You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:5 (HCSB)
Series: The Gift of Faith
We have not trained our puppies well around the dinner table. During meals, they circle the chairs, poke their noses on our laps, and wait impatiently for any morsel that may drop from our forks. We rebuke them for begging, tell them to go lie down, and sometimes remove them by placing them outside for a break. Inevitably, they excitedly return after the meal to consume the crumbs that have fallen under the table.
I’ve never thought about our dogs’ mealtime behavior as exemplifying faith. But isn’t that the true picture? Their desire for food is driving their pursuit, of course. But the intensity of their quest demonstrates their refusal to be denied and their assurance of fulfillment in what they are seeking. They, without a shadow of any doubt, believe their “masters” have left blessings under the table for them.
Comparing our faith journeys to the food pursuits of dogs seems unflattering. However, the gospel of Matthew provides an account of an encounter between a Canaanite woman, the disciples, and Jesus, where dogs were used as an example. Let’s visit Matthew 15:21-28 (HCSB):
When Jesus left there, He withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.” Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.” He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me!” He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!” Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was cured.
Jesus traveled seventy miles from Galilee to the area of Tyre and Sidon, perhaps to retreat from the crowds and gain some rest. The only encounter we are told about during His time there is this scene with the Canaanite woman, a Gentile. The woman was desperate for her daughter to be delivered and healed, and she seemed to know Jesus could get the job done. She even calls Him by His Messianic title, Son of David.
The disciples, wearied by the woman’s incessant cries, urged Jesus to tell her to leave. Jesus said nothing to the woman but addressed the disciples, confirming He had been sent to the people of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Upon hearing this, the woman knelt before Jesus, begging for His help. While in this position of humility and reverence, Jesus answered the woman, but not in the way she had hoped. He said, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.”
Before we get upset about this response, let’s dig in a little deeper. The woman sought deliverance and healing for her daughter. Jesus’ reference to the children’s bread indicated that healing and deliverance belonged to the Israelites and it was represented by bread in this conversation. The word “dogs” in this passage is a term meaning “puppies.” A tender and warm scene can be imagined when picturing children’s puppies.
The woman’s response is where we witness her understanding of—and faith in—God’s love, power, compassion, and ability, as displayed through Jesus. Paraphrasing her words: “Even those puppies get to eat the crumbs that have fallen from the table.” The Gentile woman knew the blessings were for the Israelites, however, she also believed she could receive those same blessings from the crumbs—the fragments, the remnants, the overflow. Jesus commended the woman for her tremendous faith, and He delivered and healed her daughter instantly.
Do we, like this mother, believe the blessings of God flow from His hand and His banquet table for our benefit and use? Are we desperately seeking Him and humbly reverencing Him? Are we willing to gather the blessings He provides, even crumbs under the table, with expectancy and gratitude?
Thankfully, we don’t need to grovel and beg for the blessings of God. Jesus has made the way for us to approach the Father and make our requests known to Him, as if face to face—not just for the Jew, but for the Gentile, too. All we need to do is to seek Him and believe. Psalm 34:10b (HCSB) says:
Those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
Who knows! Perhaps during the next meal at my dining room table, I may throw a few extra crumbs down for the pups in answer to their faith! … Just kidding! We’ve come too far with attempting to train them not to beg. But as they scour around under the table, I will remember this lesson of great faith: God’s blessings overflow to us from the abundance of His goodness and provision.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
(The Doxology ~ Thomas Ken ~ 1674)
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Psalm 23:5, 34:10; Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14-16; Philippians 4:6
