And he said to her: For this saying, go thy way. The devil is gone out of thy daughter.
και ειπεν αυτη δια τουτον τον λογον υπαγε εξεληλυθεν το δαιμονιον εκ της θυγατρος σου
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Observe how the Lord operates! He did not proclaim, ‘My strength has delivered you,’ but instead, what did He declare? ‘Due to this word,’ meaning your belief, “go,” your daughter has been restored. Take this as a valuable lesson for yourself as well.
She pursued him, crying out, “Have mercy on me!” Yet he did not respond to her pleas. The Lord's silence prompted an even louder cry from the Canaanite woman. Though he disregarded her with his silence, she refused to fall behind. When he insulted her with a remark, she did not retreat. He exalted Israel, whom they held in contempt, but she bore no bitterness against him. After humbling her spirit once more, she honored Israel again, saying, “Indeed, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table,” implying that the Jews were the leaders of the nations. When his disciples approached and urged him to send her away, she remained undeterred by the label of a dog. In response to her unwavering resolve, he declared, “Great is your faith, O woman!”
The Lord soon journeyed from this location to the north-west of Galilee, reaching the regions of Tyre and Sidon. Here, amidst the Gentile territories, specifically among the Canaanites, a people deemed unworthy by God, He revealed to His disciples a woman fitting for His kingdom. Although the Lord did not personally preach to the Gentiles, nor authorize His disciples to do so during their initial mission, He did not overlook the opportunity to demonstrate the presence of faith among them. We are already familiar with the centurion from Capernaum, and now the Canaanite woman stands alongside him in her belief. She approached the Lord, addressing Him as the Son of David, acknowledging Him as the Messiah, imploring Him to heal her daughter afflicted by an unclean spirit.
Though the Lord had sought a period of retreat and silence, He initially did not respond to her, prompting the apostles to advocate on her behalf. Yet, He also declined their pleas. This refusal, however, served to underscore her profound faith and humility, leading the Lord to cast out the spirit from her daughter who remained at home. The words spoken by the Gentle Teacher may appear harsh: "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." However, this allegorical statement indicated that, within the current framework, those outside His covenant community could not partake in the blessings the Messiah offered; they existed beyond His kingdom and were not considered children of God. Despite the apparent severity of the statement, the woman sensed the underlying love in the very tone of His reply. Therefore, she persevered, recognizing her unworthiness to claim equal rights with the children in the Messiah's kingdom. Instead, she humbly requested merely a small portion of the abundance.
The woman persisted in her pleas for mercy from the Lord despite the obstacles she faced. Jesus then responded to her, saying, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." This statement implied to the woman that she was seen as impure and undeserving of healing for her daughter. However, this declaration ignited in her a remarkable humility and unwavering faith, prompting the Lord to heal her ailing daughter: "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs." The Lord then declared, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire." At that moment, the daughter of the Canaanite woman was healed.
Upon returning to her home, she discovered that the demon had departed, and her daughter was resting on the bed. Moved by the Canaanite woman's humility and unwavering faith, Jesus proclaimed, "O woman! Great is your faith; let it be to you according to your desire" (Matthew 15:28). He also assured her, "Go home, the demon has gone out of your daughter" (Mark 7:29). Her daughter was healed that very hour (Matthew 15:28). When she reached her home, she found the demon had indeed left, and her daughter lay peacefully on her bed (Mark 7:30). There was no need for physical contact with the afflicted girl, nor for direct engagement with the malevolent spirit. The powerful words of Christ sufficed—let it be! Immediately, a miraculous healing occurred.
The Canaanite woman had earned Christ's favor; she trusted in His boundless power, believing that He could heal her daughter even in her absence, should He choose to do so. She hoped fervently that He would grant her this healing. With steadfast faith and strong hope, she approached Christ and supplicated Him tirelessly, refusing to be disheartened even when it seemed that her pleas went unnoticed. She persisted in her requests, undeterred by the apostles’ initial silence. Bowing humbly at His feet, she continued to implore Him, even after experiencing what might have felt like an offensive rejection; rather than deter her, this intensified her resolve. Her faith and hope remained unshaken, and through her humble persistence, she achieved her goal. Jesus, moved with compassion, healed her daughter.
How frequently do we, when we present our needs to God and do not receive an immediate response, allow our fervor for prayer to wane, saying, "I prayed and asked, but nothing happened, so I ceased my prayers." Let us refrain from such reasoning and, inspired by the example of the Canaanite woman, learn to bring our requests before God without ceasing. If we do not receive what we seek from God, it is often due to our own shortcomings: for God, in His infinite goodness and love, bestows blessings according to our faith and actions. Therefore, when we do not receive, it may be a lack of adequate faith that prevents us from recognizing God's gifts, or it may stem from our unworthiness due to sin. Let us strive to strengthen our faith, diminish our transgressions, and increase our good works, so that we might humbly, patiently, and persistently approach God, like the Canaanite woman, with the absolute confidence that, in His time, our requests will be fulfilled. "Ask," Christ said, "and it will be given to you" (Matthew 7:7).
Her faith emerged victorious. The Savior did not prolong her suffering any longer. "O woman!" He declared, "great is thy faith; let it be done unto thee according to thy desire."
In these words, the profound faith and humility of the woman were revealed, as noted by Theophilus. It was her faith and humility that attracted the Lord's favor, leading Him to grant immediate healing to her daughter.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 15 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS