Canaanite Women
Mathew 15:21-28 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
This passage revolves around the encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman who sought His assistance to heal her daughter. At the outset, Jesus had declared His ministry was primarily for the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham with whom God had established a
covenant. However, this situation presented a unique context. During the time of Jesus, the Romans were ruling over the Jews and we can find the Greeks and the Canaanites living among them. Jesus went around the Jewish villages healing and delivering the Jewish people.
A Canaanite woman approached Jesus, persistently seeking help for her daughter. Despite her persistence, Jesus initially appeared to ignore her. He responded by stating that He was sent solely for the lost sheep of Israel. This woman did not possess a belief in Jesus as God or teacher; she likely perceived Him as a mere magician or witch doctor based on her experience. Her knowledge did not encompass Jewish customs, salvation, discipleship, or Jesus’ divine nature, including His virgin birth. Her primary motivation was to secure healing for her daughter. She did not acknowledge Him as a Savior or redeemer; her sole focus was on His ability to perform miraculous healings.
Jesus replied that He couldn’t give the children’s bread to the dogs, He seemingly referred to her as a dog. This was a challenging moment. Instead of taking offense, the woman responded by highlighting that even dogs could benefit from the crumbs that fell from the table. She viewed her daughter’s illness as a pressing issue and believed that Jesus was her only source of help.
Despite Jesus’ initial reluctance and criticism, she remained steadfast in her pursuit of getting help for her daughter. She acknowledged her “outsider status’ but believed that even a small portion of the crumbs could bring healing to her daughter.
Jesus marveled at her and responded by acknowledging her great faith, granting her request, and healing her daughter instantly. This faith was not rooted in an understanding of Jesus as God, the Messiah, a Prophet, or the means of salvation for sins leading to heaven. Instead, it was a straightforward belief in Jesus’ extraordinary power, authority, and the simple notion that if He uttered a word, her daughter would be restored to health. It was a simple faith.
Often, within the church, we tend to overcomplicate matters, delving into theological discussions that can hinder people from receiving the deliverance and healing they seek. Some individuals become entangled in the web of complex doctrines, making it difficult for them to experience breakthroughs.
This Canaanite woman serves as a powerful example of how faith can be uncomplicated yet immensely powerful. She didn’t know anything except that Jesus was powerful. She knew that only if she could convince Him to speak a word her daughter would be well.
When Lazarus died, Jesus told Mary and Martha that He would raise him up. But Martha replied that they believed Lazarus would be raised on the last day. This response stemmed from her depth of knowledge to anticipate a resurrection on the final day. In contrast, the Canaanite woman’s faith was characterized by its simplicity. She was totally invested in the truth she knew.
The Canaanite woman’s unwavering reliance on the simple truth she knew, even when Jesus referred to her as a “dog,” shows her remarkable faith. Insults and ego did not stop her. She had invested herself entirely in the belief that if Jesus could just say a word, her daughter would find freedom. Her story illustrates how her focus on a single truth propelled her to persist despite all obstacles.
WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD:
Matthew 9: 18-22 18While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
In a particular instance, Jesus was on His way to a specific location, surrounded by a large, bustling crowd. Amidst this throng, there was a woman who had suffered from an issue of blood for 12 years. She had expended considerable resources seeking healing from various doctors, all in vain. However, what set her apart was her expectations. This woman, possibly of Jewish descent, had heard about Jesus as the Messiah who went about performing miraculous healings and deliverances. Upon learning of Him, she was dreaming and pondering about Jesus in her mind that one day He would come to her village and she would receive her healing on that day by just touching His garment. She spent days meditating on this, investing her energy, emotions, and thoughts into this fervent desire. She wasn’t a disciple of Jesus, but she understood that He possessed extraordinary power, and if she could only touch Him, her healing would be realized. The source of her faith stemmed from her deep desire, meditation, and imagination that was around her thought. She was building on it.
Even though the people around her may have questioned her faith or criticized her unconventional approach, she held fast to what she believed. Some might have dismissed her with skepticism, wondering where she had obtained such doctrine from. They might have warned her against placing too much faith or maintaining such high expectations, fearing the disappointment that could follow if her healing didn’t materialize. However, the woman’s faith was unshaken. She was not swayed by others’ opinions or the potential for disappointment.
