The woman rushed home through crowded streets, ran through her doorway to the bedside, bent over to check her child, then sank to her knees, sobbing with gratitude. Her beautiful daughter slept calmly, at peace for the first time in years. Healed by a few simple words of Jesus.

Much is made of this interaction between a Greek woman and Jesus. She’s the one to whom Jesus spoke the line, it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs, referring to his mission to the lost sheep of Israel. Her response brought joy to the master—even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

All she needed for her daughter were crumbs—if they dropped from the right table. She know that only Jesus possessed the power to heal her daughter. Here’s an insightful picture of prayer, of going to Jesus for what only he can provide, a lesson for us when we talk to the Lord.

But mostly I think of how happy and relieved and joyful this mother felt. How she chattered about Jesus and her daughter. How the neighbors stared in awe mingled with a tinge of fear. I wonder how her daughter turned out when she grew up? How did they take the news of the death of Jesus? How overwhelmed was the mother upon hearing of the resurrection?

One thing for sure, this mother spoke of Jesus to her daughter, her family, her neighbors, and maybe even her daughter’s daughters, right up to the day when finally she left for a seat at his table.

Mark 7 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Storiès