Wednesday, 31 December 2025 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” Matthew 15:22 “And you behold! A Canaanite woman from those same borders, having come, she croaked to Him, saying, ‘You compassionate me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter, she is demon-possessed badly’” (CG). In the previous verse, Jesus left the land of the Gennesaret and departed to the allotments of Tyre and Sidon. With Him there, Matthew next records, “And you behold! A Canaanite woman.” This is the only time that the word Chananaios, Canaanite, is seen in the New Testament. That is derived from Chanaan, Canaan, found twice in Acts. This was the early name of the land of Israel, having been named after Canaan, the grandson of Noah through Ham. The meaning of the name Canaan (Hebrew kna’an) is debated. It is variously translated as Land of Purple, Low, Merchant, etc. The likely meaning is Low, Abased, Humble, Humiliated, something along these lines. This is based on the account of Genesis 9, where Canaan is first mentioned. In Mark, it says of this same woman that she “was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth.” There is no contradiction in this. Syro-Phonecia is the area, and the term “Greek” is being applied as we might when we say of a person from Germany, “He is a European.” One is a wider explanation of a more precise designation. Albert Barnes provides the historical understanding – “In ancient times, the whole land, including Tyre and Sidon, was in the possession of the Canaanites, and called Canaan. The Phoenicians were descended from the Canaanites. The country, including Tyre and Sidon, was called Phoenicia, or Syro-Phoenicia. That country was taken by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, and those cities, in the time of Christ, were Greek cities. This woman was therefore a Gentile, living under the Greek government, and probably speaking the Greek language. She was by birth a Syro-Phoenician, born in that country, and descended, therefore, from the ancient Canaanites. All these names might, with propriety, be given to her.” Of this woman of Canaan, it next says, “from those same borders.” The meaning is based on the previous verse, that it is the “allotments – Tyre and Sidon.” Understanding this, Matthew continues, saying, “having come, she croaked to Him, saying, ‘You compassionate me, Lord, Son of David!’” Nothing is said about how she knew of Jesus, but it is apparent that His fame had extended far and wide. In both Mark and Luke, by this time in the narrative, it was already acknowledged that people from Tyre and Sidon had come to see Jesus (Mark 3:8 and Luke 6:17). Thus, Jewish residents of that area had already gone to see Jesus, returned, and spoken of the things they saw. Now, knowing He was in the area and understanding that He was the promised Messiah, indicated by the words “Son of David,” this Canaanite woman begs for compassion to be extended even to her, a Gentile. But more, she is of the cursed line of Canaan. This is based on Noah’s cursing of Canaan for what Ham did to him in Genesis 9. The last thing a person of such lineage might expect from the Jewish Messiah would be compassion. And yet, she faithfully came forward in hopeful expectation that He might listen to her plea, which was, “My daughter, she is demon-possessed badly.” This woman, having heard of Jesus’ capabilities, has placed the situation concerning her demon-possessed daughter in the hands of Jesus, hoping He will respond and cure her. Her faith is on prominent display, even if the level of it is not yet revealed. Life application: In commentaries on this verse, both Cambridge and Vincent’s Word Studies say something similar – “...out of the same coasts] Literally, those coasts. Jesus did not himself pass beyond the borders of Galilee, but this instance of mercy extended to a Gentile points to the wide diffusion of the Gospel beyond the Jewish race.” Cambridge “Lit., as Rev., from those borders; i.e., she crossed from Phoenicia into Galilee.” They cannot accept that Jesus traveled outside of Galilee. This, despite two different words having been used to describe His going there. The first was in verse 21, where Jesus is said to have traveled to the “allotments – Tyre and Sidon.” The second, in verse 22, says “from those same borders,” meaning she was born, raised, and lived in the same area where Jesus had traveled to. These scholars got it stuck in their heads that Jesus never left the area of Galilee based on what it says when He charged His disciples not to go in the way of the Gentiles and by His words that will say that He was sent to minister only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Because of this, their faulty deduction is that “Jesus never left the Galilee.” Both of those statements were addressed in the comments of verse 15:21. It explicitly says Jesus traveled to this area. But once we have a presupposition stuck in our head, cognitive dissonance takes over, and we will do anything to justify falling in line with what we want the text to say. What do you believe about the timing of the rapture? Have you got that in your head because of what you were taught? If so, the chances are that you will argue that point regardless of what the Bible actually says. That is unwise. We must be willing to acknowledge that we could be wrong. Be sure to keep all things in their proper context. This is of paramount importance. From there, be willing to accept that what you think is true might be wrong. After that, do your study and don’t violate the “context” issue if you find you might have been wrong. This is what most people do when faced with the reality that things aren’t matching up with what they thought. Context is king. So keep everything in its proper context. From there, stick to it at all times. Your doctrine will improve as long as you stick to what is said, regardless of what you think you know. Lord God, none of us wants to be proven wrong. And none of us wants to betray the teachings that we received from a beloved pastor or teacher by contradicting what they taught us. And so, we put up a defense against change. Help us not to do this. May we be willing to go where Your word teaches, regardless of whether we find we were wrong. Help us to have this attitude at all times. Amen.
