Miracle 9 Demon--Possessed Child
Preaching
Preaching the Miracles
Series II, Cycle A
1. Text
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.21 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."22 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us."23 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."24 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."25 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."26 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."27 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.28
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Second Point Of Action
A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus ignores her.
Fourth Point Of Action
When the disciples urge Jesus to send the persistent woman away, Jesus tells them God sent him only to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Fifth Point Of Action
Jesus' conversation with the woman: The woman kneels before Jesus and begs him to help her. Jesus tells her it is unfair to throw the children's food to the dogs. The woman reminds him that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables. Jesus tells her he will heal the daughter because of the mother's faith.
Sixth Point Of Action
The daughter is healed instantly.
3. Connecting Points - Conversations
Interviewing The Daughter
Asker: We never meet you or hear you speak. We do not know if you were aware of your mother's intercession. All we know about you is what we can imagine about a powerless child possessed by an evil spirit.
Daughter: You also know that I was healed instantly. What is important for you to know about me is the stubborn persistence of my parent. A child did not count for much in my time. My mother believed I counted. She knew that in God's mind I am worthy. She did not give up on me. My mother also did not give up on Jesus.
Asker: Sometimes we are totally unaware that someone near to us or who cares for us as deeply as a parent also stands as an advocate.
Daughter: I wonder how many other times my mother tried to get help for me when I was not even there. Her saying I counted spoke not only for me but for all children. The innocent wait while others argue about our fate.
Interviewing The Woman
Asker: I gather that your husband lives because the writer did not call you a widow. Why was he not present to speak for your daughter's health as was Jairus for his daughter? (See Cycle B, Miracle 7.) The man was the head of the family. This dad was absent, silent, or unbelieving, or surely he would have been there pleading. What might have happened if the child's father approached Jesus? Might Jesus have referred him to "the church of his own denomination down the street"?
Woman: Our men are traders and merchants. They are not always here. I do not know if my husband would have been as determined as I. Anyway, this was neither an issue of who ruled in my family nor a lesson about caring for the lowest rank of a woman, the widow. My story tells of the willingness of a Canaanite woman to stand on her own. I believe in a foreign God. A healing miracle happened because of that conviction.
Asker: Your initiative as a Canaanite woman begging for mercy was important. You also called Jesus "Lord, Son of David."
Woman: One does not call to Jesus as "Lord, Son of David" without the belief that he is Lord. Jesus did not answer me because, as he said, God sent him only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I had heard better of him than that. I, you may know, was not the first Canaanite to whom the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sent a healing prophet. Here again, God had sent a prophet to the netherlands of the faith so that he might regain his strength from remembering Whose he is.
Asker: Jesus had come to Canaan, the land of the god Baal, to withdraw from the threats of his own people. Did he, too, remember that God once sent the prophet Elijah there for refuge? This story could have ended when you called out to Jesus and Jesus did not answer you.
Woman: It did not end there. I could not let it. I heard Jesus' struggle. He had to hear mine. Elijah had grappled with God's call in that other conflict between those who followed the god Baal and those who obeyed the Jewish God. God sent Elijah to the widow at Zarephath. We know the story because Zarephath lay just south of Sidon. Having exhausted himself, the prophet lost heart. God commanded the woman to feed Elijah during his time of wondering how he was to continue.
Asker: You believe you may have been sent to nourish Jesus' soul at a difficult time. Then this story carries meaning beyond the healing of your child.
Woman: I was thinking only about stories of Jesus' compassion and my daughter's need. Later, I remembered the story about our Zarephath widow. I believe now that my faith in Jesus' capacity to heal my child was also a sign to him of the willingness of foreigners, pagans, to believe. Sometimes our actions have consequences far greater than we ever could imagine. Sometimes events from outside the usual circle of faith point us to the truth. What I know is that my acknowledgment of who Jesus was and my persistence in pursuing him gained Jesus' attention. Once he listened to what I said, Jesus immediately healed my daughter - no more talk about wasting crumbs on dogs.
Asker: I cannot believe Jesus' God saw any child as lowly as a dog.
Woman: Nor can I. However, the child was not the question. You underestimate the animosity between the followers of the god Baal and the Jewish people. I was willing to chase the dog slur. When I told Jesus that yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables, I spoke within my belief. I affirmed that belief by addressing Jesus as Lord. I would willingly bear the lowly title "dog" to taste those crumbs.
Asker: Then part of the greater truth of this story is Jesus' recognition that you are a Canaanite. He also saw beyond that to appreciate your humanity.
Woman: Yes, and within that he returned to his own mission.
Asker: Why did you ask Jesus to have mercy on you? You did not say, "on me, a Canaanite," but inferred "on me, a regular human being."
Woman: My daughter is an extension of myself, of my family, and of our household. I came to this healer as the parent of a suffering child - who happens to be a Canaanite.
