First let the children eat all they want, he told her. For it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs — Jesus' response is the hardest saying in Mark. The children are Israel; the dogs are Gentiles (a standard Jewish term of contempt for non-Jews, though Jesus may use the diminutive — puppies — which softens it somewhat). First communicates that the Gentile mission is not yet time — the priority of Jewish mission must be honored. The saying is not a final refusal but a test of the woman's faith and an implicit challenge to be met.

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