Matthew 15:28
IntermediateMatthew 15:28 · World English Bible (WEB)
“Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.”
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Overview
Jesus honors persistent, humble faith and answers with merciful healing.
After testing and drawing out the Canaanite woman’s faith, Jesus openly commends her: “Great is your faith.” Her daughter is healed at once, showing that Christ’s mercy is powerful even at a distance and is received by trusting Him.
What Makes This Verse Confusing?
Jesus rarely calls someone’s faith “great” in Matthew, and here He says it to a Gentile woman after a difficult exchange in which she had continued pleading, worshiping, and accepting even the humblest place before Him. Her faith is “great” not because it is loud or entitled, but because it clings to Jesus’ mercy when everything seems to discourage her.
The verse gives Jesus’ praise without restating the preceding dialogue, where the woman’s persistence, humility, and confidence in His mercy were displayed.
This keeps the verse from sounding like a sudden compliment. Jesus is publicly revealing the beauty of a faith that refuses to let go of Him.
Original Language
great — μέγας , μεγάλη, μέγα, [in LXX chiefly for גָּדוֹל, also for מַרְבֶּה ,רַב (incl. μείζων), רֹב (μέγιστος) ;] great ; __1. of external form, bodily size, measure, extent : λίθος, Mat.2:60; δράκων, Rev.12:3; ἰχθῦς, Jhn.21:11; πόλις, Rev.11:8; μάχαιρα, Rev.6:4 , al. __2. Of intensity and degree : δύναμις, Act.4:33; φόβος, Mrk.4:41; ἀγάπη, Jhn.15:13; ἄνεμος, 'ib. 6:18 ; κραυγή, Act.23:9; φῶς, Mat.4:16;…
The word translated “great” carries real weight here because Jesus is making a rare and emphatic evaluation of her faith. He is not merely saying she believed; He is declaring her faith remarkable.
faith — πίστις , -εως, ἡ (πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for אֱמוּנָה ;] __1. in active sense, faith, belief, trust, confidence , in NT always of religious faith in God or Christ or spiritual things: Mat.8:10 , Luk.5:20 , Act.14:9 , Rom.1:8 , 1Co.2:5 , 2Co.1:24 , 1Ti.1:5 , al.; with genitive obj., Mrk.11:22 , Act.3:16 , Rom.3:22 , Gal.2:16 , Eph.3:12 , Jas.2:1 , al.; with prep., ἐν, Rom.3:25 , Gal.3:26 , Eph.1:1…
“Faith” here is seen in action: she trusts Jesus’ goodness and power while humbling herself before Him. The word is not abstract belief but personal reliance on Christ.
to will/desire — θέλω (the strengthened form ἐθέλω is found in Hom., and is the more frequently in Attic; see Rutherford, NPhr. , 415f.), [in LXX for חפץ ,אבה; with neg., מאן pi., etc. ;] to will, be willing, wish, desire (more frequently than βούλομαι, which see, in vernac. and late Gk., also in MGr.; for various views as to its relation to β., see Thayer, 286; but see also BL, §24, see word): absol., Rom.9:16 ,…
The word behind “desire” points to what she truly wills or longs for. Jesus grants the longing that has been purified into humble dependence on His mercy.
Lexicon & word tagging: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0)
Related Passages
Mark 9:23-24
BackgroundMatthew 8:13
parallelAs with the Canaanite woman’s daughter, the centurion’s servant is healed “in the selfsame hour.”
Psalms 145:19
backgroundThe psalm says the Lord fulfills the desire of those who fear Him and hears their cry.
Mark 5:34
parallelJesus tells another woman, “Your faith has made you well,” after she comes to Him in desperate trust.
Matthew 9:22
BackgroundRomans 4:19-20
BackgroundJohn 4:50-53
BackgroundMatthew 8:10
parallelJesus also marvels at the faith of a Gentile, the centurion, whose servant is healed by Jesus’ word from a distance.
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · openbible.info (CC-BY)
Key Takeaway
Jesus calls her faith “great” because it humbly clings to His mercy until His healing word is spoken.
Great faith is not faith that demands; it is faith that will not let go of Christ’s mercy.“
Analysis generated on August 12, 2026 · version 2.0
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