Crumbs of Grace
Is there anything as fierce and strong as a mother’s desperate love and aching heart for her child? The region of Tyre was a place of pagans and Gentiles and we remember that in Jesus’ time, Jews didn’t even eat with or speak to them. In this foreign land, there was a mother—her eyes filled with worry and sorrow. Her young daughter was tortured by an evil spirit, lying in bed suffering, and the mother’s heart was shattered as she helplessly watched her child suffer.
One day, a spark of hope appeared. She had heard rumours of a Jewish teacher, a miracle worker, who had come to town. What parent can stay when seeing their child suffers? This mother’s heart is the heart of every parent. In the face of a loved one’s pain, we are willing to do anything. So, she set out to find the man she’d only heard about through rumours.
She knew she was a Gentile and a woman and unwelcome among Jews. But her love for her daughter overpowered any fear. When she finally found Jesus, she didn’t hesitate to kneel at His feet. Her desperate plea spilled from her lips: “Lord, please, help my daughter.” But Jesus responded, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Today, we might see dogs as pets in strollers, dressed in cute clothes, or well-groomed pets carried in handbags. But in the first century, dogs were not trained indoors or washed, their nails trimmed, or groomed. Instead, they were wild scavengers living on the streets. Some may have had rabies, and their bodies were full of worms. If people saw a dog, they might cross the road to avoid it. And Jesus uses the word ‘dog’ to describe her and her daughter.
Just earlier in this chapter, we saw the religious leaders criticising Jesus’ disciples for not following the tradition of ritual handwashing before eating. In response, Jesus told them that what makes a person unclean is not the food they eat, but what comes from their heart. His point was clear: true impurity comes from within, not from external actions. Yet now, in this story, we feel a tension. How could the same Jesus, known for His boundless love and mercy, speak so harshly, even rudely, to this woman? It makes us stop and wonder.
From the woman’s point of view, this is an insult. How humiliated she must have felt! But the story doesn’t end here. Look at her motherly love, persistence, and courage as she humbly describes herself as a ‘dog’. “Yes, Lord,” she says, and continues to turn His metaphor on its head, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs!”
The mother might have thought, ‘If he has the power to heal my daughter, what does it matter what he says or thinks? What does it matter what he calls me or how he thinks of me?’ She relied on Jesus with all her heart and believed that He could heal her beloved daughter. What kind of faith did she have?
Do you remember the Roman centurion in Luke 7? He came to Jesus, asking for the healing of his servant, and Jesus said that He had not found such great faith even in Israel. This mother had the same kind of faith. Her faith came from a deep, desperate hope that if Jesus laid His hands on her daughter, she would be healed.
And how did Jesus respond? Her bold reply, “Yes, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs,” at this moment, perhaps brought a gentle smile to Jesus’ face. He saw the deep faith and humility in her answer. Jesus says, “You are absolutely right! Go home! Your daughter is free.” The mother, with tears of wonder and gratitude uncontrollably down her cheeks, rushed home. Her heart was filled with assurance. When she came home, she saw her daughter sleeping sweetly. The bad spirit was gone, and her daughter was free.
Crumbs from the Table
The crumbs of bread represent the abundant grace of God that reaches even the Gentiles, even this mother and her suffering child. There are no barriers to God’s healing, wholeness, and blessing. All are welcome at God’s table. His grace is given without limits to everyone. When we gather at the table of the risen Lord, none of us is reduced to picking up crumbs from below. Instead, we are all invited to eat and drink the best, promised to the whole world through faith in the One who gave His life for the world’s life.
The Gospel then takes us to another story, as Jesus moves towards the Sea of Galilee, still in Gentile territory. Here, some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him. Perhaps some of these people were his friends. This time, Jesus takes him aside without any questions, touches his ears and mouth, and says, “Ephphatha”- it means “Be opened.”
Yes… Now this Gentile man can hear the sounds of the world and freely say what he wants to say. He runs out into the world, proclaiming his healing and Jesus. What do you think he said? He might say something like this; ‘The Jesus I know shows no favouritism. No matter who you are, Jesus loves you unconditionally and without limit.’ This man’s words are true. His truth touches the hearts of his neighbours. Jesus’ healing was not just physical, it was the transformation and conversion the gospel seeks to bring within us.
We are a community of that transformation and conversion. And now, gathered in the wonder of grace, we confess that Jesus did not give His life for His own family, tribe, or nation alone. Without exception, Jesus gave His life for all people, showing no favouritism. In Christ, God reconciles the whole earth to Himself and to one another. And now we are called to live according to that truth.
Dear friends, today we have seen God’s boundless love and grace through the bold faith of the Syrophoenician woman and the healing of the deaf and mute man. Now, we too must open our ears to hear God’s voice and become vessels to share His love. Let’s not be afraid to share the crumbs of grace we’ve received. For to someone, those crumbs could be life-giving bread.