Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Meditation
Matthew 15:21-28
Did you know that in the gospels only two people are commended as having “great faith”? One is the centurion who tells Jesus, “Lord, only speak the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8,10). And the other is this Canaanite woman, whose persistence with Jesus paid off in healing for her daughter (15:28). What’s even more impressive is that both were Gentiles, outsiders who would have been considered unclean by most faithful Jews.
Because she was a woman as well as a Canaanite, this desperate mother had two strikes against her. But that didn’t stop her. Out of love for her daughter and with faith in Jesus’ power to heal, she didn’t let these “handicaps” get in the way. She began by addressing Jesus in Jewish terms of faith—“Lord” and “Son of David.” When Jesus made no reply at first, she persisted and asked once more for his help. Receiving yet another rebuff, she cleverly and humbly acknowledged Jesus’ words but boldly pointed out that even she—an alien to the Jewish covenant—could benefit from Jesus’ ministry to the Jews. Finally, Jesus commended her great faith and healed her daughter.
There are two key aspects to this woman’s “great faith.” First, she was humble. And second, she was persistent. She readily paid Jesus homage—which a Gentile woman would not have considered necessary—and she was quick to acknowledge her lowly position as a non-Jew in God’s plan of salvation. As for her persistence, this woman was not put off by Jesus’ silence, by the rebukes of the disciples, or even by Jesus’ initial response. Instead, these obstacles only made her draw even closer to Jesus and intensified the earnestness of her request!
If you have a need that calls for intercession, let this woman’s humility and persistence teach you how to approach Jesus. Don’t worry about how you can best grow in these two virtues. Every day, we face challenges and trials that give us plenty of opportunities to learn their ways. If we just keep our eyes open and our hearts pure, we will become humble, and we will end up persisting. Then, we’ll learn that Jesus is always with us, strengthening our faith and hearing our prayers.
“Jesus, I want to draw closer to you. Teach me, Lord, always to approach you with humble and persistent faith.”
Did you know that in the gospels only two people are commended as having “great faith”? One is the centurion who tells Jesus, “Lord, only speak the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8,10). And the other is this Canaanite woman, whose persistence with Jesus paid off in healing for her daughter (15:28). What’s even more impressive is that both were Gentiles, outsiders who would have been considered unclean by most faithful Jews.