What did Jesus mean when he called the Canaanite woman 'woman'?
When Jesus called the Canaanite woman 'woman,' He was not putting her down. In the Greek, the word was a term of respect, not a degrading label as it might seem today. He was respecting her person, and He followed it by commending her great faith.
Les explains that the word 'woman' as used here, and as Jesus addressed Mary, was not understood the way people might think today as more or less a degrading term. In other words, you would not call someone 'woman' if you respected her, but in the Greek it was a term of respect. So when Jesus referred to her as 'woman,' He was not putting her down; He was respecting her person, and He said, '...woman, great is thy faith.' Les also notes the contrast: the Jew could not condescend to acknowledge this Nazarene as the son of David, but this Canaanite woman did. He points out that she is one of only two Gentiles Jesus ministers to in His whole earthly ministry—this Canaanite woman and a Roman centurion.