“Great Faith” – Lessons From The Canaanite / Gentile Woman

I recently started studying the Book of Matthew and was today studying chapter 15. What stood out to me was in verse 28 where Jesus described this gentile Canaanite woman as having “great faith”. This got me thinking, why was she described as having “great faith”? It was such an honorable description. Then I recalled that earlier in the book, in Matthew 8:10, Jesus had used a similar terminology to describe the faith of the Roman Centurion.

I asked ChatGPT how many people in the Bible did Jesus describe as having great faith. In studying its response, I noticed that there were only two such individuals – the Canaanite (gentile) woman and the Roman (gentile) Centurion. In this note, I focus on the great faith of the Canaanite woman and lessons that we can learn about why Jesus deemed her faith so great.

The Great Faith of the Canaanite / Gentile Woman

This woman’s story is found in two places in the New Testament: Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30. The Matthew version emphasizes her perseverance and the greatness of her faith, while the Mark version emphasizes her background and perhaps how much of an outcast she was in the sight of the Jews, which puts the solidity of her faith in proper context.

• Mark told us that she was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth. Basically, she was absolutely non-Jewish. This partly explains why in the Matthew version, the disciples urged Jesus to send her away, as in their culture, they would have nothing to do with such a person. The disciples (Jews) probably also looked down on the people of Tyre and Sidon who had a reputation for all sorts of sinful behaviors in those days.

• Mark told us that Jesus wanted to be hidden in Tyre. Despite His best efforts, this woman heard that Jesus was around so she went crying (loudly!) after Him. This is her first step of faith i.e. going after Jesus and His disciples, a bunch of Jewish men, though she knew that culturally they shouldn’t be mixing.

• But she had a deep problem – her daughter was severely demon-possessed. I can’t imagine how this demon-possession manifested itself but however it did, it caused this woman to break every protocol. How serious is what you’re believing God for and are you doing (or have you done) everything within your power to bring it to pass the best you know how, while also taking it to God in prayer? Study my post on: What is Faith?

• She went crying loudly after Jesus: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” How did she know this truth about Jesus? Even if she had heard about His miracles, how did she as a gentile, living in Tyre and Sidon, know so convincingly that He was the Son of David? Something in her heart or something she had heard or something she knew may have convinced her about this – the Holy Spirit?

• This woman was persistent. Three times she rebuffed the challenges that were thrown her way:
  
  The first time she cried out, Jesus ignored her, the disciples asked for her to be sent away, and Jesus said He wasn’t sent to the “lost sheep”. But she didn’t let either these responses or the fact that she was a woman or a gentile discourage her (NB: she was going against religious, social and cultural norms here).
  
  She should have given up but she responded with even more courage. Refusing to be moved by what she saw or heard, she assumed a position of humility, begging Jesus she said: “Lord, help me!”. Stepping into the presence of God with confidence and deep heart-felt humility, she worshipped Him and repeated her request. But once again, she was rebuffed! This time, she was referred to as “little dogs” by Jesus. Ouch!
  
  If there was any element of pride or self respect in her heart, she should have gotten up in anger, insulted Jesus and his disciples and walked away. But no, she humbled herself even further in the presence of Jesus, saying: “even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Wow! Three times, she persevered.
  
  Each challenge she faced, each rebuff, each stumbling block, revealing the true state of her heart, the quality of her humility, the genuineness of her request, and the solidity of her faith. After her third response, Jesus simply gave in and granted her request, saying: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire. And her daughter was healed from that very hour”.

So, what have we learnt about the Canaanite woman’s faith that made Jesus describe it as “great”:

1. She persevered (i.e. continued in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success) despite all the challenges that she faced. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus started a parable about the persistent widow by saying that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, and ended the parable by inferring that persistent faith is what the Son of Man will be looking for when He comes again but will He find it on the earth – in Christians or in non-Christians?

2. She was consistent in her demands, like the persistent widow of Luke 18, not wavering or changing or diminishing her demands in the presence of God.

3. She did not doubt that Jesus could heal her daughter. If she doubted, she would not have been so confident to keep going forward after every rebuff. Jesus tells us in Mark 11: 23-24: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” [You can study my note on: Believing vs Asking/Speaking – What the Bible says about ”meditating on the word”].