Asker: You did not come quietly to Jesus. You shouted out to him. Unlike some women in other miracles, you stood your ground. I had the feeling you were not going to give in until Jesus heard you. Is listening to the needs of others what having the faith to persist is all about? Particularly in these days of instant response and quick moves on to something else, it is easy to become intimidated by an aspersion.
Woman: Sometimes people need assistance in focusing on a problem in order to reach a fuller understanding of it. Our role is quiet persistence. Sometimes it is noisy stubbornness. In this instance, when Jesus addressed me as "woman," he valued my humanity.
Asker: Even after Jesus ignored you and his followers urged him to send you off, you insisted that he hear you. Even after he said that he only took care of the Israelites, you persisted. Again, you called him "Lord." You did not explain but said, "Help me."
Woman: I could not give up. This was my daughter. I had heard about Jesus. I knew about his breadth of compassion. If I could cut through the murk of his own distress, he would remember that compassion and heal my daughter despite my stature.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: Has the storyteller edited to make a political point here? Jesus, why this reaction to this woman? Since when did the background of a hurting person matter to you? As with other healing where the supplicant shows faith, you healed immediately upon recognizing the parent's faith. (See other relevant and parallel cross--references in Section Five of this chapter.) Why did it take you so long to respond to this woman?
Jesus: You may be discerning only one miracle in this story.
Asker: The healing of the child.
Jesus: Another miracle was God's sending this woman to me. Some of the hardest times to serve others occur when we ourselves need care. This time of my seeking refuge in the region of Tyre and Sidon was one such occasion. It reminds me of Joseph's sending everyone away from him before he revealed his identity to his brothers. He did not want witnesses to his high emotion. He "could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him." (See today's lectionary reading, Genesis 45:1--15.) He needed privacy with his brothers. I needed privacy with my brothers, my disciples.
Asker: In the Revised Standard Version, "[Jesus] went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon" (NRSV), reads "withdrew to ..." (Matthew 15:21). This must have been a difficult, solace--seeking time in your ministry.
Jesus: A preparatory, revealing time with my disciples. I, as did Elijah, found myself the stranger, the foreigner in the land of Canaan. As the Zarephathian widow fed Elijah, this woman gave nourishment to my soul. That is, by confronting me she helped me return to myself and to my purpose. Again, I could give priority to relieving the suffering of another person, whatever that person's background.
Asker: Had those around you begun to take your healing miracles for granted? Here were three unusual miracle stories with as many unexpected responses from you. As reported by Matthew before this in "Walking On The Water," you sent your disciples away because you needed to pray alone. Just before that, after you heard about the beheading of John the Baptist, you told your disciples to feed the hungry crowd themselves. Now, here a woman pleaded with you to help her daughter. You ignored her. You looked at her without seeing. You heard her words with neither listening nor acknowledgment. I could not believe you did not answer her at all. Was this your way of saying, "Do not take me for granted"?
Jesus: It may appear so to you. Joseph realized that God had sent him to his brothers "to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5b). As with Ezekiel, this was God's way of telling me to expand God's care. God also cares about the Canaanites, of all people, those followers of the god Baal in the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Asker: Then it was here by showing her own faith that the Canaanite woman first said that the faith belonged to a wider group of people, even to the "dogs" of Tyre and Sidon. It took a lengthy conversation to convince you. Or was that all to make the point? Any healing miracle performed by you in the region of Tyre and Sidon would have caused a stir in your hometown.
Jesus: You have said so.
Asker: First, you did not answer the woman at all. When you did answer her, your words spoke a rebuff. You refused her because she was not of the house of Israel. Then you censured her as one as lowly as a dog. One rebuke would have been enough to send most people away. It makes me think of societal allotments that leave little room for the person but treat that person as a thing. With persistent advocacy, however, authorities have a chance to hear that person's needs. Was it the woman's persistence that finally convinced you? Was it her argument?
Jesus: It is ironic that while I was trying to hide from everyone, a foreigner recognized me and served as the catalyst that returned me to my purpose as a healer of the sick.
Interviewing A Disciple
Asker: You did not help by telling Jesus to send the parent away. You treated the parent as if she were a nuisance. Ordinarily, would you not have said, "Jesus, there is someone here to see you"?
Disciple: When the parent could not gain Jesus' attention, she kept shouting to us. Frankly, we did not want Jesus to attend to her, whatever the problem. Jesus was here for retreat to summon his courage.
Asker: This story appears to nullify many beliefs about Jesus. By confronting Jesus, did the woman give him less power? Did his initial choice to ignore her not tempt others to join hometown belittlers? His followers thought he was impervious to trouble.
Disciple: In fact, we were only beginning to consider that Jesus might be vulnerable. We had walked with him and stood by his side through many a healing miracle. I wonder if all this were an attempt to show us, as Jesus moved toward his approaching death, just how human he was.
Asker: Then, what about his power? Does the woman's insistence make Jesus appear less powerful or even humiliate him?
