5th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday – 11th February 2021 — Gospel: Mark 7,24-30
Different Response
Jesus moves on to a non-Jewish territory, so that he might have some privacy, but a concerned mother discovered him and came to him for help. There were many obstacles in her way, yet she overcame them all by faith and got what she needed. To begin with, her nationality was against her: she was a Gentile and Jesus was a Jew. Besides that, she was a woman pleading before a man, in a male dominated society. Satan was against her, for one of his demons had taken control of her daughter’s life. When she approached Jesus for help, he did not even answer her. Encouraged by the master’s silence, the disciples urged him to send her away. For a time, it looked as though even Jesus was against her. When Jesus did speak, it was not to the woman but to the disciples. His words seemed to exclude her completely. This was not an easy situation. However, none of these barriers stopped her from pressing on with her plea. Finally she triumphed because of her different response. The first time she cried for help, the mother addressed Jesus as “Son of David,” a Jewish title. Next time she cried out for help, she simply said “Lord, help me”. It was then that Jesus spoke about feeding the children (Israel) first and not throwing their food to “the little pet puppies”. She did not deny the special place of the “children” (Jews) in God’s plan, nor did she want to grab it. All she wanted were a few crumbs of blessing from the table, for after all, “Salvation is of the Jews” (Jn 4,22). This woman stands out, because she accepted her place, she believed in Jesus’ word, and she persisted in her plea. Therefore, Jesus not only met her need, but commended her for her faith.
