The Syrophoenician Woman: Her character: Though a Gentile, she addressed Yeshua (Jesus) as “Lord, Son of David.”

Her great faith resulted in her daughter’s deliverance.

Her sorrow: That her child was possessed by an evil spirit.

Her joy: That Yeshua (Jesus) freed her daughter from spiritual bondage.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

Her Story

Her body jerked and twisted, arms thrashing the air. Wide-eyed, the little girl spoke to ghosts her mother could not see, her face changing as rapidly as clouds in a sudden storm. Fear, surprise, and then a crazy kind of laughter, as though someone had stolen her soul. Dark hair stuck in gummy strands against her cheeks.

Her mother wondered what had become of the sweet child who had followed her like a puppy wherever she went. How she missed those soft kisses and the button nose that had nuzzled her cheek. She had hardly slept these last few nights for fear of what her daughter might do to herself. Neither of them, she thought, could stand much more.

Just that morning she had caught wind of a Jewish healer who, friends said, had come to Tyre hoping for relief from the crowds that mobbed him in Galilee. It didn’t matter that Jews seldom mingled with Gentiles. She would go to him, beg his help, throw a fit herself if necessary. She would do whatever it took to get him to listen. It didn’t take long to find him.

She approached Yeshua, pleading, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

But Yeshua ignored the woman, making no reply.

Finally, his disciples said to Yeshua, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

But Yeshua knew it would not be that easy to get rid of her. The only way, in fact, would be to answer her prayer. He told them, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Hearing him, the woman fell at his feet again, imploring, “Lord, help me!”

Then Yeshua turned and said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

But the woman would not give up. “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted,” Yeshua said.

So the Syrophoenician woman returned to her daughter, who was delivered from the evil spirit the very same hour that Yeshua had spoken.

Scripture doesn’t describe the little girl of this story in any detail; it says only that she was possessed by a demon. But judging from similar incidents, such as that of the Gerasene demoniac, whose story is told in Luke 8, or the little boy in Matthew 17, who kept throwing himself in the fire, the signs of demonic possession were probably both obvious and frightening.

But why did Yeshua seem so rude to the poor woman, ignoring her request and then referring to her and her child as dogs?

His response may sound a little less harsh when you realize that the word he used for “dogs” was not the derisive one Jews ordinarily reserved for Gentiles. Instead, it was the term used for little dogs kept as pets. Yeshua was also making it clear that his primary mission was to the Israelites. Had Yeshua performed many healings and miracles in Tyre and Sidon, he would have risked the same kind of mob scenes he had just left behind in Galilee, thus inaugurating a ministry to the Gentiles in advance of his Father’s timing.

The woman couldn’t have known the reason for his silence, however, and it must have tested her faith. But rather than give up or take offense, she exercised her quick wit, revealing both a deep humility and a tenacious faith. It was a combination Yeshua seemed unable to resist—fertile soil in which to grow a miracle. The Syrophoenician woman must have rejoiced that day to see the daughter she loved safe and sane, grateful for the life-giving bread that had fallen from the Master’s table.

Her Promise

What possible promise can be found in a pagan woman whose little girl was possessed by an evil spirit? The Syrophoenician woman wouldn’t have known what to do about her daughter had she not heard about Yeshua. Somehow, she was given the faith to believe that he was capable of saving her child.

Evil spirits, unfortunately, are not creatures of a former age. We, too, must fight the evil powers in own lives. The difference now is that Yeshua (Jesus) has won the ultimate victory on the tree. As believers, we share in his victory. He has given us authority over the evil forces that threaten us. We may still be fighting the battle, but, strange as it might sound, the victory is already won!