Everybody Loves Puppies
I know some people just aren’t dog people. Even as a dog person, I get that. But everybody loves puppies. I mean EVERYBODY LOVES PUPPIES! It’s hard to find someone whose heart doesn’t melt whenever they see a tiny tail-wagger.
Did you know Jesus has a soft spot for a cute and cuddly puppy? Okay, I know we never read about the Lord swinging by the local shelter to adopt Son of Man’s best friend. But Mark tells the story in his bio of our Savior about the time Christ showers His grace on an adorable little mutt (Mk 7:24-30).
Begging for Table Scraps
It’s an account that a lot of folks have a hard time wrapping their heads and hearts around. I used to be one of them. At first glance, it appears Jesus dismisses a desperate mom like He’s angrily shooing away some pesky mongrel begging for table scraps.
But a closer look shows us something different. Something more tender. It’s a moment filled with mercy and grace. It’s more like a moment when a cute little puppy catches the eye of our Savior. A moment that changes everything.
Previously on the Gospel of Mark
To understand what’s going on, we need to back up a bit. If you were binging this as a series on Netflix, this is where the announcer would say, “Previously on the Gospel of Mark.”
As we pick up the action, Jesus’ popularity is blowing up. He can’t go anywhere in Galilee without gathering a crowd (Mk 1:28, 33, 45; 2:2, 13, 18; 3:7-10, 20; 4:1; 5:14, 21, 24, 31; 6:31-34, 54-56).
A Crazy Few Days
The Lord has become such a local celebrity that people notice Him everywhere He goes. That’s especially the case around Galilee, His home turf. It’s making it nearly impossible for Him to get alone with His team of twelve. They’ve been hoping to get a little R&R for a while (Mk 6:31).
The past few days have been crazy for Jesus and the boys. The disciples have just returned from their first attempt at helping people without their Leader (Mk 6:7-13, 30). The news of the king’s execution of Christ’s cousin is still fresh (Mk 6:14-29).
An All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Buffet
Jesus provided an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet to a crowd of at least 5,000 men which probably numbers at least 20,000 people total (Mk 6:32-44). Later that same night, He walks out on the waves to meet the boys in their boat in the middle of a nasty nighttime storm (Mk 6:45-52).
Back on the beach near Genneseret the next morning, things explode again when people recognize You-know-who’s in town. Locals do everything possible to get their family and friends who need help close to Christ (Mk 6:53-56).
A Churning Urn of Burning Funk
That’s followed by yet another awkward confrontation between Jesus and Jewish leaders (Mk 7:1-13). They’re upset that He and His squad aren’t following the religious rules they wrote. He’s upset that they are editing and adding to God’s Law.
In the last episode, the Son of God warns folks that we shouldn’t worry too much about what we eat. The real nasty stuff is the churning urn of burning funk in our own hearts (Mk 7:14-23).
Hitting the Road for Tyre
It’s at this point that our Savior and His disciples pack it up and hit the road. They leave the western shore of the big lake we call the Sea of Galilee. “Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre” (v24).
Things have gotten so wacky that the Lord decides to actually leave the country. Tyre may be just 30 miles away but it’s over the border in what’s known as Syro-Phoencia. It’s name is just mashup of the ancient lands of Syria and Phoenicia.
See Rock City
Jesus and the Twelve get away somewhere near this Phoenician coastal city. The name Tyre actually means “Rock.” It makes you wonder if they have signs painted on barns and billboards reading “See Rock City”? Okay, maybe not.
As a big city, Tyre’s a big deal. It’s not just the capital but an incredibly prosperous seaport and the center for international trade. Because of that, it’s place flowing with money. Locals had a rep for being materialistic. Think Los Angeles.
Keeping It on the Down Low
Whether or not Christ hopes He and His crew will get lost in the crowd, it is clear that He tries to keep their presence on the down low. “He didn’t want anyone to know which house He was staying in, but He couldn’t keep it a secret” (v24). You won’t find this little tidbit describing His desire to fly under the radar anywhere but here in Mark’s Gospel.
