center). The poet reflects that his life is filled with ‘dregs’, the lesser, unrefined aspects of his being, while ‘quintessence’, or the purest part of himself, is scarce. This ‘quintessence’ is described as the ‘spirit and good extract’ of the poet’s heart, amounting to a ‘many hundredth part’ — a small fraction of life’s essence. The poet realizes that, despite attempts to cultivate holiness, his internal state largely lacks spiritual substance. The final lines shift to a plea for restoration. The poet calls on God to ‘restore thine image’, asking for renewal and transformation. This restoration request implies a yearning to reflect God’s nature more fully, as humanity is believed to be made in God’s image. The poet acknowledges that his heart ‘scarce… can grone’ to God, reflecting the difficulty he feels in truly connecting with or petitioning the divine. The poem ends with reference to the biblical account of the Ten Commandments, when God ‘didst write in stone’. This allusion serves as both a reminder of God’s past willingness to communicate directly and a plea for a similar intervention to etch divine law into the poet’s heart. The poem examines themes of introspection, human fallibility, and a longing for divine transformation. The poet’s self-examination reveals struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual commitments, culminating in a plea for God’s direct action to restore spiritual integrity.
