Then Jesus answered and said unto her,
O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will.
And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
All Commentaries on Matthew 15:28 Go To Matthew 15
Jerome
AD 420
Leaving the Scribes and Pharisees and those cavillers, He passes into the parts of Tyre and Sidon, that He may heal the Tyrians and Sidonians; “And Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.”.
Not from pharisaical pride, or the superciliousness of the Scribes, but that Hemight not seem to contravene His own decision, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles.” For He was unwilling to give occasion to their cavils, and reserved the complete salvation of the Gentiles for the season of His passion and resurrection.
He says that He is not sent to the Gentiles, but that He is sent first to Israel, so that where they would not receive the Gospel, the passing over to the Gentiles might have just cause.
And He adds “of the house of Israel,” with this design, that we might rightly interpret by this place that other parable concerning the stray sheep.
Note how perseveringly this Chananaean woman calls Him first “Son of David, "then “Lord,” and lastly “came and worshipped him,” as God.
The Gentiles are called dogs because of their idolatry; who, given to theeating of blood, and dead bodies, turn to madness.
Wonderful are shown the faith, patience, and humility of this woman; faith, that she believed that her daughter could be healed; patience, that so many times overlooked, she yet perseveres inher prayers; humility, that she compares herself not to the dogs, but to the whelps.I know, she says, that I do not deserve the children's bread, and that I cannot have whole meat, nor sit at the table with the master of the house, but I am content with that which is left for the whelps, that through humble fragments I may come to the amplitude of the perfect bread.
And the daughter of thisChananaean I suppose to be the souls of believers, who were sorely vexed by adaemon, not knowing their Creator, and bowing down to stones.
