Monday
He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ (vs 27-28)
Psalm: Psalm 37:1-11
Background
If we were using an emoji to describe this passage it could well be the open-mouthed ‘wow’. The very idea that Jesus would call another person a dog is enough to make our jaws drop.
What was he thinking? How could he? Isn’t that just racism? It’s certainly unsettling and can’t be glossed over.
It’s fascinating to look through the gospels and see the different methods Jesus uses to heal: touch, spit, words spoken at a distance such as here. Sometimes it is enough for people to request healing for the act to take place.
So what is the kingdom purpose in this encounter?
New Testament Tyre is the modern-day area of Sour and was constructed on a rock island a few hundred yards out into the Mediterranean. It was an important seaport long before Jesus’ day. People from the region came to listen to Jesus and be healed by him (see also Luke 6:17). They were, however, Gentiles.
That brings us to the ‘dog’ conversation (vs 27-28). What was happening? Was Jesus testing the woman: was it another version of “what do you want from me?” (Mark 10: 51). Was Jesus serious in telling the woman to get to the back of the queue, behind the Children of Israel? It appears so.
In Matthew’s parallel account (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus answers that he was sent “only to the lost sheep of Israel” (v 24) with an implication that his mission is to sort out the Children of Israel first but he will get round to the rest. It’s a matter of priorities.
The encounter seems to show Jesus in a difficult light, which makes it more likely Mark is reporting an actual incident. For Methodists, who believe that the kingdom of heaven is for all, not just a privileged few, this is a hard reading.
When, however, we connect this with the in-breaking kingdom after the crucifixion and Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations” we can be more confident that Gentiles were not excluded.
To Ponder:
- How do you deal with the hard bits of Scripture: ignore them, pretend they don’t affect your long-held beliefs or allow them to challenge you?
- This doesn’t sound like “gentle Jesus, meek and mild”. How happy are you with a Jesus who appears to be selective?