Episode 2114 - Lesson 6 - Tuesday August 6: Crumbs for the dogs

Read Mark 7:24–30. What important lessons are found in this story? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Following on the heels of the challenging passage in yesterday’s study, the story in this passage also raises troubling questions. Why does Jesus respond so harshly to this woman, in so many words calling her a dog? He does not openly explain, but two characteristics in His response to her suggest what He is teaching. In Mark 7:27, He says that the children should be fed “first.” If there is a “first,” it seems logical that there would be a “second.” The other characteristic is that Jesus uses a diminutive form of the word “dog,” not meaning puppies but rather, in context, dogs allowed inside the house in contrast to street dogs. The woman picks up on these two markers in her response to Jesus, which helps explain her response. The woman’s response is rather pointed. She replies: “Lord, yet even the .  .  . dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:28, NKJV). How did this woman come up with this response to Jesus? Certainly the love for her daughter drove her forward. But Jesus also encouraged her. He said “first,” implying there could be a “second.” Furthermore, He implied she was a dog under the table. Just as the dog was in the house under the table, so she was at Jesus’ feet pleading for her daughter. So, she claimed a dog’s right to the food that fell on the floor. The woman’s response reveals her faith. Calling the mighty miracle of healing her daughter from a distance a “crumb” indicated both that Jesus’ power was especially great (if such a miracle were a crumb, what would a whole loaf be?) and that granting her request was a small matter for Him. Jesus was moved and granted her request. “By His dealings with her, He has shown that she who has been regarded as an outcast from Israel is no longer an alien, but a child in God's household. As a child it is her privilege to share in the Father's gifts.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 401. Why is prejudice against other races and nationalities contrary to the teaching of Jesus? How can we seek to be purged of this evil?