Matthew 15:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

NIV: Then Jesus said to her, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.' And her daughter was healed at that moment.

NASB: Then Jesus said to her, 'O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed at once.

CSB: Then Jesus replied to her, "Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want." And from that moment her daughter was healed.

NLT: Dear woman,' Jesus said to her, 'your faith is great. Your request is granted.' And her daughter was instantly healed.

KJV: Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

NKJV: Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus initially resisted healing a Canaanite woman's daughter. At least, He has given the appearance of resisting. He has told her His mission is only to the lost sheep of Israel. In a statement easily misunderstood, He told her that children's bread should not be given to dogs (Matthew 15:21–26).

The woman persisted as only the parent of a sick child can. She has knelt and pleaded. She has refused to take offense at an analogy that pictures her people as dogs. Instead of focusing on what symbols were used, she fully understood the point being made. Christ is not insulting her, or her people, but pointing out that He has an obligation to offer His "bread" to the children of God.

In response—showing both great wisdom and great humility—she answered that the Master, Jesus, can choose to allow the dogs to eat the crumbs. In other words, that which was offered to "the children," and either wasted or rejected, is something the master would happily let others take. In all this, she has never wavered in being convinced that Jesus is truly the Messiah and that it is within His power to cast the demon from her daughter.

Apparently in delight, Jesus praises the greatness of her faith and says it will be done for her as she desires. His intent was never to deny her a miracle, but to demonstrate and illustrate her faith.

Instantly, her daughter is healed. The term used implies the demon had caused the girl to be sick or afflicted in some way. With the demon gone, the affliction is gone, as well.

Matthew 15:21–28 describes an encounter between Jesus and a Gentile woman. She knows Jesus is the Messiah and tells Him her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. At first, Jesus chooses not to cast the demon out. He tells the woman His mission is only to Israel, using a metaphor about table scraps. The woman persists, and Jesus praises her for her for faith. Her daughter is healed instantly. This seems to be a teaching moment for the disciples, as Jesus will continue to another Gentile-heavy area and heal many, in the next passage.

Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are offended that His disciples break the religious leaders' tradition about ritual handwashing before meals. Jesus turns that attack upside down, pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth—by the literal matter itself—but by the overflow of the spirit, such as the words that come out of the mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events set up the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel.

Matthew 15 begins with a confrontation between some Pharisees and Jesus. They ask why His disciples break the traditional practice of ritual handwashing. Pointedly, Jesus asks why they allow the obvious intent of God's commandments to be broken through their traditions. Jesus and the disciples travel out of Israel, encountering a Canaanite woman. He praises her faith and casts a demon from her daughter. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus heals more people and feeds thousands more from another few loaves and fishes. This sets up another confrontation with religious leaders, warnings about their teachings, and predictions of Jesus' death in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.