Bold Persistence
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A 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."
23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
25The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
26He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
27"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
28Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Reflection of Tommy:
We can sometimes become so occupied with our spiritual matters than we miss or ignore the needs of others around us. Like the disciples in today’s passage, we can miss the opportunity to show true compassion and sensitivity to those with real needs. We have prejudice against them and afraid of the hassle they might bring to us.
Be aware next time for any opportunity that God may be bringing to us through these needy people. Remember always that God’s message of love and grace is for all people, making every effort not to keep off those who are different from us.
Dear Father, thank You for the lesson today of be kind and generous to those around me. Forgive me of my ignorance and prejudice towards others; even looking down on those who are different from me. Teach me not to be like that anymore but instead be willing to reach out and to show true compassion and concern to those You bring before me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
