Last week, Jesus appeared to be a bit frustrated with the scribes and pharisees calling them “hypocrites” who acted holy, but who’s hearts were “far from Him.” We might think that, after this rather angry outburst, Jesus would quickly return to His loving, empathetic, and understanding self. However, in the very next passage of Mark’s Gospel, which the Lectionary skips, we read about an encounter between Jesus and a Greek woman who needs His help:
A woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek 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, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said, “For saying this…The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
This Greek woman sought Him out and “fell at his feet” because she had faith in His greatness even though most of the “children” of Israel did not. Her faith is all the more remarkable because even His disciples have been a bit slow in recognizing and believing in Jesus.
This woman recognizes Him as having authority to wield power over evil. In response, He insults her by saying that she and her daughter had the same status as “dogs.” Instead of walking away muttering obscenities at Jesus (as some of us might have done), the woman is not deterred. She shows complete and total humility by accepting the status of a dog and by claiming that even the dog enjoys crumbs from the table. Because of her great humility, she was able to withstand the sharp remark and to persist in achieving her goal. Because of her great faith, she succeeded.
Jesus praises the faith in this woman’s heart. He is moved by her certainty that even a crumb from Him has power enough to save her daughter. The encounter with the Greek woman reminds us that God is constantly entering new territory and breaking boundaries. God is in the unsettling business of meeting outsiders and granting them not just a crumb, but a place at the table. He asks us to do the same.
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