Mark 7:24-30
Chapter 7
24
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman 24 After Jesus left that place, he went to the border of the Tyrian territory. There, he entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there; however, he could not stay hidden.
25
A woman, whose young daughter had an evil spirit, heard about him, and came to fall at his feet.
26
Now, this woman was a pagan and a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27
Jesus told her:
“Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”
28
But she replied:
“Sir, even the puppies under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.”
29
Then Jesus said to her:
“For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
30
And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon gone.
Commentaries
The Faith of a Canaanite Woman.
Mark, who evangelizes among pagans, focuses on Jesus’ activity among non-Jews. A woman, pagan by religion and Syrophoenician by nationality, with simple yet strong faith, manages to influence Jesus to change his plans to only serve Jews and to bring the Gospel to pagans as well. Note that the woman calls him “Lord,” the only time this title appears in Mark, acknowledging him not only as a miracle worker but also as a savior. The term “dogs” was commonly used by Jews to refer to pagans. When she returns home, the mother finds that Jesus’ faith and power have brought her daughter back to life.