Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Matthew 15:28

Let us compare and contrast the actions and reactions of various people to the works and sayings of Jesus that we have seen in just the past few studies. Namely, we will look at the Scribes and Pharisees; the unfaithful disciples; and this woman.

Jesus and His twelve close disciples did many wonders among the Jews including the Scribes and Pharisees. These works manifest to them that Jesus truly was the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of God. 

But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

John 5:36

Yet, the Scribes and Pharisees worked against Jesus and the multitude of His disciples among the Jews left very quickly when He began to teach about their responsibilities in the kingdom of God. 

In the near future, many of these same “leaders” will confront Jesus and demand to know Who He is. His answer?

Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

John 10:24-25

The Pharisees were offended when Jesus spoke the truth (Matthew 15:12). This same passage shows that even His closest twelve disciples were concerned about the Pharisees being offended more than with the truth being preached.

The Scribes and Pharisees were certainly not short of pride in their national heritage and supposed justification. They thought themselves better than Jesus not realizing that they were comparing themselves to God Himself!

Yet, this woman, who was probably not an eye-witness to the miracles and teaching of Jesus, came to Him in faith in her time of need.

This woman, when faced with the lies of the bigotry among the Jews, swallowed her pride and ignored the offense. While others who had seen the miracles and been blessed by Jesus went away, she came against the “rules of the day” in faith in her time of need.

This woman even reasoned with Jesus when He used some of the same Jewish rhetoric when testing her faith. And that is the key. She was acting in faith. I did not matter what obstacle she faced, she was going to get to Jesus and get help from Him no matter what it took.

It is no wonder that Jesus declared that this woman had GREAT FAITH! 

We will not always understand. We will not always know the answers to all our questions. But we can remember to act in the humble faith of this woman and find help in our time of need. We can overcome fears. We can overcome distractions. We can overcome pride. We can overcome distractions and detractors. We can come to Jesus because He has given us the faith to do so.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16