One day as Jesus passed by, surrounded by a crowd of people, the woman approached Him and reached out to touch the hem of His garment. Despite the many people pressing in around Him, Jesus paused and inquired, “Who touched me?” Peter, feeling embarrassed, pointed out that many were physically touching Him, but Jesus clarified that there was a distinct touch that had drawn power from Him. While others merely touched His body and clothing, this touch was different – it had the power to draw healing energy from Him. It’s important to note that Jesus didn’t send healing power to her; rather, she drew healing power from Jesus through her touch. When Jesus saw her, He acknowledged that her faith had brought about her healing.
This had never happened earlier but she drew power from Jesus that healed her body. May our faith draw such power from Jesus. Though God has great things concerning us, until we build our faith by imagining, dreaming and talking about it we won’t be able to draw God’s power to make it happen. We may lose track and end up not completing what God has for us.
ROMAN CENTURION
Matthew 8: 5-13 5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the
“Faith Heals.. Faith Delivers .. Faith Prospers ..
Faith gives us the victory!!
word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
This Roman Centurion did not belong to the Jewish faith or the Abrahamic Covenant. He did not approach Jesus with the belief that Jesus was God or the Messiah. Often, we place our faith in the wrong things and try to rationalize why we are not experiencing healing. Instead of having a simple, childlike faith, we often overcomplicate matters, searching for reasons why we weren’t healed. What we truly need is to accept the power of Jesus on our behalf and recognize that God is on our side. Many of us have been raised with the mistaken notion that God will punish us and always find fault with us. Consequently, we tend to see ourselves as unworthy of God’s blessings.
The centurion, however, had a different perspective. He simply understood that Jesus possessed authority. As a centurion with a hundred soldiers under his command, he knew the power of authority firsthand. When he looked at Jesus, he saw a man of spiritual authority, similar to his own position of physical authority. His understanding was limited to this point: if Jesus commanded a spirit to depart, it would obey. He grasped the idea that Jesus possessed spiritual power. Having heard stories of Jesus’ authority over spirits and the resulting healings, he came to Jesus seeking healing for his paralyzed servant.
Jesus said that He would come to the centurion’s house to heal his servant, but the centurion didn’t want Jesus to come. According to Jewish customs, it was not appropriate for someone from the Jewish community to visit their house without the house being cleansed and purified first. He requested that Jesus simply speaks a word, believing that His words had the power to bring about healing. Jesus was so amazed by this faith that He told those who were with Him that He had not encountered anyone in all of Israel who possessed such remarkable faith. That was because he was able to understand what exactly happens in the spiritual realm when Jesus speaks the word. Regrettably, many Christians today have yet to grasp the depth of insight that this centurion possessed. They continue to beg and at times, blame God, lacking a full understanding of how authority operates in the spiritual realm.
Because the Lord is backing us up, and He can never be defeated, we can confidently say that we will always emerge victorious, regardless of the challenges we encounter. Our authority is derived from the Almighty and invincible God. When we engage in prayer, it’s vital to visualize the flow of authority from above and taking over our circumstances. Whatever obstacles we face in our mind, emotions, body and situations we need to understand that the chain of command and authority is from God and He is never defeated.
Jesus instructed the centurion to depart with the assurance that his request would be fulfilled in accordance with his faith. In the spiritual realm, Jesus commanded the spirit in the paralyzed individual, and the spirit departed the person’s body as soon as Jesus uttered the word. Consequently, the individual experienced complete healing and was set free from his affliction.
THE BLIND MEN
Matthew 9: 28-30 28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30and their sight was restored.
When the blind men approached Jesus seeking to be healed, Jesus never questioned if they believed He was God or Messiah or a Prophet. He never asked about the bad things they had done, about their sins and receiving forgiveness. He only asked if they believed that He could do this. This was simple. The complex doctrines and theologies have made the church weak, sick and broken. All we need is to believe that God can do it.
The Roman centurion’s faith centered on the understanding of Jesus’ authority that when He spoke, it would indeed happen. The Canaanite woman perceived Jesus as a powerful man, believing that even the smallest gesture, like receiving crumbs, could heal her daughter. The woman with the issue of blood had been shamed by her community, as the Old Testament regarded her condition as a curse. Despite the harsh judgment she faced, she believed that a mere touch of Jesus’ garment would channel His power to heal her.
We don’t require great logic and complex theology; it’s the simplicity of faith that brings healing. When we dedicate ourselves with genuine desire; ego, anger, and pride dissolve. Can we genuinely believe this in our hearts when facing challenges, dealing with problems, or addressing financial difficulties? The truth is that He possesses the power, and we are His sons and daughters, ready to receive miracles in the name of Jesus.