Anchor My Faith

The Power of Simple Faith

Scripture: Matthew 15:23-25, 27-28; Mark 7:25, 27, 29-30

We ended the previous with some comments on how the narrative was constructed and realized there was some confusion from what was written. Looking at the two sources and trying to better harmonization them, I believe, yields the following. From Matthew’s account, it appears that the woman cries out to Jesus as they are traveling to the house, but Jesus ignores her cries and continues on to the house. ^{Mt 15:23} “He did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”’

Maybe since the woman was a Gentile, her crying out seemed to bother the disciples and they begged Jesus to send her away. Instead of sending her away, ^{Mt 15:24} Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” At this point in the unfolding of God’s purpose, the focus in on the Jews and their spiritual need. Reaching out to the Gentiles with the gospel was to come later through his disciples.

Out of desperation the woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit ^{Mt 15:25} “came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”’ ^{Mk 7:25} “Falling down at his feet, she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.” Being rejected by Jesus, she humbles herself before him and begs him to reconsider and help her.

Jesus responds, ^{Mk 7:27} “And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”’ Jesus frequently insulted the Gentiles by referring to them as dogs, which in ancient Palestine were wild, homeless scavengers. A better translation would be to replace “dog” with “little dog” which would suggest a more affectionate term for domestic pets. I don’t believe Jesus is insulting the woman but testing her faith.

The woman responds: ^{Mt 15:27} “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Her response reaches back to Genesis 12:3 by alluding to the extended blessings promised to the Gentiles through Abraham, which she seems to know about.

^{Mt 15:28} “Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! ^{Mk 7:29} For this statement you may go your way. ^{Mt 15:28} Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. ^{Mk 7:30} And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.” Jesus honors the simple faith of the woman and as a further demonstration of her faith, she went home and found the child free of the demon.

Conclusion

Even though this woman’s request was outside of God’s unfolding plan, Jesus honored her faith and healed her daughter. The gospel that was being laid out by Jesus and then validated by his death on the cross, would one day be proclaimed to all through his disciples, which include present day believers.