Dog Faith

It’s likely that young smart aleck skeptics will continue to discover that “dog” is “God” spelled backward and they will smirk and chortle over a linguistic accident of no real consequence. Yet there is some insight to be found by bringing the dog into relationship with God, as Jesus Himself doubtless knew when He spoke to the Syrophoenician woman and called her a dog in our text, Mark 7:24-37.

It’s interesting that this account of the “dog-woman” shows up twice in the church lectionary, read by itself in Year A from Matthew 15:21-38 and then also from Mark 7 this coming Sunday in Year B, paired with Jesus’ healing of a deaf and mute man. Perhaps the creators of the lectionary felt something particularly significant was happening here.

One obvious point is that the woman seeking deliverance from demon possession for her daughter was not Jewish. Matthew calls her Canaanite, going back to the ancient designation for her people, while Mark more properly names her as “of Syrophoenician origin.” And Jesus’ first reaction is to demur because she is not Jewish, offering the humiliating comment, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

Yet the woman humbly accepts that dog label and continues to entreat Jesus from that lowly position. It could be argued that the deaf and mute man in the second part of the pericope is also doggedly humble as he submits to a rather denigrating prodding by Jesus who sticks His fingers in the man’s ears and applies His own saliva to the man’s tongue.

Perhaps we could all do with a more dog-like faith in its humble submission and absolute dependence on its master. In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown is sitting eating his lunch with Snoopy alongside. He turns to the dog, “Do you want the rest of this sandwich, Snoopy? I’ve already eaten half of it… you don’t mind? Okay, it’s yours…” Snoopy catches and snarfs down the sandwich thinking, “I’m so humble it’s sickening.”

Yet that’s the image of how this woman and this man relate to Jesus. They allow themselves to be put in the most humble light in order to receive the help they desperately need. How well we might do to come to Jesus more in that “dog” spirit, ready to prostrate ourselves and beg for the grace we so little deserve.

May God give us all a more dog-like faith.