Determined Faith

"And, 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 demon.  but he answered her not a word."  Matt. 15:22-23a


The word for 'faith' in the Greek New Testament is 'pistis.'  Pistis is a noun of action and the narrative above is about an indigenous woman who sought an audience with the Iesous because her daughter was gravely ill.

Love compelled her to action.  Her daughter was suffering in a terrible manner.  Her daughter's condition seemed hopeless.  Obviously the reputation of the Iesous had come to her.  Therefore, in stabbing grief she dared to go to the One whom she believed could save her daughter from grievous torment.

She determined in her heart to get her child healed.  She moved out by faith expecting a resounding 'Yes' to her request for her daughter's deliverance.  She approached the Iesous with a respectful  grief laden 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed..."  But he answered her not a word.

How are we to understand this last sentence?  Why does he seemingly turn a deaf hear to the plaintive request of the woman? And not only does he not respond to her initial request but the disciples also begged him to send her away.

This situation was an unforeseen obstacle in the woman's faith journey on behalf of her daughter. Who would ever expect to encounter rejection and curt dismissal on a mission of faith?  What would she do?  Would she walk away shaken bewildered and angry such insensitivity to her daughter's desperate condition?  Would she walk away sulking over her rejection due to her cultural identity as a woman of Canaan?

Here is her test. Can she overcome the temptation to make the 'Silence of God' concerning her request about her?  Can she pierce through the veil of seeming rejection and silence by faith or does she give up and go away?

The Iesous added the stinging, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" to her situation. This is all too much. The too-much-ness should have persuaded her to stay her grandiose scheme of faith.
Surely now, she could give up with honor.  She had done her best.  She could feel good about that at least. But she does not give up.  She tries again to persuade the Iesous to help her.  He stonewalls her again with, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs."

This statement should have wounded her and caused her to finally realize that her journey was over.  Again she resisted the temptation to be seduced into shame, self-pity and self-victimization.  Her reply to his words reveal a heart stabilized by faith that would not be denied by circumstantial obstacles.

Her reply is, "Truth, Lords: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their mater's table."  She owns his words as she has owned from the beginning what he alone could do.  From the beginning she knew him to be her only help and answer to her situation.

Her faith was not smoothly formulaic - it never is.  She braved the obstacles meant to expose the faith-content of her heart.  She was indeed exposed before God and man but not to be held up for mockery but for a model of faith that braved the obstacles to get a blessing from the Iesous.

The Iesous thundered to her and for the ages the end of the 'Silence of God' and an everlasting tribute to her, "O, woman, great if thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt."  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

It is time for me to observe respectful silence before the such-ness of her faith.  So be it (Amen).

For more information about Dr. Josiah Rich and his teaching ministry please visit his website.