We see right from jump street that’s not happening. Not only is He at the peak of His popularity back home, people from Tyre had already made the trip to Galilee to check out the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth (Mk 3:8). His fame made it there before He did.
A Sneak Preview
If you’re wondering, this is actually the Lord’s second trip to a non-Jewish country. You might remember the whole scene in the Gerasene cemetery with a naked dude and herd of pigs taking a flying leap off a cliff (Mk 5:1-20).
Meanwhile somewhere in the Tyre metro are, Jesus tries to avoid publicity. I wonder if He uses an alias like celebs at a hotel. Whatever the case, this is a sneak preview of where some of these very same disciples would take the Gospel of grace in just a couple of years (Mk 13:10; 14:9).
Word Gets out
The Son of God hasn’t been there long before the word gets out. “Right away a woman who had heard about Him came and fell at His feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit” (v25).
Right away we see the words “right away” (v25). Once again, Mark uses one of his favorite terms to keep the pedal to the metal. Some form of ευθυς/euthos shows up 40-plus times in the second Gospel. It’s the author’s way of saying buckle up.
Helping Her Baby Girl
You get the impression that Jesus hasn’t even had time to put down His luggage when this distraught momma throws herself at Him in hopes of getting rid of the demon terrorizing her baby girl. Does she believe He’s the long awaited Messiah? We don’t know. One thing for sure, she believes He’s the answer to her daughter’s problem.
It’s easy to blow right past the scandal of this encounter. First of all, women have almost no status in the First Century. The Greco-Roman world thinks so little of the ladies that they’re nothing more than property.
Little More than Property
To make matters worse, this woman pleads on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. Mom has zero leverage in society. If it’s possible, her little girl has even less. Men consider them little more than property back in the day. With one exception. You guessed it, Jesus.
Don’t Get Smug
Before we get all smug about how far we’ve come in regards to women’s rights, we really need to slow our roll. Just do a little search on the #MeToo movement. Two thousand years later, men are still abusing their power and position to sexually harass and assault females.
Sadly this extends to nearly every corner of our world. Home. School. Work. Church. Yeah, you read that right. Church. This scandal has taken down some of the most influential leaders of the Christian faith.
Demolishing Gender Barriers
If there’s one place our daughters, sisters, wives, and moms should not only feel safe but valued, it’s in the Body of Christ. God creates ALL of us in His image (Gen 1:26-27). Jesus personally demolished the barriers between genders (Gal 3:28). Peter commands every husband to treat their wife as “equal partner in God’s gift of new life” (1Pet 3:7).
Maybe you need to repent and confess your treatment of women. Maybe you need to report something you’ve seen, heard, or even experienced. Whatever the case, it needs to stop. Are we clear?
Falling at His Feet
Meanwhile back in the story, we see how this frantic mom “came and fell at His feet” (v25). Did you know that Jesus never turns down anyone who throws themselves before Him? Every. Single. One.
Check out the list. There’s that naked crazy man terrorizing people in the graveyard (Mk 5:6; Lk 8:28). What about Jairus coming to Christ to heal his baby girl (Mk 5:22; Lk 8:41)? Don’t forget the woman suffering from years of hemorrhaging (Lk 8:47). Have you read about Lazarus’ sister Mary at her brother’s funeral (Jn 11:32)? And then there’s Jesus’ best friend John (Rev 1:17; 19:10).
Hitting Rock Bottom
The big idea is that each one of these folks realized they couldn’t do it on their own. They needed God. It’s just like Jesus says in the opening lines of His most famous sermon. “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Mt 5:3).
Jesus wants us to come to Him for help so badly that He allows us to hit rock bottom. There’s an old saying that goes a little something like this: “God’s office is often at the end of your rope.” When we get there, we can throw ourselves at His feet. He’s been waiting there for us the whole time.
When Hope Is on E
We have no idea what this mother and child have been through to this point. You can bet their lives are soaked with tears and their hope is on E. Whatever they’ve tried, they’ve come up empty. So when she hears Christ is in town, “she begged Him to cast out the demon from her daughter” (v26).
