The Woman in Tyre

Mark 7:24-30 or Matthew 15:21-28

The Woman in Tyre

Do you ever feel like a holiday?  A bit of a change? Just to get away from it all? Like some down time on your own? A bit of peace and quiet with no lists, no jobs to finish?

Come on, now! Most of us are retired and have all the time in the world — no pressures, no cares! Is that the way it is with you?

Well, it wasn’t like that for Jesus - he wasn’t retired. He was just tired.  He had been on his feet, travelling from place to place, teaching, healing and always being followed by crowds. He wanted a break.

So he left the region of Galilee and went north east to Tyre and went to a house there but he did so quietly and didn’t want anyone to know he was there. All he wanted was some peace and quiet and to get away from the crowds who followed him everywhere.  

Unfortunately the word got out and he couldn’t keep his presence secret.  In fact, as soon as she heard about him a woman who was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia turned up.  She had a little daughter who was possessed by an impure spirit and she came and fell at Jesus feet. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”, she cried.

Jesus said nothing. He ignored her.

His disciples, being defensive of him, came and urged him to “send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

When she came again, kneeling at his feet, he answered her. He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” and said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

When I first read this passage my first reaction was, “he said what!?” 

He answered her “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” and he said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

How does this strike you?

Does it seem like racism? Like discrimination? Does it seem dismissive? Insulting? Or was Jesus being just plain grumpy?

None of these behaviours is seen as acceptable in our society. Some of them are even illegal.

Would you describe it as being unchristian?

Was Christ being unchristian?

The woman was determined and persistent. She was a mother with a child that had a serious problem she could not solve.  She needed help and for her daughter’s sake was determined to get it.  

Isn’t that what mothers do? Persist in seeking help for their child while they can? And here in Jesus there was a possible source of help she had heard about. 

So when Jesus made that remarkable reply, “it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs” she came back at him saying, “yes it is, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

The whole situation becomes more and more remarkable.

It starts with a non-Jew approaching a Jewish rabbi. Actually it was a non-Jewish woman approaching a man, and a Jewish rabbi at that. This was so out of order in the society of those times.

Then she gets this rebuff which likens her to a dog. Even today, in the middle east to call someone a dog is a deep insult and dismissal. Jews didn’t keep dogs and certainly they would not have a dog in the house let alone under the table.

Greeks kept little lap dogs in the house being fed good food. However, clearly being likened to dogs was a severe insult.

So, how do we come to terms with this exchange?

When Jesus said “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” did he mean, everyone else get lost? Just because she wasn’t a Jew he didn’t want anything to do with her?

In fact, Jesus had several interactions with non-jews, including the woman at the well in Samaria and each time he amazed both the gentile and his disciples.

Is he saying, “Charity begins at home”. That’s a common phrase, isn’t it?

Some people refer you to Galatians 6:10 where it says, “Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”. OK - look out for your brothers and sisters in the faith.  Don’t neglect them - in fact, give them some priority but don’t miss the message, let us do good to all people.

The word charity in the Bible means love, compassion, giving. The original meaning of the phrase charity begins at home means that  love, compassion, giving begins in the home. Learn to love others in the home. That’s where you learn how to do it; then you can share it around. Let’s love and support each other – but that’s just the beginning – go on to do good to all

Of course, it’s not possible to do good to everyone at once, to respond to all the needs put before us. It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? Inevitably we need to set priorities. I can try to help these people but can’t take on something additional right now.

Then we need to help people know WHY we are helping them – it’s because of the Gospel of Jesus and in his name.

That’s what Jesus did – he had his calling set before him and had to avoid distractions. For generations the Jews had been expecting their Messiah and he was that person. God had laid out his purpose and his path and Jesus had set himself to fulfil God’s plan.

First of all, he had come to call the lost sheep of Israel back to obedience to their God. Then the rest of us would benefit by his obedience, and we did - including this woman. 

The apostles had to learn that their gospel is open to all people, to Jews and gentiles alike. God gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him has eternal life.  There is no discrimination. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

The only way anyone at all can find forgiveness, salvation and their relationship to God and answered prayer is because Jesus followed and fulfilled God’s plan. It comes through Jesus who came from the Israelites.

Was Jesus testing her faith?

His responses to her certainly did test her, didn’t they?

Did she have faith? Her persistence showed that she did. She seems to have been quite convinced Jesus could heal her daughter and was determined that he would. If Jesus was testing her faith, she passed with flying colours.

Did she have humility? She threw herself at his feet. She begged Jesus for help. She was prepared to liken herself to a dog begging for scraps under the table. 

She not only showed humility, she even accepted humiliation!

One commentator suggested that this a parable in action. Was it given to us to teach us how to ask Jesus for what we need? 

If so, then be like this Canaanite woman. Ask him for what you need believing that he can grant what you ask for. Find as much faith, humility or even humiliation as you can. 

Then, be persistent, urgent; mean it when you ask. Don’t be put off by apparent rejection.

Remember that if he gives you what you need there may be an impact on others. Maybe their needs come first. He can do everything at once – but there may be an order in which things should be done. 

We know that Jesus’ priority was not to help people but to call them to repentance and access into the Kingdom of Heaven – and that should be our priority, too.

What if the answer is “why should I?” Remember, we “deserve” nothing from Jesus. We have no “rights” to claim. We are dependent on Jesus love, his mercy, his grace. We are, at best, like dogs hunting around under the table looking for crumbs that fall from our master’s table. When God answers our prayers it is a wonderful, amazing gift out of his generosity, his kindness, his graciousness.

As we know, Jesus did answer her prayer. Why did Jesus answer her prayer?

Out of compassion for the mother and child. He responded to her passion and humility.

This woman understood she had no basis on which to ask Jesus to give her what she asked and Jesus as good as pointed this out to her. She accepted that on her knees before the Lord.

Was Christ’s response to the woman’s plea for help unchristian?

Obviously, Christ’s actions could only ever be Christian so the question is a meaningless, even stupid one.

However, be wary of someone telling you that something is unchristian.  From time to time people will try to tell you their own definition of what is christian and what is not - and it’s usually in manipulative terms and often when times are tough, when it seems that prayers are not answered.

Don’t let someone define what’s Christian for you. Only Jesus can define what’s Christian and what’s not.

Why does Jesus answer our prayers?

Because he can! He is the one for whom and through whom all things were made and by whom all things hold together. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He can do what he likes and never goes wrong!

He is the one who died on the Cross and was raised from the dead the victorious Lord thus demonstrating his power over the universe, over our lives.

He is the one who offers us forgiveness for our wrongs, our rebellion, our impurity, our sin.

He is the one who changes us, brings us into a family with God the Father, introducing us to the Father, speaking on our behalf to Almighty God.

If there is to be any hope that Jesus will answer our prayers then we, too, must be humble enough to confess we need the forgiveness he offers but which we do not deserve – even to being humiliated by the reality of our situation.

We start by accepting the forgiveness only he can offer us and submit obediently to him as the Lord, the ruler of our life, the ruler of our health, the ruler of our death.

We seek to live persistently, as consistently as we can with the Spirit of Jesus in and with us. 

Pray, even pray without ceasing!, knowing he hears and will respond, even if it’s only with the scraps under the table!

It worked for the woman in Tyre!