Disciple: The woman's action shows us that God has certain expectations of the rest of us. Had she not taken an active role in her daughter's healing, the miracle might not have happened. She helped the miracle take place. She recognized Jesus' power. Her affirmation empowered Jesus at a time of his withdrawal. The woman reminds us of the validation others give us by what they see in us.
4. Words
Canaanite (Tyre and Sidon, Syrophoenician)
In Jesus' time, "Canaanite" was synonymous with foreigner or nonbeliever. Canaanites lived in Palestine in the land of Canaan, the wide territory reaching west of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean coast. Those from the country of Canaan lived in a limited area at the coast and on the plain. Sidon and Tyre were two Canaanite communities on the Mediterranean coast.
According to The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible,1 Canaanites could be regarded as Semitic people although they were not of pure Semitic blood. Early waves of Semites from the east, probably Arabia, invaded the area and mixed with the population. The Canaanite language belongs to the northwest group of Semitic languages.
Canaanite and Phoenician are synonymous terms. The Greeks used the term "Phoenicia" to refer to the country of the Canaanites. At the time of Jesus, Phoenicians called themselves by the ancient name of Canaanite. In his parallel story, Mark used the term Syrophoenician to describe the background of the woman with the ill daughter. In Jesus' day, the term Syrophoenicia said that the Roman province of Syria, containing Sidon and Tyre, included Phoenicia.
The worship of the god Baal was found in most Phoenician cities. Baal, an important god, was a vegetation deity. A constantly burning fire in the sanctuary marked the Phoenician religion. This religion focused on the annual cycle of death and revival. Foreigners interpreted this as a symbol of Phoenician gods who were greedy for human sacrifice. The initiative of the Canaanite woman, therefore, was significant. She called to Jesus as "Lord, Son of David."
Demon
For discussion of a demon, see Cycle B, Miracle 1, "The Unclean Spirit" and Cycle B, Miracle 4, "Healing The Paralyzed Man."
Foreigners
As with Cycle C, Miracle 9, "The Lepers," there is the matter of prejudice toward the foreigner. (See the word study of a foreigner in that miracle.) Canaanites, Egyptians, and Samaritans were considered foreigners. Jesus was the stranger in the land of Canaan.
Dog
Dogs were well known in biblical times. They were domesticated. Some who were allowed in the house had access to the eating room. However, generally people did not appreciate dogs. They did not appreciate their worth. Several among the 33 Old and New Testament references to dog(s) portray it as a forager, a growler, or a creature met with sticks.
Dogs were starved scavengers who ate meat mangled by beasts (Exodus 22:31). They ate human meat and drank human blood (1 Kings 14:11, 1 Kings 21:19, and 1 Kings 21:23). Dogs had a place as destroyers: "And I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy" (Jeremiah 15:3). Dogs were used as threats. Dogs cleaned up "anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city" (1 Kings 21:24). They drank the blood of King Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:38). They ate the body of Jezreel so "no one shall bury her" (2 Kings 9:10).
Presented as having a bad name, dogs were among the contemptible: "Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood" (Revelation 22:15). "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!" (Philippians 3:2).
Job and the Psalmist also gave dogs a low position: "But now they make sport of me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock" (Job 30:1). The Psalmist portrayed dogs as evildoers who travel in packs (Psalm 22:16), as howlers and prowlers (Psalm 59:6 and Psalm 59:14), and as lappers of blood (Psalm 68:23). "Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!" (Psalm 22:20).
According to The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible,2 the use of "dog" below refers to the Egyptian foreigner: "But not a dog shall growl at any of the Israelites - not at people, not at animals - so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel" (Exodus 11:7).
A dog had little stature, being called "a mere dog," beneath a servant in rank. (See 2 Kings 8:13.) Dogs also consumed the waste that no one else wanted or could use, that is, "the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27). (See also Mark 7:28, Matthew 15:26, and Matthew 15:27.) Children also had little status; however, they were to be fed before the dogs: "He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs'" (Mark 7:27).
Figurative use of the term also belittled the person. Jesus had used this common metaphor earlier. He said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you" (Matthew 7:6).
Tyre And Sidon
These coastal Phoenician cities were centers of shipping and trade. One cannot think of this area without remembering the story of another prophet sent to Sidon and another healing miracle. God commanded a widow there to feed Elijah. In time, the widow's son took ill and died. Elijah brought the child back to life. We can suppose that this caretaker of Elijah also was a Canaanite. When she spoke of Elijah's God, she said, "As the Lord your God lives" (1 Kings 17:12). Elijah addressed God as "O Lord my God" (1 Kings 17:20). She addresses Elijah as "O man of God" (1 Kings 17:18). After Elijah saved her son, however, she affirmed, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true" (1 Kings 17:24). While she still could not say, "My God," she respected Elijah and his God. (For the story of God's sending Elijah to Zarephath, which belonged to Sidon, see 1 Kings 17:3--24.)
