Jesus and the Canaanite woman

She is the main actor of a Gospel passage even when Jesus is there

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. (Mt 15:21–28)

A passage that continues to astonish us. I will share some thoughts on this passage.

1. Exegetes are not unanimous in their interpretation on this line, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” But one thing is sure, we can’t judge this phrase by today’s standards. Or what was okay in one culture or time can be offensive at another time and period.
2. At the same time, such a phrase in English language (and many others) would have been completely unacceptable today, even as a joke or a way of testing, especially from a figure like Jesus.
3. The word used for dog is more connected to pet dog. In one way, we can say that Jesus was testing the faith of that lady; in another sense, a certain growth of Jesus’ understanding of his own mission happened with this incident. I understand that the former is a more acceptable view and the latter can be a little heretical opinion for some.
4. Whatever is the interpretation of Jesus’ words, one character that is extolled here is the woman. She was focussed fully, and she didn’t consider anything as a trouble or a problem to achieve that aim. Her faith and perseverance is a model for all (be it a believer or not).