Faith Overcomes Status: Matthew 15:21-29

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once” (Matthew 15:28, NASB).

The church is guilty of rejecting people that the Lord wants to include in His family. The church is guilty of writing people off as sinners and excluded from the love of God. The church often wants to believe that a person’s status in the world must be right before they can be saved by the grace of God. However, in this article we will look at Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician Woman as an illustration that our status in life does not matter when it comes to our salvation. We will learn that faith is the determining factor. With faith in Jesus we can overcome our human status and receive the salvation that Jesus offers.

Before we get into the story about the Syrophoenician Woman, let us revisit a familiar foundation scripture that relates to our salvation. The first scripture is found in the gospel recorded by John. John writes: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NASB). This verse once the most widely quoted verse in Christianity says nothing about human status. It only affirms God’s love for the world. The next verse gives further explanation: “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (v. 17). In these two verses, John records no stipulation based on human status. We are all condemned under sin until we believe in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus removes all barriers that separate us from the love of God and the eternal life that He offers to us. Let us return to our story.

Our story is recorded in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30. We will follow the story as recorded by Matthew. Jesus had been in discussion and debate with the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 15:1) because Jesus and His disciples do not follow the strict rules of the Pharisees. The Pharisees are the religious rulers of the people. They decide what the law means. They decide who is accepted as a Jew approved by God. They decide who is rejected by God. Jesus does not yield to their demands because Jesus knows that He is the Son of God, and He does everything according to what He hears from His Father (see John 5:19-20). Also, Jesus knows that they often misinterpret the law so that it suits their own needs. Their rules are not intended for the good of the people, but for their own selfish desires.

After Jesus ends His discussion with the religious leaders Jesus removes Himself from Galilee. “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon” (15:21, NASB). Tyre and Sidon are two major cities in ancient Phoenicia, modern Lebanon. They are north of Galilee on the west coast. Mark tells us that Jesus wants to get away from the stress brought about by the constant interrogation of the Jews. “Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know it; yet He could not escape notice” (Mark 7:24, NASB).

Apparently, people know that this is Jesus, the rabbi from Galilee. They hear stories about the teacher that walks among the common person. They hear stories about His healing of the sick; restoration of sight and hearing; and rehabilitation of the lame and crippled that are unable to walk. Now, Jesus is in Gentile territory. The people in this part of the land of Canaan would allow Him to get some much needed rest. Unlike the Samaritans mention by John (4:4) these Gentiles have no relationship with the Jews in Galilee and Judah. These people are not included in the covenant that God had made with the children of Israel. So, it seems that this would be a good place for Jesus to get away for some much needed rest and relaxation. Jesus cannot escape.

In the city lives a woman whose daughter is “demon-possessed” (Matthew 15:22). Notice the difference between the description of the woman by Matthew and Mark. In Matthew she is called Canaanite which indicates that she was separated from the covenant God made with the sons of Israel. Matthew writes: “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed” (v. 22). This Canaanite woman identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah of the Jews. The text does not tell us how the woman knows that the Messiah did not come into the world to save Jews only. That she knows that she should seek Jesus is seen in her asking for mercy. She lets Jesus know that like Rahab (Joshua 2:1) she has heard about the savior of the Jews. The God of the Jews includes people from all nations.

The disciples acted like many of us in the church today. “But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him saying, ‘Send her away because she keeps shouting at us’” (Matthew 15:22, NASB). The woman refuses to be denied. “And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter” (Mark 7:26). Instead of sending the woman away as suggested by the disciples, Jesus suggest that it would not be proper for Him to cast the demon from her daughter. He reminds the woman that as a Gentile she is not entitled to the blessing promised to the Jews. “But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’” (v. 24). She would have to wait. The woman begs Jesus even more. “But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me’” (v. 25)! The word “dog” indicates that Gentiles were no more worthy of the bread on the table as the dogs (Gentiles). At this point it seems that Jesus will deny God’s blessing upon the woman because of her human status. However God shows no partiality. The promise to Abram (Abraham) was that his seed would bless all people (Genesis 12:3, 18:18).

The woman continues to ask for mercy. She does not deny that she is a Gentile in need of mercy. She just wants her daughter to be demon-possessed free. “But she answered and said to Him, ‘Yes Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs’” (Mark 7: 28). The woman is not asking to be included with the Jews. Matthew records “even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27). The Master provides the bread. The children drop crumbs and the dogs eat the crumbs. The woman confesses that only the crumbs that the Jews fail to eat is enough to heal her daughter.

Jesus recognizes her faith. It is not her human status that makes her eligible for the Lord’s blessing. The woman believes in Jesus. Her answer makes clear that her faith is in Jesus. He is Lord. He is the Son of David. Matthew uses the title “Son of David” to indicate that Jesus is the Messiah. The Messiah is the Son of God. God sent His Son into the world to save all people regardless of their human status. Everyone that has faith in the Son is saved and has eternal life.

The story of the Syrophoenician Woman serves as an example for the Disciples of Christ to follow. At the conclusion of his gospel Matthew records the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The gospel is to be taken outside Israel into the entire world. The word “nations” refers to ethnic groups. Thus, no geographical boundaries are to be considered. A person’s ethnic group, tribe, language, and socio-economic status cannot stand in the way of salvation. Too often the church wants to change the people instead of showing to them the mercy of God. The woman is a Gentile. She will continue to live as a Gentile. Jesus heals her daughter because of her faith. The same commission that Jesus gives to His disciples is still applicable for the church today. The church must accept that faith overcomes human status.