At first Jesus did not answer her one word. But his disciples said to him, "O Master! send this woman away, for she is making a great noise and disturbing us!" To them she was only a Gentile, a heathen woman, and the Jews, even those who followed Jesus, looked with great contempt on all such people. They did not know that Jesus was sent to save not only the Jews but also the Gentiles.
Jesus wished to teach his disciples a lesson, that a Gentile could have the same faith as a Jew. He said to the woman:
"I was not sent to your people, but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman kept on following him. She knelt down before Jesus, and said, "Master, help me!"
He said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first of all; it is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
"That is true, Lord," said the woman; "yet the little dogs under the table do pick up some of the children's crumbs."
Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great. Your prayer is granted as you wish. The evil spirit is gone away from your daughter."
The woman believed the word of Jesus. She hastened to her home and found her daughter well and resting upon her bed.