Mark 2:24-30 NIV

“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.”

Jesus’ movements at times were unusual and unpredictable. On this occasion, He left home soil and went into foreign territory. Why? We know that He was led by the Spirit at all times, but more than once He made it clear that He had come, primarily, to the Jews. However, now He was among hated Gentiles. Did He go that long distance for one person? Did He know that a distraught mother needed Him?

If not before the time, at that moment, His purpose became clear. For whatever other reason He might have trespassed into Gentile territory, a Greek woman saw a once-off opportunity to get help for her child. No doubt, Jesus’ reputation went before Him. When she found out He was in her town, she made her move.

Why did Jesus seem so reluctant to help her? Why did He try to put her off? Their conversation sounded like a game, banter between two strangers…she said… He said…she argued back…He responded! What was Jesus testing? Was He trying to determine whether her request was real or some kind of trap?

Jesus actually used some rather insulting language. He said words that conveyed the common Jewish attitude to Gentiles…dogs! Unlike today, dogs were not pampered pets. They were treated like a kind of despised vermin.

The woman’s response shows that she both understood her place but was also bold enough to secure an answer. Dog or not, she would not be put off. If healing her daughter was mere crumbs, she was happy to receive them for her child’s sake. She was not in doubt about Jesus’ ability to heal but her persistence had to break through His reluctance.

Real faith never gives up despite the obstacles. Is this the lesson we learn from the Syro-Phoenician woman? Was Jesus really reluctant to heal her or was He about something more?

The outcome tells the story. The short exchange with her told Jesus that she was genuine. She wasn’t put off by taboos or protocols. She desperately wanted help for her daughter. She pushed through to an open expression of faith in Jesus. “I knew you could do it. I knew you would do it.”

This story not only highlights Jesus’ genuine concern for all people but also fulfills a Messianic prophecy spoken centuries before His coming…

Isaiah 42:6 NIV

“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness…”

Ever mindful of His role as “the Word of God”, and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, Jesus did exactly as He was led to do, and another phase of His ministry as God’s Messiah opened up more and more. In the full light of day, after Pentecost, Paul was specifically designated the apostle to the Gentiles, of which this woman was one of the forerunners.