Κυριακή ΙΖ’ Ματθαίου.Της Χαναναίας /The Sunday of the Canaanite 2/18/24

Holy Gospel our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ meets with a Gentile woman near the region of Tyre and Sidon. The woman was a Greek living in Canaan. She had a daughter which was "severely demon-possessed". In her distress of finding a way to heal her daughter, she took the path and climbed the mountains of that region just with the thought that she might meet with the great Teacher of Israel, whose fame traveled around the country. This great Rabbi can heal all the infirmities of men! He is the solution, the woman said, of my family's problems.

And behold, seeing Christ from a distance, she cried out to Him: "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! Have mercy on me and show compassion, for my daughter is suffering not from any sickness of the flesh, but from spiritual illness. She has been possessed by a demon!"

But Jesus does not give any attention to her words. He ignores her completely. At her cry of pain, He does not show any sympathy. In addition to this unusual behavior of Jesus, when the Apostles came and urged Him to "send her away, for she cries out after us", He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. l5:24). But the poor woman did not lose her hopes. She insisted and came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

We have before us a woman, whose child is spiritually ill. She is crying out to the Creator of the whole Universe to help her. She is crying out to the One, who heals with His command all illnesses. She is kneeling before Him, who all the angelic hosts in Heaven worship. She is crying out for help, and He is doing nothing! And though the woman has enough problems, He says to her, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs" (Matt. l5:26).

Now, what type of answer is this? She is asking desperately for help, and He is insulting her on top of this! Is this a type of a joke? Is Jesus truly turning His back on this woman's request? Is the God of Love not hearing the prayers of this woman. She is not asking anything for her self, she is praying for her daughter's health. She is asking to deliver her from the power of Satan, and to make her a free person. Therefore she does not feel insulted, but insists even more at her request saying, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (Matt. l5:27).

Jesus Christ answered, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire" (Matt. l5:28). This is what our Lord wanted to bring out as an example for all generations which will follow. The woman's faith in Him. If He had just cured the child right from the beginning, then the woman's faith would not have been shown.

Christ on purpose ignores her, in order to glorify her faithfulness in Him. He does not answer her, in order that she persists in turning to Him. He delays the healing, in order to strengthen her hope in Him. He humbles her in order to teach us her humbleness and that with true humbleness we should approach God.