MATTHEW 15:21-28
O WOMAN, GREAT IS YOUR FAITH

The Lord Jesus has many times rebuked the disciples for their ‘little faith’ (Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). By contrast, there is one person to whom Jesus said, Great is your faith. And this person turns out to be a Gentile. We are told specifically that she is a Canaanite, a term which has inevitable OT associations with the pagan inhabitants of Palestine. You remember that they were to be exterminated by the Israelites because of their moral corruption. And yet, despite her background, Jesus said to her, O woman, great is your faith! But what was great about her faith? What does ‘great faith’ mean? This will be the topic of our lesson.