Day 89 | Matthew 15:21-28 | Even Dogs Eat Scraps

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-28 [NLT]

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
²³ But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 
²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. [NKJV]

"...even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table."

Jesus almost seems to be testing this woman. Goading her on to help her to demonstrate her faith. At first He ignores her request which seems to feed into the very strong prejudice that the disciples had towards Canaanites. The disciples rebuke her and urge Jesus to send her away. Then when He does answer her it is on the verge of being insulting, almost feeding into the prejudice; yet she persists through it and eventually Jesus reveals to her and the disciples that she has demonstrated “great faith”, thereby facilitating her daughters healing from demon possession.

Are we persistent when requesting something from our Lord? This moment in time was actually nothing new to our Lord. Jacob wrestled with God to the point of physical injury before he was finally given the blessing he sought. (Gen 32:24-30) The Sidonian woman to whom Elijah came (1 Kings 17:18-19) and the Shunammite woman with Elisha (2 Kings 4:28-30) laid their need before a prophet and would not take no for an answer. God answered their prayers with a yes.

Does this mean we should be persistent with every request we make of God? I don’t think so. Sometimes we need to rest on the promises He has made to us.

When I consider my own prayers, I realize that I pray more for those things that are already given to me by God (protection, care, finances, etc) and less for the things that I truly desire. (The healing of my autistic son, the return of my daughter to God) It is almost as if I have given up hope that God will ever answer those prayers that would truly bless my life, and instead my prayer life has become powerless and repetitive like the Pharisee on the street corner. I must stop and consider. Do I really believe that God can make a difference in my life, and what does my prayer life reveal as an answer to that question.

My Prayer Today:

Dear LORD,

Please let me start by apologizing to You LORD for being so shallow and unworthy of You. Forgive me of my sins and make me clean. Help me to see Your power; help me to believe it. You are the Almighty; the Creator of the Universe. You have always been and will always be. Who am I to deny You the power to heal my son or to save my daughter. You have already proven that you will go to the utmost to save even one person; You’ve proved that in my life, by saving a wretch like me. Lord, please heal my son, and let it be to Your power and Your glory that it is done. Save my daughter from the darkness of the world. Help her to see Your light.

I thank You Lord for all of the answered prayers in my life. I ask for more faith. I ask for Your help in teaching the lesson this coming Sabbath. I thank You for Your providence in my life. Help me to be a good steward of what You have given me. Amen.

Day 67 | Matthew 11:20-27 | Jesus prayed this prayer

Scripture: Matthew 11:20-27 [NKJV]

Mat 11:20  Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where He had done so many of His miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. Mat 11:21  ”What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. Mat 11:22  I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. Mat 11:23  ”And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. Mat 11:24  I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.” Mat 11:25  At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Mat 11:26  Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way! Mat 11:27  ”My Father has entrusted everything to Me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” [NLT]

Jesus yearns for us to be moved by Him

Observation: (What do you see when you read this scripture?)

I see a Shepherd yearning for His lost sheep. I see Jesus begging them to see who He really is while realizing that they have missed Him because of their “stubborn cleverness”.

He is bemoaning the towns that He has actually been in and done many wonderful miracles in; bemoaning the fact that this great and powerful work is going unheeded. Unheeded and leading to destruction.

He recognizes, through the prayer to His Father, that the Father has seen that it is only the humble of heart, the meek in spirit, the “unclean” who will really accept the gift that is being given them. It is out of their own willful ignorance, via self importance and supposed intellectualism, that they hide the truth from themselves.

Though His words seem sharp, I do not see Jesus as condemning in His spirit, but instead sorrowful and wanting so much to see repentance from the heart. These very people that He is yearning to save would try to force His Kingdom to be run by their definitions and their rules; and, when they could not, they would seek to destroy it. How sad.

Application: (How can I apply this to my life?)

The quickest application is the one that is staring me in the face. DO I SEEK TO MAKE JESUS INTO MY OWN IMAGE? Do I try to make my religion into something I want it to be or do I seek the Kingdom that Jesus has already set up? To be honest, I don’t always know. I do know that I want to do it Jesus’ way and not man’s way, but the only way I can do that is by following Him and finding out from Him directly.

Prayer: (Let Him know your thoughts)

Dear Father in Heaven,

Thank You for being willing to come to this wretched dark place and show us the light. Lord, I ask that You will work in my life and help me to be a better follower of You. Bring me to that strong repentance that You desire, not because it is some kind of requirement, but because You want to move my heart in Your direction.

Thank you for being willing to forgive me my sins. I ask for that forgiveness now and I ask for a new direction.

Please keep my family safe Lord and bring them home to You. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.