Her behaviour, recorded in Matthew 15:22, contrasts with Israel’s unbelief: And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.
Matthew recalls the Old Testament by calling the woman a Canaanite.
Being from a people whom God had driven out before Israel, she is clearly a Gentile, but she unashamedly calls upon Jesus publicly and loudly, confessing him as greater than herself, before whom she comes in submission. Since she was not Jesus’ servant, her plea confesses his divine authority as the teacher from God, and even that God himself has drawn near to her in the person of Jesus. She also calls him Son of David
: a Messianic title that, within Israel, was used only hesitantly (Matthew 12:23), and which only a few had confidently called Jesus during his healings (Matthew 9:27). Remarkably, a Gentile freely confesses Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. Since Son of David
refers to God’s promises to David, this does not show whether she sees Jesus’ mission extending beyond Israel to the Gentiles. She simply confesses who he is, showing her knowledge of both Jewish expectations and Old Testament promises.
The behaviour of this Gentile woman, recorded in Matthew 15:22, was significant in that it stands in striking contrast to the unbelieving attitude of Israel: And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.
Matthew purposefully recalls Old Testament history by describing the woman—somewhat archaically—as a Canaanite.
She came from the very peoples whom the Lord had once driven out before Israel; she was, therefore, unmistakably a Gentile. Yet she is unashamed to call upon Jesus publicly and loudly. She acknowledges him as greater than herself, before whom she takes the place of one in submission. Since she was not Jesus’ servant, her appeal reveals a recognition of his divine authority as the teacher sent from God. In her plea, she even confesses that God himself has drawn near to her in the person of Jesus.
She furthermore also calls him Son of David
—a Messianic title that, within Israel, is used only hesitantly and with uncertainty (Matthew 12:23), and only a handful of people had confidently confessed Jesus as such during his healings (Matthew 9:27). It is therefore remarkable that this Gentile woman so freely and wholeheartedly acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. Since the title Son of David
refers to the fulfilment of God’s promises to David, its use in itself does not determine whether Jesus’ significance extends beyond Israel to the Gentiles. The woman does not attempt to define the scope of his mission; she simply confesses who he truly is. Her words suggest that she had to have been familiar with the Jewish expectations as well as the promises of the Old Testament.1
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”