24 Jesus went from there to the area
around Tyre. He did not want the people in that area to know he was there, so
he went into a house. But he could not stay hidden.
25 A woman heard that Jesus was there.
Her daughter had an evil spirit inside her. So the woman came to Jesus and
bowed down near his feet. 26 She was a Greek from Phoenicia,
Syria. She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 Jesus told the woman, “It is not
right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs*. First let the
children eat all they want.”
28 She answered, “That is true, Lord.
But the dogs under the table can eat the bread crumbs from the children.”
29 Then he told her, “Because of this answer,
you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
30 The woman went home and found her
daughter lying on the bed. The demon was gone.
*Here,
Jesus is using the word for ‘little dogs’ (puppies) commonly used refer to
family pets.
Cultural
background: The wealthy families often have big feasts together, and their dogs
can gather near the table and enjoy the leftovers that fall from the table. In
ancient times, there was no modern soap or detergents. Wealthy people used
pieces of bread to wipe clean their dishes and hands and gave to their dogs.
Questions
1.
Jesus
may sound very rude to the woman, but he is giving the woman an opportunity to
show off her faith and insights. How does the woman understand God's mercy and
her own relationship with God?
2.
Why
do you think Jesus uses a metaphor of a wealthy family feast?
3.
Compare
this woman with the disciples in the story of ‘Jesus feeding the 5000 people’
(Mark 6:35-37). What differences can you notice?
4.
God
says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Do you believe it?