The people of Jesus' day thought lowly of the people of Tyre and Sidon. The following verses suggest the reference to the region of Tyre and Sidon was common and synonymous with a place of the most sinful:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you (Matthew 11:21--22). (See also Luke 10:13--14.)
Woman
For other discussions of women in other miracle stories, see Cycle B, Miracle 2, "The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother--In--Law" and Cycle C, Miracle 3. Note the roles each woman carried out in these stories. In "The Wedding At Cana," Mary had an active, facilitative role. Jesus' mother initiated the spoken words by telling Jesus the wedding party had run out of wine. Mary also instructed the servants.
While Simon Peter's mother--in--law had no spoken role in this narrative summary, she was present in the miracle. We have no record of Jesus' words spoken to her. Her major role, however, was her action. She responded to Jesus' taking her hand and lifting her from her sickbed by rising and serving the disciples.
See also Cycle C, Miracle 8, "The Widow's Son At Nain." While the widow similarly had no spoken role in this miracle, her silent role of being present held significance.
The healing of the hemorrhaging woman presents a woman who, even if fearfully, actively pursued the healing of Jesus. (See Cycle B, Miracle 7. See this miracle also for a word study of "family.")
5. Gospel Parallels
Locus Of Miracle And Identity Of The Woman
Both writers of Matthew and of Mark give importance to the location of this miracle. Matthew reports that Jesus "went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon" (Matthew 15:21). In the next verse, Matthew identifies the woman as "a Canaanite woman from that region" (Matthew 15:22a). Mark writes that Jesus "went away to the region of Tyre" (Mark 7:24). Two verses later, he gives a whole sentence to reporting directly that "[n]ow the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin" (Mark 7:26).
Jesus' Reluctance
In Mark, Jesus physically hides: "He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there" (Mark 7:24). In Matthew's telling, he psychologically hides: "But he did not answer her at all" (Matthew 15:23).
Reaction To Jesus' Avoidance
Jesus' avoidance was for nought. "Yet he could not escape notice" (Mark 7:24). According to Matthew, Jesus' disciples took action. "And his disciples came and urged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us' " (Matthew 15:23).
The Need
From a distance, Mark summarizes listeners about the need for healing: "[B]ut a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:25--26). Matthew's telling is direct and immediate: "Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon' " (Matthew 15:22).
Jesus' Response
According to Matthew, Jesus "did not answer her at all" (Matthew 15:23). In Mark's version, he told her to "[l]et the children be fed first" (Mark 7:27).
Response Of Disciples
The disciples have no role in Mark's telling. In Matthew, they "urge" Jesus to "[s]end her away, for she keeps shouting after us" (Matthew 15:23).
The Woman's Persistence
Mark reports that the woman initially "bowed down at [Jesus'] feet" (Mark 7:25). Only after Jesus answered her initial shouting does Matthew report that "she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me'" (Matthew 15:25). Note the persistent "But" in the reporting of the woman's retort: "But she answered him, 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs' " (Mark 7:28).
The Woman's Plea
In Matthew, first she says, "Have mercy on me" (Matthew 15:22). Later she says, "Help me" (Matthew 15:25). Both times she addresses Jesus as "Lord." The first time, she also addresses him as "Son of David" (Matthew 15:22). Mark reports that she "begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:26). In Matthew, she states her daughter's situation: "[m]y daughter is tormented by a demon" (Matthew 15:22).
Jesus' Response
In Matthew, Jesus' first words of response were, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).
While Jesus may have addressed these words either to the disciples or to the woman, the woman answered him.
In Mark, the conversation of persuasion between Jesus and the woman contains only two segments. Jesus says to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (Mark 7:27). "But she answered him, 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs' " (Mark 7:28).
In Matthew, he says only the second part, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26), before she says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27).
In Mark, she answers him, "Sir, even ..." (Mark 7:28). In Matthew, she says, "Yes, Lord, yet even ..." (Matthew 15:27). In Mark, she says "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (Mark 7:28). In Matthew, the words are "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27).
Jesus' Consents
Matthew reports, "Then Jesus answered her" (Matthew 15:28a), while Mark says, "Then he said to her" (Mark 7:29). The words of healing differ in each telling: "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish" (Matthew 15:28a). Mark reads, "For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter" (Mark 7:29b).
The Healing
Matthew reports, "And her daughter was healed instantly" (Matthew 15:28). Mark says, "So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone" (Mark 7:30).
Other word parallels of significance to the Matthew text are as follows:
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."22
So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. (Matthew 4:24)
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Matthew 9:27)
There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Matthew 20:30)
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."24
... [B]ut go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 10:6)
But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."25
... [A]nd there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean." (Matthew 8:2)
He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."26
"Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you." (Matthew 7:6)
She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."27
... who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. (Luke 16:21)
Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.28
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22)
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:52)
And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50)
Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19)
____________
1. See Volume 1, Volume 3, and Volume 4.
2. See Volume 1.
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.21 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."22 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us."23 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."24 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."25 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."26 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."27 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.28
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
After the miracle of walking on the water (see Cycle A, Miracle 8), Jesus leaves the land of Gennesaret and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Second Point Of Action
A Canaanite woman from that region comes out and shouts at Jesus for mercy because a demon torments her daughter.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus ignores her.
