Crumbs

26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter." (Mark 7:26-29)

So, what's the deal with "mean Jesus"? Was he hangry? While it's likely that Jesus was tired - he had taught and fed over 5000 people (children of Israel) and tried unsuccessfully to take some time away from the crowds (see chapter 6), and Jesus tried again to get away in Mark 7:24 - his conversation with this woman may not have been as confrontational as it seems. In John's gospel, after feeding the 5000, Jesus talks about himself as the bread of life. Many were so disconcerted by this that they stopped following Jesus. It is very likely that his controversial statements were the talk of the town - even the region. This gentile woman, who had broken every custom and taboo to see Jesus, understood that indeed Jesus was the bread of life and even a crumb would be enough to satisfy.

May we all approach Jesus with this combination of confidence and humility.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all. 22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,23 for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life. (Proverbs 22:2,22-23)