NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Part VI

Verse 27: The woman said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their master’s table.”

People from this area of Phoenicia had earned a reputation for being sharp witted. Greek philosopher and historian Eunapius once wrote: “The peculiar charm and sweetness that all Syria-Phoenicians display in general conversation allow one to see evidence that goes beyond their education. I’m talking about that quality which the people of Attica call a ‘keen sense,’ or ‘refined wit.’”¹­ Since Eunapius wrote this around 375 AD, which is reported by others to be the history of events from 270 AD, things did not change that quickly back then, so this could well be a good description one takes into consideration when evaluating this Syria-Phoenician woman’s response to Jesus.

In his sermon on this text, early church preacher Chrysostom has this to say:

See her humility as well as her faith! For He had called the Jews ‘children,’ but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them ‘masters,’ so far was she from grieving over how others were praised. She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Behold the woman’s wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she indignant to be rebuked. Behold her stability. Jesus used the name dog, but she described the action of the dog. Do you see this woman’s humility?

Then compare her humility with the proud language of the Jews: ‘We are Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man.’² ‘We are born of God.’³ But not so this woman. Rather, she calls herself a dog and them masters. So, for this reason, she became a child. For what does Christ then say? ‘O woman, great is your faith.’

So we might surmise that this is the reason He put her off, in order that He might proclaim aloud this saying and that He might crown the woman: ‘Be it done for you as you desire.’ This means ‘Your faith, indeed, is able to effect even greater things than these. Nevertheless, be it unto you even as you wish.’ This voice was at one with the voice that said, ‘Let the heaven be,’ and it was.⁴

Do you also see how this woman contributed no small amount to the healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, ‘Let your little daughter be made whole,’ but ‘Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.’ These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering words, but great was the power of her faith, and for our learning.

He definitely left the test and response, however, to the issue at hand. That being the case, her daughter was immediately healed.⁵

I’m certain that after the woman’s daughter was completely healed, Jesus prayed in His heart that His disciples had gotten the point. Even though the Jews were privileged to have the promise God made to Abraham, and God sent His Son to them first in order to deliver the message of salvation, Jesus did not want their refusal to accept Him derail the mission He came to perform. Eventually, even those who the Jews did not feel were originally included in the promise would be invited to partake and be blessed. So, woe to the Jews if they continued to deny Him as the Messiah, the Anointed One, who came to save them. There was a lost and dying world out there waiting for a Savior to come.

What strikes me is the similarity today between the churches and the unconverted world. Many in the church feel that the Bible, salvation, a holy life and the promise of the resurrection and heaven are meant only for them. As such, they have become proud of their status and look down on those around them who are not members of their elite group. But Jesus came to save all mankind, and that includes Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. So we should not be surprised to hear that the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus is already having a huge impact on them.

Verse 28: Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! You will get what you asked for.” And right then the woman’s daughter was healed.

Before Jesus made this trip, He had been in Nazareth⁶ and the surrounding area in Galilee⁷ before sailing to the plain of Gennesaret on the southwest side of the Sea of Galilee.⁸ But He had another mission in mind. So he makes the three-mile trip home to Capernaum before going northwest toward the area known as Lebanon today, some 50 miles away. The average walk in one eight hour day, without many stops, would transport a person some 20 miles. So this journey by Jesus and His disciples took three days at the very least. Now, this was out of His usual ministry circuit so He must have had a reason for going there, just like He did in visiting Jacob’s well in Samaria.

But His reputation had preceded Him, and that’s why this non-Jewish woman ran toward His entourage and called out to Him, “Lord,” and “Son of David.” She also attributed her daughter’s illness to a curse from the gods. As we already read, the Master did not show her any attention, even though she kept pleading with for help. Finally, His disciples became aggravated enough with her nagging that they appealed to Jesus that she be sent away. But when she insisted on running ahead and stopping Him in His tracks, He dismissed her with a kind rebuke. Again He used figurative language, but she got the point. This is where her wit, courage and faith combined to give Him an insightful reply.

I have no doubt that this was specially designed to teach His disciples how to discern the difference between favor and faith. Our Lord had already declined to do her a favor, but He could not resist her faith. So in an instant, the demon was exorcised and her daughter became normal. It is worth noting that Jesus referred to the “lost sheep” of Israel. This was His primary mission. With the Temple in Jerusalem so far away, and synagogues having been turned into schools and the gathering of the elite, many had lost all contact with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

There were reports even before Jesus came that they had turned to idols and erected altars to the gods of the Canaanites who they were supposed to have driven out, back in Joshua’s day. God lamented to Ezekiel, “And now the sheep are scattered because there was no shepherd. They became food for every wild animal, so they were scattered. My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock was scattered over all the face of the earth. There was no one to search or to look for them.”⁹ But He also told the prophet, “I will search for the lost sheep. I will bring back the sheep that were scattered and put bandages on the sheep that were hurt. I will make the weak sheep strong…Then I will put one shepherd over them, my servant out of David. He will feed them and be their shepherd. Then I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant out of David will be the ruler living among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.”¹⁰ So that’s who Jesus said He was searching for.

Many miss the significance of the meaning that lies herein as being relevant to our day. Both theologically and effectively, the church has replaced Israel as the propagator of the Gospel under the New Covenant. Therefore, Christians today fill the same position as Jews did in Christ’s day while the unsaved world today can be likened to the Gentiles back then. Using this analogy in the context of what happened here, we could say that Christ’s power is made available exclusively for Christians to benefit from. However, if back then, a Gentile (an unsaved sinner today) were to believe even as the Canaanite woman did on this occasion, their faith will be likewise rewarded by God.

