“The Meekness of the Woman of Canaan,” Liahona, Sept. 2023.
The Miracles of Jesus
The Meekness of the Woman of Canaan
What is the role of faith and meekness in seeking the miracles we need?
The Woman of Canaan, by Harold Copping, Bridgeman Images
Among the countless interactions Jesus Christ must have had during His mortal ministry, there is one that is easy to skip because it is short and sometimes misunderstood: the woman of Canaan described in Matthew 15:21–28.
With some additional context, however, we can learn beautiful truths about the patience and compassion of Jesus Christ as we become familiar with this infrequently mentioned woman of exemplary faith and meekness.
The Context
In Matthew 14, we learn that the Savior was aware of the death of John the Baptist, who had been beheaded at the instigation of Herodias. Upon learning of His cousin’s death, Jesus tried to retreat by ship into a “desert place apart,” perhaps to mourn, but crowds of people followed Him on foot (see Matthew 14:13). In a show of great compassion, Christ spent the day with the people and even performed one of His mighty miracles, feeding the crowd of thousands with five loaves and two fishes (see Matthew 14:15–21).
That night, the Savior performed a second great miracle. He had gone into the mountain, “apart” from His disciples, to pray. His disciples boarded a ship, which was then encompassed in the Sea of Galilee, tossed with waves and wind. “And … Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea,” prompting the disciples to say, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” (See Matthew 14:23–25, 33.)
Jesus next traveled northward from Galilee to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, which are in modern-day Lebanon. He was surely seeking “rest, seclusion, or adequate opportunity of instructing the Twelve,” which had eluded Him.1 It was there that “a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matthew 15:22).
The healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter took place somewhere in the region between Sidon and Tyre, north of Galilee.
Sidon (see illustration above): Also known as Zidon. In ancient times, commercial trade made it one of the most important cities of Phoenicia.
Tyre (see photograph above): Another important commercial city, located about 22 miles south of Sidon. During his ministry, the Apostle Paul visited Church members here (see Acts 21:3–7).
Illustration of Sidon by Balage Balogh
The Woman of Canaan
It was remarkable that the woman approached Jesus at all. She was a Canaanite, of “pagan or heathen birth,” the Canaanites being “held in particular disrepute by the Jews.”2 And yet her faith in the power of Jesus Christ and her love for her daughter propelled her to implore the Savior for help. Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained, “The fact that she addressed Jesus as Son of David demonstrates her belief that He was the Messiah of Israel.”3
Although we know very little about this Gentile mother, we can surmise that her faith was like that of other women of mention in the New Testament. Like the woman having “an issue of blood” (Mark 5:25), Mary and Martha of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene, the Canaanite woman put her whole trust in the Savior. She had a settled and confident understanding of who He was.
At first, Jesus did not reply to her. The disciples encouraged Him to send her away because she was bothering them, and they perceived that she was bothering Him in His quest for quietude.4
Finally, Jesus answered. Explaining His previous silence, He said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).
The Savior’s statement makes it even more astounding this Gentile woman came seeking a blessing for her daughter. She was not a woman of Israel, but somehow she knew that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, a King. And although He made it clear that His mission was to the Jews in Israel, the woman had faith He would heal her daughter. In meekness, she fell at his feet in recognition of his kingship and power (see Mark 7:25), “worshipped him,” and again importuned, “Lord, help me” (Matthew 15:25).
Meekness and Miracles
In a response that seems harsh to modern disciples, Jesus answered, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs” (Matthew 15:26). Bible scholars have explained that in this analogy the “children” are the Jews and the “dogs” are the Gentiles.
In other words, Christ’s primary obligation was to the Jews. He was to feed them—or give them the gospel first—and then they would feed or teach the rest of the world. Elder Talmage explained: “The words, harsh as they may sound to us, were understood by her in the spirit of the Lord’s intent. … Certainly the woman took no offense at the comparison.”5
Again, this good woman’s response is touching and marvelous and meek: “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:27).
This faith-filled woman was undeterred. Rather than choose to take offense, she chose faith. Her response is an expression of hope even in the crumbs. What incredible faith to believe that a crumb from the table of the Savior would be sufficient to overcome whatever vexed her daughter. This faithful mother’s response shows humility and meekness.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has explained meekness as “strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid.”6 The woman of Canaan was indeed strong, active, and courageous in declaring her faith that even one morsel of the Savior’s power would be enough.
The woman of Canaan was strong, active, and courageous in declaring her faith that even one morsel of the Savior’s power would be enough.
Finally, Jesus Christ responded with an empowering and familiar answer: “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” This demonstration that He values and embraces each of us in our journey to come unto Him is followed in the scriptural record by the assurance that “her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (Matthew 15:28).
What Can We Learn?
Elder Talmage commented, “The woman’s commendable persistency was based on the faith that overcomes apparent obstacles and endures even under discouragement.”7
That kind of enduring faith in Jesus Christ is precisely what our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has counseled us to develop: “Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life. All things are possible to them that believe.”8
I celebrate the woman of Canaan who was strong, active, courageous, and persistent in asserting her faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior, Messiah, and King. She is a New Testament example of the faith and meekness required of all disciples of Jesus Christ. Undeterred, let us persistently pursue that kind of faith in the “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).