Fourth Point Of Action
When the disciples urge Jesus to send the persistent woman away, Jesus tells them God sent him only to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Fifth Point Of Action
Jesus' conversation with the woman: The woman kneels before Jesus and begs him to help her. Jesus tells her it is unfair to throw the children's food to the dogs. The woman reminds him that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables. Jesus tells her he will heal the daughter because of the mother's faith.
Sixth Point Of Action
The daughter is healed instantly.
3. Connecting Points - Conversations
Interviewing The Daughter
Asker: We never meet you or hear you speak. We do not know if you were aware of your mother's intercession. All we know about you is what we can imagine about a powerless child possessed by an evil spirit.
Daughter: You also know that I was healed instantly. What is important for you to know about me is the stubborn persistence of my parent. A child did not count for much in my time. My mother believed I counted. She knew that in God's mind I am worthy. She did not give up on me. My mother also did not give up on Jesus.
Asker: Sometimes we are totally unaware that someone near to us or who cares for us as deeply as a parent also stands as an advocate.
Daughter: I wonder how many other times my mother tried to get help for me when I was not even there. Her saying I counted spoke not only for me but for all children. The innocent wait while others argue about our fate.
Interviewing The Woman
Asker: I gather that your husband lives because the writer did not call you a widow. Why was he not present to speak for your daughter's health as was Jairus for his daughter? (See Cycle B, Miracle 7.) The man was the head of the family. This dad was absent, silent, or unbelieving, or surely he would have been there pleading. What might have happened if the child's father approached Jesus? Might Jesus have referred him to "the church of his own denomination down the street"?
Woman: Our men are traders and merchants. They are not always here. I do not know if my husband would have been as determined as I. Anyway, this was neither an issue of who ruled in my family nor a lesson about caring for the lowest rank of a woman, the widow. My story tells of the willingness of a Canaanite woman to stand on her own. I believe in a foreign God. A healing miracle happened because of that conviction.
Asker: Your initiative as a Canaanite woman begging for mercy was important. You also called Jesus "Lord, Son of David."
Woman: One does not call to Jesus as "Lord, Son of David" without the belief that he is Lord. Jesus did not answer me because, as he said, God sent him only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I had heard better of him than that. I, you may know, was not the first Canaanite to whom the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sent a healing prophet. Here again, God had sent a prophet to the netherlands of the faith so that he might regain his strength from remembering Whose he is.
Asker: Jesus had come to Canaan, the land of the god Baal, to withdraw from the threats of his own people. Did he, too, remember that God once sent the prophet Elijah there for refuge? This story could have ended when you called out to Jesus and Jesus did not answer you.
Woman: It did not end there. I could not let it. I heard Jesus' struggle. He had to hear mine. Elijah had grappled with God's call in that other conflict between those who followed the god Baal and those who obeyed the Jewish God. God sent Elijah to the widow at Zarephath. We know the story because Zarephath lay just south of Sidon. Having exhausted himself, the prophet lost heart. God commanded the woman to feed Elijah during his time of wondering how he was to continue.
Asker: You believe you may have been sent to nourish Jesus' soul at a difficult time. Then this story carries meaning beyond the healing of your child.
Woman: I was thinking only about stories of Jesus' compassion and my daughter's need. Later, I remembered the story about our Zarephath widow. I believe now that my faith in Jesus' capacity to heal my child was also a sign to him of the willingness of foreigners, pagans, to believe. Sometimes our actions have consequences far greater than we ever could imagine. Sometimes events from outside the usual circle of faith point us to the truth. What I know is that my acknowledgment of who Jesus was and my persistence in pursuing him gained Jesus' attention. Once he listened to what I said, Jesus immediately healed my daughter - no more talk about wasting crumbs on dogs.
Asker: I cannot believe Jesus' God saw any child as lowly as a dog.
Woman: Nor can I. However, the child was not the question. You underestimate the animosity between the followers of the god Baal and the Jewish people. I was willing to chase the dog slur. When I told Jesus that yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables, I spoke within my belief. I affirmed that belief by addressing Jesus as Lord. I would willingly bear the lowly title "dog" to taste those crumbs.
Asker: Then part of the greater truth of this story is Jesus' recognition that you are a Canaanite. He also saw beyond that to appreciate your humanity.
Woman: Yes, and within that he returned to his own mission.
Asker: Why did you ask Jesus to have mercy on you? You did not say, "on me, a Canaanite," but inferred "on me, a regular human being."
Woman: My daughter is an extension of myself, of my family, and of our household. I came to this healer as the parent of a suffering child - who happens to be a Canaanite.
