A Difficult Conversation

A Difficult Conversation
Words of Faith 12-29-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 7
[24] Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. 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 evil 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 their dogs."
[28] "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but 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 is one of the "hard sayings" of Jesus. Interpreters vary on how they treat this situation and the sense that Jesus was either rude or even bigoted in his response to a woman who came seeking help. Could Jesus be that much a part of His culture that He would call this woman a dog? After all, the woman was a Syrian Phoenician, a descendant of ancient enemies. She was a Gentile. In terms of Orthodox Jewish teaching, she was the last person on earth with whom Jesus should talk.
But Jesus did talk. The fact that Jesus talked to her at all broke down a barrier. We also observe how unlikely this woman would have known Hebrew or Aramaic, so Jesus almost certainly spoke to her in Greek. Jesus was part of the cultures around him.
Excavations of the Roman city Sepphoris, which is very close to Nazareth, suggest that artisans in Nazareth found construction work there in the time of Jesus. So, Jesus knew much about Greek culture and was willing to have a conversation.
The difficulty of the text arises when Jesus seems to insult this woman. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." The most direct meaning is that the first priority of Jesus was to bring the Gospel to the Jewish people and then to the Gentiles. Still, in response to her request, Jesus essentially calls her a dog. Some scholars point out that the exact Greek Word means "house puppy" or "pet dog" rather than a wild dog, but this is still of little comfort. What is going on here?
First, we must trust that Jesus knew the deepest needs of every person He encountered. He still does. We do not always understand His methods or prescriptions. We do not know why Jesus sent away the rich young ruler with such an enormous demand that he give away everything he owned. We do not understand why Jesus rejected a man who wanted to bury his father. We do not know many things, but we can be assured that Jesus knew the exact need of those who came to seek Him.

Is it too much to suppose that Jesus came all the way from Galilee specifically in response to the anguished prayer of this mother? Is it too much to think that Jesus knew her greatest need was to persist in that faith—even in the face of rejection—and then profess Jesus as Lord? Interestingly, this is the only place in Mark's Gospel where anyone calls Jesus "Lord."
Is it too much to think that Jesus knew that this woman had a deep need to shake off the very sort of insult that He placed before her to claim the promise of God for a daughter of God? We may never know the exact nature of the soul surgery Jesus performed in this conversation. Still, we can rest assured that it was precise, accurate and motivated by love that we cannot fathom.
You see, the truth is that we may never know why God deals in a certain way with a particular person. Why does this person seem to be tested while another is not? Why is faith harder to find for one than for another? Why does a particular person endure loss? We may not know, but Jesus knows. He is the Great Physician of the body and soul. His diagnosis is perfect. His skill is unmatched. His motives are absolutely pure.

Lord, help me trust You even when I do not understand your conversations or dealings with others. Help me focus on my relationship with You and my service to others. Do Your surgery of the soul in my life. Press me where I need to be pressed. Give me the required situations where I can shake loose the constraints of culture and be free in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.