Slide 2:
24 And from there He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house, and would not have any one know it; yet He could not be hidden.
25 But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell down at His feet.
26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He said to her, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
28 But she answered Him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 And He said to her, “For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 And she went home, and found the child lying in bed, and the demon gone. The Holy Bible : Revised Standard Version Second Catholic edition (2006), with the ecclesiastical approval of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas Nelson Publishing for Ignatius Press.
Slide 3:
Jesus now takes a trip to the Gentile Greek cultural, region of Tyre and Sidon.
Even outside Israel His reputation is already known.
Jesus’ mission is to first bring the Good News of God’s Kingdom to the Israelites but He is also reaching out to the rest of the world (Mk. 7:27; 13:10; 14:9).
Tyre was originally an offshore island which was connected to the mainland during the 4th century B.C. siege of Alexander the Great.
Slide 4:
At this point in time it would be very unusual for a Jew to help a Gentile in any way.
It is important to remember that Jesus had compassion for all people, Jew and Gentile alike.
God has always reached out to all people in 1 Kings 17:8, 17-24 we hear how Elijah was able to save the life of the Gentile widow’s son of Zarephath.
Slide 5:
In verse 27 Jesus says, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Jesus didn’t call her a dog, He used a parable in order to make three comparisons.
The Bread is a symbol of His message which feeds the Children, the Jews, the children are to be fed first and before feeding the dogs, the Gentiles.
The woman was quick enough to understand His meaning, and said, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
She acknowledged His mission to bring God’s message to the “chosen people,” but in a demonstration of a more abundant faith she asked for just a crumb for the sake of her daughter not herself.
She is an outstanding example of understanding, persistent prayer, love, humility and self-giving.
She had interceded or prayed on behalf of her daughter and her demonstration of faith was greatly rewarded.