But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Mark 7:25-28

This is one of my favorite stories in the gospels. It has the perfect dose of everything. There is controversy involved; Jesus uses a racial slur to refer to the woman. It addresses the unsettling theme of racism; not the kind that is blatant and confrontational. It addresses its more subtle and persistent cousin which lingers in every culture. It also registers the only time in the gospels when Jesus loses an argument. This is quite amazing in itself considering that Jesus often argued with the great religious minds of his period and always left them dumfounded. This time the tables have turned. Jesus was left speechless. The woman belonged to an ethnic group which was especially despised in Israel at that time. In some translations of the Bible, it states that she was also a widow. In all aspects, this woman had all the odds stacked up against her; an outsider, a woman and one without any male relatives to vouch for her in a male dominated society. In spite of all this, Jesus did not make it easy for her. We don’t see a Jesus who is easy going and welcoming here. Instead, He seemed to be indifferent to her plight. Therefore, this text leaves us with a great challenge today. We need to interpret it without tarnishing the image of our Lord and down playing the uncomfortable elements involved.

“Therefore Jesus had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” Hebrews 2:17-18

Jesus was born into a community. Inevitably He was part of a society which inherited values as well as prejudices. The latter is present in all societies and sometimes it is present in us without us realizing it. In this passage, Jesus displayed some unfavorable attitudes towards this woman just because she belonged to a certain ethnicity. We might feel uncomfortable saying this. Maybe we might try to find a way to justify this attitude although it is unnecessary. Some say that Jesus was testing her. I am not sure this makes it better. It makes Him out to be cruel and callous to her desperate situation. Perhaps, it is worthwhile to consider that Jesus was addressing something that is part and parcel of every human culture whether we want to admit it or not. Jesus did not shun away from it. He confronted it in His own life. Jacques Ellul, a well-known French theologian, put forth a possibility that Jesus was challenging those around Him to face their prejudice. He did not do this by pointing the finger at others. The Pharisees would have done this. Jesus, on the other hand, started with Himself. Jesus was fully human and therefore, the temptation to treat and reject someone based on their nationality was very present in His life. It took the faith of a Gentile woman to help Him overcome this temptation.

Before I venture too far, I would like to emphasize that this whole episode is about faith. It is not the kind of faith which is often interpreted as an reasonable submission to something beyond our capacity to understand. This woman’s life was in a state of chaos. Her only child was living in a chaotic existence. At least, this is how we can understand the essence of demonic possession. It hurls a person into a relentless chaotic state. This woman needed order to be restored in her life. Faith is not about believing in things that are unreasonable. It is a conviction that there is something which brings an unshakeable order into our lives in an otherwise chaotic and constantly changing world. This conviction led her to Jesus. This conviction gave her the courage to go to a place where she knew she was not wanted nor welcomed.

The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus was in a house and this woman entered the household. It was not permitted for a Gentile to be in a Jewish household. This did not stop her. Her faith brought her to the feet of Jesus. Her faith informed her that Jesus was different. She was convinced that He was not one to be held back by the prejudices of His people even though Jesus called her a dog, a derogative term for the period. Her faith was unshaken. She knew that there was more to Jesus than meets the eye. She had eyes to see and ears to hear. Something which the religious leaders who were instructed from infancy in the Jewish faith were unable to see and hear in the person of Jesus.

The story also addresses the faith of Jesus. It is not common for us to reflect on this subject. We tend to think that Jesus was born with a fully developed faith. However, He was fully human. As human beings, our faith grows as we mature. Jesus was not any different. His faith informed him of His true vocation and our faith does the same. He allows His faith to reveal to Him how His ministry was to unfold. Our faith informs us how to live out our lives in the new Creation which His ministry has ushered. In this story, His Faith helped Him overcome the prejudices which we inherit from the communities to which we belong. He listened to this woman confront all the obstacles against her through her unwavering faith. Jesus allowed Himself to be taught by this woman because He is Humble and Open. This woman knew that despite her lowly status, she still could have order and healing in this chaotic life. She went home richer and wiser than any of the religious leaders of her time. Besides this, she is the only one in the gospels who has ever won an argument with Jesus. This is quite a feat. Consequently, she has earned a place in our reflection on the redeeming power of the gospel.

The social elements in this story are important but they are not the principal focus here. There will also be discrimination and racism present in every society. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do anything about it. However, this story is about the faith of the person who suffers. It is about those people who don’t have the political voice and status to do anything about the tragic realities of life. However, this does not mean that they are helpless. This story brings hope to these people. In reality, this woman represents the majority of us. Most of us are in reality considered insignificant in our society. We are just a number for the most part. Even if we have some status now, eventually we will also slip into anonymity. Such is life but there is nothing to feel depressed about. There is faith and hope. This woman shows us that faith is able to give our lives the stability in a world of chaos. This faith is able to confront the mountains in front of us. We should not pretend that these mountains don’t exist. Jesus brought it out into the forefront. The woman listened to her faith and went home knowing that no matter what the world tells her, through God’s mercy and grace, she was not just worthy to receive crumbs but she was given the Bread of Life. Her faith helped her understand that she has a place at the table of the Lord as a child of God.
Her simple faith did much more for her than all the religious knowledge and social privileges had done for the Pharisees of her time. It is not about what we know but how we allow our faith to guide us to the Table which our Lord has prepared for us. We are not worthy to gather the crumbs under His table but our faith will open our eyes and ears to discern through our Lord’s grace we always have a seat available for us at the table.

This is definitely one of my favorite gospel stories.