Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And
behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto
Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is
grievously vexed with a devil. But He answered her not a word. And His
disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth
after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped Him, saying Lord, help
me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread,
and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the
crumbs which fall from their masters' table. The Jesus answered and said
unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And
her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
meant getting the Jews in Israel ready first, and not getting sidetracked. Later
on down the road, Paul and others would start reaching the Gentiles. Such
were the facts, regardless of what had been learned, seen, heard, or thought at
the time by the woman of Canaan (Syrophenician by nation, Mark 7:26). But
the facts were never a stumbling block for her, because she had something
more powerful than all our surmising. She had faith in the Savior.
racist! Are you callin' me a dog? Hmmph. Well, forget it then, I don't want your
ol' stale crumbs anyway..." And then stormed away.
of taking offense with man-as-the-measure "fairness", she showed humility,
faith, and confidence to the Lord. She realized that what Jesus said, or what she
perceived Him to say:
- Did not change her character.
- Did not change her need.
could be reflected and revealed, whether she was secure and confident, or
insecure with a "chip on the shoulder." It was a test of faith. She passed
with flying colors. That is why Jesus said to her, O woman, great is thy
faith.
more than a few articles by citizens decrying a loss of common sense. One
writer spoke of how lives and careers can shift on a dime because people are
"offended" one time. Another spoke of how a six year old boy can be charged
with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate. And if a teenager is disciplined
for cursing out a teacher, instead of backing it up, the parent may file lawsuit
against the district over "free speech." The problems here are an increase in
selfishness, spiritual blindness, and vainglory.
unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise
has cursed others. Many verses tell of those taking offence at Jesus
(Matthew 13:57; 15:12; 24:10; 26:31; et.al). But hear Jesus in Luke 7:23,
Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. Blessed because
those who have overcome self, instead of being offended and "blowing a
gasket," will be thankful for a great opportunity to obey the truth in Christ.