61. Jesus and the Syrophoenician Woman - Mark

This woman wasn’t Jewish. She was clearly a Gentile. And the way that Jesus treated this woman may seem strange to us. Why didn’t he simply heal her daughter right away? It’s because Jesus wanted to teach his own disciples an important lesson about his love and mercy.
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devotional

[@MsLuvFilled]

I love this insight because I once thought that Jesus was calling her a dog and that she accepted it, but no. When I read it the Holy Spirit showed me that I was adding to the scripture. Jesus speaks of order, who is entitled to come to the table. The blessings of God is infinite provision, it is enough for all. He is not calling her a dog and she is not saying I am a dog. She is saying even a crumb of your blessing would more than enough to satisfy me. The dog was a metaphor for those perceived to not be children of God, but even a dog knows that the table is overflowing with provision and God is faithful to provide for all, even the lily in the garden. The woman is confident that Jesus will provide for her because of the nature of his provision, so she is persistent not as a beggar or a dog, but because of who JESUS is. He is the one who prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemy. My cup runneth over. It’s not about the dog it’s about the generosity of the one who prepares the table.

[@justaperson3641]

I also see it as a woman being extremely humble. I think this story also shows how humble we should be. We shouldn't think we are so high and mighty or to automatically expect things from God. She basically was agreeing she was a dog. That's the type of humility and respect we should have.

[@cypherpunk12]

So he compared her to a dog trying to take the children's food, then only when she agrees that she is a dog wanting the crumbs from the table does he help her, don't you think that's a little offensive and racist? Jesus of course is speaking of the Israelites when he is talking about the bread and children. This can be seen in the mirror of this passage by Matthew where Jesus says “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Because this was a woman of a different race (Greek) he makes her compare herself to a dog trying to take children's food, he treated her different based on her race.

[@Hoe-numan5]

@@cypherpunk12 In Matthews' account, Jesus encounters a Canaanite/Syrophoenician woman who begs Him to cure her daughter. Jesus initially refuses her request by saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs”. Taken out of context, and especially in English, it’s easy to mistake this for an insult. In the flow of the story, however, it’s clear Jesus is creating a metaphor meant to explain the priorities of His ministry. He is also teaching an important lesson to His disciples. Jews in Jesus’ day sometimes referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” In Greek, this word is kuon, meaning “wild cur”. Non-Jews were considered so unspiritual that even being in their presence could make a person ceremonially unclean. Much of Jesus’ ministry, however, involved turning expectations and prejudices on their heads. According to Matthew’s narrative, Jesus left Israel and went into Tyre and Sidon, which was Gentile territory. When the Canaanite woman approached and repeatedly asked for healing, the disciples were annoyed and asked Jesus to send her away. At this point, Jesus explained His current ministry in a way that both the woman and the watching disciples could understand. At that time, His duty was to the people of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Taking His attention from Israel, in violation of His mission, would be like a father taking food from his children in order to throw it to their dogs. The exact word Jesus used here, in Greek, was kunarion, meaning “small dog” or “pet dog.” This is a completely different word from the term kuon, used to refer to unspiritual people or to an “unclean” animal. Jesus declined her request and explained that she had no legitimate expectation of His help. The woman, however, lived out the principle Jesus Himself taught in the parable of "the persistent widow". Her response proved that she understood fully what Jesus was saying, yet had enough conviction to ask anyway. Jesus acknowledged her faith - calling it “great” - and granted her request. So, according to both the context and language involved, Jesus wasn’t referring to the Canaanite woman as a “dog,” either directly or indirectly. He wasn’t demeaning her but making a point about the priorities He’d been given by God. He was also testing the faith of the woman and teaching an important lesson to His disciples. Recommended Resource: Jesus: The Greatest Life of All by Charles Swindoll.

[@jacobbring571]

It was a bit offensive indeed, but we see that Jesus clearly stated here that He was only sent by God for Israelites' sake. Granting the woman's request may complicate His mission. So He tested the woman's faith and how she would responsed. And as soon as Jesus heard her reply he shown her mercy granting her the miracle she requested him. Jews first then the Gentiles.

