The woman who took Jesus to task

Jesus said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs". "Yes, Lord," the woman replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs". Then Jesus told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter..." Mark 7:24-31

I was, so I'm told, quite cheeky when I was a child. One of my earliest memories as a small boy was of my parents, my brother and myself on the top deck of a London bus. I must have done something I shouldn't have, because my mother told me off and said I was "a naughty boy". Whereupon I replied, quite loudly, "Well, it's your fault - you had me!" I can picture my father now going quite red; he didn't know whether to be cross or to laugh. (In the end it was bit of both, but I think the laughter came out on top.)

When a child gets a little cheeky - perhaps the more up to date word would be "lippy" - it means that they are developing character and individuality. And I think good parents take pleasure in it - as long, of course, as it's within bounds and doesn't slide into outright rudeness.

Jesus' encounter with the Canaanite woman - a Gentile, a non-Jew - raises various puzzling questions, but it also gives us a good example of a bit of cheek that brings delight.

At the start Jesus seems impatient, even tetchy and bad-tempered. The woman approaches him in distress - her daughter is troubled by an evil spirit - and he seems to rebuff her. Worse, he even seems to insult her: "It isn't right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs". A bit of a slap in the face, really. It was common in Jesus' day for the Jews, God's chosen people, to refer to the Gentiles as "dogs". It doesn't sound very nice today, and I don't suppose it did then. 

 
How can we explain this? What Jesus meant was that the good news of the gospel was first and foremost for the Jewish people; only after that would it be extended to the Gentiles. In Matthew 10, where he sends the twelve apostles out to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God, he explicitly tells them, "Don't go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans..." Not that he didn't care for or love the non-Jews - of course he did, as various other Gospel stories make clear. But he saw himself as first and foremost the Jewish Messiah sent to the Jewish people. It would then be their task to fulfil their role as "a light to lighten the Gentiles".

Well, we don't know how the woman felt on hearing Jesus' words. (Personally, I'd like to think that he spoke with a smile on his face, making clear that he was putting her to the test, not meaning to hurt her.) But whatever, her reply is spirited, and a wonderful mix of humility and cheek. She says, in effect, "All right, Jesus, perhaps I am only a Gentile dog (there's the humility). But look, does anybody ever complain if dogs go under the meal table to lick up the children's scraps? Of course not! So why shouldn't I come and seek a blessing from you (there's the cheek)?" As if to say, "You're not getting rid of me as easily as that!" She refuses to slink off like a whipped dog.

And Jesus is obviously delighted by this feisty, brazen response: "Well said! Off you go - you have got what you asked for!"

The Bible makes clear that we should always approach God with reverence and respect. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't also sometimes be bold and spirited, refusing to take no for an answer, even taking him to task. As long as our hearts are right, that brings him more pleasure than if we just give up. Is this a word for you today?

Dear Father, you are a God of compassion, love and power. Forgive me when my faith is too weak to hold you to your promises. Give me, please, the kind of impertinence that the Canaanite woman showed. Amen!