Eld Ko Swee Chay

Faith of the Canaanite Woman

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

Introduction

The theme for our church and the church camp this year is “The just shall live by faith” (Gal 3:11). Concerning the subject of faith, there are three important teachings in the Bible.

Firstly, faith is defined by God “as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1). This means that faith has two parts:

1. The first part is forward looking into the future. Things that we hope for or whatever future events recorded in the Bible that we place our faith in today, it is as if it has already been realised or has materialised and we are in it, i.e. it has become a tangible “substance”.
2. The second part is both backward and forward looking. We did not see past events like creation, the fall of man, global flood, crossing of the Red Sea, and crucifixion of Christ, yet we believe these events happened and we talk about them as if we were eye witnesses. We have not seen the future events like the glorious return of Christ, the seven years tribulation, the new heaven and the new earth, yet we believe as though it is already visible to us and we have already seen it.

Secondly, God’s Word reveals to us that the object of man’s faith is God alone (Heb 11:3). He alone is the author and finisher of our faith.

Thirdly, God’s Word says, “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb 11:6a). The truth is that no man has the power to please God if he does not have faith in Him. We cannot please God if we do not believe everything the Bible teaches. Therefore, to have faith in God is to have faith in His holy and perfect Word.

The believer’s faith in God and God’s Word is “subjective faith”. This is the faith that every Christian should exercise as we live for Christ each day, trusting in Him for whatever challenges and situations we are facing in life. It is subjective in that it is changeable. Through the course of a believer’s life, faith can grow and mature or can wane and decrease.  There will be times when our faith is strong, trusting wholeheartedly in the Lord. Yet there will be times where our faith is weak, e.g. Jesus said unto Peter, “O thou of little faith.” (Matt 14:31).

There were only two records in the Gospels where Jesus commended someone for having great faith, and both were Gentiles:

1. Matthew 8:5-13 and parallel account in Luke 7:1-10.  The centurion exhibited exemplary character. He was a loving superior who cared for his servants and pleaded with Jesus to heal his servant inflicted with paralysis. We studied this account at the Church Bible Study on 4 May 2019.
2. Matthew 15:21-28 and parallel account in Mark 7:24-30.  The Canaanite woman sought out Jesus and pleaded with Him for mercy and for help to heal her daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil, and she exhibited persistent and humble faith. In this article we shall look at what made her faith so special that Jesus gave her such a great and honourable commendation and awarded her with God’s blessing.

1.  Object of Faith - Matthew 15:21-22; Mark 7:25-26

God reveals to us that the object of man’s faith is God’s Word alone (Heb11:3).

Take note that the woman who came to Jesus to plead for mercy and help was not a Jewish woman and the place where she lived was not in the land of Israel. Matthew 15:21 refers to her as a Canaanite woman, a term more familiar to the Jewish readers; Mark 7:26 refers to her as being of the Syrophoenician nation, a term more familiar to the Roman readers. Both terms can refer to the area where she was born and lived. This would mean she lived in a place where the people were worshipping pagan gods and idols made of wood and stone, silver and gold. She might have been an idol worshipper brought up in paganism.

She was very concerned and worried for her daughter “grievously vexed with an unclean spirit” (Matt 15:22 & Mark 7:25). When she heard of this Jesus Christ coming to her land, she decided to go to Him and plead for His mercy and help.  She called Jesus “O Lord, thou Son of David” (Matt 15:22) which is significant. This indicates that she, though a Gentile, believed that Jesus is the Messiah that God promised David would come through the line of David and that she had faith in Jesus as the Messiah. She believed that He was the only one who could heal her daughter.

One important point to take note about this woman’s faith is that she has now placed her faith in the correct object of faith, the very Word of God. Faith is of no value, is dangerous and destructive, if it is placed in the wrong object. One will have to bear the consequences of one’s misplaced faith. This woman may have had a lot of faith in her pagan gods in the past, but ultimately, they left her hopeless. For her faith to be of value, it had to be changed to a trustworthy object which is the Word of God. She believed in the OT Scriptures that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah that the Bible prophesied hundreds of years ago.

2.  Subjective Faith is Persistent - Matthew 15:23-25; Mark 7:26

Jesus’ response of not answering her initial petition and a statement that He was sent only to the house of Israel did not dissuade and discourage her at all. She continued to pursue after Jesus and pleaded with Him for mercy saying, “Lord, help me!”. Mark 7:26 states, “she besought him that he would cast forth the evil out of her daughter”. She was persistent in her faith, for she truly believed that Jesus is a merciful God, and He has the divine power to cast out demons, and He could and would help her though she was not of the house of Israel. After being firstly ignored by Jesus and then receiving such a seemingly unfriendly and unpleasant response, she could have concluded that Jesus was cold, without grace, mercy and compassion and then just left. However, she did not, she persisted and kept placing her faith and hope in Him.

