Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 15:21-28

"And Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. And he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children`s bread and cast it to the dogs. But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters` table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour." — Matthew 15:21-28 (ASV)

St. Jerome: Leaving the Scribes, Pharisees, and those critics, He passes into the regions of Tyre and Sidon so that He may heal the Tyrians and Sidonians: And Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

Remigius of Auxerre: Tyre and Sidon were Gentile towns, for Tyre was the capital of the Canaanites, and Sidon was the northern boundary of the Canaanites.

St. John Chrysostom: It should be observed that when He delivered the Jews from the dietary observances, He also opened the door to the Gentiles, just as Peter was first commanded in the vision to break this law and was afterward sent to Cornelius.

But if anyone should ask how it is that He commanded His disciples, go not into the way of the Gentiles, and yet now walks this way Himself, we will answer this. First, the precept He had given His disciples was not binding on Him. Second, He did not go there to preach, which is why Mark even says that He purposely concealed Himself.¹

Remigius of Auxerre: He went so that He might heal the people of Tyre and Sidon, or that He might deliver this woman's daughter from the daemon, and so through her faith condemn the wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees. The account of this woman follows: And, behold, a woman, a Canaanite, came out from those parts.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelist says that she was a Canaanite to show the power of Christ's presence. For this nation, which had been driven out so that they might not corrupt the Jews, now showed themselves wiser than the Jews, leaving their own borders to go to Christ. And when she came to Him, she asked only for mercy, as it follows: She cried to Him, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord, you Son of David.

Glossa Ordinaria: The great faith of this Canaanite woman is shown in this: she believes Him to be God, in that she calls Him "Lord," and man, in that she calls Him "Son of David." She claims nothing of her own merit but pleads only for God's mercy. She does not say, "Have mercy on my daughter," but rather, Have mercy on me, because the daughter's affliction is the mother's affliction.

And to excite His compassion all the more, she declares to Him the whole of her grief: My daughter is sore vexed by a daemon. In this way, she unfolds the wound to the Physician, revealing the extent and nature of the disease—its extent, when she says she is sore vexed, and its nature, when she says it is by a daemon.²

St. John Chrysostom: Note the wisdom of this woman: she did not go to men who made false promises or seek useless remedies, but leaving all demonic charms, she came to the Lord. She did not ask James, pray to John, or appeal to Peter; instead, putting herself under the protection of penitence, she ran alone to the Lord. But behold, a new trouble arises. She makes her petition, raising her voice in a shout, and God, the lover of humanity, does not answer a word.³

St. Jerome: This was not from pharisaical pride or the arrogance of the Scribes, but so that He might not seem to contradict His own decision: Go not into the way of the Gentiles. He was unwilling to give His critics an opportunity to object and reserved the complete salvation of the Gentiles for the time of His passion and resurrection.

Glossa Ordinaria: And by this delay in answering, He shows us the patience and perseverance of this woman. He also did not answer for this reason: so that the disciples might petition for her. This shows that the prayers of the saints are necessary to obtain anything, as it follows: And his disciples came to him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us.⁴

St. Jerome: The disciples, still ignorant of the mysteries of God or perhaps moved by compassion, beg for this Canaanite woman; or maybe they were just seeking to be rid of her persistence.

St. Augustine of Hippo: A question of discrepancy is raised here, because Mark says the Lord was in the house when the woman came praying for her daughter. Matthew could be understood as having omitted mention of the house while still relating the same event. However, when he says that the disciples suggested to the Lord, Send her away, for she crieth after us, he seems to indicate clearly that the woman was raising her voice in prayer while following the Lord as He was walking.⁵

We must understand, then, that as Mark writes, she entered the place where Jesus was—that is, as Mark had noted above, in the house. Then, as Matthew writes, He answered her not a word, and during this silence on both sides, Jesus left the house. The rest of the account then follows without any contradiction.

St. John Chrysostom: I believe the disciples were sorry for the woman's affliction, yet they did not dare to say, "Grant her this mercy," but only, Send her away. This is similar to how we, when trying to persuade someone, often say the very opposite of what we wish.

He answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

St. Jerome: He says that He is not sent to the Gentiles, but that He is sent first to Israel, so that when they would not receive the Gospel, its passing over to the Gentiles would be justified.

Remigius of Auxerre: In this way also, He was sent especially to the Jews, because He taught them through His physical presence.

St. Jerome: And He adds the phrase of the house of Israel with this design: that we might use this passage to rightly interpret the other parable concerning the lost sheep.

St. John Chrysostom: But when the woman saw that the Apostles had no power, she became bold with a commendable boldness. Before, she had not dared to come into His sight; but, as it is said, She crieth after us. When it seemed that she would have to leave without being helped, she came nearer: But she came and worshipped him.

St. Jerome: Note how perseveringly this Canaanite woman calls Him first "Son of David," then "Lord," and finally came and worshipped him, as God.

St. John Chrysostom: And therefore she did not say, "Ask," or "Pray to God for me," but, Lord, help me. But the more the woman urged her petition, the more He strengthened His denial. For He now calls the Jews not sheep but "sons," and the Gentiles "dogs": He answered and said to her, It is not right to take the children's bread, and give it to dogs.

