How would you respond if I asked you to have someone describe you in four words? Well, you might respond, it would depend on how well this person knew and understood you and how qualified the person was to provide a valid description. For example, if a newspaper critic wrote about a concert pianist with these four words, “He was a failure,” you might think, well that was just his opinion. But, if one of the world’s greatest musicians declared, “He was a genius,” then you are apt to take the remark more seriously.
There was a person in the Gospel passage we just heard who Jesus described with four unforgettable words: great is your faith. She was a Canaanite woman who came from the region outside of Palestine, a land hostile to the Jews. We know very little about her except that she had at least one child. We don’t even know her name. And yet, in this single encounter with Jesus she was to receive this four-word affirmation: great is your faith.
They are only four words but they are remarkable, especially coming from Jesus. We can trust these words as being true because the expert on faith spoke them. Jesus searched for faith as a gem collector would search for fine jewels. He did not always find it in his disciples. On no occasion that we know did he ever say to Peter, James or John, the closest of his disciples, great is your faith. More often the words he spoke to them were: “O you of little faith.” In fact, on only one other occasion did Jesus praise a person for his faith. Interestingly, that was a Roman soldier who had also come to Jesus in his time of need.
So, we look on this Canaanite woman with deep admiration. Who of us would not like it said of us: great is your faith. So, let’s explore how it came about that Jesus would say this to this woman. First, we can say of this Canaanite woman that she was willing to cross barriers. Remember, she was a Gentile, a Canaanite, and therefore a despised enemy of the Jews. The Canaanites and the Jews had been mortal enemies for centuries. It’s important to note that Jesus was walking in enemy territory. Our gospel passage begins with the interesting comment that Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, an area populated not by Jews but by Canaanites and other foreigners. Many scripture scholars believe that Jesus, who had spent most of his public ministry among his fellow Jews in Palestine, was preparing his followers to embrace the universal salvation he would accomplish through his death and resurrection. So it is here that he encounters a woman with a desperate need; her daughter was being tormented by a demon. She was therefore willing to turn to Jesus, an enemy, for help. That was her faith.
It seems clear that when this lady turned to Jesus for help she knew very little of him. She first addressed him by simply calling him “Lord,” a common title of respect, much like we would today say “sir” to a man we don’t know. Then, unsure if she had given the proper title, she added, Son of David. Undoubtedly she had heard of the great powers of Jesus and this title the Jews had given him and she was willing to put aside her pride and cry out for help: “Have pity on me.” But, that was her faith and the extent of her understanding of who Jesus was and it was enough.
Secondly, we can say of her that she refused to be put off. There were several intimidating factors that could have made her give up. First, there was the silence of Jesus. The scriptures tell us that to her cry for help and outstretched hand Jesus, at first, did not say a word. There is no reaction harder to bear than silence. A flat “No” at least acknowledges your presence and tells you where you stand. But when there is silence you don’t know what the person is thinking or even if they have acknowledged you.
There is no sterner test of faith than the silence of God. We’ve all experienced it as we turned to him in our need and were met with silence. It’s a terrible feeling. That’s how this Canaanite woman must have felt. She told Jesus that her daughter needed help and what she got in reply was silence. But, this did not stop her. She perceived what very few people have the faith to perceive: that the silence of God does not mean the indifference of God. This woman did not lose heart in the face of silence.
When Jesus finally did break his silence he said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Was Jesus testing her? It sounds very much as if he is saying, “sorry, you are not on my list of people to help.” But even then she refused to be put off. In spite of what Jesus said she fell at his feet and cried out: “Lord, help me.” Such was the strength of her faith.
This brings us to a third aspect of her faith: she realized that she had no claim on Jesus for the request that she was making. To this woman’s plea for help Jesus makes another statement that we may find difficult to understand. It does not sound like something that Jesus would say and yet we hear him say to her: “It is not right to take the food of children and throw it to the dogs.” That sounds like a contemptuous insult. Today, the term “dog” is used for someone or something particularly despicable. It’s important to note, however, that the actual word that Jesus used was not dog but puppy. He was referring to a household pet and not the kind of wild dogs that roamed the streets at that time. It seems that Jesus was not insulting her but teasing her and that he probably had a smile on his face when he spoke these words.
So, how did she respond? She answered with, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” That was her faith. It requires faith to go to God for help and at the same time admit that we have no claim upon him. Having nothing that we have done to merit his mercy, in no position to make demands, we go to God in faith.
The woman’s faith was so strong that we hear Jesus reply to her: “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you wish.” And, as we hear in today’s account, her daughter was healed.
Yes, as we hear in all three readings today, God sent his Son to save all people; all we need is faith. Let us have the same faith in Jesus as this woman did. And, looking through the new eyes of faith, we are called to see that all are called to be children of God. Just as we are all sinners, we can all be saved. Let us try to see one another with the eyes of faith ─ and be eager to lead everyone back to God, who loves us all. May we be people of whom others can say these four words: Great is their faith.