A Puppy's Prayer

A Puppy’s Prayer

Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30

Of the tens of thousands encountered by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry only two were praised for demonstrating great faith in Him. At any rate, the four Gospels report only two. Both were non-Jews, one was the Roman centurion in Capernaum [Mt 8:5-10¸ Lk 7:1-10]. The other was a puppy!

Not a puppy with paws, fur and floppy ears. The puppy was the Syrophoenician mother who approached Jesus for help -- the healing of her severely demon-possessed daughter. Jesus rejoiced at her great faith, exclaiming, "Woman, you have great faith!" This praise singles her out for our emulation. What was the basis for Jesus’ joyful praise?

Jesus had withdrawn to a region of Tyre and Sidon, a heathen country, now in Lebanon, far northwest of Capernaum: His popularity had reached a very high point after the feeding of the five thousand men, not counting the women and children who may have accompanied them. Food for this vast number was produced in Jesus’ hands from a meager snack of five barley loaves and two small fishes donated by an anonymous, hungry boy.

Because of this crowds eagerly pursued Him, to be fed, to be healed of diseases, to be guided by the word of God from His lips. He taught them that “the work of God is to believe the One He has sent”, that He is “the bread of life that came down from heaven”, that they must ‘eat His flesh’ and ‘drink His blood’ to be assured of resurrection at the ‘last day’ [John 6:22-70]. Perhaps these truths were too profound [‘hard teaching’] for the crowd: a majority doubted, disagreed with Him and deserted. Only a few remained. In addition, He was challenged by a delegation of Pharisees and teachers of the law [Scribes] sent from Jerusalem; they questioned why He does not teach compliance with the tradition of the elders -- such as the ritual washing of hands before eating, traditional restrictions on the Sabbath day, non-association with tax-collectors, sinners, and Gentiles – who are considered as ‘dogs’ by these devout Jews. This criticism, deflected to the disciples, was really a hostile critique against Jesus’ teaching.

His uncompromising response to the Pharisees, heard the by crowd around them, alarmed the disciples. "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" they warned.

Previous to this was the incident of Peter’s failed attempt to walk on water towards Jesus as He walked to them on the lake. Also previous to this was the beheading of John the Baptist, who had sent Him emissaries to ask, "Are you the One who was to come [the Messiah, the son of David], or should we expect someone else?" [Mt 11:3] In many past and future occasions, Jesus had to chide the disciples for having ‘little faith’. For their part, the disciples had been through a series of emotionally charged experiences enough to make twelve grown men fall in a faint.

It was at this time that Jesus, together with His disciples, went to this region bordering Tyre and Sidon. It was a time for respite and recovery, not so much for Jesus but more for the twelve weary disciples. It was a time for Jesus to cultivate the ‘little faith’ of these men and nurture it to growth.

“He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.” We may infer from this that [a] the visit was to avoid the ever pursuing crowds of Jews, and [b] the visit was more than an overnight or protracted stay, and [c] the house belonged to a countryman living in a primarily foreign country. The desperate mother was described by Matthew as a ‘Canaanite’, by ethnicity, and by Mark as a ‘Greek’, by religion. The region Syro-Phoenicia differentiates it from Lybo-Phoenicia, a province in North Africa. At any rate, they were the strangers here, not the mother.

Little else is known about her. Was she a leading citizen of the area or one of the poor with no status in the community? How did her child [like so many other youth in the 1st century] become demon-possessed? By dabbling in occult practices like palm reading, fortune-telling, astrology, casting spells, brewing love potions and channeling spirits of the dead? How far did she travel as soon as she heard about Jesus? How did she hear about Him, came to have faith in Him?

We know this however: “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him.' News about Him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” [Mk 1:27-28] “News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.” [Mt 4:24] Word of mouth had broadcast Jesus’ miracles even beyond Galilee’s borders.

So it was that this desperate mother begged Jesus to heal her daughter, calling Him ‘Lord, Son of David’. She, a Syrophoenician had no doubt the Jesus was Israel’s promised Messiah. “But, He answered her not a word.”

Undeterred, she sought and followed Him, appealing so importunately that “His disciples came and urged Him, saying, 'Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ ” This may have been said from within the house where Jesus and the disciples were lodging as mentioned in Mark’s account. She must have kept on knocking on that closed door, crying, clamoring “Lord, help me!” When at last the door was opened, the disciples, confronting her, trying to persuade her to go away as politely as the could, may have informed her of Jesus’ reply to their suggestion to send her away, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Still that did not stop her. She came and knelt at His feet. It was then that Jesus compared her to a puppy.

