Yung Suk Kim
In the common interpretation of Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus is believed to test the Canaanite woman. Readers often use this notion to excuse or explain away the more challenging statements Jesus makes, aiming to protect his reputation from blame. The focus tends to be on the woman's submissive faith. However, the idea that Jesus is testing her is questionable because, earlier in Matthew 10:5, he instructed his disciples not to go among the Gentiles, indicating that his immediate mission did not include them. Therefore, when Jesus encounters the Canaanite woman, he may not be genuinely interested in her.
Interestingly, the portrayal of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel differs markedly from that in Luke’s Gospel. While the Lukan Jesus emphasizes God's preferential option for the Gentiles (see Luke 4:16-30), the Matthean Jesus reflects a community struggling with the challenge of opening its doors to Gentiles.
A pivotal moment occurs in the story of the Canaanite woman when Jesus ultimately recognizes her faith—a moment that calls for deeper understanding. Her faith transcends mere submission; she believes that God will bless her and her daughter through Jesus, whom she acknowledges as the Son of David. Initially, Jesus ignores her, and his disciples urge him to send her away. He even calls her a "dog" and initially denies her request for help, claiming that his mission is primarily for the Jews. Yet, the woman remains persistent; her unwavering faith leads her to assert that she deserves God's blessing.
Her faith is not merely about enduring Jesus’s derogatory comments, but about her firm hope that God will bless her daughter. Because of her persistence, Jesus changed his approach. Ultimately, whether understood explicitly, implicitly, seriously, or humorously, she challenges Jesus’s narrow-minded mission. Does this encounter prompt a transformation within Jesus?
In the end, after his resurrection, Jesus commissions the male disciples to go to all nations (Matthew 28:16-20). Notably, women disciples are not mentioned in this commissioning, highlighting a limitation in Matthew’s account.