Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 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 7:26-30
This is such a fascinating story just on the surface. Jesus, who had up until this point primarily been teaching and healing His own people, the Jews, makes a road trip to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region. The Syrophoenician woman sought and found Him, “and came and fell down at his feet.” Seeking help for her demon-possessed daughter, she was sure that Jesus could help.
But Jesus reply sounds odd here, even rude. What was He trying to say? It seems like He was testing her, and her response shows she got it: “Surely even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children.”
This Gentile lady understood what many Jewish Pharisees didn’t: The gospel is like a crumb, as small as a mustard seed. Yet it has great power as it is working. Her answer was sincere, if a bit tongue-in-cheek; she understood who Jesus was, she called Him “Lord.” Out of desperation for her daughter, she seeks the One she knows can truly heal and save.