[@Revival21]

​@cypherpunk12 He was testing gentile/syrophoenician women faith infront of his Jewish disciple he was using cultural metaphor of his time go check the orginal Greek lexicon The story ends with jesus praising the woman “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” (Mt 15:28) and the same about the roman centurion (gentile) “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” (Mt 8:10) That is more than his disciples got in the same chapter “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Mt 8:26). Funny thing, Jews would critique the NT makes the non-jews more sympathetic and humble. Do you also get triggered by Jesus calling Peter of Satan (Mt16) or the pharisees of vipers (Mt 23)? Or God calling Jerusalem a prostitute (Jeremiah 16:35) or Israel a harlot (Amos)? I guess you may have a problem in understanding the call to humility.

[@Hoe-numan5]

​@@cypherpunk12 at the end in Matthew 15:28, Jesus says to the syrophoenician woman, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." It's a moment where Jesus commends the woman's faith and grants her request to heal her daughter.

[@ellacadby6714]

I think the children represent the Jews and the dogs represent the gentiles, etc… The food being miracles, and how the Jews thought God’s miracles were reserved for them only, yet Jesus wanted to teach otherwise. And the woman replied even the dogs eat the scraps from underneath the table, the others receive miracles as well.

[@cypherpunk12]

You are correct this is who they represent. In the mirror passage in Matthew Jesus says “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” He however compares this woman to a dog trying to take the children's bread, only when she admits that she is like a dog compared to humans does he help her, don't you think this is a little offensive and racist? The verse in the video makes a point to say her race (greek) and the Jewish people also call themselves a race. As a father myself I would gladly be called anything no matter how offensive it is, if it heals my sick child, so I totally understand this woman.

[@enochappiah5838]

"His grace break through all human barriers" hallelujah. Thank you for this video

[@TheIncredibleJourney]

Thank you for your feedback. We are delighted you enjoyed the program :). God bless you

[@enochappiah5838]

​@@TheIncredibleJourney Amen

[@pattykelly6839]

I read the entire thing and it sounds like Jesus is giving this woman sage advice like he is picking up on what she is doing in her life and giving her advice to put the children first. She agrees and says Yes Lord and then he heals her daughter and demons removed. Jesus can be misunderstood often. If he truly thought she was a dog and called her a dog such as said "I would heal you but YOU ARE A DOG" that would be different. Those who give sage advice because they are empaths know we can pick up on personal things about people and guide them in the right direction. Chances are this woman was doing something to invite demons into her life.

[@lbee171]

"Jesus breaks through any human barriers" His love and mercy is for everyone! Amen! 🙌✝️

[@siprizer]

Amen

[@cypherpunk12]

So he compared her to a dog trying to take the children's food, then only when she agrees she is like a dog just wanting the crumbs from the table, does he help her. How is this breaking down the human barriers, don't you think that this was quite racist? I understand her however as I am a parent. If my child were sick and I didn't want them to suffer I would admit to anything to save them, even if it were offensive to me, my child's health is far more important

[@Hoe-numan5]

​@@cypherpunk12it was test of faith.

[@cypherpunk12]

@@Hoe-numan5 So racism is okay if I am testing your faith?

[@Hoe-numan5]

@@cypherpunk12 you could read the Talmud

[@Trad-ish]

Someone else please like the video. I put it at 666 and I don't like it lol

[@annescholl420]

“His grace breaks through all human barriers.” 🙏💕🤗❤️‍🩹

[@BurqueMD]

Thank you for posting this, I have always been confused by this parable. I suppose when reading the Bible it is important to consider who the anticipated audience is. I would not have guessed he was teaching a lesson to the disciples

[@perceive8159]

Great short but important lesson! Another example involved Peter, he came to the right conclusion about God and who he accepts worshipping him. It had to be emphasized a few times to Peter but he finally got the point! In Acts 10 verses 34-35, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men ( all ) from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Yes to restate the thought “ At this point Peter realized that God is not only the God of the Jews but also the God of the Gentiles. To display racism , favouritism within the church which Christ is the head, would be questioning God and that could only lead to our demise.

