The healing of a Canaanite woman's daughter (Matthew 15:21-28)

Abstract

story of a Canaanite woman is complicated, because it contains Jesus' initial harsh attitude towards this woman. This story has led to some scholars assuming that Matthew is a Jewish document and the community behind it was a kind of Christian Judaism, not actively involved in the Gentile mission. However, from the literary point, this story contains several literary devices to highlight Jesus' dramatic healing of a Gentile patient. Jesus' initial responses are exactly what the contemporaries would expect of a rabbi. However, Jesus, like a wise teacher who uses a tactic to give an impressive teaching, expressed his reluctance to heal. The whole pericope functions as an intentional demonstration that Jesus did expand his ministry to a Gentile patient