4. She was determined, bold and courageous despite religious, social and cultural challenges that she faced. In the book of Hebrews, Paul tells us to have this boldness/courage in prayer, in making our requests to God: Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that (!!) we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Basically, going to God with timidity, fear, doubt, uncertainty about what we’re asking for or about His ability to come through for us, could hinder the receipt of the answers to our prayers. This is why the “so that” is there in the sentence. Confidence in approaching God’s presence is vital, a pre-requisite to answered prayers. He is God! Also see 1 John 5:14-15 and James 1:6-8.
   
   In my post on “How big is your faith when you come to God?”, I wrote: “If you step up to God, the King of Kings, with just a cup, He can fill the cup and give you some more. If you step up with a warehouse container, God can fill it and give you some more. Get this! Heaven is so excited when we step up boldly in faith. That faith is then tested to see what is really in our hearts and if we pass the test and still believe, we receive the blessing at the appointed time, if God wills it.” “The man who thinks that “perhaps” God will hear his prayer, thinks that “perhaps” He will not; such an one cannot ask in faith, nothing wavering, and consequently cannot receive anything. The only way to come is to come boldly. The violent take the kingdom of heaven by force (Matt 11:12). God is pleased to have us come to Him with confidence, because it shows that we believe what He says; and His own glory depends on the fulfillment of His promises.” (Ellet Joseph Waggoner)”

5. She didn’t just stay at home and pray but she did what she knew to do to try bring to pass the healing of her daughter but ultimately the answer came from God. Matthew 7:7-8 – after you’ve asked in faith, He bids you to seek i.e. go out there looking for it, doing what you can to find it, to bring it to pass. When you eventually find it, go forth and touch it with a knock.

6. She knew divine timing. When time and chance aligned, she moved and didn’t waver or let anything distract her from her purpose. If she missed Jesus at that time or sheepishly turned back when the disciples rebuffed her, she may have missed her one and only chance to get permanent healing for her daughter.
   
   In Contending in Prayer for God’s Promises, I wrote thus: “it was critical that at the appointed time (for God to answer their prayers), the people are found praying and seeking God with all their heart to bring His promises to pass. They must not give up.”
   
   Keep praying, so that your experience is not like that of the disciples who when Jesus came to them at the darkest hour of the night, after they had been toiling for many hours in the storm, did not recognize Him. The Bible tells us in the Mark version that Jesus “would have passed them by”. Why? Because instead of finding them praying at the divine moment when their solution finally arrived, they were instead filled with fear, anxiety and trepidation and thus, did not recognize a Jesus move. Study Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21, as well as my explanatory post on ‘Fear, faith & God’s sudden moves!”

In conclusion: Great Faith is something that Jesus wants us to have. Most, if not all the people that Jesus described as having “no or little faith”, were either His disciples, His followers or people who were very familiar with Him, including those He grew up with in Nazareth (because of their unbelief, He did not do many mighty miracles there), and the Pharisees. The people who were ‘closest’ to Christ were often the ones who exhibited the least faith and this is unfortunately still the case today, even in the Churches. Faith does not stop with prayer and asking; it also involves action, as faith without works is dead!

Many successful people (and unbelievers) in the world are risk takers and risk taking involves an element of faith i.e. hoping in the face of challenges, pushing ahead despite the realities of what they see. Christ wants us to develop this trait in our lives and in our walk with Him. The difference between us and the world should be that we Christians establish our faith in Jesus, the author and finisher, and not in ourselves or human capabilities or man.

What are you hoping for? What are you praying to God for? What actions are you taking to bring it to pass to the best of your ability? Can you truly say you’ve explored all you possibly can? Have you reached the end of yourself and now you’ve left it all in God’s hands, firmly knowing that His strength will be made perfect in your weakness? Whatever the case, search the crevices of your heart for where doubt has crept in and replace it once again with confident faith that the God in whom you serve is able to do superabundantly more than all you dare to ask, dream, think or even imagine [Ephesians 3:20]. God bless and keep the faith!