Asker: You did not come quietly to Jesus. You shouted out to him. Unlike some women in other miracles, you stood your ground. I had the feeling you were not going to give in until Jesus heard you. Is listening to the needs of others what having the faith to persist is all about? Particularly in these days of instant response and quick moves on to something else, it is easy to become intimidated by an aspersion.
Woman: Sometimes people need assistance in focusing on a problem in order to reach a fuller understanding of it. Our role is quiet persistence. Sometimes it is noisy stubbornness. In this instance, when Jesus addressed me as "woman," he valued my humanity.
Asker: Even after Jesus ignored you and his followers urged him to send you off, you insisted that he hear you. Even after he said that he only took care of the Israelites, you persisted. Again, you called him "Lord." You did not explain but said, "Help me."
Woman: I could not give up. This was my daughter. I had heard about Jesus. I knew about his breadth of compassion. If I could cut through the murk of his own distress, he would remember that compassion and heal my daughter despite my stature.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: Has the storyteller edited to make a political point here? Jesus, why this reaction to this woman? Since when did the background of a hurting person matter to you? As with other healing where the supplicant shows faith, you healed immediately upon recognizing the parent's faith. (See other relevant and parallel cross--references in Section Five of this chapter.) Why did it take you so long to respond to this woman?
Jesus: You may be discerning only one miracle in this story.
Asker: The healing of the child.
Jesus: Another miracle was God's sending this woman to me. Some of the hardest times to serve others occur when we ourselves need care. This time of my seeking refuge in the region of Tyre and Sidon was one such occasion. It reminds me of Joseph's sending everyone away from him before he revealed his identity to his brothers. He did not want witnesses to his high emotion. He "could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him." (See today's lectionary reading, Genesis 45:1--15.) He needed privacy with his brothers. I needed privacy with my brothers, my disciples.
Asker: In the Revised Standard Version, "[Jesus] went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon" (NRSV), reads "withdrew to ..." (Matthew 15:21). This must have been a difficult, solace--seeking time in your ministry.
Jesus: A preparatory, revealing time with my disciples. I, as did Elijah, found myself the stranger, the foreigner in the land of Canaan. As the Zarephathian widow fed Elijah, this woman gave nourishment to my soul. That is, by confronting me she helped me return to myself and to my purpose. Again, I could give priority to relieving the suffering of another person, whatever that person's background.
Asker: Had those around you begun to take your healing miracles for granted? Here were three unusual miracle stories with as many unexpected responses from you. As reported by Matthew before this in "Walking On The Water," you sent your disciples away because you needed to pray alone. Just before that, after you heard about the beheading of John the Baptist, you told your disciples to feed the hungry crowd themselves. Now, here a woman pleaded with you to help her daughter. You ignored her. You looked at her without seeing. You heard her words with neither listening nor acknowledgment. I could not believe you did not answer her at all. Was this your way of saying, "Do not take me for granted"?
Jesus: It may appear so to you. Joseph realized that God had sent him to his brothers "to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5b). As with Ezekiel, this was God's way of telling me to expand God's care. God also cares about the Canaanites, of all people, those followers of the god Baal in the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Asker: Then it was here by showing her own faith that the Canaanite woman first said that the faith belonged to a wider group of people, even to the "dogs" of Tyre and Sidon. It took a lengthy conversation to convince you. Or was that all to make the point? Any healing miracle performed by you in the region of Tyre and Sidon would have caused a stir in your hometown.
Jesus: You have said so.
Asker: First, you did not answer the woman at all. When you did answer her, your words spoke a rebuff. You refused her because she was not of the house of Israel. Then you censured her as one as lowly as a dog. One rebuke would have been enough to send most people away. It makes me think of societal allotments that leave little room for the person but treat that person as a thing. With persistent advocacy, however, authorities have a chance to hear that person's needs. Was it the woman's persistence that finally convinced you? Was it her argument?
Jesus: It is ironic that while I was trying to hide from everyone, a foreigner recognized me and served as the catalyst that returned me to my purpose as a healer of the sick.
Interviewing A Disciple
Asker: You did not help by telling Jesus to send the parent away. You treated the parent as if she were a nuisance. Ordinarily, would you not have said, "Jesus, there is someone here to see you"?
Disciple: When the parent could not gain Jesus' attention, she kept shouting to us. Frankly, we did not want Jesus to attend to her, whatever the problem. Jesus was here for retreat to summon his courage.
Asker: This story appears to nullify many beliefs about Jesus. By confronting Jesus, did the woman give him less power? Did his initial choice to ignore her not tempt others to join hometown belittlers? His followers thought he was impervious to trouble.
Disciple: In fact, we were only beginning to consider that Jesus might be vulnerable. We had walked with him and stood by his side through many a healing miracle. I wonder if all this were an attempt to show us, as Jesus moved toward his approaching death, just how human he was.
Asker: Then, what about his power? Does the woman's insistence make Jesus appear less powerful or even humiliate him?
