The Canaanite woman we are told about in the Gospel cried out to Jesus and said, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David”. This plea to Jesus was for her daughter, who was tormented by a demon. This woman came to Jesus believing that only he could help her daughter. I am guessing she might have been to other places
and people to ask for help and did not receive any. That could have made her lose faith in thinking that her daughter would ever be free one day.
When she approached Jesus, she did so with confidence and faith that he could help her, and of course, we know he did. At the end of her conversation with Jesus, he said to her, “Your faith is great.” What actions of this
woman led Jesus to make this comment to her? I believe she persisted in her plea for help. It seemed at first that Jesus was reluctant to help her; he didn’t respond to her at first. Her presence annoyed the disciples; they asked Jesus to send her away because she kept calling for him.
Perhaps we would have given up and gone away if we were in this woman's shoes.
She did not. She stayed because she believed that only Jesus could help her. We can learn much from this woman. We learn about faith and perseverance; we learn that people’s minds and opinions of us can change. We learn about selflessness. She probably had her own desires that she knew only Jesus could help her with. However, instead, she presented her daughter’s pain and suffering to Jesus when she met him. This woman continues to remind us of Jesus’ teaching, “Ask and it shall be given to you,
seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened for you.” (Matthew 7:7)
What else might you learn from the Canaanite woman? How might you incorporate these learnings into your life of faith? What else are you invited to notice today? Spend a few moments reflecting.
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
