Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadLange Commentary - Matthew 15:21 - 15:28
(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)
This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
(The Gospel for Reminiscere)
Mat_15:22. And, behold, a woman of Canaan.—X áíáíáßá , a Phœnician. “During the earliest times of Jewish history, several tribes of Canaanites, ëְּðַòֲðִé , who were the original inhabitants of Palestine, ‘ad retired northward before the Israelites. From these the Phœnicians were descended. See Reland, Palestina, pp. 7, 50; Winer, Real-Wörterbuch; Lightfoot, in loc.” Meyer. Further particulars are given in the Gospel of Mark.—Came out.—From the territory beyond to the place where Christ was.—(Thou) Son of David.—The Messianic hopes of the Jews were well known. Besides, we conclude that the woman had somehow been informed that the Son of David, or the Messiah, was at hand. She believed, although from Mat_15:26 it appears that she was not a proselyte of the gate, and the genuineness and spirituality of her faith required to be tried.—Have mercy on me.—Bengel: Suam fecerat pia mater miseriam filiœ. Of course, the heathens would share the Jewish belief in demoniacal possesions.
Mat_15:23. Dismiss her.—Or, “have done with her,” as we might render the sense of ἀðüëõóïí áὐôÞí —leaving it indefinite whether this was to be accomplished by fulfilling or by refusing her request. The former, however, is more likely; for the answer of Jesus shows that the disciples had interceded on behalf of the woman. [Alford: “The word ἀðüëõóïí does not necessarily imply granting her request, nor the contrary; but simply, dismiss her, leaving the method to our Lord Himself.” But Jesus, who penetrated into the heart of the disciples, interprets their request as an intercession in behalf of the poor woman ( Mat_15:24), which agrees better, also, with their natural sympathy and charity.—P. S.]
Mat_15:24. I am not sent hut to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.—The question has been urged, whether this statement implied a positive or a hypothetical refusal of the woman’s petition. Hase, de Wette, Stier, Ewald, and Meyer, hold that it was intended as a real refusal, which afterward, however, was overcome by the firm trustfulness of the woman. But what meaning do these commentators attach to the term overcome? Jesus could only be overcome as God Himself is overcome. In other words, for the sake of magnifying the office of faith, He allows the trial of our faith to assume the form of a conflict. On the other hand, it cannot have been His sole aim to try the faith of the woman (Chrysostom and others). If this were the case, the reply of Christ would still remain unexplained. In our view, the faith of the woman was tried in order to show that she really was a spiritual daughter of Abraham; in which case she would in truth be reckoned one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Possibly she might have attached only heathen ideas to the expression, Son of David, when her faith would merely have been superstition. This would become manifest, if, on trial, the spiritual elements were found to be wanting, viz., perseverance, humility, reflection, and confidence. In these respects the faith of the woman was now to be tried and proved. Such a test would show to the disciples that she really was a spiritual daughter of Israel. For, while showing mercy to those who were susceptible among the heathen, the Lord would not give offence to His own people in Israel. Hence it was necessary to prepare the disciples themselves to receive the woman into their fellowship. The same principle also regulated the progress of the Church subsequent to the feast of Pentecost. It is a summary solution of the question to say, that before Pentecost only Jews had been received, and afterward heathens also. If the heathens who were now received wanted outward circumcision, they had undergone the circumcision of the heart (Romans 2). Only as belonging to the spiritual Israel could they share in the salvation of Israel; and the believing Jews themselves were con strained to acknowledge that they had part with them (Act_10:11), having previously been taught that they themselves were the true Israel, only under the same conditions of faith and circumcision of the heart. Thus the narrative of the text prefigures the future enlargement of the Church, and the reception of the heathen into it. And this at the right moment—when, on the one hand, the conduct of Israel had driven the Lord into the border land of heathenism; while, on the other, the anticipation of the ingathering of the heathen would elevate Him above the sorrow which weighed upon Him. But such individual instances of mercy shown to the heathen before the death of Christ, differ from the general call addressed to them after His decease, in that, in the former case, those who obtained mercy had become, so to speak, believing Israelites—owning the privileges of the chosen race and the validity of their law—while by the death of Christ the law itself was fulfilled, and therefore abolished, so far as its outward form was concerned.
