“From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and
Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be
hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him,
and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by
birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus
said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the
children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she answered and said to
Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the
children’s crumbs.” Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the
demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when she had come to her house, she
found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.” (Mark 7:24-30
NKJV)
This story tells us how God tests and toughens our faith. When
a woman came to Jesus with the desperate appeal of casting out the demon out of
her daughter, she was thrown into a very difficult moment because Jesus told
her literally that she was a dog. Such a humiliation and insult may have driven
her into terrible and unbearable bitterness against Jesus. But she did not do
it. There is no hint of pretension, hiding her resentment and offense inside.
Rather, she fully understood what the Lord Jesus Christ said
that she was completely outside of the inner circle of God. We all by nature
were in darkness and confusion outside of God. No one deserved to be inside but
fell into the bondage of the devil. That’s what we were in Adam. There was
nothing in us, which would make us stand before God. We were all dead in our trespasses
and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
The woman had never expected such a “seemingly” harsh and blunt
response at her earnest plea by gentle and gracious Jesus. It forced her think
what He meant really. Though her plea to Jesus was perfectly alright and deserved
to be answered unquestionably and immediately, the Lord wanted to give her more
than she expected. This was the test, toughening her faith in Christ who is the
truth. She accepted the word of truth coming out of the mouth the Lord.
Then, her heart was open to ask the Lord in the way God
wanted all of us to do. “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table
eat from the children’s crumbs.” We were hostile and unreceptive against God in
Adam, enemies of God, says the scripture. But God sent His Son Jesus while we
were still sinners that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
eternal life. No one can enter into the inner circle of God without grace and
mercy offered through the Son Jesus Christ.
The mother’s plea for casting out the demon out of her
daughter truly depicts God’s desire to save the lost. She didn’t mind of being humiliated
and ashamed to be called a dog for the sake of her daughter. Jesus Christ didn’t
mind of being humiliated and crushed and ashamed on the cross in Calvary for
the sake of the elect. God was pleased to put His begotten Son into shame,
guilt, and despair in our place for it is the way, the truth, and the life.
“But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.”
(Isaiah 53:10 NASB)
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