Mark 7:24-30

Crumbs for Dogs

Devotional 36 of 50 · Mark chapter 7

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After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.” So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped

Mark 7:24-30 · BSB

²⁴Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. ²⁵Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. ²⁶Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ²⁸“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

Jesus

Why is Jesus calling this woman a dog? This seems utterly insulting, racist, and rude. Some even read this Scripture and cast judgment on Jesus, calling this an act of sin. Before we cast stones, we should look a little deeper.

This story begins with Jesus entering a Gentile (non-Jewish) town, seeking to remain unnoticed. The Bible does not say why, but we can speculate that He might have been seeking rest. The last time He sought rest, He was met with a crowd that He ended up teaching and feeding in chapter 5. Likewise, this moment was God-ordained, and this meeting was not accidental but ultimately in line with the will of the Father—like everything Jesus does (John 5:19).

In calling this woman a dog, we see that Jesus is also clarifying that the initial purpose of His work is in the Jewish people. It’s important to note that the Greek word for dog, in this text, is not the word for wild dog, but a domesticated pet—one that would eat the scraps of the children’s bread. I believe that Jesus uses the intensity of this scene to reveal the faith and humility that this woman possessed. And as Scripture affirms, faith and humility are the very characteristics of the children of God.

Jesus is moved by the humility, perseverance, desperation, and faith of this mother. She did not spit in His face when He called her a dog. She was meek and lowly and knew that she was unworthy of the grace of Christ. Her faith shines in that, even though she was not of pure Jewish descent, she ran to Jesus in her hour of need. Despite her unworthiness, she kept asking Him repeatedly, in faith, seeking deliverance for her daughter.

Jesus honors her request and delivers her daughter, showing His glory and power in that He does this from a distance and without a rebuke or even a gesture. We see that the power and work of Jesus are so great that even a crumb is enough to drive out darkness effortlessly.

His Desires

Jesus clearly desires the Jewish people and those who come to Him with humility and persistent faith. Many times, we can grow weary in praying for something without result. Perhaps Christ is inviting us to dig deeper, using the delay to challenge and strengthen our faith. This story is a real-life example of the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1–8. God desires that persistent, humble, and faith-filled prayers would mark the lives of His disciples.

Follow Through

Have faith in Jesus as the authority over spiritual oppression.
Come to Christ with deep humility.
Be persist in prayer.

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Devotional 36 of 50

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