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 7:27–30, ESV)

A Controversial Statement

In our last installment, Jesus went to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24). There, a woman with a demon-possessed daughter approached him, begging him to cast the demon from her child. Jesus responded to the woman with one of his most offensive statements: "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs" (27). They were not a society that loved dogs. In the Old Testament, dogs were often used to depict the unclean and unholy. They roamed the streets and ate garbage and roadkill. And Jewish culture at that time referred to the non-Jewish world as dogs. This is racially charged language.

So what did Jesus mean? How did she hear his words? Why did he say this?

A Hope-Filled Statement

There are some clues that Jesus was not trying to offend and obstruct the woman:

• First, there's the nature of Jesus himself. He stepped out of heaven to save humanity. Looking back, we know this.
• Second, the story ends with her daughter's deliverance, which helps us learn why Jesus went up to Tyre in the first place. The Father planned for him to serve this woman, not reject her.
• Third, he did not use the Greek word describing the typical street dog, but little house dogs that would be loved as pets.
• Fourth, he said, "Let the children be fed first," which gave her hope that another group would be fed second (27).
• Fifth, in that era, Jews considered themselves God's children, while Gentiles were dogs, so Jesus is teaching the woman—I must first go to the Jew, then, later, the non-Jew. This meaning is solidified by looking into Matthew's account of this story. He adds that Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:21).

As Paul said:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16, ESV)

So Jesus' statement to her was actually a hope-filled one. It was a hint of his glorious gospel of grace.

A Faith-Filled Statement

The woman's response was amazing: Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs (28). This was so. They didn't use napkins, but bread, in that culture. And any little house dogs around would gladly eat up the bread.

Notice what the woman is doing. She knows something the disciples still don't understand. She believes the kingdom will extend to all the nations and nationalities of the world, and she begs Jesus to let her taste the kingdom right now!

And Jesus loved her faith. He said: "For this statement (or confession) you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter" (29).

She Expected Grace

In the previous story, Mark has just dropped a theological bomb on his readers—Jesus' teaching that defilement comes from within, from the heart of man. And Jesus' extensive list of "evil thoughts" which come from the human heart confronted everyone who heard him say those words. It confronted Mark's readers in Rome—and it confronts us.

We hear Jesus say, "From within, from the heart, come evil thoughts" (Mark 7:21). We nod our heads in agreement.

Yes, Jesus, it isn't about the ceremony, but the heart.

But then, Jesus goes on. Sexual immorality...Theft...

Yes, Jesus, so true.

Murder...Adultery.

Wow, yeah, I agree.

Coveting...Wickedness...

OK. Got it, Jesus.

Deceit...Sensuality...

Got me, Jesus (nervous laughter).

Envy...Slander...

Is it getting hot in here? This is getting a bit intense, Jesus.

Pride...foolishness...all these things come from within, and they defile a person.

And, after Jesus is done speaking, we might be tempted to argue with him. We might object to being spoken to and about in that way. How can the human heart be this corrupt? Maybe some people have internal wiring capable of such evil, but not us!

Though our temptation is to argue with Jesus about the condition of the human heart, Jesus finds no argument from this woman. She isn't offended by his words. She does not list her credentials. She does not see herself as worthy of his blessing.

Instead, she agrees with Jesus. She embraces his words.

What does she want? Grace. Favor from Christ that she cannot and does not deserve. Like Jacob in the Old Testament, she wrestled with God and received a blessing (Genesis 32:28). She tapped into the kingdom. She received treatment, not as a dog, but as a child. As a Gentile woman, she partook of the Jewish Messiah!

Anyone can partake of Christ, but everyone who does must come with an expectation of grace. If you come with demands built on your own worthiness, if you come with the thought you deserve his blessings, you will miss out. But if you come expecting, longing, asking, desiring, and pleading for an outpouring of his goodness, solely at the discretion of his marvelous grace, then get ready! Hold out your hands and take in his unmerited favor on your life! As the Psalms instruct, open your mouth wide because he will fill it (Psalm 81:10)!