7:24 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. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 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.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
– Mark 7:24-30
As we catch up with Jesus in Mark chapter seven, we hear how He was entering Gentile territory. Even though He didn’t want anyone to know He was there, He could not escape notice. I imagine that’s what it’s like for movie stars and famous people today, though for wholly different reasons. They have to deal with people recognizing them, pursuing them, taking selfies and asking for autographs, not because they are able to heal people, but because we live in a culture that adores those we see on our screens.
I recently learned that Eric Clapton, the British singer/songwriter, has a home in Dublin, Ohio — a suburb of Columbus. The reason he likes to live there, by his own admission, is to escape notice and to live a “normal” life. A friend who lives there told me though, that it’s the talk over the water cooler when someone sees him about town. “I saw Eric Clapton at Kroger!” they say. Who knew that the famous rock and roller went grocery shopping? Maybe they are nice to him in Columbus and instead of swarming him at the meat counter, they simply nod and say hello.
Back to Jesus — St. Mark tells us that as soon as word spread that the Nazarene was in town, immediately a Gentile woman sought him out. Mark uses that word “immediately” 41 times in his Gospel — which is far, far more than any other Gospel writer. He wants us to sense the urgency of Jesus’ work. In this case, the woman seized the opportunity before her and immediately she sprinted to Jesus in her despair and devastation. Her daughter, her precious child, was sick. So far nothing that anyone tried to do for the girl made any difference. You can relate, can’t you? It’s the most awful thing in the world when a child is unwell. We feel so helpless … useless … distraught.
This woman, whose name we do not know, dropped to her knees before the Lord. This was not a gentle stooping and kneeling. She hit the deck! It was a falling down to her knees rather than gingerly lowering herself. Once she was at Jesus’ feet, she begged Him to free her daughter from the demon that held her child captive.
The next part is remarkable. Jesus speaks to her in a rather course way. If someone said to you what Jesus said to this woman, you’d probably be offended. “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” In other words, “Why should I help you? You’re not an Israelite! I came to serve the Jews.” Did Jesus just call this Gentile woman a dog? Did He indicate that she was not worthy of His healing power?
Yes, that’s exactly what he did! Not a very nice thing to say, Jesus! But the woman was not deterred.
In fact, she was even more determined to get His attention and she cleverly acknowledged her station in life and responds, “Yes, Lord; I may be a dog, but even the dogs under the table get to eat the children’s crumbs.”
Brilliant! And Jesus knew it! His pushing her caused her faith to be stronger! She would not give up until He relented and healed her child. She came to Him with hope, and she left Him with faith. Jesus sent her home with the promise of a daughter who was restored to health.
Prayer: Holy One of Israel, Your mercy and love is extended to all people through Your Son, Jesus Christ. May the challenges we face in our lives bring us to a deeper faith; a faith that won’t allow us to give up. Bless all those who follow Christ, that they might grow stronger in their discipleship and share the Good News of salvation in Christ to the ends of the earth. We pray for our mission starts in the North American Lutheran Church, that You would raise up strong leaders who will be faithful to Your calling. Amen.
Devotion written by the Rev. Dr. Amy C. Little
Morning Psalms
Evening Psalms
This daily prayer and Bible reading guide, Devoted to Prayer (based on Acts 2:42), was conceived and prepared by the Rev. Andrew S. Ames Fuller, director of communications for the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). After a challenging year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been provided with a unique opportunity to revitalize the ancient practice of daily prayer and Scripture reading in our homes. While the Reading the Word of God three-year lectionary provided a much-needed and refreshing calendar for our congregations to engage in Scripture reading, this calendar includes a missing component of daily devotion: prayer. This guide is to provide the average layperson and pastor with the simple tools for sorting through the busyness of their lives and reclaiming an act of daily discipleship with their Lord. The daily readings follow the Lutheran Book of Worship two-year daily lectionary, which reflect the church calendar closely. The commemorations are adapted from Philip H. Pfatteicher’s New Book of Festivals and Commemorations, a proposed common calendar of the saints that builds from the Lutheran Book of Worship, but includes saints from many of those churches in ecumenical conversation with the NALC. The introductory portion is adapted from Christ Church (Plano)’s Pray Daily. Our hope is that this calendar and guide will provide new life for congregations learning and re-learning to pray in the midst of a difficult and changing world.