Chapter 24—Woman of Canaan
Jesus now left the vicinity of Jerusalem and went to the coasts of
Tyre and Sidon. Here a woman who was a Canaanite met and besought
him to heal her daughter, who was grievously vexed with a devil. The
woman well knew that the Jews had no dealings with the Canaanites
and that they refused even to speak to them; but having heard of the
miracles of mercy which Jesus had performed, she resolved to appeal
to him to relieve her daughter from the terrible affliction that was upon
her. The poor woman realized that her only hope was in Jesus, and she
had perfect faith in his power to do that which she asked of him.
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But Jesus received the importunities of this representative of a
despised race in the same manner as the Jews would have done; this
was not only to prove the faith and sincerity of the woman, but also
to teach his disciples a lesson of mercy, that they might not be at a
loss how to act in similar cases after Jesus should leave them and
they could no longer go to him for personal counsel. Jesus designed
that they should be impressed with the contrast between the cold and
heartless manner in which the Jews would treat such a case, as evinced
by his reception of the woman, and the compassionate manner in
which he would have them deal with such distress, as manifested by
his subsequent granting of her petition in the healing of her daughter.
Although Jesus was apparently indifferent to her cries, yet she did
not become offended and leave him, but still had faith that he would
relieve her distress. As he passed on, as if not hearing her, she followed
him, continuing her supplications. The disciples were annoyed at her
importunity and asked Jesus to send her away. Their sympathies were
not aroused by her distress. They saw that their Master treated her
with indifference, and they therefore supposed that the prejudice of
the Jews against the Canaanites was pleasing to him. But it was a
pitying Saviour to whom the woman made her plea, and, in answer to
the request of the disciples to send her away, Jesus said, “I am not sent
but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Although this answer
was in accordance with the prejudice of the Jews, it was an implied
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