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 evil 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 their dogs." "Yes,
Lord," she replied, "but 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.
In a Nutshell
It was an interesting discussion. At first, it seemed like a big argument with the Greek woman. Mark wrote the story to tell us how Jesus became very important for that Gentile household.
Questions
How would you answer if Jesus had said those things to you?
For the time being, Jesus had finished teaching in that region. A good teacher doesn't need to go on and on with the same class and the same lesson, over and over again. Jesus' disciples had to be reminded of what He had said and what He meant. The Pharisees, who joined His class to ask trick questions, needed a jolt to get them out of their mind fog. But Jesus knew what He was doing when He moved on. He had made his point. God meets us and says what He has to say just where He meets us. Where and when is His choice. But when He comes it’s as if He feeds the roots of the tree of our life. When He speaks our life becomes whole and we feel together, integrated and united. Then fruit grows from the branches of our life. Were are free to develop, free to enjoy it. God does not come into our life as fruit. Fruit comes into our life because God touches us at the roots, gets at the heart, the centre of our actions.
Jesus moved away from Galilee and its surrounding districts. He went to the Mediterranean coast, to Tyre and Sidon. This area had been settled by Greeks and those from Phoenicia. Jesus knew, as His disciples knew, what kind of country this was. Jews lived in the midst of Greeks and Syrians; Greeks and Syrians lived next door to Jews.
Jesus went there to rest. He had had a busy time around Galilee and more work lay ahead. Galilee was also having its share of political turmoil. And Jesus knew that His teaching had provoked bitterness in the hearts of His enemies. He was also thinking about His followers. He went somewhere to have time out. This story tells us what happened when His rest was interrupted. Wanting to be left alone, He instructed His hosts not to tell anyone that He was there. But, as usual, word got around and sure enough His time of rest came to an end.
The Jews and the other people of that region did not easily mix. Jesus knew this. He also knew that God's salvation was promised from within the society of Israel. The Jews were the people God had hand-picked to serve Him.
So, here was this frantic woman. She is distressed and at the end of her tether. She came to Jesus. She pleaded with Him to heal her daughter. The little girl was under the control of some evil spirit. You should read this carefully. It does seem a bit hard, doesn’t it? Why did Jesus test her faith in that way? She had come to Jesus, crying and pleading. By His words, He pushes her away. Let the children be fed first. Is it right to take the children's loaf and throw it to the dogs!!
What is this? Why is Jesus being cruel? Why should He be so reluctant to help this woman? Did He need to be so harsh? What was going on?
What was the situation? It sounds like He may have been sitting down to meal with His Jewish host and friends when this woman burst in. Maybe she was just sitting there on the mat while Jesus was sitting and eating the prepared food.
Firstly, let’s remember it is not wrong to ask questions like
these. We are trying to work out what Jesus meant. We have to examine the
evidence. When we hear what Jesus said, we can easily think that something has
been left out. We think that whoever wrote it down must have missed some
important details. Jesus' words seem to say He wanted nothing to do with this
woman. But she was not put off. Was it a test? She was not persuaded to leave!
Instead she took up the conversation from where Jesus had finished!! Indeed! Even the dogs under the table feed off the
children's crumbs!
The test that seems to us to have been so cruel was over. Jesus congratulated the woman. From what Jesus said later it is as if she had shouted back at Him,
Well yes that's what I thought you’d say. You aren't a
Gentile. Take my word for it; we dogs need your crumbs! That’s how we live and
some of us even want you to be here for us. Now you know! So please throw a few
crumbs this way … my little girl will be healed when you say the word.
What Jesus had said was jarring. His reply seemed harsh and unloving. But the woman saw through the appearances. She ignored what might be. She heard the meaning behind Jesus’ words. Unlike the Galilean Pharisees, this woman listened to Jesus and talked back to Him. She knew that Jesus was someone special for Israel, for God's people, and she knew that this man, this Israelite, this Rabbi, this kind and healing nurse could say the word, and because of who He was, her daughter would be healed. Her screams meant she and her daughter were in His hands. She believed He was special for her.
This woman can remind us of Jesus’ great-great grandmother - Ruth. Ruth wasn't a Jew, either, but she had clung to her Jewish mother-in-law just like this woman had clung to Jesus' words. Now He praised her. When she got home, she found that the evil had passed, the terror was out of their lives. Her daughter was well. This woman and her daughter lived to tell the story of how Jesus entered their lives. She had talked back to Jesus and Jesus had answered her prayer.