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The Syrophoenician woman's daughter

Matt 15:21–28; Mark 7:24–30 · Later ministry in Galilee

Scripture

Matthew 15:21–28

hen Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22And, 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. 23But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. 28Then 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.

King James Version · public domain

Mateu 15:21–28

dhe Jisuj si dolli andej, iku nd’anët të Tyrës’ e të Sidhonësë. 22Edhe ja një grua Hananeë tek dolli nga ata sinorë, e i thërriste dyke thënë, Përdëlle-më, o Zot, bir’ i Dhavidhit; ime bijë mundonetë keq prej djallit. 23Po ay nuk’ i upërgjeq asaj ndonjë fjalë. Edhe nxënësit’ e ati erthnë përanë e i luteshinë, dyke thënë, Lësho-e atë, sepse po thërret prapa nesh. 24Po ay upër-gjeq e tha, Nuk’ udërguashë ngjetiu, veç te dhënt’ e-humbura të shtëpis’ së Israilit. 25Pastaj ajo erdhi e i falej ati, dyke thënë, Zot, ndih-më. 26Po ay upërgjeq e tha, Nuk’ është mirë të-marrë njeriu bukën’ e djemvet, e t’u’a hedhë këlyshëvet të qënvet. 27Edhe ajo tha, Po, Zot; po edhe këlyshët’ e qënvet hanë nga thërrimetë që bjenë nga truvez’ e zotërinjvet. 28Atëherë Jisuj upërgjeq e i tha asaj, O grua, besa jote ësht’ e-madhe; t’ubëftë si do. Edhe e bija ushërua që mb’atë herë.

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

Summary

When the woman cries out, Christ is at first silent, and then answers with what sounds like a hard refusal: "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." The Fathers are agreed that this seeming harshness is no rejection but a deliberate drawing-out of her faith, so that a virtue that might have stayed hidden is brought into the open for all to see. She meets the word not with offense but with wisdom, turning it gently back: "yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Chrysostom marvels at this: she calls herself a dog and the children masters, and in that lowliness she lays hold of what she asks; her humility is set off against the pride of those first invited, who had the bread and despised it.

The disciples appear here in a lesser light, asking only that she be sent away because she keeps crying after them, while she persists in a faith that outstrips theirs. The whole exchange unfolds on the borders of Tyre and Sidon, outside Judea, and the Fathers see this geography as meaningful: the Church, the gathering of the nations, ventures to approach Christ as he comes out from Israel. Origen reads her coming forth from those pagan borders as the soul's turning from distress and evil powers toward Christ, and her possessed daughter as the soul he comes to heal.

So the episode holds together the order and the mercy of salvation. The "lost sheep of the house of Israel" are sought first, for to them the bread was first set; yet the nations, though not the first-invited, are not refused. By faith and humility the woman receives what was not yet formally hers, and in her the Gentiles are shown that no one who comes lowly and believing is turned away.

In their own words

And when He vouchsafed her a word, then He smote her more sharply than by His silence.

St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Homily LII (on Matt. xv. 21-28) (NPNF1 Vol. 10)

The Syrophoenician (Canaanite) Woman's Daughter (Matthew 15:21–28; Mark 7:24–30)

Public-Domain Patristic Commentary

Christ withdraws to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, Gentile territory. A Canaanite woman (Mark calls her a Greek, a Syrophoenician) comes crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." He answers her not a word. The disciples ask Him to send her away; He says, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." She comes and worships Him: "Lord, help me." He answers, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." She replies, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then He says, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Luke does not record this episode. The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain translations, including the Catena Aurea on Mark (St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841); nothing is paraphrased.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 52 (on Matthew 15:21–28) Source: trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 10. Public domain. Full text: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200152.htm

On why He came into Gentile territory at all:

And why did He go at all into these parts? When He had set them free from the observance of meats, then to the Gentiles also He goes on to open a door, proceeding in due course; even as Peter, having been first directed to annul this law, is sent to Cornelius.

On His silence, His hard word, and her growing earnestness:

But Christ says, "I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." What then did the woman, after she heard this? Was she silent, and did she desist? Or did she relax her earnestness? By no means, but she was the more instant. But it is not so with us; rather, when we fail to obtain, we desist; whereas it ought to make us the more urgent.

On how she turned His own words into her plea, and why He had delayed:

And He calls them no longer "sheep," but "children," and her "a dog." What then says the woman? Out of His own very words she frames her plea. "Why, though I be a dog," said she, "I am not an alien."... With this intent did Christ put her off, for He knew she would say this; for this did He deny the grant, that He might exhibit her high self-command... Not in insult then were His words spoken, but calling her forth, and revealing the treasure laid up in her.

On her humility set against the pride of those who counted themselves children:

But do thou, I pray you, together with her faith see also her humility. For He had called the Jews "children," but she was not satisfied with this, but even called them "masters;"... He said, "It is not meet," and she said, "Truth, Lord;" He called them "children," but she "masters;" He used the name of a dog, but she added also the dog's act. Do you see this woman's humility?

On the word that crowned her, and on perseverance in prayer:

What then says Christ? "O woman, great is your faith." Yea, therefore did He put her off, that He might proclaim aloud this saying, that He might crown the woman. "Be it unto you even as you will."... This was akin to that voice that said, "Let the Heaven be, and it was."... But mark thou, I pray you, how when the apostles had failed, and had not succeeded, this woman had success. So great a thing is assiduity in prayer.

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1050–1107)

From his Explanation of the Gospel of Mark, as preserved in the Catena Aurea on Mark. Public domain.