Mat_15:26. It is not meet, or proper.—The reading it is not lawful, is evidently a gloss or interpretation. Such a reply would have removed all doubt, and cut off-every hope; while the expression actually used allows the law of the spirit to shine through that of the letter. At first sight it might appear as if Jesus Himself designated this order of things “ex publico Judœorum affectu” (Erasmus). But a closer examination shows that this was not the case. For, while the Jews were wont to designate the heathen as dogs (Lightfoot, Suicer, Wetstein, Eisenmenger, Entdecktes Judenthum, 713), they are in the text only called êõíÜñéá , not êýíåò ; implying that they were not like the great wild dogs which in the East infested towns and villages, but that they might be compared to small dogs attached to households (in Luk_16:21, however, the word êýíåò is used). This apparently slight distinction forms the basis of the woman’s reply. Besides, the antithesis—“to take the bread from the children and to give it to little dogs”—would serve to show the humane motive prompting the seemingly inhumane conduct—the Christian spirit under the Jewish guise, and to convince the woman that the question was not to be decided by any ordinance of traditionalism, but by the law of the spirit.
Mat_15:27. Yea, Lord.—The word íáß by way of admission, not of contradiction; but not exclusively, or even primarily, referring to the designation “little dogs.” To have done so would have been to miss the meaning of Christ, although He had, no doubt, also intended to set before her mind the defilement clinging to her as a heathen. She acquiesces in the truth of the whole statement, humbly submitting to the judgment implied in the figure employed—that she had no right or title to the covenant-dispensation. But adopting this very figure (not with ἀëëÜ , as Chrysostom, Luther, [and our authorized version] have it, but with êáὶãÜñ , she converts it into an argument. Yea, Lord—she says—it is even so: it is not meet to give the children’s bread to the little dogs; but, on the contrary, the little dogs are sustained by what is left over from the superabundance on their master’s table. De Wette interprets: “For dogs must be content with the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” The meaning of her reply seems to be: Even so, Lord; for it is not customary for the children to suffer want in order that the little dogs may be fed, but rather that the latter are sustained by the crumbs which fall from the table. Viewed in this light, the reply is most becoming, indicating: 1. Humility, or submission to a figure which apparently involved shame and, as understood by the Jews, reproach. 2. Perseverance, transforming a seeming refusal into an implied promise of help. 3. Spirituality, recognizing under the repulsive garb of the figure, the mind of Christ, whose love and benevolence she realized even through the unpromising medium. Evidently she beheld the rich fulness of Christ and of His kingdom. 4. Confidence, that the goodness and grace of the Lord were unlimited and illimitable.
Mat_15:28. O woman, great is thy faith.—Thu showing that, in the one main point, she was one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
From that very hour.—See Mat_9:22; Joh_4:53. An instance of healing at a distance, as in Mat_8:13; John 4. The intermediate link in this case was the heart of the mother, so closely knit to that of her daughter; as in the other two instances it had been the paternal affection of the royal officer, and the deep faith of the centurion at Capernaum.
2. The conduct of Christ in this case was occasioned by His twofold desire of influencing His disciples, as well as trying the faith of the woman. When her deep trustfulness became apparent, it must at the same time have evoked in the disciples the conviction that she was a genuine daughter of Abraham. It was not, and could not be, the intention of the Saviour to form a new communion of believing heathens by sweeping away the old communion of believing Israelites. Thus the event here recorded was not an exception to His ordinary dealings, but rather a symbolical directory which afterward guided the conduct of the Apostles; comp. Act_10:11, and the journeys of Paul to Jerusalem, with which each of his missionary expeditions terminated.
3. When modifying the Jewish prejudice to the effect of treating as little dogs, who are included in the economy of mercy, those whom the Jews would have excluded from it as mere dogs, our Lord expresses the theocratic contrast between Judaism and heathenism in such a manner as to enable the woman to urge it in support of her plea. As ordained by God, this contrast implied that salvation was to be communicated to the heathen through the spiritual training and preparation enjoyed by Israel. But this arrangement had been perverted by Jewish prejudice, and the heathen were represented as impure dogs who had no part in the divine economy, and were excluded from the hope of salvation. Christ rectified this error by transforming the term of reproach employed by prejudice into a parable. It is not meet to take the bread from the children of the house, and to give it in the first place to the little dogs. Not that He implied that the house was poor, but that the time for the little dogs had not yet arrived. And such, indeed, was the general rule. But in her spiritual wisdom the woman took up the other aspect of the figure. The house and the table—she urged—are both full, and even during the meal crumbs fall to the ground. These may surely be eaten by the little dogs. Thus, while acknowledging the arrangements of the Old Testament economy, she exalted the fulness of Christ, which far exceeds all limitations.
