Matthew 15: the "Canaanite" Woman

One of the more troubling stories in the Gospel of Matthew is Jesus’ encounter with the “Canaanite” woman in 15:21-28. While most Christians don’t have a problem with Jesus’ focus on reaching “the lost sheep of Israel” it seems like Jesus is pretty prejudiced when this woman asks Him to help her daughter, as He refers to her as one of “the dogs”. So the question is: why does Matthew tell us this story? What is he trying to show us about Jesus through this potentially offensive (to a modern audience) story?

Issue #1: Redefining Purity
This story is a great example of why it’s important to read scripture in large chunks. Jesus has just finished having a showdown with the Pharisees about purity (15:1-20), in which He essentially claims that purity is not about exterior rituals (which the Pharisees use to determine who’s “in” and who’s “out”) but about the heart. All “loyal” Israelites would consider a Gentile woman unclean, and particularly one who is walking around with a demonized child. As such, they would have strictly avoided her. However, her belief in Jesus as the Messiah (“Son of David” she calls Him in 15:22) gets her an audience with Him. Her humility and persistence then result in Jesus “cleansing” her daughter of demons. Ultimately the woman shows herself to be one who is pure because of the state of her heart, and not because of proper observance of rituals. Jesus, in a sense, allows her to prove this level of faith (this purity of heart) by his very hard words towards her, and thereby shows exactly what the Pharisees are missing.

Issue #2: Reconciliation
Interestingly, when Mark tells this story (Mark 7:24-30) he refers to the woman as the “Syro-Phoenician” woman and not the “Canaanite” woman. Mark is correct in doing so, for there were no “Canaanites” left by the time this story took place . . . that tribe (or conglomeration of tribes) had vanished hundred and hundreds of years before. The Canaanites, however, were some of Israel’s bitterest enemies in the early years of the Judges, and “Canaanite” therefore is synonymous with “enemy” in the Old Testament. The point then that Matthew is making is that Jesus, through His ministry, is breaking down this rivalry and allowing for Gentiles to have reconciliation with Israel. When the “Canaanite” woman bows to him (15:25), the King of Israel, we see God’s plan to end the struggle between the Gentiles and Israel through the Messiah.