The Master's Dog

Here is a lady in great need of healing for her demon-possessed daughter. She has caught sight of Jesus coming into her region. Only just yesterday she was in the loneliness of her bedroom, on her knees pleading to God (as she knows Him) for deliverance from this filthy demon who has taken her beautiful girl, a young teen who would have been quite pretty had her hair not been matted and unkempt and her face not been twisted and distorted, eyes bugging out, teeth clenched and mouth foaming; her speech sounding unnatural and her words being the obscenities of satan. Oh how the tears of pain have poured out from the eyes of this victim's mother!

As she makes her way to the village well, she sees the band of Christ's followers approaching. Her heart skips a beat as she catches sight of Jesus. Her God has answered her prayer. She drops her jug and bolts out toward Him, screaming as she runs, "Lord have mercy on me! Son of David! I am the one whose daughter is possessed!" She speaks as if Jesus has been looking for her. The apostles are annoyed and think she is just a bother to Jesus since He is not answering her at first. She is obviously a Canaanite with her distinctive dress and accent.

Jesus looks curiously at her. I can see the twinkle in His eyes but He is hiding the smile that usually accompanies that twinkle. "I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel," He teasingly says to her. She, on her part, has great hope written all over her face. Her tears have dried and there is no apparent doubt in these eyes. Despite the frowns of the apostles she walks straight up to Jesus, though she has never been this physically close to Him before, and falls to her knees, hugging His ankles as if she will never let Him get away as she calmly and confidently pleads, "Help me, Lord."

Knowing all things, both her faults and her virtues, Jesus continues to tease her using words of her own mouth that she had spoken just days before. She had remarked to another Canaanite woman that 'the Nazarene helps the lost sheep of Israel but He doesn't bother to come our way out here in Tyre. I guess we are not worthy of Him. We might as well be dogs,' she had sneered. Yet in her heart of hearts she had prayed that God really would bring Him.

"It is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs," remarks our Lord. The lady smiles an embarrassed smile, remembering her own frivolous remark. 

"Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the Master's table!" The apostles are confused and feeling like they have been left out of something here; all except John, who clutches the hand of the Blessed Mother as they exchange sideways glances and dimpled grins.

Now I see the smile so familiar to me as a hardy laugh breaks forth from the Master's mouth. "O woman! Your faith is great!" and He draws her to Himself. "It shall be done for you as you wish!"

And as she reluctantly slips away from this holy embrace she whispers softly, "I love You!"

Jesus continues moving on from there looking back to her as she stands and waves with adoring eyes. He lets out another jolly laugh and throws His hand up high into the air in a gesture of blessing as His twinkling eye catches hers one last time.

(Jesus breaks all human rules here, though He follows staunchly the rules of Love. He is so fun and personable in these scenes whenever I see Him meeting with someone for, supposedly, the first time. He very evidently has already known the person deeply forever.)