MERRY MONDAY BY PARRIS-
Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Matt.15:27
We’ve all read the story of when Christ didn’t respond to the Syrophonecian women, and when he did, it wasn’t very nice. Even the disciples were put off by her making a scene and just wanted Jesus to fix it. Make it all go away Lord please! Somehow women and hollering go together I suppose! We know there are two types of people in this world. The sick and the not so sick, as Mary’s Song says, “The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away,” Lk 1:53. And if you have ever been in the “sick group” things can get just a little desperate. I like to call it “living in the world of the miraculous” when anything can happen.
This woman had quite an ear to the latest news at her village of hope and was desperate to find it. I am not sure just how many townsfolk knew of the condition of her little daughter. Imagine day after day being hit, punched, cursed at with a dark force inside your child. She was desperate and she just heard of a way out. Christ the son of David was coming to her town.
When she meets Christ he “answers her not a word”; and she cried all the more. If you read the passage at first she is crying for her daughter then she cries “Lord help me”-the more she looked at him the more she realized this was about her. His sharp reply was yet another push away. He will not give the food that is meant for the children to the dogs. What I love about this woman is that she is undaunted. The Bible even says, she followed him into the house. You know she could feel it in the atmosphere-hope swirling, love pouring down. The moment was for here and for now. She has learned as Jacob to wrestle for the blessing. She had heard to much about him and wasn’t giving up. Did she catch the twinkle in Christ’s eye or the gentle tone? Christ was creating a web that would entangle herself and take her faith captive! He was chasing her faith down developing it to its fullness. She takes the sword out of Christ’s hands and catches him with his own words. He was calling her a “little puppy” and thats when she caught it. The outside dogs were never allowed in but the children at the table always fed the little pups. She wasn’t asking for the children’s food but knew a crumb was ample enough to take care her of situation.
“Great is your faith”, Christ said. Let’s have great faith!