4. On the miraculous cures at a distance, comp. my Leben Jesu, ii. 1, 275. These mysterious communings of mind form, so to speak, the basis for gracious blessings granted in answer to intercessory prayer.
Starke:—Canstein: God withdraws His gracious presence from those who are weary of it, and who despise His word and benefits: Act_13:46; Hos_5:15 :—If we listen to the doctrine of men, we shall lose sight of Christ, Gal_5:4.—Zeisius: It is the gracious will of God that even the heathen should be gathered into the kingdom of Christ, Isa_42:6; Isa_49:6.—Hedinger: God frequently exercises His people by manifold trials; He even appears to be cruel in delaying His aid, in order to draw out their prayers and to prove their faith.—Canstein: Even the tyranny of Satan must be subservient to the glory of the divine name.—Lo, how the cross drives people into the arms of our blessed Saviour!—O thou precious cross, how very needful and useful thou art!—Prosperity leads from Christ, but adversity brings to Him.—Parents should feel the misery of their children as deeply as their own; but the greatest of all afflictions is, if they are under the dominion of Satan, and do his works.—Parents should be concerned for the physical, and still more for the spiritual, well-being of their children.—Canstein: God is faithful, who adapts the measure of our temptations to that of the grace given us, 1Co_10:13.—It is sinful to spend upon dogs or other animals that by which we ought to relieve men, who are the children of God.—We should not withhold even from animals their necessary sustenance.—Osiander: It is a grievous temptation to think that you are not one of Christ’s sheep; still, continue to cleave implicitly to Christ, and you will overcome—Quesnel: A genuine penitent will not be discouraged by the way in which God deals with him.—Faith will only increase, not decrease under trials, 1Pe_1:6-7.—The Lord is near to all that call on Him, Psa_145:18.—Intercession, Jam_5:14-15.—If we desire to receive from God what we ask, we must be content first to bear what God may be pleased to send, even though it were the greatest trial.—The prayers and the faith of parents bring down the richest blessing upon their children.
Gossner:—The Canaanites, once so corrupted that they had to be expelled from the Holy Land, lest the Jews might be ruined by their contact, were now in fact better than the Jews, and this woman left her home to meet Jesus.—If we would show mercy, we should not be too hasty, but proceed cautiously.
Gerlach:—The woman of Canaan had heard little of Christ; but her faith shows how even small knowledge may produce great effects, if received into a humble and broken heart.—Analogous passages of Scripture: the parable of the unjust judge, Luk_18:8; the wrestling of Jacob, Gen_32:24; the distress of Moses, Exo_4:24; the cry of Jesus, Mat_27:46 (Psalms 22).—It is remarkable how, in a certain sense, this woman rectified the words of Jesus; but this arises from the nature of the thing.—The law, which accuses and condemns man, is removed by the grace which faith appropriates.
Heubner:—Expelled from His own country, Christ still remained faithful to it.—He often delayeth His answer, lest we should grow weary of calling upon Him, and that although the promise remaineth true, Isa_65:24, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”—Let us not be tempted to treat the entreaties of any one as troublesome. Res sacra miser.—Chrysostom: Jesus fulfilled even the law which prohibited the Jews from having communion with the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7; although it only applied to their idolatrous customs, comp. the life of Elijah), in order that He might be able to say, Which of you convinceth me of sin? Joh_8:46.—A Christian combines love to his own country with affectionate interest in the world generally.—Import of the word “nevertheless,” to which the Christian cleaves in pleading with God, Psa_73:23-26.—Truth, Lord; yet.—The whole system of faith contained in these three words.—In one sense I have no claim upon Thee yet in another I have.—Faith will stand the most searching and painful trial, and at last obtain the victory.—“Truth, Lord” (humility); yet (faith).—Bengel: Let us ever bear in mind that we are heathens.—We should be glad to receive the crumbs which fall from the table, instead of attempting to jump upon it, and even to upset it—Chrysostom: “Great is thy faith:” thou hast not seen a single miracle; thou hast not heard any one of the prophets; thou hast not been trained in the law; thou hast been passed by and treated with contempt by Me. Still thou hast persevered; receive then the acknowledgment of thy faith.—Noble mother of Canaan! how many mothers has thy example encouraged!—Wisdom and grace of Jesus in His dealings with the woman of Canaan: 1. In drawing her; 2. in trying her; 3. in rewarding her.—The woman of Canaan a figure of the Christian wrestling in faith—Faith and prayer are inseparable.
