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The Gospel of Matthew

The Canaanite Woman
and loaves and fish multiplied again

Chapter 15:21-39

The Lord Jesus now left the territory of Israel and entered the region of Tyre and Sidon: it was called "Phoenicia" (land of the Palm trees), a strip of land some 30 kilometres wide along the Mediterranean Sea, to the North of Israel. Now it is part of Lebanon.

Mark informs us "He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet." (Mark 7:24-25). This could be an explanation of the reason why the disciples wanted to send her away, for she came and “kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter” (v.26). This woman was a Greek in religion, a Syrian in tongue, a Phoenician in race. Not at all an Israelite. In addition to the disgust of the disciples of the Lord Jesus, she also got three disheartening reactions from Him:

1. His silence: "But He answered her not a word". She had called Him “Lord, Son of David” (admitting His royal lineage, fulfilling the Messianic prophecies) and had asked for mercy, stating the reason. She was not discouraged with the silence, but persevered in her claim.

2. A denial: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Israel was God's people who were lost, and the Messiah was sent by God to guide them in the path of repentance and conversion. His mission (initially) was limited to this, and that Gentile woman was outside the scope of His responsibility. However, she "came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me’": worship meant prostrating herself on the ground, as if she were in the presence of the divinity.

3. A rebuke: "it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." It was a small parable, easily understandable: just as one should not give puppies bread belonging to children, the benefits arising from the presence of the Messiah in Israel should not be enjoyed by Gentiles. The woman was not offended; instead, she gave a humble but wise and convincing response, to benefit her daughter: "Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Without loss to the Israelites, the Gentiles could also enjoy the blessings that they received.

In the face of the great faith demonstrated by the woman, the Lord Jesus promptly answered her request. It is worth remembering here that Hith of the woman -possibly he had gone over there especially to attend to her without her knowing it - but He wanted her faith to be demonstrated in front of everyone, especially His disciples, who were in the process of "apprenticeship".

The attitude that He had shown to the woman in this test would be exactly that of the disciples, because they were Jews. The outcome showed them that God also listens to the Gentiles who seek and trust on his Son.

Having made this demonstration, He returned to the land of Israel, but continued to remain outside the jurisdiction of his enemy, Herod Antipas (who associated Him with the hated John the Baptist). “He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee." (Mark 7:31). He was in the district of the tetrarch Philip, better than Antipas and who had no reason to resent His presence.

Again, the Lord went up on the mountain, and sat down. Crowds took their sick for Him to heal them there. Such was the quantity and variety of ailments cured, that the people were filled with admiration: "the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing." As a result, they praised the God of Israel.

After three days with the people on the mountain, the Lord submitted His disciples to a new test of faith: He had compassion of the people and he did not want to send them away hungry because they could faint on the way. He waited for suggestions...

A few days before the disciples had witnessed and participated in the multiplication of loaves and fishes for a greater multitude where everyone ate well and the leftovers filled twelve baskets (chapter 14:13 -21). Why did they not think about the possibility of repeating that miracle? They certainly could not have forgotten it, but they did not suggest that it be repeated on this occasion, but just checked the food they had with them, and declared that it was insignificant for so many people.

Would the Lord be waiting for them to ask for a miracle again, sure that He could do it? Or maybe they did not know if this is what He wanted and so did not ask for it? The Bible does not reply to these questions, but we know that there was at least one important difference in the circumstances: the first miracle was accomplished when the Lord was still preaching His Kingdom to the Jews. It was a sign to the people of His authority, and of His power to obtain from God the sustenance for the people.

On this new occasion, He was training His disciples to be his apostles after rising to the heavens. The disciples had to learn not to rely on their own resources in the implementation of the work of God, but to ask God for the necessary provision, through and on behalf of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, He fed the multitude. The lesson was repeated to the disciples. They do not believe easily, and although they witnessed all these signs, they still manifested doubts sometimes. Shortly after, they were arguing among themselves about not having taken enough bread with them on a journey, and the Lord had to remind them of these two miracles (chapter 16:7-12).

The two miracles were very similar, varying only in quantity: people present, quantity of loaves, fish and baskets of leftovers. So much so, that it is common to forget that the two similar miracles were performed on different occasions, and we hear people mention the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves… There were two!

 

R David Jones

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21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

 

22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."

 

 

23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."

 

24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

 

 

26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

 

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

 

 

29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.

 

 

30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.
31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."
33 Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"
34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

 

 

 

37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 21 to 39