Jerome: The disciples, as yet ignorant of the mysteries of God or moved by compassion, beg for this Chananaean woman; or perhaps seeking to be rid of her importunity.
Aug., de Cons. Ev., ii, 49: A question of discrepancy is raised upon this, that Mark says the Lord was in the house when the woman came praying for her daughter. Indeed Matthew might have been understood to have omitted mention of the house, and yet to have been relating the same event; but when he says, that the disciples suggested to the Lord, "Send her away, for she crieth after us," he seems to indicate clearly that the woman raised her voice in supplication, in following the Lord who was walking.
We must understand then, that, as Mark writes, she entered in where Jesus was, that is, as he had noticed above, in the house; then, that as Matthew writes, "He answered her not a word," and during this silence of both sides, Jesus left the house; and then the rest follows without any discordance.
Chrysostom: I judge that the disciples were sorry for the woman’s affliction, yet dared not say ’Grant her this mercy,’ but only "Send her away," as we, when we would persuade any one, oftentimes say the very contrary to what we wish.
"He answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Jerome: He says that He is not sent to the Gentiles, but that He is sent first to Israel, so that where they would not receive the Gospel, the passing over to the Gentiles might have just cause.
Remigius: In this way also He was sent specially to the Jew, because He taught them by His bodily presence.
Jerome: And He adds "of the house of Israel," with this design, that we might rightly interpret by this place that other parable concerning the stray sheep.
Chrysostom: But when the woman saw that the Apostles had no power, she became bold with commendable boldness; for before she had not dared to come before His sight; but, as it is said, "She crieth after us." But when it seemed that she must now retire without being relieved, she came nearer, "But she came and worshipped him."
Jerome: Note how perseveringly this Chananaean woman calls Him first "Son of David," then "Lord," and lastly "came and worshipped him," as God.
Chrysostom: And therefore she said not Ask, or Pray God for me, but "Lord, help me." But the more the woman urged her petition, the more He strengthened His denial; for He calls the Jews now not sheep but sons, and the Gentiles dogs; "He answered and said unto her, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and give it to dogs."
Gloss., ap Anselm: The Jews were born sons, and brought up by the Law in the worship of one God. The bread is the Gospel, its miracles and other things which pertain to our salvation. It is not then meet that these should be taken from the children and given to the Gentiles, who are dogs, till the Jews refuse them.
Jerome: The Gentiles are called dogs because of their idolatry; who, given to the eating of blood, and dead bodies, turn to madness.
Chrysostom: Observe this woman’s prudence; she does not dare to contradict Him, nor is she vexed with the commendation of the Jews, and the evil word applied to herself; "But she said, Yea, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table." He said, "It is not good;" she answers, ’Yet even so, Lord;’ He calls the Jews children, she calls them masters; He called her a dog, she accepts the office of a dog; as if she had said, I cannot leave the table of my Lord.
Jerome: Wonderful are shewn the faith, patience, and humility of this woman; faith, that she believed that her daughter could be healed; patience, that so many times overlooked, she yet perseveres in her prayers; humility, that she compares herself not to the dogs, but to the whelps.
I know, she says, that I do not deserve the children’s bread, and that I cannot have whole meat, nor sit at the table with the master of the house, but I am content with that which is left for the whelps, that through humble fragments I may come to the amplitude of the perfect bread.
Chrysostom:. This was the cause why Christ was so backward, that He knew what she would say, and would not have her so great excellence hid; whence it follows, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee according to thy will."
Observe how the woman herself had contributed not a little to her daughter’s healing; and therefore Christ said not unto her, ’Let thy daughter be healed,’ but, "Be it unto thee according to thy will;" that you may perceive that she had spoken in sincerity, and that her words were not words of flattery, but of abundant faith.
And this word of Christ is like that word which said, "Let there be a firmament." [[Gen 1:6]] and it was made; so here, "And her daughter was made whole from that hour."
Observe how she obtains what the Apostles could not obtain for her; so great a thing is the earnestness of prayer. He would rather that we should pray for our own offences ourselves, than that others should pray for us.
Remigius: In these words is given us a pattern of catechizing and baptizing children; for the woman says not ’Heal my daughter,’ or ’Help her,’ but, "Have mercy upon me, and help me." Thus there has come down in the Church the practice that the faithful are sponsors to God for their young children, before they have attained such age and reason that they can themselves make any pledge to God. So that as by this woman’s faith her daughter was healed, so by the faith of Catholics of mature age their sins might be forgiven to infants.
Allegorically; This woman figures the Holy Church gathered out of the Gentiles. The Lord leaves the Scribes and Pharisees, and comes into the parts of Tyre and Sidon; this figures His leaving the Jews and going over to the Gentiles. This woman came out of her own country, because the Holy Church departed from former errors and sins.