[@TheIncredibleJourney]

AMEN my friend :)

[@shaneabishek3099]

Very simple explanation thank you God bless you 🙏

[@TheIncredibleJourney]

Amen. :) Thank you for watching Shane :)

[@johnwright689]

Amen that is the grace and mercy of YAH.

[@kgyeo1402]

Election and freewill coexist.

[@w.rentertainment1457]

Jesus is the bread of life for those who don't get it

[@DeniseSkinner68DeniseSkinner68]

Thank you for your video and your input it was lovely

[@TJasmine-Akintaro]

Just curious. What if the woman had not responded as she did. Woukd Jesus have healed her daughter. What if she had kept quiet and let Him go?

[@bonganisithole7830]

Her answer was a reflection of her faith in Jesus. Remember there were many who were not healed because of unbelief read Matthew 13:58. In the story, Jesus' quiteness has an element of of a test, and she passed with flying colours. In short, she was not going to be healed had her answer demonstrated unbelief.

[@melodythompson7755]

Lord speak to me humble answers to answer the needy

[@klatt4057]

Thank you brother for another important video with a sincere message. God knows who needs to hear it. I am happy you preach the gospel in obedience and your joy is evidence of your salvation and a thankful heart. Thank you for your faithfulness.

[@GabrielFlies]

I believe it’s a riddle, a teaching, and a test. To see if she understood what her position was and she did. Jesus came to save the gentiles this was obviously clear to all, and she showed him her faith

[@1889michaelcraig]

Amen brothers and sisters our Father is Coming Soon.

[@monicavirginiasheltonroman8213]

The dogs .backward spells god.trick

[@phiribeauty9064]

Amen 🙌

[@johnjacobs3502]

..

[@bradleywelch9290]

So when she replied with saying that even the dogs under the table eat their crumbs does that mean she said that she will be giving the dogs the children's left overs from then on?

[@MCYAPPAREL]

No it wasn’t literal she was agreeing that she is a dog

[@jjs44544]

Wow this is so sad such lies

[@My2much4u]

Rev.2:9 and 3:9

[@dhlmike]

All heathens that are worthy to enter the kingdom are only getting crumbs.

[@joshc3726]

Amen I love when its longer , your. Voice so nice God bless

[@magdaroman220]

🥰

[@maliek7112]

You guys think she was treating her daughter wrong ?

[@monicavirginiasheltonroman8213]

From a child I was a night terror sufferer.the woman is Jesus. The daughter is brought to jesus the so called only son of God. 724 we need nothing more its in the mark.monika virginia. Is mark.

[@aidanforbes]

Those who denied Jesus and still to this day see themselves as children and the rest of us as the dogs.

[@cypherpunk12]

Wow! This is so racist. At this point Jesus has been going about using his power to help all the Israelites then he meets this woman of a different race. He compares this woman of a to a dog trying to take children's food. Only once she admits she is like a dog trying to get the crumbs from the childrens table does he help her. I wondered if I was interpreting this wrong, perhaps there was more to this. So I started to look for some sort of mirror passage by another deciple, I found that Matthew had reported the same story but it got even worse. In the Matthew version Jesus says “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Now when I see this sort of thing before I jump to conclusions I put it in a modern setting and see if it's really racist. Scenario: A great school teacher is teaching a class, there are white students everywhere, raising their hand and this teacher uses his skills to teach them really well. Eventually a black child raises her hand and asks the teacher for help with her math. The black student says "Sir have mercy on me I am struggling with this math." The teacher did not answer a word. So his assistant teachers 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 white students if this school.” The black student came and knelt before him. “Sir, 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, Sir,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then the teacher said to her, “Student, you have a great wish to learn! Your request is granted.” So he helped her, and thanks to his help the student gets an A on her test. Yes that's racist, racism is treating people differently based on their race, and Jesus made this woman admit she was the equivalent of a dog thing to take the children's food. He only did this because he could see she was of the Greek race.

