The divine nature looking into actuality of the Canaanite Woman

The divine nature looking into actuality of the Canaanite Woman

 

(Matthew 15;21-28)

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me! she said

26. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs,"

27. "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

When Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, he met a Canaanite woman, who was despised by people because she was a gentile. This woman heard the gossip about Jesus and looked forward to meet him in order to heal the disease of her daughter.

As soon as she saw Jesus, she thought that this was a chance that she can never missed. so she shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

She kneeled down, told Jesus that her daughter was suffering terribly from demon-possession and longed for Jesus' sympathy. Even if her earnest was evidently delivered to Jesus by her words and action, Jesus' reaction was unexpectedly indifferent.

However she hanged upon once again and asked, "Lord, Help me!" but his response was more unfriendly.

Jesus would like to test this woman's faith. Jesus knew that Gentiles and women as the weak were suffered from despise and detest by people at that time. And Jesus considered her courage that dared to suspend to him as great. But he want to test her faith and self-esteem to stand before Jesus.

In other words, Jesus wanted to confirm whether this woman properly penetrate the reality. For faith is not illusion floated over the air but is founded on the reality.

The reaction of this woman was more than the expectation of Jesus. This woman went forward as Jesus looked forward for him to listen her condition and heal her daughter's disease. But Jesus' response was so cold that this women was surprised and disappointed

“Jesus who I heard about will not be like this, I have believed that he can understand me more than any other people because he is so warm and so gentle, as I heard. I am so upset because I am despised by other people, but Jesus also treats me like a dog. I may be less than a dog.... then do I withdraw myself from him?”

Ordinary people may think like this and frustrate themselves. But this woman didn't choose to withdraw.

“Yes, I may be less than a dog, then is there a reason for me not to be blessed by God? Where is that reason? How much hard it is for me to stand before him! I won't shrink from him any more!”

This woman challenges Jesus to say to herself in mind but she pretends to hope for the sympathy of Jesus in appearance. And she said like this, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table."

To this, Jesus was greatly satisfied with her words and attitude. He was moved by her wise words beyond his expectation. He praised this woman like this, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."

In contemporary words, “You passed my test, You got a excellent grade!” In this event by her encountering with Jesus we know that Jesus tests our faith that perceives the position of our own self, that is, the reality. And we also can realize that her fortitude and her skill of managing to reality give us a lesson about how the faith should be for us living in modern time.