Jerome: And the daughter of this Chananaean I suppose to be the souls of believers, who were sorely vexed by a daemon, not knowing their Creator, and bowing down to stones.
Remigius: Thus of whom the Lord speaks as children are the Patriarchs and Prophets of that time. By the table is signified the Holy Scripture, by the fragments the best precepts, or inward mysteries on which Holy Church feeds; by the crumbs the carnal precepts which the Jews keep. The fragments are said to be eaten under the table, because the Church submits itself. humbly to fulfilling the Divine commands.
Rabanus: But the whelps eat not the crust only, but the crumbs of the children’s bread, because the despised among the Gentiles on turning to the faith, seek out in Scripture not the outside of the letter, but the spiritual sense, by which they may be able to profit in good acts.
Jerome: Wonderful change of things! Once Israel the son, and we the dogs; the change in faith has led to a change in the order of our names. Concerning them is that said, "Many dogs have come about me; [[Psa 22:16]] while to us is said, as to this woman, "Thy faith hath made thee whole.
Rabanus: Great indeed was her faith; for the Gentiles, neither trained in the Law, nor educated by the words of the Prophets, straightway on the preaching of the Apostles obeyed with the hearing of the ear, and therefore deserved to obtain salvation.
Gloss., non occ.: And if the Lord delays the salvation of a soul at the first tears of the supplicating Church, we ought not to despair, or to cease from our prayers, but rather continue them earnestly.
Aug., Quaest. Ev., i, 18: And that to heal the Centurion’s servant, and the daughter of this Chananaean woman, He does not go to their houses, signifies that the Gentiles, among whom He himself went not, should be saved by His word. That these are healed on the prayer of their parents, we must understand of the Church, which is at once mother and children; the whole body of those who make up the Church is the mother, and each individual of that body is a son of that mother.
Hilary: Or, This mother represents the proselytes, in that she leaves her own country, and forsakes the Gentiles for the name of another nation; she prays for her daughter, that is, the body of the Gentiles possessed with unclean spirits; and having learned the Lord by the Law, calls Him the Son of David.
Rabanus: Also whosoever has his conscience polluted with the defilement of any sin, has a daughter sorely vexed by a daemon. Also whosoever has defiled any good that he has done by the plague of sin, has a daughter tossed by the furies of an unclean spirit, and has need to fly to prayers and tears, and to seek the intercessions and aids of the saints.
Ver. 29. And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.30. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:31. Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jerome: Having healed the daughter of this Chananaean, the Lord returns into Judaea, as it follows, "And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee."
Remigius: This sea is called by various names; the sea at Galilee, because of its neighbourhood to Galilee; the sea of Tiberias, from the town of Tiberias. "And going up into a mountain, he sat down there."
Chrysostom: It should be considered that sometimes the Lord goes about to heal the sick, sometimes He sits and waits for them to come; and accordingly here it is added, "And there came great multitudes unto him, having with them those that were dumb, lame, blind, maimed, and many others."
Jerome: What the Latin translator calls ’debiles’ (maimed), is in the Greek, which is not a general term for a maimed person, but a peculiar species, as he that is lame in one foot is called ’claudus,’ so he that is crippled in one hand is called..
Chrysostom: These shewed their faith in two points especially, in that they went up the mountain, and in that they believed that they had need of nothing beyond but to cast themselves at Jesus’ feet; for they do not now touch the hem even of His garment, but have attained to a loftier faith; "And cast them down at Jesus’ feet."
The woman’s daughter He healed with great slackness, that He might shew her virtue; but to these He administers healing immediately, not because they were better than that woman, but that He might stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews; as it follows, "and he healed them all."
But the multitude of those that were healed, and the ease with which it was done, struck them with astonishment. "Insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak."
Jerome: He said nothing concerning the maimed, because there was no one word which was the opposite of this." [Source note: ed. note: The Vulgate and old Italic have no clause to , (the maimed to be whole) of the Greek, which is also wanting in many ancient versions.]
Rabanus: Mystically; Having in the daughter of this Chananaean prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, Ho came into Judaea; because, "when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved." [[Rom 11:25]]
Gloss., ap Anselm: The sea near to which Jesus came signifies the turbid swellings of this world; it is the sea of Galilee when men pass from virtue to vice.
Jerome: He goes up into the mountain, that as a bird He may entice the tender nestlings to fly.
Rabanus: Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there to shew that rest is not to be sought but in heavenly things. And as He sits on the mountain, that is, in the heavenly height, there come unto Him multitudes of the faithful, drawing near to Him with devoted mind, and bringing to Him the dumb, and the blind, etc. and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; because they that confess their sins are brought to be healed by Him alone.
These He so heals, that the multitudes marvel and magnify the God of Israel; because the faithful when they see those that have been spiritually sick richly endued with all manner of works of virtuousness, sing praise to God.