This Canaanite woman was absolutely desperate (Matthew 15:21-28). Her pagan religion and many house idols had caught up with her (though she didn’t necessarily make the connection). Now the “gods” she worshiped had entered her home . . . more specifically, they had entered her daughter. By her own testimony, her daughter was “severely demon-possessed.” She was demonized and was cruelly afflicted and oppressed. From other Biblical accounts of those who were demon-possessed, the torment likely went beyond the evil voices which echoed inside her head, and manifested itself in physical affliction . . . self inflicted wounds . . . continual pain and torment. And mom was desperate. And Jesus was in the region.

She had no claim to this Son of David . . . no basis to expect to be welcomed by Him or His entourage. But she had nowhere else to turn.

She knew Him by reputation. The stories of the signs and wonders He performed were many . . . healing the sick . . . giving sight to the blind . . . causing the deaf to hear . . . the dumb to speak . . . and yes, even delivering people from demon-possession. And it wasn’t just the miracles that were spoken of. Word had it that this young Rabbi from Nazareth also taught the Jews like no other teacher had ever taught . . . He spoke with authority, they said . . . it was like He had actually written the Scriptures. And the claims He made! Though everyone knew that the Jews believed only God could forgive sin, she had heard that Jesus had declared a paralytic’s sins forgiven and as proof of His authority to do so, healed the man — and that man walked out of the house on His own two feet leaving his mat and his sins behind. And she had become convinced, partly driven by need, but to a great extent by faith, that Jesus might look upon her and her daughter with favor and power.

So, she approached . . . she called Him “Lord”. Though she had no claim to Him, she submitted herself to Him . . . He was the Master . . . she, less than a servant. “Have mercy on me, Lord . . . my daughter is severely demon-possessed,” she cried out. She was so far from proper protocol at this point . . . she knew it . . . the crowd knew it . . . Jesus knew it. The disciples urged Jesus to send her away . . . Jesus instead engaged her, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That was His immediate focus . . . revealing Himself as Messiah to the people of God. But He addressed her and she responded. She drew near and bowed before Him . . . she fell to her knees and put her head to the ground . . . publicly she worshiped Him . . . again she owned Him as master . . . and again she pleaded with Him, “Lord, help me!”

And Jesus tested her faith . . . answering her in a manner consistent with the culture He was born into and called to reach, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Jesus verbalized what many, including his disciples, were thinking, “Who are you to come to Jesus for help?” She had no claim on any Jew . . . as a Gentile, relative to a Jew she was considered as a dog . . . second class . . . as Paul would write years later, ” . . . alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12 ESV). By His words, He said “dog” . . . but by His actions . . . by the very fact He engaged her in conversation, He was captured with compassion by her need . . . and drawn to respond by her faith. In fact, He didn’t use the term most commonly used for deriding the Gentiles as “dogs”, but he used a different word . . . a word only found in this encounter . . . literally “little dog” . . . puppy.

He tested her faith and she responded. “Yes Lord, I’m just a puppy. I have no claim to You or to the promises given Your people. You need to feed them. But even puppy’s will be satisfied with but a few crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” That’s all she believed she needed from Jesus . . . a few crumbs of blessing. She knew she didn’t deserve it . . . she had no right to it . . . but should the Master drop a few crumbs her way, she believed it would be enough. “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matt. 15:28). Oh what faith that woman had . . . taking her desperation to the One she believed could meet her need . . . not wavering even when tested . . . not being offended as Jesus parroted the sentiments of the society against her . . . sensing in His words that His heart was for her and not against her . . . she claimed nothing more than being a puppy — after all it wasn’t about her reputation or what she deserved but about the Master and His power and His grace and His crumbs of blessing.

Yes, she was a puppy . . . a puppy with great faith . . . a puppy with a daughter freed from demons . . . a puppy who adored the Son of David for the grace shown her. A puppy loved by the Master . . . a puppy in love with the Master.