“Great Faith ”
BIBLE
READING: Matthew 15
Matthew 15:21-28
These
verses contain the visit of a Canaanite woman to Jesus. She cried out to Him, "Have mercy on me,
Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."(NAS) The woman was a Gentile and Jesus reminds her
that He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.
This did not deter her continuing cry for help. She bowed down before Him and worshipped
Him. The Greek word used here denotes an
act of humility, and, in almost all cases, implies worship.
Jesus'
reply to her worship has puzzled many.
"It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the
dogs." This statement has been
considered out of character for Jesus and offensive to the woman. When interpreting this verse, one must take
into consideration at least three issues.
1. Jesus was testing the woman which sometimes
requires a certain amount of firmness.
2. The text neither reveals the tone in which
Jesus spoke nor His facial expression, two important aspects of communication. William Barclay said, "The tone and the
look with which a thing is said make all the difference. Even a thing which seems hard can be said
with a disarming smile."
3. The Greek word for "dog" can mean
"a house-dog or lap-dog."
Certainly, being compared to a lap-dog would not be as offensive as
being compared to a street-dog."
Rather than being offended, the
quick-witted woman turned the analogy to her own advantage. Repeating the word for "dog" Jesus
had used, she said even dogs feed from the crumbs of the master's table. The response was probably not the one Jesus
wanted from her, but the Lord was still moved.
He exclaimed, "O woman, your faith is great." Let us use this woman as an example of
persistence in the things that we really want (need) and what is God's will.
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