Chapter 22
Persistence Pays Off
The Reading: Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28
The Problem:
The story begins with Jesus arriving in the region of Tyre and Sidon after leaving Gennesaret, where He had miraculously healed many people. News of those healings soon reached the neighboring towns so, when He reached Tyre, Jesus entered a house but didn’t want anyone to know about it. He just needed a little down time and rest. But He wasn’t able to keep His presence a secret. It wasn’t long before everyone in town knew He was there and, as soon as a desperate woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon spirit heard about it, she came to see Him
However, the woman was a Gentile, so it would be inappropriate for her to go right up to Jesus and ask for a healing for her daughter. She was also a woman. In Jesus’ day, women had no rights; they weren’t even allowed to attend worship services. How could she even imagine that approaching the Lord of hosts would come to a good end?
But that didn’t stop this determined mother. She ran right up to Jesus and begged for His help. I can hear her saying, “I know this isn’t protocol, I’m very well aware of the fact that I’m not supposed to be doing this. I realize I could get into big trouble, and people will probably think I’m crazy. But I’ve tried everything that I know to do, Jesus, and nothing has helped. I need Your help, Lord, and I need it today.”
Jesus tried to put her off, reminding her that the children (i.e. the Jewish people) get priority over the little dogs (the terminology that Jews used for the Gentile people of that time). Essentially, Jesus was reminding the woman of her place as a Gentile, while not wanting to push her away completely. But she said to Him, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs from the master’s table.” In other words, she was saying, “Jesus, I understand Your mission. I know that You were sent here for Your people (the Jews). But right now, Jesus, my child is sick and needs a healing. And I believe You are the only One Who can make that happen.”
The Turning Point:
The woman responded with great faith, and showed humility, respect, and trust by telling Jesus that she would gratefully accept any leftovers of his miraculous power. In the society of that time, most men wouldn’t have taken her argument seriously, and would have sent her away even before she uttered a single word.
But Jesus was nothing like the men of His day. He was so impressed by the faith she demonstrated, and by her persistence in asking for a healing, that He decided to help her. Jesus told the woman to go home, and she would find the demon had left her daughter.
The Miracle That Followed:
If the woman had responded, "Who are you calling a dog?" she would not have received from Jesus what her daughter needed. If she had stood there insisting that He had to come home with her to lay hands on her daughter, she would not have seen her daughter healed. Her humble, faith-filled obedience by going home without argument brought the victory and a healing for her daughter.
The Bottom Line:
The prevailing theology of Jesus’ day was that people who didn’t fit - who didn’t have the right status, who weren’t the right nationality, or had some type of illness or adverse condition - weren’t worthy of God’s attention. They believed there was nothing that God would do for such people. As a matter of fact, most believed that if a person needed a touch from the Lord for any reason, that person must have gotten into the unfortunate situation because they had sinned or God had not looked favorably on them for some other reason.
I think all of us, at some time in our lives, have felt unworthy to receive from the Lord. We may have felt like we too were little dogs, like the Gentile woman, and undeserving of any blessings from God.
But the Bible teaches us that we can go boldly to the throne of grace just as we are and ask the One who gives us strength, to help us in our time of need. I Chronicles 16:11 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek the Lord’s face continually.” Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.”
Anytime we petition the throne of grace, earnestly seeking and inquiring of the Lord, He has promised we will be heard. But after you ask the Lord for a miracle, spend quiet time just waiting on Him and listen carefully. He may whisper in your heart specific instructions you must obey, before you will see your miracle.