Matthew, an eyewitness, relates Jesus’ reply to the woman: "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Mark, as Apostle Peter remembered the incident, states the reply in this way: "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs."

To be sure, Jesus was not being unkind, insensitive, insulting or politically incorrect [the post-modern label for any kind of intolerance] as the archetypal Pharisee or Scribe at that time would have been to a Gentile, especially a woman. The Greek translation of Aramaic or Hebrew word that Jesus used was ‘kunarion’. This is more accurately translated as ‘little dog’, ‘puppy’ or ‘pet dog’. That pet is meant is obvious from the context of the phrase, ‘children’s bread and their dogs’. Pet dogs are cherished members of the household: unlike the wild, masterless dogs [kuon], which roam the city streets, feed on garbage, snarling and tearing their prey to pieces. Kuon is used in these New Testament passages: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces." [Mt 7:6]; "At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores." [Lk 16:20-21; "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh." [Phil 3:2]; "Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." [2 Pet 2:22]; "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." [Rev 22:15]

Jesus was characteristically expressing deep affection in using the diminutive kunarion. After all, if those who are already saved are called ‘sheep’ [“My sheep know My voice”], unsaved souls predestined by God to salvation may very well be called ‘puppies’. Both children [the heirs of God’s covenant with Abraham] and their puppies are beloved members of His household. Only, as Jesus said, children should be fed first; fed with the bread of life. Now let’s see what made this puppy’s faith so great.

First, she came to Jesus because she knew, firmly believed, and had unshakeable faith in Him: that He was the only answer to her need – the deliverance of her daughter.

Second, she had faith that leaped into action. Faith without works is dead. Faith is made perfect by works. [James 2:20, 22] By His seeming initial denials of her pleas, Jesus drew out and perfected her faith. She never directly heard Jesus teaching in Lk 11:9-10 or, she may have heard by word of mouth; but she literally kept on asking, kept on seeking, kept on knocking until the door was opened, she found and received God’s gift of grace. Her persistent labor was an illustrative lesson the disciples had to observe directly; they had to see for themselves what Jesus taught them when they asked Him to teach them how to pray.

Her singled minded focus on Jesus was a living example to Peter, who sank in the water he was trying to walk on when he became distracted by the wind and the waves. The puppy refused to be distracted or be dissuaded by apparent obstacles. This was a lesson on faith for those whose faith Jesus often described as “little”.

The disciples, who were concerned about the displeasure of the Scribes and Pharisees, learned a lesson on how God loves His puppies equally well as His children. They are no longer to consider unclean or common anyone whom God has called according to His purpose. It will still take them many more lessons in the future [Peter and Cornelius; the Jerusalem church and the Gentile converts in Antioch, Ephesus, Galatia, etc] before this principle became fully integrated in their consciousness. Jesus is building One church, composed of Jew and Gentile, with no distinction. This Church is His Body, His bride, His Beloved..

Finally, what made this puppy’s faith great was the perfect alignment of her prayer with Jesus’ will. Her appeal was passionate, persistent, but made with complete and absolute humility. She agreed with Jesus’ explanation about the children, the bread and their little dogs. Rather than taking offense at the comparison kunarion; she discovered instead confident hope in the words “Let the children be filled first…” Meaning, salvation is offered to children first, then to the puppies! In an orderly sequence of events. In fact, she turned a seeming obstacle into a great opportunity. This was her humble and respectful reply: "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" [in Matthew] and "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs." [in Mark] She saw her situation exactly as God saw it. She fully agreed with His will. She teaches us how to be bold, tenacious and in proper submission to God in our prayers.

Note that the simile Jesus and the mother used recalls the story of Lazarus longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table [but presumably was denied by the rich man, who allowed the dogs to lick his sores]. Crumbs falling from the table speak of God’s superabundant blessing! “I have come that they [the sheep] may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” [John 10:7-10] This echoes the psalm, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” [Ps 23:5]

The woman, without being a Jewess, without being counted as one of Israel’s sheep, knew all these intuitively in her heart! No wonder Jesus praised her with "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."

“For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

“I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” [Mt 11:11] Even if this least one is a woman. Or a puppy.

- End-

Jonseb, Saturday, May 17, 2008