Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!” Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:28 (Matthew 15:21-39, 16:1-12, Mark 7:24-30, 8:5-26)
The Jewish people of authority became increasingly hostile toward Jesus, so Jesus turns His evangelism to Tyre and Sidon, away from Jewish territory. Here we hear the story of a Canaanite mother begging Jesus to heal her daughter from demon possession. Canaanites were descendants of Noah’s cursed son Ham. They were considered far beneath that status of Jews and unworthy of God’s blessing. At first it seems as though Jesus would reject and rebuke this mother’s request. He likened her to a dog. But, we know race nor ethnicity is an issue with Jesus. He was merely mirroring the thoughts of His disciples and showing them the ugliness in their hearts. In the presence of this perceived prejudice, the woman was persistent and by her faith the child was healed. This act shows the universality of God’s loving concern for all people.
Once again, the masses follow Jesus. For three days one group of people remained with Him, listening as He taught. They grew hungry, He fed them. He also restored the speech of a man deaf and mute and gave sight to the blind. Mingled in these stories of God’s power over nature and man’s health is a story of the Pharisees and Sadducees again, badgering Jesus for a confirming sign of His deity. He refused. They had plenty of reason to believe and chose not to. When Jesus rose from the grave, they would know.
Those who shouldn’t believe did and those who should have, wouldn’t. Regardless, there will come a day when excuses and reasoning will be no more. Faith will be all that matters. You only need a little, so don’t be caught without it.
Happy Memorial Day,
Gretchen