7:24,25
Once again Jesus seeks solitude. Tyre is some distance away from Jerusalem, so one might have thought He would be more successful. Indeed, one might ponder that the one thing Jesus could not do was find solitude.
The woman’s daughter was possessed by an impure spirit, so she came to Jesus and fell at His feet. This presumably means she went into the house to find Jesus.
7:26
In contrast to the utter failure of the Pharisees to truly honour God, we have a Greek woman who demonstrates true faith. The Pharisees had all the ancestry, they studied the Law and had numerous extra rules and seemed so dedicated to God, yet they were miles away and were actually disobeying God, negating His ways. This woman had so many apparent disadvantages. First she was a woman! What could there be to learn from her? Then she was Greek, not Jewish, and yet she was the one closer to God.
7:27
Now Jesus does not adopt a direct approach, nor even a “loving” approach, “loving” here defined in our shallow Western terms. Jesus points out that it is Israel first. He has come first to the children of Israel. He even then uses the common derogatory term for Gentiles, “dogs”, that was used by the Jews. Now, this does not mean that Jesus approved of this term! What He is doing is drawing faith out of the woman. He is reflecting the common attitude, asking her why she still believes that He can do something for her, given the prevalent attitude in society, and that He is the Jewish Messiah. Being “nice” is not always the best way to win people over!
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