The 800-Pound Gorilla
Gender isn’t the only issue on the table in this encounter between Jesus and the desperate woman. The other 800-pound gorilla is religion and race. “She was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia” (v26). A couple of issues we’re still wrestling with today.
The first label she wears describes her belief system. “Gentile” (Gr. ‘Ελληνις/Hellenis) literally means someone who is Greek. No, not someone from the nation of Greece. It’s Israelite slang for any non-Jewish person.
The Spread of Greek Culture
This nickname goes back to the days of none other than Alexander the Great. A couple of hundred years before, the Big A rolled out of Greece and conquered all of the known world. A huge part of his plan for global domination was spreading Greek culture and language to the ends of the Earth.
The Jewish people stood their ground. They dug in their Hebrew heels and refused to go Greek. As a result, they looked down their nose at everyone who caved and labeled anyone who wasn’t a cultural Jew as “Greek.”
Paving the Way for the Gospel
What God’s chosen people didn’t realize was how He would use the spread of Greek language as a big part of expanding His heavenly kingdom. With everyone using a common tongue to communicate, it paved the way for Gospel to race around the world like a tsunami of grace.
That’s why all of the original documents of the New Testament are in what is called Koine Greek. It was the common trade language Alexander forced upon around the people he conquered. Little did this dictator know he was just a pawn in God’s bigger plan.
Writing for a Roman Audience
Mark goes on to tell us that this woman was “born in Syrian Phoenicia” (v26). He’s clueing in his readers on her geopolitical background. Since the author of the second Gospel is writing for a Roman audience, he wants them to know her place in the empire.
This pegs her homeland as the Roman province just north of Israel along the Mediterranean. A quick check of Matthew’s version of this very same story tells us she’s also a Canaanite (Mt 15:22 ESV). These were the people living in the Promised Land when the Israelites arrived (Ex 23:23, 28). In other words, an enemy of the Jews.
A Mixed Breed Mongrel
The bottom line is that this lady checks all the wrong boxes. Woman. Gentile. Foreigner. Enemy of God’s people. She’s a total outsider when it comes to gender, religion, culture, and heritage. If she were a dog at the shelter, she’s the mixed breed mongrel that nobody wants.
Nobody, that is, but Jesus. As we so often see with our Savior, none of these labels mean a hill of beans to Him. Who can ever forget His tender conversation with the Samaritan divorcee at a drinking fountain (Jn 4:4-30)? He readily accepts those the rest of us regularly reject.
A Harsh Response?
But the Lord’s initial response seems…um…well…kinda harsh. “First I should feed the children—My own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (v27). Did He just call this desperate woman and her daughter both dogs? What the WHAT?!?
Maybe Jesus isn’t who we thought He was. Maybe someone stuck this story into Scripture to throw the Messiah under the back of the Bible bus. But a closer look at the original language reveals His heart. A heart both devoted to His chosen people and broken by this lady’s urgent cry for help.
First Things First
First and foremost, don’t miss the fact that the Son of God first says “first” (v27). This lady certainly doesn’t. He doesn’t mean never. He just means wait. Hang in there. God hasn’t forgotten about you. He simply has an order of doing things. He has a plan. And His plan includes you!
Next Jesus reveals the order of His divine to-do list. His top priority is to “feed the children—My own family, the Jews” (v27). That’s His way of saying His mission starts with the chosen people. A heavenly mission that goes back a few thousand years.
Back to Tower of Babel Bungle
This goes all the way back to right after the whole Tower of Babel bungle. That’s when Yahweh handpicks Abram to receive His blessing (Gen 12:1-3). Think of it this way. God’s choice of the Jewish people begins His selection of a Gentile from what we know today as Iraq.
One of the best and brightest of the first century Jews, a guy named Paul, puts it this way in a letter to Jesus’ followers in Rome. “Remember that Christ came as a servant t the Jews to show that God is true to the promises He made to their ancestors” (Rom 15:8).