Glossa Ordinaria: The Jews were born sons and brought up by the Law in the worship of one God. The bread is the Gospel, with its miracles and other things that pertain to our salvation. It is not right, then, that these should be taken from the children and given to the Gentiles, who are dogs, until the Jews refuse them.⁶

St. Jerome: The Gentiles are called dogs because of their idolatry. Given to eating blood and dead bodies, they turn to madness.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe this woman's prudence: she does not dare to contradict Him, nor is she angered by the praise of the Jews and the harsh word applied to her. But she said, Yes, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. He said, It is not good; she answers, "Yes, Lord, even so." He calls the Jews "children"; she calls them "masters." He called her a "dog"; she accepts the role of a dog, as if she had said, "I cannot leave the table of my Lord."

St. Jerome: The faith, patience, and humility of this woman are wonderfully shown. Her faith, in that she believed her daughter could be healed; her patience, in that she perseveres in her prayers even after being overlooked so many times; and her humility, in that she compares herself not to dogs, but to puppies.

I know, she says, that I do not deserve the children's bread and that I cannot have the main meal or sit at the table with the master of the house. But I am content with what is left for the puppies, so that through humble fragments I may come to the fullness of the perfect bread.

St. John Chrysostom: This was the reason Christ was so reserved: He knew what she would say and did not want her great excellence to be hidden. This is why it follows, Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith; be it to you according to your will.

Observe how the woman herself contributed significantly to her daughter's healing. Therefore, Christ did not say to her, "Let your daughter be healed," but, Be it to you according to your will. This is so you may perceive that she had spoken in sincerity and that her words were not flattery, but came from abundant faith.

And this word of Christ is like the word that said, Let there be a firmament (Genesis 1:6), and it was made. So here, And her daughter was made whole from that hour.

Observe how she obtains what the Apostles could not obtain for her; such is the great power of earnest prayer. He would rather that we pray for our own offenses ourselves than that others should pray for us.

Remigius of Auxerre: In these words, we are given a pattern for catechizing and baptizing children. The woman does not say, "Heal my daughter," or "Help her," but, Have mercy on me, and help me. Thus, the practice has come down in the Church for the faithful to be sponsors to God for their young children before they have reached an age and reason where they can make a pledge to God for themselves. Therefore, just as the daughter was healed by this woman's faith, so too might the sins of infants be forgiven by the faith of mature Catholics.

Allegorically, this woman represents the Holy Church gathered from the Gentiles.

The Lord leaves the Scribes and Pharisees and comes into the regions of Tyre and Sidon; this represents His leaving the Jews and going over to the Gentiles. This woman came out of her own country because the Holy Church departed from its former errors and sins.

St. Jerome: And I suppose the daughter of this Canaanite to be the souls of believers, who were severely tormented by a daemon, not knowing their Creator and bowing down to stones.

Remigius of Auxerre: Thus, those of whom the Lord speaks as "children" are the Patriarchs and Prophets of that time. The "table" signifies the Holy Scripture; the "fragments" signify the best precepts or inner mysteries on which the Holy Church feeds; and the "crumbs" signify the carnal precepts that the Jews keep. The fragments are said to be eaten under the table because the Church humbly submits itself to fulfilling the divine commands.

Rabanus Maurus: But the puppies eat not only the crust but the crumbs of the children's bread. This is because the despised among the Gentiles, upon turning to the faith, seek out in Scripture not the outer shell of the letter, but the spiritual sense, by which they may be able to profit in good works.

St. Jerome: What a wonderful change of things! Once Israel was the son, and we were the dogs. The change in faith has led to a change in the order of our names. Concerning them it is said, Many dogs have come about me (Psalm 22:16), while to us it is said, as to this woman, Your faith has made you whole.

Rabanus Maurus: Great indeed was her faith. For the Gentiles, who were neither trained in the Law nor educated by the words of the Prophets, immediately obeyed with the hearing of the ear upon the preaching of the Apostles, and therefore deserved to obtain salvation.

Glossa Ordinaria: And if the Lord delays the salvation of a soul at the first tears of the pleading Church, we ought not to despair or to cease from our prayers, but rather continue them earnestly.⁷

St. Augustine of Hippo: That He does not go to their houses to heal the Centurion's servant and the daughter of this Canaanite woman signifies that the Gentiles, among whom He did not go Himself, would be saved by His word.

That these are healed on the prayer of their parents, we must understand in relation to the Church, which is at once mother and children. The whole body of those who make up the Church is the mother, and each individual of that body is a son of that mother.⁸

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, this mother represents the proselytes, in that she leaves her own country and forsakes the Gentiles for the name of another nation. She prays for her daughter—that is, the body of the Gentiles possessed by unclean spirits—and having learned of the Lord through the Law, she calls Him the Son of David.

Rabanus Maurus: Likewise, whoever has a conscience polluted with the defilement of any sin has a daughter severely tormented by a daemon. Also, whoever has defiled any good they have done with the plague of sin has a daughter tossed by the furies of an unclean spirit and needs to fly to prayers and tears and to seek the intercessions and help of the saints.

1. Hom, iii
2. ap. Anselm
3. Hom. in quaedam loca, xlvii
4. ap. Anselm
5. de Cons. Ev., ii, 49
6. ap. Anselm
7. non occ.
8. Quaest. Ev., i, 18