“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”
Matthew 15:28
Note: The most central Scripture (Matthew 15:22-28) is included in the main body of this post.
Links to all of the Bible passages referenced are listed after the main body.
The New Testament records two very similar food-related miracles:
- The feeding of 5,000 men – with only five loaves and two fish
- The feeding of 4,000 men – with only seven loaves and a "few small fish"
But why essentially the same miracle twice? And what lies in between?
First, let's trace the geography. It goes something like this: Jesus is somewhere on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. He feeds the 5,000. The second miracle occurs a week or two later on the southeast shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis, about 12 miles across the lake. On the way to the Decapolis, he goes by way of Tyre/Sidon, on the coast of modern day Lebanon.
Um, what? Tyre? Sidon? Hunh? Going from the NW shore to the SW shore of the Sea of Galilee is about 12 miles by boat, easily done in a day. But Tyre is 30 something miles as the crow flies – in the opposite direction. And since when were any roads straight in that era? Sidon is even further, 50 miles away. Jesus was on foot. He had to walk to Tyre (or Sidon) and then walk back. The typical walking speed of an unburdened person is about 3 mph. So, if he goes a minimum of 30 miles each way (it was probably a lot longer), it's going to take at least 10 hours, one way. And of course one would have to stop to eat, get water, etc. Realistically, it's a couple of days walk each way, plus he wouldn't just get there and immediately turn around and go back. Jesus no doubt would spend a day or two in Tyre/Sidon, having walked all that way. All told, we're talking about roughly a week's worth of time. For all you map geeks (like me), here's a map: https://caltopo.com/m/JA114
Jesus is taking the most illogical route ever. I mean if you're heading from the NW shore to the SW shore, only 12 miles by boat, why on earth would you go by way of modern day Lebanon (ancient Tyre/Sidon)? Was Jesus lost – or was he up to something? What exactly did Jesus do in Tyre/Sidon that was so darned important that he went all the way to Lebanon to do it?
Matthew and Mark don't say much about this trip – other than to mention that Jesus healed a woman's daughter. Jesus did dozens and dozens of healings. Why the heck does Jesus walk all the way to Tyre/Sidon to heal this one woman's daughter? And keep in mind that Tyre and Sidon were not part of Israel. What the heck? This woman isn't even Jewish. What was Jesus thinking?
Well, let's look at the context of this healing. First, Jesus tells his disciples to feed 5,000 men. They're not near any towns (where food would be available), and, even if they were, the disciples tell Jesus that they couldn't possibly pay for it all. Jesus responds by taking what little they have, five loaves and two fish (absurdly little) – and easily feeding everyone (with 12 baskets left over).
A week or two later, when he feeds the 4,000, it's basically the same deal: Remote place, lots of people, very little food, and the disciples see it as impossible (even after having just seen Jesus pull it off with 5,000 people). Jesus again easily feeds everyone (with 7 baskets left over).
In between these two examples of God's great power – and the disciples' weak faith – this woman whose daughter needs healing comes in. Apparently, this healing is important enough for Jesus to make a week's journey out of his way. Who, then, is this woman – and what does she have to teach us?
Matthew's account, in chapter 15, has the most detail:
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. [emphases added]
So, why does Jesus go a week's journey out of his way? Because of the faith of this woman – and the lack of faith of his disciples. Sandwiched in between two examples of weak faith is this shining example of great faith. What the disciples thought was impossible, this woman knew took only a crumb of God's power. Jesus was in effect telling his disciples: Here it is, boys. This is how it's done. This is what faith looks like.
It's no coincidence that this passage was thrown in between two great failures of faith. By contrast, this woman stands out with her great faith. This woman isn't a footnote; she's the main point.
And how about you? What have you "crossed out" in your mind? What have you labeled, "impossible," and thrown away in your mental dust bin? If God is in it, then it is possible. If God is in it, then perhaps it's time to dust it off and follow God's call.
HJ
Scripture links (click to read):
Additional Scripture links (for those who like to be thorough):
Note 1: "Men"
You'll note that the two feeding miracles refer to feeding "men." This was fairly common in Jewish society, to think only in terms of adult males. For example, in a court, the testimony of women was considered unreliable – and therefore not permitted. Only the testimony of men was permitted. Therefore, both of these feedings were actually more miraculous than they might first seem. Rather than feeding "only" 5,000 in the first miracle and 4,000 in the second, Jesus may well have fed more than double that number when women and children are added to the total count. Feeding possibly 10,000 or more people with five loaves of bread and two fish is no small thing.
