Scraps For Dogs

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 

He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 

Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.  (Mark 7:24-30)

This is one of the more startling conversations of Jesus with anyone, as told to us by Mark.   It has Jesus clearly giving preference to his fellow Jews with Gentiles (Greeks), especially women, being called “dogs” that should not receive the food (faith?) of the Jews.

Calling someone a dog was an insult.   This is Jesus speaking?!  Or is it?  It seems inconsistent with his experience and conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Nevertheless, today’s psalm perhaps provides a clue.  The response is: “Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.”  The first and second verses are: “Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just.  But they mingled with the nations and learned their works. They served their idols, which became a snare for them.”   

With the woman replying, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps,” and with Jesus agreeing (demon leaves her daughter), it appears Mark tells his audience and us that the Jewish faith – but with Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah – favors Gentiles as well.   Marks makes his point in a very dense and curious way that is easily misunderstood.

We dogs are forever grateful for the scraps that eventually became our eucharistic meal.

Deacon David Pierce