Reinhard:—On the connection between true humility before God and genuine confidence in Him.—Mehliss: Even when help is deferred our confidence should not fail.—Bachmann: The Lord the Author and the Finisher of our faith.—Krabb (of Langenberg): Jesus and the woman of Canaan; or, faith: 1. How it wrestles; 2. how it conquers.
[Matthew Henry:—Those whom Christ intends most signally to honor, He first humbles and lays low in a sense of their own meanness and unworthiness. We must first feel ourselves to be as dogs, less than the least of all God’s mercies, before we are fit to be dignified and privileged with them.—Christ delights to exercise great faith with great trials, and sometimes reserves the sharpest for tie last, that being tried, we may come forth like gold.—Special ordinances and church privileges are children’s bread, and must not be prostituted to the grossly ignorant and profane. Common charity must be extended to all, but spiritual dignities are appropriated to the household of faith.—If we cannot reason down our unbelief, let us pray it down.—“Great is thy faith.” The woman had many graces, wisdom, humility, meekness, patience, perseverance in prayer; but these were the fruits of her faith, which of all graces honors Christ most; therefore of all graces Christ honors faith most.—P. S.]
Footnotes:
Mat_15:21.—[Lit: went forth from thence ( ἐîåëèὼí ἐêåῖèåí ); Lange: ging aus von dort.—P. S.]
Mat_15:23.—[Lange translates ἀðüëõóïí áõôÞí : finde sie ab, either by granting or refusing her request; Campbell, Norton, Conant, Alford: dismiss her. So also Meyer: entlasse sie, viz., by granting her request, which is implied in the answer of Christ, Mat_15:24.—P. S.]
Mat_15:26.—Fritzsche, Lachmann, Tischendorf, [Alford] read: ïὐêἔîåóôé , following D. and some versions and fathers [instead of the text. rec. ïὐê ἔóôé êáëü , it is not good, or proper]. A false interpretation. [Meyer derives the received reading from Mar_7:27, and prefers ïὐê ἔîåóôé , es ist nicht erlaubt, it is not lawful, it is wrong. Lange retains the received reading and translates êáëüí : fein. Codd. Alex., Vatic., and Sinait. sustain the text, rec.: ïὐê ἔóôé êáëüí —P. S.]
Mat_15:27.—[ Êáὶ ãÜñ cannot mean yet (Luther: aber doch; Campbell: yet exen), which denotes opposition, and would qualify the preceding affirmative: Yea, but for also, nam etiam, or nam et (Lat. Vulgate), denn auca (Lange), by which the woman supports her assent to the Saviour’s assertion and turns it to her own account. Alford: “The sense of êáὶ ãÜñ is not given by ‘yet’ in the E. V. The woman, in her humility, accepts the appellation which our Lord gives her, and grounds her plea upon an inference from it.… Our Lord, in the use of the familiar diminutive [ êõíÜñéá ], has expressed not the uncleanness of the dog, so much as his attachment to and dependence on the human family; she lays hold on this favorable point, and makes it her own, ‘if we are dogs, then may we fare as such:—be led with the crumbs of Thy mercy.’ She was, as it were, under the edge of the table—close on the confines of Israel’s feast.” Comp. also Lange’s Exeg. Note.—P. S.]
Mat_15:27.—[Lit. here and in Mat_15:26 : little dogs, êõíÜñéá ; Vulg.: catelli; Luther and Lange: Hündlein. The Lord purposely softened the harsh term, and caused his mercy to shine through the Jewish contempt of the heathen. Comp. Exeg. Notes.—P. S.]
Ver 28.—[Even is an unnecessary insertion of the E. V.—P. S.]
[So also Wordsworth: “Yea, Lord, Thou sayest true, it is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs: for the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Let me therefore have not bread, but only crumbs; and do not give me even them, but let me pick up what falls from the table. A beautiful image of the humility of the faithful Gentiles, hungering and thirsting for the least fragments of the gospel which dropped from the table of the Jews who despised It” Comp. Alford’s explanation quoted above.—P. S.].
[This thought is borrowed from St. Chrysostom.—P. S.].
[Assuming this rendering of the Authorized English Version, and the corresponding German Version of Luther (aber doch) to be correct, against which compare the Exeg. Notes.—P. S.].