Note 2: Love
Speaking of men, it was the early Christians who greatly contributed to the idea that women were equally human. At the time, women were considered inferior to men. When the early Christian writer, Paul, admonished men: "Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church," (Ephesians 5:25) that was radical stuff for that day and age. Recall that Jesus gave his very life.
Likewise, Paul instructed men not to "provoke" their children. Children were considered almost as property in that day and age. This was a radical idea that fathers had some duty of care in terms of how they treated their children.
Recall Jesus teaching on the highest priorities of God. Jesus said that the entire plan of God depended on loving each other and loving God (Matthew 22:36-40). Indeed, in social terms, it is this transformative idea, "love your neighbor as yourself," that is perhaps the greatest social contribution of Christianity to Western Civilization and the world.
Note that "love" as used here is not the same sense as in romantic or even familial love. The idea here is more like:
- Doing right by others
- Considering others to be of equal value
- Treating people as though they had innate value
- Treating people as though they had rights
- Treating people decently (i.e. with gentleness, tolerance, moderation, forbearance, and kindness)
Note 3: The Ultimate Mission of Jesus
There are some subtle clues here if you want to understand the ultimate mission of Jesus.
The feeding of the five thousand was somewhere near Capernaum (traditionally thought to be at what is now Tabgha, which is WSW of Capernaum). This is a Jewish area. Notice that there are 12 baskets left over. Twelve is typically symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel. Clearly, this feeding was for the Jews.
The feeding of the 4,000 was in the Decapolis, an area of 10 cities that were "Greek," i.e. following Greco-Roman ways. These were not Jews. This time, there are 7 baskets left over. Seven is typically symbolic of the completion or perfection of something by God. In feeding first the Jews and then the non-Jews, Jesus is symbolizing the completion of God's master plan – reconciliation with all mankind. God's master plan is only complete when all people – including non-Jews – are brought in. In the great sweep of human history, this is what God has been up to from the very beginning: "All nations shall be blessed through your offspring" (Genesis 22:18).
Note 4: The Structure of the Text Denotes the Main Point
Look at the structure of the text. You have two highly parallel events (the feeding of the 5,000, the feeding of the 4,000), both of which show weak faith. In between, you have an example of great faith. This is a common structure in Middle Eastern expression. It's called a chiasm because the structure looks a bit like the Greek letter chi (which looks like a modern "X"). When a Middle Eastern person of this time period uses this structure, they intend the main point to be the crossing point of the "X," i.e. the topic sandwiched in between the supporting points. Jesus is, in effect, using this structure "on the ground" by inserting a journey to Tyre/Sidon in between the two parallel feeding miracles. He's all but pasting labels on these events. He's clearly telegraphing his emphasis: The great faith of the woman.
Chiasm:Supporting pointsMain pointSupporting points (parallel to original supporting points)
Note 5: Other Clues in the Text
Notice that the two parallel miracles are both about bread. Yes, there are fish involved, but notice how the disciples tell Jesus, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Mt 15:33, emphasis added) Bread in the Jewish mind was the centerpiece of a meal. What does Jesus say to the woman in Tyre? "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." (Mt 15:26, emphasis added) What is the woman's response? “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” (Mt 15:27, emphasis added) What are crumbs? They are of course little bits of bread. Bread is the common metaphor that ties all the events together. The topic of bread, particularly when combined with the structure of the text/order of events, shows that Jesus intended these events to be taken together.
Note 6: "Dogs"
The overall context of these sections of Matthew and Mark show that Jesus was only speaking rhetorically when he says things like, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." (Mt 15:26) Actions speak louder than words. In the case of the second feeding – to non-Jews – he treated them just as he treated his own people in the first feeding. Also note here that the word translated "dogs" doesn't mean something like a worthless stray dog, rather, it implies a pet, a dog near and dear to a person. Jesus isn't being quite as dismissive or demeaning to the woman as the English translation might seem to imply.
Note 7: An even greater miracle
If you look at what happens in this section of Matthew and Mark, you'll notice there's one other "minor" miracle that happens between the first feeding and the second feeding: Jesus walks on water. So, really, the disciples failure of faith is even greater. Not only have they recently seen Jesus feed thousands of people in nearly identical circumstances, they've seen him literally walk on water. Yet they see no way to feed the second set of people! The faith of the disciples was exceedingly weak. The woman's faith shines all the brighter in contrast.
A rough out line of this section of Matthew and Mark:
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