Possessed.

Mat 15:21  Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 

Mat 15:22  And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

Mat 15:23  But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 

Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

Mat 15:25  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 

Mat 15:26  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 

Mat 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 

Mat 15:28  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. 

This woman's daughter grievously vexed with a devil.

This mother, a Canaanite who was not an Israelite came out to where Jesus and the disciples had just arrived and cried out to Him. First she asked for something - 'HAVE MERCY ON ME' she said this before she even acknowledged His authority.  She needed MERCY. She needed- compassion and forbearance. She KNEW she didn't deserve to be talking with Jesus. She knew she had no right whatsoever to come to Jesus. She was unclean to those of Jesus' religion, she was a Gentile. Maybe those of His own faith had a certain right to Jesus' attention, but not her. Before she could ever think about Jesus listening to her, she KNEW she needed His mercy, His compassion, His forbearing of her very presence. After crying out for mercy

she recognized Jesus as the Son of David. Being a non-Israelite she had heard of Jesus' fame, His ability to cast out demons and heal people. She didn't call out Jesus' name, she called Him the Son of David. 

Why did she call Him the Son of David, this woman who wasn't even from the Israelite lineage?

Samuel is given a message for David from the LORD--

2Sa 7:8  Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 

2Sa 7:9  And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 

2Sa 7:10  Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 

2Sa 7:11  And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 

2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

There would come from David a descendent that would be God's Son. God's Son would establish a kingdom. This was the prophesized Messiah to come. The Canaanite woman knew of this prophecy of a Messiah to come. The promise of a Messiah was NO secret. This was a huge part of the Israelite religion- the coming Messiah. Being such a prominent aspect of this religion it wasn't surprising a non-Israelite would know of the prophecy.  Surely the woman had to have heard of all the wonderful miracles Jesus and His disciples were doing, how else would she have known that He could help her? She KNEW and she BELIEVED from what she'd heard. Maybe she had a relative who had been healed, or a friend, we just don't know. What we do know is she recognize immediately that Jesus was the promised Messiah from the lineage of David. She didn't call out to Him as a teacher,  or even by His name, she called out His authority, His title. 

After calling out to the Messiah of a religion, of a people that she didn't belong to, the Canaanite woman then told Him why she was talking to Him at all.  '…my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil!' She didn't just say her daughter was vexed with a devil, rather she emphasized this fact. Her daughter was GRIEVIOUSLY vexed with a devil.   What did she mean by this statement?

The Greek word-

G1139

δαιμονίζομαι

daimonizomai

Thayer Definition:

1) to be under the power of a demon.

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: middle voice from G1142

G1142

δαίμων

daimōn

Thayer Definition:

1) a god, a goddess

1a) an inferior deity, whether good or bad

2) in the NT, an evil spirit

The word is used 25 times in the New Testament-

G1139

δαιμονίζομαι

daimonizomai

Total KJV Occurrences: 25

possessed, 11

Mat_4:24, Mat_8:16, Mat_8:28, Mat_8:33, Mat_9:32, Mat_12:22, Mar_1:32, Mar_5:15-16 (2), Mar_5:18, Luk_8:36

devil, 7

Mat_9:32, Mat_15:22 (2), Mar_5:15-16 (2), Mar_5:18, Joh_10:21

devils, 6

Mat_4:24, Mat_8:16, Mat_8:28, Mat_8:33, Mar_1:32, Luk_8:36

vexed, 1

Mat_15:22

This word - this statement 'vexed with a devil'.G1139 - is associated with demon possession- 11 times the word is used for being possessed, it is used for the word devil 7 times, devils 6 times.  Clearly the woman believed her daughter to be horribly possessed by a devil.  We are going to look up the other references of possession before we continue--

Possessed-

1. Matt 4:24  And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 

2. Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

3. Matt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 

4. Matt 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 

5. Matt 9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

6. Matt 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

7. Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 

8 & 9 Mark 5:15-16  And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 

10. Mark 5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 

11. Luke 8:36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.

Devil-

1.  Mat_9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 

2&3  Mat_15:22 (2) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

4 & 5 Mar_5:15-16 (2) And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 

6. Mar_5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 

7. Joh_10:21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 

Devils-

1. Mat_4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

2. Mat_8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

3. Mat_8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

4.  Mat_8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

5. Mar_1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 

6. Luk_8:36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed

Vexed-

1. Mat_15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

Clearly there is a distinction between those sick, diseased, lunatic, and those possessed by devils. Not all who are sick, diseased, lunatic are possessed by devils. There was this--

Joh 9:1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 

Joh 9:2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 

Joh 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 

Who did sin - this man or his parents, whose sin caused him to be blind from birth?

Jesus told them NEITHER! Neither the parents nor their son's sins caused the blindness. To assume health afflictions are all caused by personal sin, or the sins of the parents is wrong! We know that sin in and of itself brought into existence by Satan is the root cause of all evil- all sickness, yet here we are told by Jesus Himself that the man was ALLOWED blindness so that the miracle of God could be performed.

Not all are afflicted are possessed by demons any more than all who are sick are sick because of their personal sins or sins of others. These things are allowed for reasons known to God and through faith we trust that His will be done- whether that means healing, or suffering, or even death.

Someone can be lunatic- mentally afflicted without being possessed by a demon. So how do we know which is which. How did that mother know her daughter was afflicted with demon possession? How did others throughout the land during all of Jesus' ministry and even afterwards, know who was possessed?

I don't have that answer just yet, I pray God reveals it to me.

More tomorrow by the grace and mercy, the will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever!!!!!!!