24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Following his conflict with the scribes and pharisees about what defiles a person, Jesus goes towards Tyre. It is important to keep in mind that in the dispute with the leaders from Jerusalem, Jesus has essentially argued that external practices of differentiation are not the way that God judges who is pure or impure. Jesus' position is that a pure heart not any particular set of actions is what is necessary to be undefiled in God's judgment. This foreshadows the opening of the boundaries of God's people beyond those who rigorously adhere to Jewish tradition.
Jesus seems unable to do anything in secret in Mark. He tries to get away with his disciples for rest only to be followed by the crowds. He tells some of the people he heals not to tell anyone (a tactic that is largely unsuccessful). Now he tries to go in a house surreptitiously, but once again fails at concealing his presence. This is an interesting facet of Jesus ministry that is rarely mentioned, Jesus seems in Mark to fail at two things to this point--making his disciples understand and keeping away from the ever present mob who want Jesus to bring them healing.
The face of one from this mob is a woman whose daughter was possessed. In the three encounters with Jesus in Mark chapter five, all include the person falling at Jesus' feet (the Gerassene Demoniac, Jairus, the woman with the issue of blood) while beseeching his intervention. Then Mark goes away from people approaching Jesus with open hearts to his rejection at his hometown, the beheading of John and the continued hardened hearts of the disciples. But that rejection is now left behind as this woman falls at Jesus' feet and calls to mind Jesus' acts of power in the fifth chapter. The reader clearly expects that this encounter will end with a healing, just as the others have.
But there is a complication, the woman is not from Judea, she is a Greek from the Syrian part of Phoenicia. Jesus has refused to allow the scribes and pharisees to draw behavioral boundaries as what delineates the people of God, and so it is no surprise when Jesus begins a conversation that will lead to a healing that mirrors that of Jairus' daughter. While Jairus is a Jewish man who is a religious leader (and thus it is not unexpected that Jesus responds to his appeal), this is a woman who is a foreigner and lacks status of any kind. When Jesus acts, it is a confirmation of what he has just told the scribes and pharisees.
It is not an immediate healing, however. Jesus says that the children should be fed first because their food should not be thrown to the dogs. Does he say this to reveal her heart to those who are listening in on the conversation? Does he say this to make sure that those who are around do not miss that Jesus is turning things upside down? Does he say this because it really is an open question and the woman's answer will determine what action he takes?
Her first word is Lord, which is the first time someone other than the narrator (prepare the way of the Lord) or Jesus (tell what the Lord has done for you) have used this title for Jesus. She is the first person in all the gospel to call Jesus Lord. This has to be significant. When she continues that even the dogs get the crumbs, she doesn't challenge the children's right to the food, but argues that the crumbs (leftovers) are eaten by the dogs. It calls to mind the feeding of the five thousand with all the baskets of leftovers. Surely God's grace is so abundant that there is more than enough for the Jews to have theirs and her daughter also to be healed.
Jesus tells her that her reply--her recognition of who he is (Lord) and the recognition of the abundance of God's grace--has brought healing to her daughter. He sends her away and she finds her daughter well. Just as he can not keep his presence a secret, Jesus' good news overwhelms the boundaries that the Jews want to erect to keep it to themselves.
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