Why was her faith so great?

[*Zion*]

Going back to the OP, I believe that the woman had great faith, because despite Jesus' supposed discouragement, she pressed on to receive her breakthrough from Him, knowing that He could indeed give it to her.  That is great faith, to go against discouraging people and circumstances, even when said people and circumstances are to be your very breakthrough.  To me that actually speaks of God's goodness and just how great He wants our faith to be.

Blessings

[Melony]

The Lokation: HE had entered a house and did not want anyone to know (Mk 7.24). Though at Tyre [the coastal area of Phoenicia].. it was impossible for Him to be hidden [from the public]. 25 she came and fell at His feet.

Jesus answered her Mt 15.28 “Woman, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in My power] is great“ ..

Let us see details @Mark's 7.27 parallel: „It is not right to (take /) [give away] the children’s bread (… in order to turn to non-Jews).” Let “First let the children [of Israel] be fed.“ … what did she say, that mad HIM marvel 29 “Because of this answer [reflecting your humility and faith], go; the demon has left your daughter [permanently].”

 

[Melony]

Your choice was Matthew 15.28. Marks gospel may have been written first. Though this line had not mentioned this word. A Churchfathers quote speaks of Matthew's access to 'Logion'. As a diciple – He gives us more of the words of Jesus.

This women is „a Gentile (Greek, a Syrophoenician)“ said Mark and Matthew with: „Great“ is your faith! has more expression in 15.27. That is the parallels. These two gospels wrote about this. Was Jesus not expected to overstep this line? As also Mark 7.26 reads. (Luke combinds a lot in chapter 9: feeding and transfiguration, with teaching the deciples about the coming cruxifition. This storie is not found. Than John 12.20- 24 had not indicated that HE made other contacts to greek gentiles.) And it was not before Acts 10.28 that we hear Peter preaching the gospel to gentiles.

[Leonardo Von]

On 10/21/2015 at 2:39 PM, Esther4:14 said:

You know, I don't have a way to answer this at the moment, but I wanted to say that I think you ask the best questions.  They really make me think.  

I  agree with you. And I hope, sister Pamelasv, that you continue to elaborate more questions so that we can grow together in the faith.

[Leonardo Von]

On 10/21/2015 at 11:39 AM, Pamelasv said:

The Canaan woman in Matthew 15:21.   Was it because of her persistence that proved she knew He could do it?  Was it because she believed He had so much power from the almighty God that a few crumbs were enough to heal her child? Why did Jesus say her faith was great?  There has to be something a little more.  All I see is her desperation to deliver her child from this, but obviously something more to it then.  Was she risking something? Jesus had no qualms healing the Roman centurians servent, but made her beg, they both being gentiles.

I've often wondered why He said her faith was great.

 

Dear sister Pamelasv,

 

Grace and mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

·        “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 15.21-28).

·        “And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.” (Mark 7.24-30).

 

Very interesting the opinion of brother Ezra. I agree with almost everything he said. I still want to make an addition. We know that faith is by hearing, and hearing by the word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Romans 10:17). This meant that she had heard everything that was said about Jesus and believed in it, not only with the mind, but as a result of the ministry of the Eternal within her heart.

Note how, in addition to believing that Jesus was the Messiah, she believed that Jesus was the owner of her (yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs). And she believed that belonging to Jesus, even as a mere pet, was a privilege (as the prodigal son saw - Luke 15:17). For even the crumbs that fall from the "tables" of the children are enough to fill twelve baskets and be able to feed many people (as in the multiplication of the loaves):

 

·        “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.” (Matthew 14.20).

 

Surely she has heard of this miracle, believed in all that the Holy Scripture says about Jesus, and then moved by the maternal love of the Eternal within her, decides to go over the apparent neglect and humiliation of Jesus just to experience the victory of Christ in her life.

While the disciples, even seeing the miracle of the multiplication of the breads twice, were not able to understand this miracle by such hardness of heart (Mark 6.52), this woman, by merely hearing this miracle once, surrendered completely in adoration Jesus.

[HAZARD]

On ‎22‎/‎10‎/‎2015 at 0:39 AM, Pamelasv said:

The Canaan woman in Matthew 15:21.   Was it because of her persistence that proved she knew He could do it?  Was it because she believed He had so much power from the almighty God that a few crumbs were enough to heal her child? Why did Jesus say her faith was great?  There has to be something a little more.  All I see is her desperation to deliver her child from this, but obviously something more to it then.  Was she risking something? Jesus had no qualms healing the Roman centurians servent, but made her beg, they both being gentiles.

I've often wondered why He said her faith was great.

 

Gentiles were called dogs by the Jews in those days.

Christ merely used this common speech of His people (1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Sam. 3:8; 9:8; 1 Kings 8:13 - Matt. 7:6).

Dogs were not cared for in the East when grown.

The term was not offensive. It merely expressed the fact that gentiles were outside the covenant rights of Israel.

The woman acknowledged her position as undeserving and without legal covenant rights to children's bread, yet she used the Lords own words concerning dogs as grounds for further claim for healing. Even dogs have some rights - rights to the crumbs  that the master throws away and would give them. Children have enough bread to spare, so she claimed the scraps for her daughter and won her case.

Christ could not turn down such faith based upon such claims. If she got healing on these grounds, certainly we children of God can still get our part of the bread (Matt. 7:9-11).

"9, Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;
    10, or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
    11, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

 

[Retrobyter]

On 11/2/2015 at 8:01 AM, Pamelasv said:

Yes, buT the fact that it is recorded before that He healed the centurians servent and said He had not found such great faith in all Isreal, yet talks to this other Gentile in this way does cause questions about why he said these things to her instead. I guess you forgot about that guy. 

Shalom, Pamelasv.

I know this is late, but I didn't see it until the thread was re-activated. (This is why it's best to quote someone. Then, it shows up as a reply and one can respond to the reply.)

No, she SET A PRECEDENT! Yeshua` had been following the expected course of how a Jew would normally and typically treat a Gentile. He never truly meant what He was saying to her; He fully intended to help her, but He let her DEMONSTRATE her trust in Him, proving to all that she DID trust Him!

He was treating her much as Yosef (Joseph) treated his brothers in Egypt when he was disguised from their recognition. And, like Yosef, He couldn't keep up the charade any longer when she lowered herself to the point of accepting herself as a "dog." It was THEN that we saw His TRUE heart toward her. He dropped His charade and welcomed her with open arms.

With the centurion, He recognized that this man was as close to a Jewish proselyte as a Roman soldier could be in the Roman world, to which he was a slave, an indentured servant. So, as far as the King Apparent was concerned, this centurion was already a member of His kingdom.

Yeshua`s comment that He hadn't seen such faith in all Israel was to SHAME the children of Israel who were rejecting Him as God's CHOICE - God's MESSIAH - for Israel's King!