God’s First Round Draft Pick
Over and over, Scripture reinforces the Hebrews as God’s first round draft pick (Dt 14:2; Neh 9:7; Amos 3:2; Rom 11:26). But it’s not like they were some off-the-charts-can’t-miss prospect. God makes it clear He actually picks the Jews because they were NOT all that (Dt 7:7).
There seems to be little doubt that the Hebrews occupy a soft spot in God’s heart. But while His blessing certainly starts with Abraham’s descendants but it certainly doesn’t end there. His love flows both to the Jewish people and through them to the whole wide world
A Supernatural Sequence
As a matter of fact, God called that shot right from the get go. He tells Abe from the very start that “all the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3). While Jesus certainly starts with the Jewish people, He really leaves no doubt His divine rescue mission is an expression of God’s love for every person on the planet (Mt 8:11; 21:43; Jn 3:16).
Once again, Paul reveals the supernatural sequence of salvation. Christ came “saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Rom 1:16). We can be sure that God is absolutely crazy about all people (Ps 22:27; Is 56:7; Mt 28:19-20; Rom 15:9-12).
Feeding the Dog
Now with the big picture of God’s love in mind, let’s zoom back into Jesus’ conversation with that desperate mom just outside of Tyre. He tells her, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (v27).
Our Savior uses an interesting Greek term (Gr. κυναριον/kunarion) the NLT translates as “dogs.” This is NOT the usual word (Gr. κυων/kuon) for a vicious feral dog living in the streets or running lose in the wild. Think Cujo.
Picture a Puppy
This particular noun actually describes a smaller dog like a family pet. A lap dog. Picture a puppy. Specifically a cute and cuddly fuzzball bouncing around the table at mealtime. It’s excited by the sight and smell of food and doesn’t know any better. You can’t help but smile every time you see it.
Like a that adorable puppy, Christ doesn’t shoo her away. Most scholars believe He’s probably testing her faith. Chances are He wants to use the situation as another opportunity to teach that God is throwing the doors wide open to anyone and everyone who places their trust in Him.
Like a Dog with a Bone
The worried mom doesn’t see Christ’s comeback as a problem. Nope, she sees it as an open door. So she walks right on through. “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates” (v28).
She doesn’t argue with the Nazarene. Instead she takes His canine analogy and runs with it. She passes this faith test and responds with respect and worship. She sees His response as an open invitation. This lady’s like a dog with a bone. She just won’t let go!
A Hunk of Gospel Ribeye
Jesus loves her persistence. “Good answer!” He said. Attagirl! Her tenacity shows that she has boundless confidence and faith in who He is. Rather than chasing her away like a dog begging at dinnertime, He does just the opposite.
The Son of God hands her a delicious hunk of Gospel ribeye. “Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter” (v29). Forget the table scraps. He gives her the miracle she came for.
Beating Feet Back Home
I’ve got a sneaking suspicion she beat feet back to the house the moment the Messiah said those words. What she sees when she hits the door is just as He promised. “And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone” (v30).
The terrible torture of her baby girl is over. Her pain is gone. Her agony has ended. No more screaming. No more tears. Her daughter rests comfortably in her bed. Can’t you just see her tucked under her “Frozen” sheets and squeezing her favorite teddy bear.
Power from a Distance
There’s also a couple of important theological lessons we shouldn’t miss with this little miss. First, Jesus’ miraculous healing demonstrates His power over the spiritual world. Satan is NOT the evil equal to the divine Son of God. Not even close.
Second, this makes it clear that Jesus doesn’t need to be physically present to do what needs to be done. His power transcends the distance. No need to worry that He can’t do what you need now that He’s headed back home to heaven.
Puppy Love
Some people love pure bred dogs like golden retrievers, bulldogs, and boxers. Others are all about those designer dogs such as labradoodles, schoodles, and cockapoos. Then there are those who have a heart for mixed breeds and mongrels.
Jesus loves them all. Or should I say, Jesus loves US all. That’s because our Savior has a particular soft spot for mutts and strays. He’s the person who goes to the shelter and not only wants to take each pooch home but actually does. Looks like the Lord has a serious case of puppy love.
©2018
Jay Jennings
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