Mark 7
The Christmas 2004 tsunami took 200,000 lives. We have to ask ourselves, “How could God permit such a thing to happen?” We don’t mean to be irreverent. But it’s only logical: if God is in control and if God is good, He shouldn’t let such disasters take place. One theologian takes the logic a step farther. Knowing that God is the ultimate cause of everything, he asks, “Why does do such things?” In other words, this theologian would ask, “Why did God cause the deaths of so many people in the Christmas tsunami?” It’s a shocking but honest question.
Some of us might be equally shocked by Jesus’ remark to the Syrophoenician woman in the God. It seems so unlike Jesus – so un-Christian – for him to refer to non-Jews as dogs. Why would he say such a thing? Perhaps he’s just very tired? Or perhaps in the first century Jesus’ remark was not the insult it appears to be in our race-conscious society?
It’s hard to say what Jesus has in mind, but let us not try to defend the remark. Rather let us focus our attention on the woman’s faith-filled response and Jesus’ benevolent will. She is not stymied by the remark. Rather, in faith, she fires back. “Lord,” she says recognizing Jesus as at least her better, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” So she humbly persists to request the favor. Jesus, for his part, graciously consents. He knows that as God’s emissary, he cannot deny help to anyone who believe in him.
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