Even the Dogs

Both Matthew and Mark tell a story about a Gentile woman with remarkable humility and love. Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:26-30 detail how a non-Jew appeals for help from Jesus for her demon possessed daughter. The story is intriguing on several levels because at first Jesus ignored the woman as He was teaching his disciples, but her constant calling out caused Him to take notice of her. I will tell the story in my own words.


Jesus decides to go to the region of Tyre so He could spend some quality time with the boys (His Disciples). Lo and behold a woman comes up to them who is from that region and she starts askin for a favor. Jesus doesn’t say anything He just keeps talking to the boys. But after a while she is startin to drive them crazy and one of them says to Jesus, “Yo teacher, can we put a muzzle on the dame in the back I can hardly hear you for all her yappin.” Jesus just keeps talking and doesn’t pay any attention to her.

Finally, all the disciples have had enough and tell Peter to do something. Peter stands up starts cracking his knuckles and says to the Lord, “Maybe me and a few of the boys should make this woman an offer she can’t refuse.” Jesus now sees the situation is preciously where it needs to be for Him to have maximum impact. He says to the woman, I was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel.”

The disciples are delighted by the statement and call out, “Three cheers for Jesus Hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray. They start giving each other high fives and tell the Lord that He was right to put this Gentile woman in her place. Then something incredible happens. The dame walks right up to Jesus and bows down before Him and said, “Lord help me.” The apostles are speechless as they look at Jesus to see what He is gonna do.

Jesus says to the woman, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” You could have heard a pin drop. Then the woman looks up at Him and says, “Yes Lord, but even the dogs get to gobble up the crumbs that fall from the masters table.” The Lord smiled. He says to the woman, “Go, your child is well.” Then the woman humbly leaves.


Some commentators try to diminish Jesus’ comment to the woman and state that the word dog means “house dog” or “domesticated animal” as opposed to a scavenger. They claim it is not a derogative statement. The commentators who feel this way are completely off in their thinking. Call any woman from any culture a “dog,” domesticated or otherwise, and they will be insulted, and rightly so.

What is remarkable about this scene is the woman’s humility. There is no love between the Jews and Gentiles of Jesus day. The Lord’s initial comment about being sent to the lost sheep of Israel states as much. Nevertheless, His comments are to bring out an understanding to His disciples as well as to demonstrate the measure of love this woman has for her daughter. The fact that God loves the child as well was something the disciples were not ready to accept.

A woman that did not love her daughter as much as this woman did may have spit at Jesus for the comment he made. She would have also harbored anger and hatred towards the apostles for their comments about sending her away. Just think of what could have happened if this woman did not take all the abuse that she was faced and stormed away embittered by the experience.

What if she had gone back to her village and told everyone how Jesus spoke to her and how the apostles forced her to go away. She would have had to endure more traumas from her demon-possessed daughter and her village would have become angrier because of the injustice of it all. Then when Jesus’ disciples would have visited their village after His resurrection the people would not have welcomed them in and the salvation message would not have been accepted because of the bitterness they would have held.

Yet, because of this woman’s faith that the Lord would heal her daughter, she remained at His feet until he answered her request. Another thing to keep in mind is the woman’s trust. She leaves Jesus when He tells her she can go and she trusts Jesus at His word. Keep in mind that most people brought their sick to Jesus and watched Him heal them right before their eyes. Others brought Jesus into their homes and had Jesus heal relatives in their own homes. This woman believed Jesus when He told her that her daughter was well and went away taking the Lord at His word.

Now the woman will tell the people of her village what happened and how her daughter was healed. Her village will be receptive when the next generation of evangelists comes to her town and tells everyone about the Lord’s resurrection and love for everyone. Thanks to this “dog” her Gentile neighbors will see Jews in a different light and may come to the salvation the Lord intended for all mankind.

Yes, “Even the dogs” possess great faith that believers talk about two thousand years later.