On why Christ now turns toward the country of the Gentiles:

After that the Lord had finished His teaching concerning food, seeing that the Jews were incredulous, He enters into the country of the Gentiles, for the Jews being unfaithful, salvation turns itself to the Gentiles.

On why He came in secret:

Or else, His reason for coming in secret was that the Jews should not find occasion of blame against Him, as if He had passed over to the unclean Gentiles.

On the children, the bread, and why He delays His grace:

He calls the Gentiles dogs, as being thought wicked by the Jews; and He means by bread, the benefit which the Lord promised to the children, that is, to the Jews. ... The reason, therefore, why the Lord does not immediately hear, but delays His grace, is, that He may also shew that the faith of the woman was firm, and that we may learn not at once to grow weary in prayer, but to continue earnest till we obtain.

On the soul that, falling into sin, is healed by humble confession:

The soul of each of us also, when he falls into sin, becomes a woman; and this soul has a daughter who is sick, that is, evil actions; this daughter again has a devil, for evil actions arise from devils. ... if however in humility, knowing ourselves to be dogs, we confess our sins, then the daughter, that is, our evil life, shall be healed.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Sermons on the New Testament, Sermon 27 (on Matthew 15:21) Source: trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Public domain. Full text: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/160327.htm

On the woman as a lesson in humility:

This woman of Canaan, who has just now been brought before us in the lesson of the Gospel, shows us an example of humility, and the way of godliness; shows us how to rise from humility unto exaltation.

On why He seemed not to hear her:

So then, as being eager to obtain mercy she cried out, and boldly knocked; and He made as though He heard her not, not to the end that mercy might be refused her, but that her desire might be enkindled; and not only that her desire might be enkindled, but that, as I have said before, her humility might be set forth.

On her confession of herself as a dog, and His answer:

The Lord had called her a dog; and she did not say, I am not, but she said, I am. And because she acknowledged herself to be a dog, immediately the Lord said, Woman, great is your faith; be it unto you even as you have asked. You have acknowledged yourself to be a dog, I now acknowledge you to be of human kind.

On the woman as a figure of the Church, and on the grafting of the Gentiles:

See, Brethren, how in this woman who was a Canaanite, that is, who came from among the Gentiles, and was a type, that is a figure, of the Church, the grace of humility has been eminently set before us.

The natural branches shall be broken off, that the wild olive tree may be grafted in. Now why did the natural branches deserve to be cut off, except for pride? Why the wild olive tree to be grafted in, except for humility? Whence also that woman said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. And thereupon she hears, O woman, great is your faith... The wild olive tree is the people of the Gentiles... Because of pride they were broken off: and the wild olive tree grafted in because of humility. This humility did the woman show forth.

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 672–735)

From his Commentary on Mark, as preserved in the Catena Aurea on Mark. Public domain.

On the order of salvation, the Jews first and then the Gentiles:

The time will come when even you who are Gentiles will obtain salvation; but it is right that first the Jews who deservedly are wont to be called by the name of children of God's ancient election, should be refreshed with heavenly bread, and that so at length, the food of life should be ministered to the Gentiles.

On shrinking from the praise of men in the working of miracles:

Having entered also into the house, He commanded His disciples not to betray who He was to anyone in this unknown region, that they, on whom He had bestowed the grace of healing, might learn by His example, as far as they could, to shrink from the glory of human praise in the shewing forth of their miracles.

On the faith of the mother and the baptism of infants:

On account then of the humble and faithful saying of her mother, the devil left the daughter; here is given a precedent for catechising and baptizing infants, seeing that by the faith and the confession of the parents, infants are freed in baptism from the devil, though they can neither have knowledge in themselves, or do either good or evil.

Note on sources and other Fathers

The Fathers agree that Christ's hardness was mercy in disguise, the deliberate drawing out of a faith He meant to crown. Chrysostom watches the exchange as a contest of love: the woman turns each rebuff into a fresh plea, frames her whole argument "out of His own very words," and out-humbles the very people who despised her, calling them "masters" where they called themselves children. His refrain is that Christ "put her off" precisely to reveal "the treasure laid up in her," and that her success where the apostles had failed shows "so great a thing is assiduity in prayer." Theophylact, reading Mark, sees the same delay as a teaching that "the faith of the woman was firm," and that we should "not at once to grow weary in prayer, but to continue earnest till we obtain"; he also reads the scene morally, the sinful soul healed when it humbly confesses itself a dog. Augustine reads the same woman as "a figure of the Church" gathered from the Gentiles: she who says "I am" a dog rather than "I am not" is the wild olive grafted in by humility, while the natural branches are broken off by pride. Bede draws out the order of salvation, the Jews refreshed first with heavenly bread and then the Gentiles, and finds in the daughter's deliverance through her mother's faith "a precedent for catechising and baptizing infants." All arrive at the single word that ends the scene, "great is thy faith."

The Catena Aurea on Mark also preserves comments under the names of Jerome and a "Pseudo-Jerome" allegory of the Church of Rome, which are not quoted here; on Matthew it preserves the well-known summary attributed to Aquinas, that five things in the woman won her daughter's deliverance: humility, patience, prayer, perseverance, and faith. Mark's parallel (7:24–30) names her a Greek, a Syrophoenician by nation, and gives the saying in the form "Let the children first be filled." Cyril of Alexandria's homilies on Luke do not treat this miracle, since Luke alone omits it. For verbatim public-domain English, Chrysostom's homily and Augustine's sermon are the principal sources for Matthew, while Theophylact and Bede supply the Markan reading through the Catena Aurea on Mark (St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841).

Patristic sources

Read the sources: Chrysostom on Matthew (CCEL) · Origen on Matthew, Book XI (New Advent)