The faith. (Part I)

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

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 of Israel.”
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.

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.^[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵ In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
²⁹ Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
³⁰ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.


This passage is a very difficult passage. When i first read this passage, i was like WHAT?! Are you serious? Gentiles = dogs? In our modern perspective, to be called a dog is a huge insult.


But as i mediate on the word and research further, that was not the intention for Jesus. Jesus did not mean for all of us to be referred as dogs in today's context and meaning.

Jesus "withdrawn", from a fanatical crowd, refer to Mark 6, where it was mentioned that He fed five thousand. Jesus wanted to rest(after all He is in a Human body) and to provide for his disciples' rest. this was the extent of his ministry: Mark 6:31
³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

 ²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.

Then, while Jesus was "escaping from the crowd", and just wanting to rest and provide rest for His disciples,
Mark 7:24
He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

This woman appeared after HEARING Jesus's arrival, stopping everything she was doing to come and plead Jesus for healing of her daughter. She was a Gentile and yet used the name Son of David. Not Jesus, but Son of David. She may have heard other people talking about Jesus and mentioning something about Son of David and the prophesy, but the fact remains that she probably did not read the bible and understand the full meaning of the title "Son of David".

So Jesus was here inside the house resting and ministering to his own disciples and this woman was crying out outside the house calling His Name and His Identity and yet His intention was to rest and keep his presence secret. 

Then Jesus did not respond to her. 
 
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.”

Then His disciples suggested sending her away, healing her child. They went ahead to opening the door and letting the woman in without asking Jesus about it. After all Jesus just needed to command and the child will be healed. But the fact is that Jesus stayed silent. Silence, that is what many of us do not look forward to. Imagine you ask Jesus for something and yet He did not reply, he was just silent.   In many ways like this, Jesus wanted to test our response. And in this case Jesus was pleased with that response. 

Why?
Jesus was the Jewish messiah and He was sent for the Jews(and the rest too) and then through the Jews the word would be fulfilled and spread. In a way the woman being a Gentile, Gentile ministry was not Jesus's ministry, but the ministry of the Jews. 

It was clearer when the verse that proceeds.

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
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 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

lost sheep of Israel is referring to the Jews. 

Now, then it would be very clear that  non-chistians = dogs.

Continued below...