What Jesus Did! 'Even the Puppies Get Some Scraps' — Mark 7:26-28

Wow! Think how this exchange would come off in our world with its racial tensions and political correctness. Now increase that multiple times, and you might get the impact of this exchange in Jesus' time with the extreme racial and religious tension between Jews and Gentiles. Even though Jesus' statement about dogs might seem insensitive, he was undoubtedly testing this woman's faith, and the original language uses a word play that we don't see in English. This Phoenician woman may have known that Samaritans were considered dogs by many Jews of Jesus' day. However, Jesus used a diminutive form of the word for "dogs," thereby softening the meaning and communicating to her he was talking about a beloved house dog or puppy. Still, she would not let anything keep her from her goal; nothing would deter her. She picked up on Jesus' word play and responded also using the diminutive, showing she understood. Her answer showed she believed the Lord should make her daughter whole. Jesus' earthly ministry may have been directed primarily to the children of Israel, but even in Israel the puppies under the family tables got the children's scraps that fell to the floor! What humility and commitment this woman had. She never lost sight of her goal! I'm afraid my pride and anger would have bubbled to the surface, but not for this woman! Her passion and cleverness did not go unnoticed, as the next verses reveal.