7 August 2024 Matthew 15:21-28
“Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.’” Matthew 15:22
How did the Canaanite Woman know to use terms lime “Lord” and “Son of David”?
She lived in Gentile territory. She was not a Greek, but a Phoenician associated with the ancient Canaanites who despised the Jews. And yet she recognized Jesus as a Jew, recognized him as a preacher and healer, and was even familiar with some of the technical vocabulary of Jewish religion: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David” (Matthew 15:22).
How did she know all that?
No doubt it was because of her daughter, who was tormented by a demon (15:22).
There is a rich literature that examines the overlap between mental illness and demonic activity familiar to all who have ever loved someone who has struggled with disorders leading to bizarre behavior, irrationality, destructiveness, violence, and suicidality. As far back as the Middle Agesobservers made distinctions between “demonic possession” in which evil spirits take full possession of a person’s body without their consent, and “demonic obsession” in which people are tormented by evil thoughts and spirits which drive them to sudden irrational behaviors and self-harm.Anyone who has ever loved a person so frighteningly obsessed is familiar with the desperate search for healing, has encountered the community of the desperate who share with them whatever information or hopes that they have. No doubt the Canaanite Woman had talked to people, who had talked to people, who had heard about the Rabbi whom evil spirits, and even the wind and the sea obeyed. She had talked to people who had talked to people who knew he traveled with a small group of disciples. She may even have heard what he looked like.
So when a man who dressed like a Jew and talked like a Jew, and was in the company of a team who seemed to acknowledge Him as their Leader, showed up in here home territory of Tyre and Sidon, she made an educated guess that He was the Rabbi she had heard about and approached him: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Much has been said and written about their conversation, how Jesus told her that he had only come to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and wound up commending her faith, but the truly extraordinary feature of their exchange is that she recognized Jesus in the first place. That only happened because people had talked – talked a lot about the Rabbi from Nazareth. Many Christians will talk about the importance of being a “basically good person,” and how important it is to be generous with time, talent and treasure to help the poor, the hungry, the helpless and the oppressed. “My witness is my good behavior,” they say. Without a doubt, generous, compassionate behavior is an essential feature of Christian witness. But you don’t have to be a Christian to be generous or compassionate. Evangelization has to be more than hoping that people will “take the hint” of our niceness.
The Canaanite Woman recognized Jesus because people talked about Jesus, talked to Jesus, were unembarrassed by Jesus. Her faith saved her, and healed her daughter, but she only had that because of people who talked about Jesus.
In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus did not charge his followers to go out and be “basically good people.” He told them to make disciples and teach them to do whatever He commanded. He told them to talk about Him.
People like the Canaanite Woman are depending on that.
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