2 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”

Normally one calls out for mercy to another who has been offended or who is charged with carrying out justice. Why would the Canaanite woman ask Jesus for this, whom she had never met before? The answer lies in the persuasive thinking in the ancient world that personal misfortune was the result of some sin or falling short of God’s expectations. That was the presumption of Job’s friends against him, “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent…” (Job 22:23). The natural conclusion would be that if there was a difficulty, the person had not “returned to the Almighty.” In other words, there was still sin in the person’s life. So in this case the woman or her child was assumed to be unworthy and in need of mercy.

Another concern affects this whole incident. A God-fearing Gentile would probably have known the Jewish thinking that God favored the Jews, and that Gentiles had no right to the promises or blessings of God. So in calling out for mercy she was admitting her status as an outsider, but she none-the-less was hoping for some small favor, undeserved though it may be.

This woman recognized in Jesus a potential solution to the problem of her daughter being demon possessed. Demonic activity was quite prevalent during Christ’s earthly tenure, which would not at all be unexpected. At this watershed time of history, Jesus as the Son of God having come as a human, the enemy, Satan, would dispatch his troops in an unprecedented manner to resist the plan of God at every level. It should be pointed out that the Bible presents Satan and demons as being real, personal entities, not just figments of ancient mythologies. At times they do possess people, taking control of their lives. Clearly the woman was on justifiable grounds for seeking mercy, for this condition of her dear daughter was far beyond her capabilities to cure. Demon possession is not something one can cure by oneself.

What a picture of our situation! All humans have sinned and come short of God’s standards (Rom 3:23). Like the woman, we are unable to cure our own condition. We are incapable of solving our own sin condition and are undeserving of God’s favor. There is only one hope—that God will be merciful to us, that He will forgive us on some other basis than our worthiness.

Lord, I know that I don’t deserve anything from You. You are a merciful God and I thank You for forgiving me and setting me free from sin.