[@louisgazor9422]

Greetings brother! I could see how you could think that, but let us try and not compare it to a classroom setting. This teacher with the Gentile lady, is God. There is a mission we are not directly looking at. I too, used to struggle with the concept of being God’s not chosen. But there is new covenant under Jesus Christ. We fall under that covenant (Thank God). It was about the heart posture of this lady. She never gave up. She would do with what God gave her. Jesus had an earthly mission, at first for the Jewish nation. Upon the new covenant, the rest of the world would be saved. Her humility, tenacity, and willingness to accept Jesus is what ultimately gave her the gift of healing, and we could assume salvation. This was a lesson for all of his disciples, namely Peter even, who struggled with Gentiles also receiving the Gospel at that point in time. Rather, we should not thing anachronistically about this, but understand that we should have the same humility as this woman when faced with our own crucibles. God won’t ever be unfaithful to us.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

Excellent analysis@cyberpunk

[@cypherpunk12]

@@louisgazor9422 Why not compare it to a classroom setting? We could compare it to a charity helping people, and then refusing to give food to someone who is of a different race. Then once that person begs and admits they are the equivalent of a dog compared to humans, then they get food would that be better? *new covenant* Sure but there is still this racism in the old covenant, and without the old testament we miss many important factors that Christians still use today. This woman like all of us does not get to choose her race, she is no different than anyone else, but Jesus treats her differently because of her race, and that is indeed racism. *Jesus had an earthly mission, at first for the Jewish nation* Yes I know, he had a mission to help one race, that is indeed racism. The worst part of all of this is that Jesus is supposedly God in the flesh, he of all people should know racism is wrong but he continues to be racist. I understand he eventually helped her, but he made her jump though a bunch of hoops that he didn't do to others solely upon her race, that is racism.

[@Hoe-numan5]

In Matthews' account, Jesus encounters a Canaanite/Syrophoenician woman who begs Him to cure her daughter. Jesus initially refuses her request by saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs”. Taken out of context, and especially in English, it’s easy to mistake this for an insult. In the flow of the story, however, it’s clear Jesus is creating a metaphor meant to explain the priorities of His ministry. He is also teaching an important lesson to His disciples. Jews in Jesus’ day sometimes referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” In Greek, this word is kuon, meaning “wild cur”. Non-Jews were considered so unspiritual that even being in their presence could make a person ceremonially unclean. Much of Jesus’ ministry, however, involved turning expectations and prejudices on their heads. According to Matthew’s narrative, Jesus left Israel and went into Tyre and Sidon, which was Gentile territory. When the Canaanite woman approached and repeatedly asked for healing, the disciples were annoyed and asked Jesus to send her away. At this point, Jesus explained His current ministry in a way that both the woman and the watching disciples could understand. At that time, His duty was to the people of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Taking His attention from Israel, in violation of His mission, would be like a father taking food from his children in order to throw it to their dogs. The exact word Jesus used here, in Greek, was kunarion, meaning “small dog” or “pet dog.” This is a completely different word from the term kuon, used to refer to unspiritual people or to an “unclean” animal. Jesus declined her request and explained that she had no legitimate expectation of His help. The woman, however, lived out the principle Jesus Himself taught in the parable of "the persistent widow". Her response proved that she understood fully what Jesus was saying, yet had enough conviction to ask anyway. Jesus acknowledged her faith - calling it “great” - and granted her request. So, according to both the context and language involved, Jesus wasn’t referring to the Canaanite woman as a “dog,” either directly or indirectly. He wasn’t demeaning her but making a point about the priorities He’d been given by God. He was also testing the faith of the woman and teaching an important lesson to His disciples. Recommended Resource: Jesus: The Greatest Life of All by Charles Swindoll.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@Hoe-numan5 Wrong. By referring to her people as dogs he was DIRECTLY referring to her as a dog - because ALL individuals in a race collectively make up a "people". As for the for the linguistic distinction made between a pet dog and an adult dog - my response is simply that a dog is a dog regardless of size. She actually seemed to enjoy the encounter and even outwitted Jesus in this whole weird verbal exchange with eachother. For the record, I NEVER believed Jesus called any woman a dog and I do not accept that the BUYBULL is the inerrant word of any celestial deity. I do however, believe the BUYBULL is a record of a beautiful man called Jesus who was simply one of the greatest teachers who ever lived.