Isaiah.19.20-25

Revelation.7.7-17

Matthew.15.21-28

It examines the specificity of their faith in the incident where Jesus healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30). During the ministry of Jesus, Phoenicia, which included Tire and Sidon, was part of the Roman province of Syria. The Phoenicians called themselves Canaanites. That is probably why this woman is written in Matthew as a Canaanite woman. Canaan is the old name of Phoenicia. This place was called “Syro-Phoenicia” because it was part of the Roman province of Syria. They understand that she is a Gentile woman. God is the God of all. Religions were formed in man’s quest for God. The philosophies and philosophies that developed as the search for God progressed in different contexts helped shape religions. But God is transcendental. Because religions are man-made, but God is not man-made. That is why Christ introduced transcendental spirituality. Jesus stated that he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). We live in a multi-religious society full of multifaceted contradictions and various beliefs and practices. According to the 2011 census, 80.5% of India’s population is Hindu. India is a secular country with 13.4% Muslims, 2.3% Christians, 1.9% Sikhs, 0.8% Buddhists, 0.4% Jains and 0.6% other tribal religions. God’s invisible grace is much needed to impart the values of the gospel in this multi-religious society. The Lord sharply criticized the conversion of people by sea and land (Matthew 23:14). What needs to change is people’s view of God. It requires a change of heart.

Liberation for all

God has always become the saviour of all. The history of all liberations is not available to us. God delivered the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir just as God delivered Israel from Egypt (Amo 9:7). He has worked for all through the ages as God who liberates all; Still working (Isaiah 19:20-25).

Saviour of all

Christ said, “I have other sheep that do not fall into this fold” (John 10:16). The Lord’s sheep may be spread over many communities. God has spoken to many Gentiles. Let’s look at some examples.

Abraham introduced his wife as his sister. Abimelech, king of Gerar, took Sarah away. On this occasion God spoke to Abimelech at night (Genesis 20:1-18). Abimelech was a Gentile king (Philistine king).
God revealed the coming famine to Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, in a dream (Genesis 41:1).
Gentile Balaam receives God’s revelation (Numbers 22).
God gives revelation to the idolatrous Nebuchadnezzar in a dream about the end times and the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 2). Nebuchadnezzar himself made people worship his idol.
The Gentile Ninevites hear the word of God and accept it and repent (Jonah 3:4).
Pilate’s wife received a dream about Jesus Christ in the New Testament (Matthew 27:19).

Salvation for all

Salvation is God’s gift to all (Revelation 7:9,10). That is why the birth of Jesus Christ was called the joy that should be for all people (Luke 2:10). Both Jews and Gentiles fell into sin. So everyone needed salvation. Paul’s argument is that there is nothing special about the Jew. For he who is outwardly a Jew is not a Jew. And that which is in the flesh without is circumcision (Romans 2:28). He asks what benefit is circumcision to the Jew (Romans 3:1). God is not partial (Acts 10:34; Heb 13:5; Gal 3:27).

Faith of the Ninevites

The Ninevites repented, surprising even Jonah who preached repentance in Nineveh (John 4:1-11). Jonah thought that Nineveh would be destroyed. But Jonah was surprised by God’s attitude of ‘are not these also mine?’ This story reminds us that God is everyone’s God. God has transformed and used many such Gentiles.

Faith of Ethiopian

The Gospel of Christ was heard through Philip the Ethiopian when he came to pray in Jerusalem and returned (Acts 8:26-40). So he too came to Christianity. There are many instances in the New Testament of Gentiles coming to Christ. God sent Peter to the house of the Gentile Cornelius. It was hard for Peter to understand. But gradually, with the vision that Peter received that no one should be seen as impure and what God has cleansed should not be considered as unclean, the Christian testimony happened to be carried there as well. The important thing to know here is that God is God to all without partiality (Acts 10:34; Heb 13:5; Gal 3:27).

Many are called

When Christ taught about the kingdom of God, he concluded in many places as follows: “Those who are first will be first, and those who are second will be first” (Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Luke 13:30). For many are called (Matthew 22:14). At the same time, the chosen ones are few. This divine vision is seen in Revelation 7. An innumerable great multitude from every nation, tribe, and tribe, of every tongue, stands before the Lord (Revelation 7:9-17). Because these too are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. God has saved them too. In the context of religious pluralism, every Christian has a moral responsibility to share the incomparability of Jesus, but the Gospel calls to do so with knowledge and love. We see the same attitude in the case of this woman. “Woman, great is your faith, let it be done to you as you wish” (Matthew 15:28) and “Go because of this word” (Mark 7:29). Jesus is not just Jewish. He is the savior of the whole world. This is evident in the confession that even dogs live by the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. The common Jews regarded the Gentiles as dogs. But the ‘great faith’ here is the recognition that all are equal to Christ.

Prayer

Loving and inclusive God, We thank You for the powerful example of the Syrophoenician woman’s faith. Her unwavering belief in Your mercy and her recognition of Your boundless love remind us that You are a God of all people, welcoming everyone into Your embrace. Grant us the grace to have faith like hers, persistent and trusting, knowing that Your love knows no bounds. Help us to see beyond our differences and to understand that Your grace and mercy are available to all, regardless of who we are or where we come from. Lord, teach us to live inclusively, reflecting Your love to everyone we encounter. May we be instruments of Your peace and vessels of Your compassion, reaching out to those in need and sharing the hope we have in You. In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Faith of the Syrophoenician woman