If this is so, how much more should we believe, trust, lean and call upon the miracle-working power of Christ for unbelievers to see that Christ’s power is real, as well as believers. I’ve had people come forward for healing in an evangelistic service, but I did not first ask them, “Are you a Christian?” I left that discretion up to the Great Healer, just as in this case. Many times after receiving a healing touch, they wanted Christ to live in their hearts as Lord and Savior.

Verses 29-30: Then Jesus went from there back to the shores of Lake Galilee. He went up on a hill and sat down. A large crowd of people came to Him. They brought many other sick people and placed them in front of Him. There were people who could not walk, people who were blind, crippled, or deaf, and many others. Jesus healed them all.

Now Jesus makes the three-day trip back to familiar territory. He arrived in an area where the slopes of a hill ran down to the banks of the lake. With the word spreading quickly that He was back in the area, people came out by the hundreds, bringing their sick relatives and family members to be healed. Matthew is quick to account for their illnesses: paralytics, blind, crippled, deaf, and mutes. Jesus did not allow one of them to return home unhealed. It is correct to note that they did not give thanks to Jesus, but to the God of Israel for their healing.

The wording of this verse implies that Jesus had already made up His mind where He was headed. It seems that He was familiar with this place. And since the only marker we are given is the shore of Lake Galilee, there is a possibility that He revisited the spot where the feeding of the 5,000 recently took place. So in order for the next verse to fit what occurred, either after His arrival word began to spread and people started flocking to the area, or, somehow the word had gone on before Him and they were there when He arrived. In either case, it shows the power of His personality to draw such a crowd without advertising and months of prior planning.

In his sermon, Chrysostom offers this thought for the hearer to contemplate: “Now Jesus goes to the mountain awaiting those who are diseased. The lame are brought up the mountainside. They are no longer merely touching the edge of His garment. They have advanced to a higher step. They are being brought to His feet! Therein they are showing their faith doubly, first by struggling up the mountainside even though lame, then by wanting nothing more than to be cast at His feet.”¹¹

This feeding is not to be confused as a second telling of the original miracle.¹² First of all, Matthew only says that it occurred on the shores of Lake Galilee. Secondly, there is no mention of a small boy’s lunch, but the bread and fish here belonged to the disciples. Thirdly, only seven baskets of leftovers were collected here. Fourthly, the crowd here only numbers 4,000 plus women and children. Fifthly, it was three days after Jesus arrived that this miracle was performed. Sixthly, Jesus departed to a different destination without encountering any storm. And lastly, Jesus Himself distinguishes between the two events.¹³

When early church scholar Origen read this story, he had the following to say: “Think of this mountain to which Jesus went up and sat down, as the church. It has been set up through the word of God over the rest of the world, and all sorts of people come to it. To this assembly have come not only the disciples, as if they were leaving behind the multitudes, as they did in the case of the Beatitudes. Rather, there are great crowds here, many of whom are deaf or suffer from many afflictions. Look at the crowds who come to this mountain where the Son of God sits. Some of them have become deaf to the things that have been promised. Others have become blind in their soul, not looking toward the true light. Others are lame and not able to walk according to reason. Others are maimed and unable to work profitably. Each of these who are suffering in soul from such things ascends along with the multitudes into the mountain where Jesus sits. Some who do not draw near to the feet of Jesus are not healed. But those who are brought by the multitude and cast at His feet are being healed. Even those who come only to the edges, just the extremities of the body of Christ, who feel unworthy to obtain such things, are being healed. So now you come into the congregation of what is more commonly called the church.”¹⁴

It appears that by 200 AD the church viewed itself as a place where people could come to meet Jesus. The same healing power was available to those who were willing to put forth the effort to arrive where the church doors opened. I know it is hard for us in this modern world to envision operating in the world the same way they did in Paul’s day and then later in the Early Church era. But in some cases, the congregations have adopted this same approach that Jesus used. In many cities, churches have established a presence by feeding the poor and homeless who come to their doors. And while they are there, they take the opportunity to pray for both their physical and spiritual healing.

Verse 31: People were amazed when they saw that those who could not speak were now able to speak. Crippled people were made strong. Those who could not walk were now able to walk. The blind were able to see. Everyone thanked the God of Israel for this.

Isaiah had foreseen this, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they can see, and the ears of the deaf will be opened so that they can hear. Crippled people will dance like deer, and those who cannot speak now will use their voices to sing happy songs.”¹⁵ Again I am reminded, that these wonders are not individually noted in the usual list we find in a Bible Encyclopedia on the miracles of Jesus. The last chart I saw only listed twenty-eight. I’m sure the real number is much, much larger than that. But the greatest miracles of all are those who wandered in were brought out of darkness into His marvelous light to become children of the Most High God. That number is in the billions.

Chrysostom asks us to remember how long Jesus had delayed healing the Canaanite woman. But now He heals these people immediately. This is not because they were better than she; indeed, she was more faithful than they. In her case, He defers and delays in order to manifest her stability. In the case of these, He bestows the gift immediately to shut the mouths of critics and take away from them every excuse. For the greater the favors one has received, the more one is held accountable and liable if unresponsive. This is why we see the rich turning more wicked and being more severely punished than the poor. Why? Their hearts have not been softened, not even by their prosperity.¹⁶