Disciple: The woman's action shows us that God has certain expectations of the rest of us. Had she not taken an active role in her daughter's healing, the miracle might not have happened. She helped the miracle take place. She recognized Jesus' power. Her affirmation empowered Jesus at a time of his withdrawal. The woman reminds us of the validation others give us by what they see in us.
4. Words
Canaanite (Tyre and Sidon, Syrophoenician)
In Jesus' time, "Canaanite" was synonymous with foreigner or nonbeliever. Canaanites lived in Palestine in the land of Canaan, the wide territory reaching west of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean coast. Those from the country of Canaan lived in a limited area at the coast and on the plain. Sidon and Tyre were two Canaanite communities on the Mediterranean coast.
According to The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible,1 Canaanites could be regarded as Semitic people although they were not of pure Semitic blood. Early waves of Semites from the east, probably Arabia, invaded the area and mixed with the population. The Canaanite language belongs to the northwest group of Semitic languages.
Canaanite and Phoenician are synonymous terms. The Greeks used the term "Phoenicia" to refer to the country of the Canaanites. At the time of Jesus, Phoenicians called themselves by the ancient name of Canaanite. In his parallel story, Mark used the term Syrophoenician to describe the background of the woman with the ill daughter. In Jesus' day, the term Syrophoenicia said that the Roman province of Syria, containing Sidon and Tyre, included Phoenicia.
The worship of the god Baal was found in most Phoenician cities. Baal, an important god, was a vegetation deity. A constantly burning fire in the sanctuary marked the Phoenician religion. This religion focused on the annual cycle of death and revival. Foreigners interpreted this as a symbol of Phoenician gods who were greedy for human sacrifice. The initiative of the Canaanite woman, therefore, was significant. She called to Jesus as "Lord, Son of David."
Demon
For discussion of a demon, see Cycle B, Miracle 1, "The Unclean Spirit" and Cycle B, Miracle 4, "Healing The Paralyzed Man."
Foreigners
As with Cycle C, Miracle 9, "The Lepers," there is the matter of prejudice toward the foreigner. (See the word study of a foreigner in that miracle.) Canaanites, Egyptians, and Samaritans were considered foreigners. Jesus was the stranger in the land of Canaan.
Dog
Dogs were well known in biblical times. They were domesticated. Some who were allowed in the house had access to the eating room. However, generally people did not appreciate dogs. They did not appreciate their worth. Several among the 33 Old and New Testament references to dog(s) portray it as a forager, a growler, or a creature met with sticks.
Dogs were starved scavengers who ate meat mangled by beasts (Exodus 22:31). They ate human meat and drank human blood (1 Kings 14:11, 1 Kings 21:19, and 1 Kings 21:23). Dogs had a place as destroyers: "And I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy" (Jeremiah 15:3). Dogs were used as threats. Dogs cleaned up "anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city" (1 Kings 21:24). They drank the blood of King Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:38). They ate the body of Jezreel so "no one shall bury her" (2 Kings 9:10).
Presented as having a bad name, dogs were among the contemptible: "Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood" (Revelation 22:15). "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!" (Philippians 3:2).
Job and the Psalmist also gave dogs a low position: "But now they make sport of me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock" (Job 30:1). The Psalmist portrayed dogs as evildoers who travel in packs (Psalm 22:16), as howlers and prowlers (Psalm 59:6 and Psalm 59:14), and as lappers of blood (Psalm 68:23). "Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!" (Psalm 22:20).
According to The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible,2 the use of "dog" below refers to the Egyptian foreigner: "But not a dog shall growl at any of the Israelites - not at people, not at animals - so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel" (Exodus 11:7).
A dog had little stature, being called "a mere dog," beneath a servant in rank. (See 2 Kings 8:13.) Dogs also consumed the waste that no one else wanted or could use, that is, "the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27). (See also Mark 7:28, Matthew 15:26, and Matthew 15:27.) Children also had little status; however, they were to be fed before the dogs: "He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs'" (Mark 7:27).
Figurative use of the term also belittled the person. Jesus had used this common metaphor earlier. He said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you" (Matthew 7:6).
Tyre And Sidon
These coastal Phoenician cities were centers of shipping and trade. One cannot think of this area without remembering the story of another prophet sent to Sidon and another healing miracle. God commanded a widow there to feed Elijah. In time, the widow's son took ill and died. Elijah brought the child back to life. We can suppose that this caretaker of Elijah also was a Canaanite. When she spoke of Elijah's God, she said, "As the Lord your God lives" (1 Kings 17:12). Elijah addressed God as "O Lord my God" (1 Kings 17:20). She addresses Elijah as "O man of God" (1 Kings 17:18). After Elijah saved her son, however, she affirmed, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true" (1 Kings 17:24). While she still could not say, "My God," she respected Elijah and his God. (For the story of God's sending Elijah to Zarephath, which belonged to Sidon, see 1 Kings 17:3--24.)
