The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
I must admit I'm very disappointed at Jesus' attitude toward the Greek woman! Making reference to her as a "dog" seems so harsh and rude. This is one of the only times in scripture where Jesus appears insensitive. I'm sure he was tired from all of the miracles he performed day in and day out. He was probably frustrated by all of the sick people begging for his help! The last thing he needed was a pagan woman requesting healing of her daughter's demon possession.
The pagan woman is no dummy! She carefully turns around Jesus words to benefit her cause. Even though Jesus refers to her as a dog, giving preference to the children of God instead of the children of paganism, she refers to dogs eating the children's scraps under the table. Clearly, she's a believer. Even though a society outcast because of her Greek origin, Jesus quickly realizes her true faith.
I often wonder: Did Jesus later apologize to the woman for calling her a dog? Did Jesus feel any guilt or remorse for the reference? Maybe he didn't think anything of it. Maybe it was a general term for pagans. The good thing is Jesus recognized the pagan woman's belief. The woman was able to sap up the scraps of Jesus' love in a way that forever changed her life!
In our own lives, we should be careful not to judge people's actions. We shouldn't ignore request for help from people who are different from us. We never know a person's true intentions. When we push away someone, we may be driving them away from Christ! We may have a soul searching for conversion right there in front of us; however, we push them aside as if they are scraps of food waste!
Let us take the time this week to help someone in need. Let us pray for those who do not yet believe in God. Let us never think we are superior Christians. Show humility and charity at all times.
-J.
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