A. Jesus ignored this
woman, than He insulted her, then He healed her daughter.
Why?
Because
the woman:
[1].
Acknowledged who Jesus was.
(a). Calls Him "Lord" in (verses 22,25,27). There was no doubt in
her mind who He was.
(b). Had undoubtedly heard of Jesus' reputation and
had faith He could heal her daughter.
[2]. Acknowledged
another's need before her own. (vs. 22)
(a). Not
complaining about the burden of caring for her
daughter or the embarrassment of it. She is,
however, lamenting the spiritual and physical
condition of her daughter.
(b). We are reminded that those who fear the Lord
will have their tears recorded in the book of
remembrance. (Psa. 56:8 and Mal. 3:16) This is a
mother who had grieved greatly over her
child.
[3]. Acknowledged
Jesus' power. (vs. 25)
(a). Often the
most urgent needs are the most simply stated.
(b). Note that she worshipped Jesus in asking Him
to help her.
[4]. Acknowledged
her station in life. (vs. 26-27)
(a). She was not
a Jew, but she was in a crowd of Jews and was
making a request of a Jew.
(b). She was not offended by Jesus' response, but
instead answered Him with wit and spirit and
presence of mind. The Word of God sometimes
offends; take it, learn from it and move on. Don't
get angry at the Preacher!
These are
four excellent steps to follow if you are dealing with a
wayward child.
B. What Jesus
did:
[1]. Tested
the feelings of His disciples.
(a). Remember,
they practiced very narrow Judaic
exclusiveness.
(b). Jesus was preparing them for the inevitable;
the Gentiles would one day be included in God's
plan.
[2]. Tested the
woman's faith.
(a). Would she
be discouraged and go away? I am reminded that God
answers in His own way and in His own time. Moses
prayed to go to the Promised Land in (Deut.
3:25-26). He finally arrived there in (Matt. 17:3)
....2000 years later! Be patient and persistent in
praying for your prodigal.
(b). How badly did this woman desire deliverance
for her daughter? (Matt. 6:8)
C. What Jesus didn't
do:
[1]. He did
not blame the mother for the condition of the
daughter.
(a). This wasn't
a physical problem ...it was a spiritual
one.
[2]. He did not
question the girl's upbringing.
We need to be reminded that
each person is responsible and accountable for his own
sin. God addresses this concept with a proverb in (Eze.
18:1-4) and puts to rest who is responsible for whose
sin.
(2 Chron. 25:4) lends
further confirmation of this idea of personal
accountability. There is always a balance to be struck
between responsibility and individual free
will.
Parents:
Don't
be too hard on yourselves. Trust God with your child and
leave it at that...just as the woman in (Matt. 15)
did.
