And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf? I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth? --Luke 18:7-8 (Amplified)
Have you ever found yourself in a pressure situation where it seemed like you kept talking, talking, talking--hoping you don't sound stupid but feeling like you couldn't shut up? Inevitably, at the end of it you are sure that you made an absolute fool of yourself. Sometimes you are pleasantly surprised when someone in the audience says you made a good point, even though in all of your blathering you can't imagine that any of it made sense, much less made a good point.
If this situation happened in an academic setting, and the professor still passed you, you would feel humbled. If it happened in a job interview, and they still offered you the job, you would have felt so grateful. This situation actually happened to a Greek woman who brought her concern to Jesus.
And from there He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophonician by birth. And she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, 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." And He said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. --Mark 7:24-30
The woman was really unworthy
In the male dominated Jewish world in which Jesus ministered, this lady had three strikes against her. First, she was female. For a woman to approach a Jewish rabbi without a husband or chaperone was unseemly. Her gender placed her at a disadvantage, but to her mind her need was greater than the social strictures in place at the time. Her daughter (also a female) was being tormented, physically and spiritually. The woman's need to intercede for her daughter outweighed the need to conform to any social norms.
Second, she was not Jewish. In fact, her Greek heritage (and probably language) was a huge barrier, but not nearly as big as her religious and cultural background. Politically and historically, the Syrians were not friendly to Israel. Some scholars equate the Phonicians with the ancient Canaanites, recalling that when God led His people into Canaan He commanded that all of the native tribes should be killed. (It was out of disobedience that Israel did not successfully eradicate her enemies, and the consequences of that sin continue to affect the Jewish people to this day.) I have also heard a preacher say that the Phonecians in her family tree were known as people who practiced black magic and astrology. I don't know about that, but I do know that she was not Jewish, and not even a Samaritan (whose family background would have had some Jewish influence). She was a Gentile in every sense of the word.
Third, she was being obnoxious. In Mattew's account of this story, she continuously cried out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!" It was so annoying that the disciples begged Jesus to send her away, "for she is crying out after us." (Matthew 15:23) The woman was making a scene, was garnering attention, and was not giving up. She was not just being bold; she was being brash.
Jesus seemed really unresponsive
At first glance, Jesus's response seems out of character. We know that Jesus was not chauvinistic, only ministering to males. He had healed the woman with the flow of blood, was friends with Mary and Martha, and healed a young girl who was the daughter of Jairus. We know He was not nationalistic, only ministering to Jews. He had healed the demoniac, who lived near pig herders in the Decapolis. John chapter 4 indicates that early in His ministry, Jesus ministered to a Samaritan woman at the well. We know He did not associate only with the wealthy and elite (who would presumably be well-mannered), as He called a man named Simon the Zealot as one of His disciples. The Pharisees accused Him of consorting with tax-collectors and "sinners". How gauche.
When this woman came to Him crying out, "My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon", Matthew's account says He answered not a word. When He did speak, it was rather condescending. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Dogs were scavengers. They were considered unclean animals in Jewish tradition, and so most Jews would not even touch them, let alone feed them.
In what we now call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had made a point about being careful to guard what is holy and set apart (like His blessing and forgiveness). He said, "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." (Matthew 7:6). I think that Jesus was testing this woman, making sure that her reverence of Him was not just words. The same Sermon on the Mount contained this warning: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven." (Matthew 7:21). I think He wanted to make sure that her devotion was true, and that she was not just using Him like some magician or healer who would perform for her and then she would forget and go her own way.
Her words showed her heart
This woman did not have an attitude of entitlement. She was not looking for her basic human rights. She had come to Him humbly asking His help when no one else could help her. She recognized the reference to dogs, and ran with it. Instead of getting huffy and exclaiming, "I'm not a dog! How dare you insinuate that I'm a dog," she humbly accepted the metaphor. Taking it one more step, she answered, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." I believe she was humbly admitting that she was not worthy, but she recognized that He was merciful.
Jesus recognized her heart because of her words. "For this statement," He said, "you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." The Greek word translated "statement" is logos, literally "word." What word had she spoken that got Him to respond? There was no magic word. There was, however, a humble heart that was evident in her words.
In 2017 there was an American game show called Divided, based on a British game show of the same name. Four contestants would try to come to a consensus while answering questions, but the prize money would reduce the longer it took them to reach a consensus. At the end, the final prize money was divided into unequal amounts, and the contestants would try to convince the others that they deserved the higher amount while the others deserved the lower amounts. This final division of spoils would be the most telling part, as it revealed the true character of each contestant. Most of them would argue as to which one of them deserved the biggest share. Almost never did any contestant voluntarily take the lowest amount; some would be talked into it, while others were so adamant that they would rather none of the contestants got anything rather than them accepting a lesser amount. You would hear them shout, "I deserve this, I don't deserve that."
Jesus gives abundant blessing to the undeserving, if we come to Him with a humble heart. The Bible says, "Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45b) One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is Micah 6:8, which says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Our humility needs to come out in our words and in our actions in order to show that although we are unworthy, we have been adopted into the family of God, to dwell among the Chosen Few.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. --Romans 11:17-18
This woman was counted among the elect, and was blessed. She did not raise a ruckus demanding her rights; she faithfully continued in prayer and humility until her prayers were answered. So should we, my friends; so should we.
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