Such perseverance should be the hallmark of every born-again Christian, but sadly it is not. Often, we give up when we do not receive a quick reply to our prayer requests. When our prayers are not answered, we get discouraged and even stop praying, thinking that the Lord is ignoring us as He did to this Canaanite woman by not immediately giving her the answer she desired. Sometimes God seems not to regard our prayers, but this is for our own good to prove and to improve our faith. By delaying to answer our prayers, God is testing our faith, God is drawing us closer to Him through our fervent and unceasing prayers, and in the process our faith is strengthened. God will answer His children’s prayers according to His perfect timing and sovereign will. 

3.  Subjective Faith is Humble - Matthew 15:26-27; Mark 7:27-28

Another aspect of this woman’s faith is seen in the following verses:

Matthew 15:26-27 “²⁶ But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. ²⁷And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Mark 7:27-28 “²⁷ And Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. ²⁸ And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”

The “children” refer to the people of Israel. The “bread and crumbs” refer to God’s blessings. The word “dogs” typically refer to household pet dogs, a term the Jews commonly applied to the Gentiles.  Jesus was degrading the woman by using this term “dogs”. In a Jewish house the Gentiles were lower than the slaves when compared to dogs. Jesus declared clearly that God’s plan of salvation began with the Jews. The Gentiles’ time was not yet. This is clearly stated in Matthew 15:24 “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. The Lord Jesus had come into the world to die for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16), but he had also come as Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus stressed that the Jews were to have the first privilege to accept Him as the Messiah because God’s plan was for them to spread the gospel to the rest of the world. Just as it would not be proper to take food meant for the children and give it to the dogs, until after the children were filled, so it would be improper to give to Gentiles God’s blessings meant for the children of Israel.

If this woman had been proud like the Pharisees and scribes Jesus had been dealing with in His ministry, she would have left right then. But she was not proud. In complete humility she agreed with the truth of what Jesus had just said and replied “Truth, Lord”: “I agree with you. I am a dog and have no right to the children’s bread.” She knew she was not worthy of the blessings which were meant for the children of Israel. However, she came to plead for mercy and not something deserved, so she continued that plea in seeking a crumb of God’s mercy that spilled over from the abundance of mercy He had given to the people of Israel.

What a great example of humility which was in complete contrast to the pride and unbelief of the Jewish leaders, Pharisees and scribes. She responded the way each of us should respond: in complete humility and meekness.

4.  Faith Exalted & Rewarded – Matthew 15:28; Mark 7:29-30

The Word of God says, “…. for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11:6b)”; “… and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Pe 5:5-7).

That was what happened to the Canaanite woman who diligently sought out Jesus. She believed in Him. She showed persistent and humble faith. Jesus granted her mercy and extended grace to her and exalted her and cast out the devil from her daughter. Though unworthy and undeserving, her humble faith caused her to receive blessings from the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed outcome for the Canaanite woman is summed up in Matthew 15:28 and Mark 7:29-30:

Matt 7:28 “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”.

Mark 7:29-30 “²⁹And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the evil is gone out of thy daughter. ³⁰And when she was come to her house, she found the evil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.” 

It was her faith that Jesus commended. May this account of the Canaanite woman give those who have true and sincere faith in the Lord Jesus Christ great encouragement and confidence that He alone is able to heal and will reward those who diligently seek Him with a persistent and humble faith.  

Conclusion

The reverent, persistent and humble faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that this Canaanite woman exercised is a great example to all professing Christians. This is the kind of faith each one of us ought to have. This is the faith that results in salvation and receives God’s grace, mercy and favour.

Today we have free and easy access to all of God’s Word and His precious promises, as well as knowledge of all the miracles Jesus Christ had performed while on earth recorded for us in an inerrant, infallible, inspired and preserved Bible. This ought to enable us to walk by faith and trust in Him, just as the Canaanite woman did. Let us take heed and remember that no man has the power to please God if he does not have faith in Him. 

As we study God’s Word, we must have faith in His holy and perfect Word, and we must do so with a humble heart and with high regard, trusting and believing that every word in the Bible is true. As we apply God’s Word in our life and live by faith, as we experience the grace and goodness of God, our faith will surely grow with each passing day to become firmer, stronger and more mature. May God help each one of us to diligently seek Him through the study and meditation of His Word, and to continue to grow in the faith and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while we sojourn on this earth.

The theme song for this year’s church camp “O For A Faith That Will Endure” teaches a wonderful prayer for faith: O for a faith that will endure. That will not murmur and complain. A faith that shines more bright and clear. A faith that keeps the narrow way. Lord, give me such a faith as this.  Amen.

Acknowledgement of References:

• Notes for Church Bible Study on 5 Jan 2019, “Meaning of Faith – Hebrew 11:1-5” by Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew.
• Notes for Church Bible Study on 4 May 2019, “Do You Have Great Faith – Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10” by Preacher Ko Lingkang.