by Tim Hall

Was Jesus having a bad day or what? A woman had been following Jesus and His disciples, imploring Him to help her daughter who was possessed with a demon. It was as if Jesus didn't hear, but that didn't stop the woman's pleading. The disciples finally suggested that He send the woman away. It was then that Jesus stopped to hear her request.

After the woman had presented her need, Jesus' reply was curt: "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs" (Mark 7:27, New King James Version). "Dogs"? With most people, that would have been the end of the dialogue. Send the woman away? You've found an effective way to do that, Lord. Most people would have stormed off after an insinuation that they were of the class of dogs.

This woman, a Gentile, was different than most. (We are confident the Lord knew this long before the disciples did.) Instead of storming off or responding with a "But, Lord . . .", this woman replied with a "Yes, Lord". What significance there is in those words! She did not attempt to defend her honor or reputation. She was not sensitive to the Lord's seeming insult. Instead, she seems to have agreed that the Lord is right in all His statements. If He said she was to be classed among the dogs, then that's where she ought to be classed. But even so, her daughter still needed help. She argued that even little dogs should be allowed to eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table.

Jesus' next words show the value of this woman's faith: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire" (Matthew 15:28, a parallel account of the same incident). What was so faithful about this woman's response? The most obvious facet of her faith was her persistence; she didn't give up, even though she had been ignored (seemingly) for so long. But isn't there another dimension to her faith? The Lord's estimate of her was more to be preferred than her own. If He considered her a dog, then so be it; it must be true. She did not try to save face with Jesus, but humbled herself to Him. (Matthew pointed out that she had already worshiped Him, a vital step in humbling oneself to Deity.)

How we need to learn these lessons! Too often we are turned away from the Lord by His delay in answering our prayers. "If God really cared, He wouldn't make me wait!" we think. But why must God act on our timetables? If He is God (and He certainly is), then He is the One who must decide when it is best to act -- or whether to even act.

It's hard not to feel rebuffed by the Lord when our prayers go unanswered for so long. Our inclination is to say "But, Lord!" May we meditate long and hard on the approved example of this woman whose response was "Yes, Lord". Maybe then we will be commended for our faith.