Having seen her great faith, Jesus now shows the greatness of her faith publicly. Her faith accords with the will of the Lord, showing its genuineness, so Jesus answers her prayer instantly. Healing the daughter affirms the rule of faith in the Son of David. Her faith is profound: she not just echoing known Jewish phrases, but truly believing. Such faith is enough even for a Canaanite to be delivered from a demon, making her a model for Israel. Jesus’ work and words here focus not on the one who was healed, but on the one who believed. Her faith is what Jesus seeks among the lost sheep of his own people. Even in his current withdrawal from Israel, he points toward a reunion between the people and their Messiah. His path is not limited to Israel, but his mission is first to make that way known to his own people. Jesus thus points to the woman to show the disciples (not the crowd) that his work is also directed to the nations, but it is clear that the extension of his mission to the nations is still an exception, because the Jews come first. These individual cases hint at what is to come. Faith does not always immediately get what it desires, but it does get it when it clings to the preaching, just as the woman clung to what she had heard about Jesus. Testing does not kill faith, but strengthens it, so the woman does not lose out, even when reminded that the nations come after Israel. This miracle faith found outside of Israel shows the disciples what was lacking within Israel (Matthew 8:10).
Having seen her great faith, Jesus now desires to reveal the greatness of her faith publicly. Her faith accords with the will of the Lord, testifying to its genuineness; therefore, Jesus answers her prayer instantly1.
By healing the daughter instantly, Jesus affirms a principle—the rule of faith in the Son of David. Her faith has proven genuine and profound; she does not merely echo known Jewish phrases but she truly believes. Such faith is enough even for a Canaanite woman to be delivered from demonic power. In this way, she becomes a model for Israel. Jesus specifically conducted this miracle in such a way that the focus does not fall on the one who was healed, but rather on the one who believed. Israel can see in her the very faith that Jesus is seeking among the lost sheep of his own people. In the margins of his withdrawal from Israel, he already points the way toward a true reunion between the people and their Messiah. That path is not limited to Israel, yet Jesus’ mission was first to make that way known to the people of the promise2.
Jesus thereby teaches the disciples (not the crowd) that his work is indeed directed first to Israel, but also ultimately to the Gentiles. In order that they might understand this clearly, he shows it to them through the example of a powerful faith. Yet it also becomes evident that the extension of his mission to the Gentiles is something exceptional, because the Jews come first. These individual cases are prophetic signs of what is yet to come. Faith does not always receive immediately what it desires, but it does receive it when it clings to the preaching, just as the woman held fast to what she had heard about Jesus. Testing does not extinguish faith; rather, it strengthens it. Therefore the woman does not lose out, even though she has been reminded that the Gentiles come after Israel.
Indirectly—and though the woman herself did not realize it—this miracle faith found outside of Israel revealed to the disciples what was lacking within Israel (see Matthew 8:10)3.
28 Alors Jésus lui dit: Femme, ta foi est grande; qu'il te soit fait comme tu veux. Et, à l'heure même, sa fille fut guérie.