For the Unworthy and Unqualified
I’ve been slow-reading the New Testament for several months now, stopping often to ponder, pray, and search the annals of historical thought for greater understanding.
Allow me to share an important insight I recently gained from an event in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Properly understood, its significance is astounding. It is found in the book of Mark, chapter 7, verses 24-30;
“And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.”
The story begins with the Savior seeking relief from the crush of people that followed him by entering the land of the Gentiles and secluding himself in a home there. Although he hoped for privacy, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit boldly came and fell at his feet, begging his blessing. The woman was a Gentile born in Syrian Phoenicia. Because of Tyre and Sidon’s close proximity to Judea, she would have known the Jewish laws, being well aware that she had none of the religious, moral, or cultural credentials to approach any devout Jew, let alone a Rabbi. She was considered unclean and unworthy, yet she persisted.
Matthew’s telling of the story has the Savior’s disciples attempting to turn the woman away, but the Savior suffers her to remain, responding as he often did, with a parable; “Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.” What did he mean? In New Testament times, most dogs were scavengers…wild, unclean, dirty, and undesirable. As harsh as it was, Jews often referred to their Gentile neighbors as “dogs.” In effect, Jesus was saying, “Those of the house of Israel are the children to whom I am sent to minister. It is not the order of things to give their food (blessings) to the dogs (Gentiles).”
Even this did not deter the mother who replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” She was effectively saying, “I understand I am not from Israel. I am not chosen. I know I don’t have a place at the table, and I accept that, but I need help, and I need it now. Let me take just a crumb, and my daughter will be healed.”
In Western culture, we don’t have anything like this kind of assertiveness. We only have the assertion of our rights. We don’t know how to contend unless we’re standing on our dignity, and our own goodness, saying “This is what I’ve earned.” But this woman is not doing this at all. She’s not saying, “Lord, give me what I deserve on the basis of my goodness, or my worthiness, or my qualification.” She’s saying, “Give me what I don’t deserve but desperately need on the basis of YOUR goodness, and that alone…”
What a woman! She would not be deterred in pursuing the only hope she had of saving her daughter, even at the peril of offending the Son of God! She knew her place but still believed in both the power of Christ and his goodness, and in the rightness of her request. To her pleading, the Savior simply responded, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” The woman went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
The lesson for us? Does the worthiness and qualification culture we find ourselves in make us shrink from asking the Lord for what we desperately need? Do we draw back in fear, feeling that we are asking for something unearned or undeserved? Without relying on the unearned and undeserved grace of God, we unknowingly make ourselves the gatekeeper of his blessings and deny ourselves the faith to seek him in times of trial. Christ can change the order of things to bless us according to our needs, regardless of worthiness or qualification, just as he did for the Syrophonecian woman in Mark.
Our faith in God and his goodness should never be measured by what we believe we have or haven't earned or feel qualified to receive.
Marc K. Ensign
TOC (July 2023)
