One of the Stations of The Cross inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins
“Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’ The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’ ‘Yes, it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.” Matthew 15:21-28
In this Gospel from Matthew we read about the mother who begs for the crumbs even after hearing Jesus say, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
This is a very difficult passage to discern even for many scholars, and so I will not even attempt to to give a one answer fits all scenario. Instead, I will share simply from my simple heart, from my simple faith.
One thing that stands out for me is the mother’s willingness to settle for crumbs, to accept the leftovers. As a mother, I know that if my child were in dire need (here, possessed by demons) that I would take ANY amount of help I could get, even the crumbs. And, yes, I would desperately beg for them.
Another thing that stands out for me is that after the first rebuff she doesn’t back away from Him. She knows He is Lord, Son of David. She knows exactly with whom she is dealing and stands firm. She continues to support her case; that even she, (here, the dogs) should be allowed the scraps that fall from the Master’s table. As a mother, I know that if someone had what I needed for my child, I too would be relentless in my quest, no matter who I had to go to and beg (here, the Living God).
In refusing to back down she demonstrated how great her belief was that Jesus could heal her daughter. It worked. He remarked that she had great faith and granted her request. We too must demonstrate our faith to have our requests fulfilled.
In reading Matthew’s Gospel, we should be reminded that no matter how sinful, how unworthy we feel or how unworthy we are told we are, God’s love for us is real, and His help is ever there for the asking. In our faith we must pursue relentlessly that which we need in order to obtain the goal of Everlasting Life. Even if we must begin with the crumbs which fall from our Master’s table, we will slowly become whole.
God Bless.
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