²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep ofIsrael.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Dear God, I wish I understood the geography better. I see that this woman was from the region where Jesus was visiting, yet he seemed to be able to easily tell that she was not Jewish. What is interesting is that I have always read verse 24 as being directed at the woman, but it almost implies here that he was speaking to the disciples. Hmmm.

But by the time the woman gets in front of him he has a very frank conversation with her. I have journaled on this passage before, and my take now is the same as my take then. I think Jesus was interested in helping her, but only if she really believed and was willing to exhibit her faith in God. In verse 27, her response includes the idea that you are the master, the Jewish nation is your table, and she acknowledges that she is a dog under it. She showed him that she wasn’t just there to “use” him for a miracle for her daughter, but that there was a brokenness in her that included submission to you.

It is interesting to see people who come to our charitable clinic. Some are haughty and arrogant. They are rude and entitled. The staff and volunteers are often caught off guard by these folks. Don’t they realize the gift they are receiving from the community? How can they be so ungrateful? Then there are the others who are truly grateful. They stop me in the store, pull me aside and thank me for what we have done for them. They ask to come into my office to express their gratitude. The encouragement that their words give me is amazing.

Father, help me to be like these grateful patients when I interact with you. Help me to be the kind of blessing to you that they are to me. Help me to remember the blessings you give to me and to count them one by one, the greatest of which is to be able to sit here right now and communicate with you. Thank you for my children. Thank you for my wife. Thank you for my parents. Thank you for my job. I am grateful to have these opportunities to serve others and to feel your affection in return through my labors of love. Help me to learn from the humility and gratitude of this Gentile woman so that my wife will be made complete in your peace.