the crumbs are good enough

A restful day...

...a needed Sabbath. Might be some really cool stuff goin on this summer but it's still in the works.

So the speaker at church today(Eddie was out for whatever reason) talked about a crazy passage in the Bible that i'd never even read before.

so here goes...

"Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The Woman came and knelt before Him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 15:21-28

i'd never read about this before. i was blown away by the passage and the way it was presented by the speaker today. I guess this is my take on this thing. It's probably almost wholly inspired by the associate pastor at west side. admittedly a biased "take"...but that's ok.

So there's Jesus. He heads to this place to get away. Apparently it was in the same region where Elijah had spent some time getting away. So Jesus is sitting around trying to get some rest, and a lady comes to talk to him. Her daughter needs help and she asks for his help.

Jesus doesn't answer her--- "Jesus did not answer a word"

She asks the disciples and they want her to be taken away. Jesus doesn't seem cool with that but He certainly doesn't have plans of immediately doing something.

She tries again and this time it's even harder. She asks for help and He says that it "is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." So this wouldn't have meant much if it weren't for the "children" and "dog" references. Apparently "dog" was a frequently used put-down on the gentiles by the "children"(the jews). It's almost as if He's putting her down...

But her response is AMAZING...
"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

She was a woman of great faith. Jesus was silent, and seemingly brutal to her, and yet she knew that He was the only one she needed.

So Jesus must have been a ridiculous teacher. Can you imagine the disciples' reaction to all this? Jesus is always talking to the disciples, about their "little faith." And here, this random lady comes running in and He shows them what "great faith" looks like. It seems like a test for her, but it's used for such a bigger purpose. He used the most obscure situation to make an amazing point about His character and what sort of faith He desires.

This hit hard. So many times I allow my emotions to dictate my faith. Insecurity, anxiety, loneliness, depression, anger, etc. seem to have significant impacts on my actions and my thought processes. So many times i've either thought and/or lived as though "great faith" was some sort of amazing feeling of ecstasy which will carry on through the rest of my life. But this lady wasn't about some mountaintop experience. Her daughter was dying. She didn't know much. All she knew was that Jesus was the only one who could help her. She was willing to sit there and not only be told, but also admit that she was a "dog." She was willing to be ignored. She was willing to admit that He was Master no matter what it meant.

What an amazing picture of real faith.

He had what she needed. Even if she could only get a crumb from the dinner table, it was better than anything else.

Another thought that i've had to consider a lot lately: Jesus did not jump to do her bidding. He was in no hurry to help. He was doing this thing on His time and in a way that must have been really uncomfortable for that woman. Honestly, Jesus' words almost seem downright mean, in my opinion. I've really had to consider one aspect of God's character lately--this whole thing is going to be done in His way. It seems so simple, but in reality it's really hard to live out sometimes. I can't just pray a prayer and think that God's in the business of always giving me what I want, right away. It might seem like life would be easier at times if He did, but then again i'm not sure i always know what's best.

This woman's faith was not based on anything except submission to and trust in her Master. Because of this, after a time, her reward was great.

I can't get out of my head how she was willing to kneel even when her one and only Lord was silent and seemingly harsh.

I desire this sort of faith in my life. One not dictated by my emotions, but instead, one rooted in an unwavering trust in His ability to be my everything.


This lady was pretty freakin amazing.

Jesus was pretty cool too ;)


have a good one guys
-dave