The people of Jesus' day thought lowly of the people of Tyre and Sidon. The following verses suggest the reference to the region of Tyre and Sidon was common and synonymous with a place of the most sinful:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you (Matthew 11:21--22). (See also Luke 10:13--14.)
Woman
For other discussions of women in other miracle stories, see Cycle B, Miracle 2, "The Healing Of Simon Peter's Mother--In--Law" and Cycle C, Miracle 3. Note the roles each woman carried out in these stories. In "The Wedding At Cana," Mary had an active, facilitative role. Jesus' mother initiated the spoken words by telling Jesus the wedding party had run out of wine. Mary also instructed the servants.
While Simon Peter's mother--in--law had no spoken role in this narrative summary, she was present in the miracle. We have no record of Jesus' words spoken to her. Her major role, however, was her action. She responded to Jesus' taking her hand and lifting her from her sickbed by rising and serving the disciples.
See also Cycle C, Miracle 8, "The Widow's Son At Nain." While the widow similarly had no spoken role in this miracle, her silent role of being present held significance.
The healing of the hemorrhaging woman presents a woman who, even if fearfully, actively pursued the healing of Jesus. (See Cycle B, Miracle 7. See this miracle also for a word study of "family.")
5. Gospel Parallels
Locus Of Miracle And Identity Of The Woman
Both writers of Matthew and of Mark give importance to the location of this miracle. Matthew reports that Jesus "went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon" (Matthew 15:21). In the next verse, Matthew identifies the woman as "a Canaanite woman from that region" (Matthew 15:22a). Mark writes that Jesus "went away to the region of Tyre" (Mark 7:24). Two verses later, he gives a whole sentence to reporting directly that "[n]ow the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin" (Mark 7:26).
Jesus' Reluctance
In Mark, Jesus physically hides: "He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there" (Mark 7:24). In Matthew's telling, he psychologically hides: "But he did not answer her at all" (Matthew 15:23).
Reaction To Jesus' Avoidance
Jesus' avoidance was for nought. "Yet he could not escape notice" (Mark 7:24). According to Matthew, Jesus' disciples took action. "And his disciples came and urged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us' " (Matthew 15:23).
The Need
From a distance, Mark summarizes listeners about the need for healing: "[B]ut a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:25--26). Matthew's telling is direct and immediate: "Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon' " (Matthew 15:22).
Jesus' Response
According to Matthew, Jesus "did not answer her at all" (Matthew 15:23). In Mark's version, he told her to "[l]et the children be fed first" (Mark 7:27).
Response Of Disciples
The disciples have no role in Mark's telling. In Matthew, they "urge" Jesus to "[s]end her away, for she keeps shouting after us" (Matthew 15:23).
The Woman's Persistence
Mark reports that the woman initially "bowed down at [Jesus'] feet" (Mark 7:25). Only after Jesus answered her initial shouting does Matthew report that "she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me'" (Matthew 15:25). Note the persistent "But" in the reporting of the woman's retort: "But she answered him, 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs' " (Mark 7:28).
The Woman's Plea
In Matthew, first she says, "Have mercy on me" (Matthew 15:22). Later she says, "Help me" (Matthew 15:25). Both times she addresses Jesus as "Lord." The first time, she also addresses him as "Son of David" (Matthew 15:22). Mark reports that she "begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter" (Mark 7:26). In Matthew, she states her daughter's situation: "[m]y daughter is tormented by a demon" (Matthew 15:22).
Jesus' Response
In Matthew, Jesus' first words of response were, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).
While Jesus may have addressed these words either to the disciples or to the woman, the woman answered him.
In Mark, the conversation of persuasion between Jesus and the woman contains only two segments. Jesus says to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (Mark 7:27). "But she answered him, 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs' " (Mark 7:28).
In Matthew, he says only the second part, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26), before she says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27).
In Mark, she answers him, "Sir, even ..." (Mark 7:28). In Matthew, she says, "Yes, Lord, yet even ..." (Matthew 15:27). In Mark, she says "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (Mark 7:28). In Matthew, the words are "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (Matthew 15:27).
Jesus' Consents
Matthew reports, "Then Jesus answered her" (Matthew 15:28a), while Mark says, "Then he said to her" (Mark 7:29). The words of healing differ in each telling: "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish" (Matthew 15:28a). Mark reads, "For saying that, you may go - the demon has left your daughter" (Mark 7:29b).
The Healing
Matthew reports, "And her daughter was healed instantly" (Matthew 15:28). Mark says, "So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone" (Mark 7:30).
Other word parallels of significance to the Matthew text are as follows:
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."22
So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. (Matthew 4:24)
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Matthew 9:27)
There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Matthew 20:30)
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."24
... [B]ut go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 10:6)
But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."25
... [A]nd there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean." (Matthew 8:2)
He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."26
"Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you." (Matthew 7:6)
She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."27
... who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. (Luke 16:21)
Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.28
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:22)
Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:52)
And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50)
Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19)
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1. See Volume 1, Volume 3, and Volume 4.
2. See Volume 1.
