In Matthew 15:21-28 (also Mark 7:24-30) we see a short little story of Jesus healing someone; nothing unusual in that, the Gospels record at least 37 examples of Jesus interacting with, and healing, people who are disabled or unwell (see link below for details); but this example is more significant than it first seems…
Link: https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com/2020/02/04/jesus-healed-part-1/
Here’s the account from Matthew’s Gospel:
21 Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, “Send her away. She keeps crying out after us.”
24 Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.” 25 Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. “Lord! Help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! You will be given what you are asking for.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Where was she from: The woman in this story is Greek, from Syrian Phoenicia (part of modern day Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel, also known as Syrophoenicia). Here we see Jesus reaching someone from outside of the traditional Jewish faith, with far reaching implications for us all.
Understanding about her daughter: Her daughter is described as having a ‘demon’. This description is also given to another child that Jesus is asked to heal, and in that case the fuller description of the boy suggests that he may have had Epilepsy, a condition not understood in that era (see link to that story and some thoughts about it below).
Link: https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com/2019/10/31/a-boys-story/
It is quite possible that this woman’s daughter also had Epilepsy, which without any understanding or treatment at the time would have been terrifying, and for the child could lead to physical injury, mental disability, and possibly death.
Jesus responds to the mother’s pleas, recognises her belief that he can heal her daughter, and the girl is instantly healed. So far so typical of the encounters that Jesus had with people who asked for healing either for themselves or for a loved one. But, as is so often the case, there are five important teaching points surrounding this healing story that we must not lose sight of as they are relevant to us today:
1. The woman didn’t give in: Look at what she said to Jesus in v22 “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me!” She called him “Lord”, recognising his authority. She referred to him as “Son of David” recognising his lineage, and she asked for mercy, showing belief that this mercy was available to her and her daughter. She is desperate, in v24 crying out “Lord! Help me!” and even though she is not Jewish, she stands her ground against the rebuttal of the disciples and even, initially, of Jesus himself, arguing her case well. So well, in fact, that she changes the mind of the Son of God himself. And that signals forward to the future in powerful ways (see below).
2. The disciples lacked compassion: They want her to go away, in v27 begging Jesus to send her away as “She keeps crying out after us.” What a lack of compassion! Had they learned nothing from Jesus? In a world today where compassion is equally rare, where people turn their backs on people who are not ‘one of us’, and who claim that ‘charity begins at home’, the attitude of the disciples here would sadly fit right in!
3. Jesus changed his mind: Even Jesus does not respond to her at first, and when he does respond, initially it is to reject her cry for help. Then starts a wonderful conversation between a desperate ‘foreign’ woman, and the one person on Earth who can save her daughter. She is determined, doesn’t back down, gives it everything she has got. And Jesus sees her faith, the faith of a non-Jew, and he changes his mind and transforms the situation for the woman and her daughter.
4. The modern context: I’ve met many mothers and fathers of children with additional needs, and most of them have that same determination to fight for their child; so often the ‘system’ is against them, as the disciples and, initially at least, even Jesus himself was. But they fight on, argue and struggle for their child, and often see a breakthrough, as the woman in this story did.
5. The eternal context: There is also something eternal that we can take from this story too, as it is hinting at the salvation that is to come to all people who believe in Jesus, wherever they are from. Just as Jesus changed his mind to heal a ‘foreigner’s’ daughter, so he also opened up salvation to non-Jews who believe in him as well. This woman was a trailblazer for millions that followed! Are you one?
Blessings,
Mark
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