Thoughts for the Day

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

This account of the Syro-Phoenician's daughter in Mark and Matthew's Gospels and packs a huge punch! Jesus is escaping the multitudes to spend time with his disciples before heading to Jerusalem and the final encounter with his enemies. He does this by leaving Galilee and going to the district of Tyre and Sidon, which is populated by Phoenicians an ancient Semitic people related to the Canaanites - all were traditional enemies of the Hebrew people. This is Gentile territory and no strict Jew would go there for fear of ritual contamination. .

Haring of the arrival of Jesus in the village the woman enters the house and respectfully kneels before him to make her plea for him to heal her daughter. Jesus points out that he must "feed the children first", that is the people of Israel. Unusually, the woman argues back, that even in a house the dogs will receive scraps from the table. Note that the word "dog" is an extremely derogatory term, though Jesus uses the word 'kunaria' meaning not a scavenging street dog, but a lap-dog. Her quick response elicits Jesus' admiration, and he grants her wish to heal her daughter. Her faith and persistence have won the day. This whole incident seems to promise what will happen later, that the good news of the Gospel will go out to gentiles around the world through the work of the disciples.

We can learn much about faith, and about persistence in our prayer life, from the Syro-Phoenician women, not least to keep "knocking on God's door" in faith!

Lord Jesus Christ,
who healed the daughter
of the Syro-Phoenician woman,
so foreshadowing that Your message
would go out to the whole world.
Help us to be as strong in faith
and as persistent in our requests,
that they may be granted.
Amen.