Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone (Mark 7:24-30).
This incident has always troubled me. The poor woman comes to Jesus trying to get help for her little girl, and Jesus speaks scornfully to her, even insinuating that she is no more than a dog. The account in Matthew is even worse—at first He completely ignores her. Modern psychology would say that the woman now needs therapy to heal her wounded spirit, and Jesus needs lessons in how to interact with people without damaging their self-esteem!
Our lesson in Bible study this week asks, what do you make of Jesus’ “strange response”? As I thought about it, I wondered if Jesus is offering an opportunity for this Gentile woman’s faith to shine through: He puts up an obstacle and by faith she presses on, receiving not only the answer to her prayer, but also a place in Scripture as a model of faith—remembered and respected for two thousand years.
Certainly this incident secures for her a place of honor, but maybe there’s more to it. What is really going on here? What explanation is consistent with Jesus’ holy character and compassionate heart and with the way He treats the poor, the outcasts, and the desperate? I now think that, far from giving the woman the brush-off, He is actually entering into a very intimate and tender moment with her. I picture Him saying to her, “First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” with a twinkle in His eye. Think about how you can joke around with someone you are close to in a way that you can’t with someone who is just an acquaintance. Jesus is speaking to her with the familiarity of a close friend or family member. What He is communicating to her is, “Some people think they are the ‘children’ and you are just a ‘dog,’ but in My eyes, you and your daughter are very precious.”
And she gets it! She is quick to respond with a witty answer of her own: “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” She recognizes that He is teasing her, and she understands that even the “crumbs” of His power are strong enough to heal her daughter. The people around them probably overhear their conversation, but they don’t get it. The woman, however, is fully engaged with Jesus in their inside joke. She realizes that she has just experienced an extraordinary connection with the Savior.
This woman’s experience is unique, but it is similar to that of many others who have a personal interaction with Jesus, in the sense that each encounter is tailor-made by the Lord for that individual. Think of the deaf-mute man and the blind man at Bethsaida, whose stories follow the woman’s (Mk. 7 and 8). Remember the paralyzed man in Mark 2 and the man with the shriveled hand in Mark 3. How about the Gadarene demoniac (Mk. 5), the woman with the issue of blood (Mk. 5), the synagogue ruler with a dying daughter (Mk. 5), the boy with an evil spirit (Mk. 9), the rich young ruler (Mk. 10), blind Bartimaeus (Mk. 10), and Mary, who anoints Him in Bethany (Mk. 14).
The other gospels record many of these stories, as well as others: the widow whose only son has died, the crippled woman who cannot straighten up, the royal official of Capernaum whose son is sick, the woman at the well in Samaria, the invalid at the pool of Bethesda, the man born blind, the woman caught in adultery, the centurion whose servant is sick, the sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet, Nicodemus the Pharisee, Zacchaeus the tax collector, Mary Magdalene who is freed from seven evil spirits, the leper who is healed by Jesus’ touch, the dying thief on the cross.
Each of these people has an unforgettable personal appointment with the Incarnate Lord. He touches each one in a unique way, especially designed by Him for that particular person. So I picture the Syrophoenician woman, a desperate mom, coming to Jesus with an urgent plea for Him to save her daughter, and leaving with a heart soaring with gratitude. Not only has her little girl been healed, but the woman herself has had a remarkable close encounter with the Lord. She has connected with Him in an exceptionally personal and special way, and her life has been transformed by His touch.
Read more: http://blogs.christianpost.com/ambassador-of-reconciliation/dont-toss-the-childrens-bread-to-the-dogs-18649/#ixzz3Urxy6jl2
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