Commendable Faith
As I was reading a incident that is recorded in Mathew 15th chapter, 4 things that just stood out for me.
1. V21 says “And (Jesus) going away from there”. Where was Jesus going away from? This really made me curious to find what turned Jesus away from a particular place. So I read the previous verses. By doing so, I found out that Jesus was going away from the hypocritical Pharisees. They thought they knew everything and they were not teachable and were puffed up with pride. Jesus doesn’t linger with those folks longer.
2. The 2nd thing that I noticed was Jesus’s unJesus response to a wailing parent. That woman was really crying out and begging Jesus to heal her daughter. But Jesus, the one who answers before we call and the one who hears us while we are yet speaking, did not answer her V23. This act was so non Jesus. Sometimes in life we wail and cry and beg only to hear the loudest silence from God as His reply. And parents would definitely understand how that woman would have felt. No mother can see her child suffering. This mom was no exception. She came to the right person, Jesus. But Jesus did not answer her. Parent, are you in such a phase? You have prayed to God about your son/daughter. You have fasted. You have begged to God to heal your child. And the only response you got from God was Silence. Is that you? Then, hold on as we move further.
3. The third thing is the response of the disciples. They said “Send her away”. I thought a recommendation to Jesus would have been apt. But they just wanted to “send her away”. At least they could have said “Heal her daughter Lord”. The reason: She is bothering us. Many disciples of Jesus today do the same. When somebody is in need, we just want them to go away. Don’t bother us is our reply or at least our unuttered thought.
4. Finally, I wanted to title this passage as “Persistence Prayer”. But then Jesus doesn’t commend her for her persistence prayer but her faith. Her persistent prayer was the result of her Faith in Jesus that He was able and will heal her daughter. Jesus told her, “Great is Your faith”. Her Great faith made her to endure phases like “Silence of Jesus, Send her away’s of disciples and humbling talk from Jesus”. Do you have Great Faith in our Great Gracious God?? Hold on. Never Give Up. Jesus Sees You Faith. He will respond.
1. V21 says “And (Jesus) going away from there”. Where was Jesus going away from? This really made me curious to find what turned Jesus away from a particular place. So I read the previous verses. By doing so, I found out that Jesus was going away from the hypocritical Pharisees. They thought they knew everything and they were not teachable and were puffed up with pride. Jesus doesn’t linger with those folks longer.
2. The 2nd thing that I noticed was Jesus’s unJesus response to a wailing parent. That woman was really crying out and begging Jesus to heal her daughter. But Jesus, the one who answers before we call and the one who hears us while we are yet speaking, did not answer her V23. This act was so non Jesus. Sometimes in life we wail and cry and beg only to hear the loudest silence from God as His reply. And parents would definitely understand how that woman would have felt. No mother can see her child suffering. This mom was no exception. She came to the right person, Jesus. But Jesus did not answer her. Parent, are you in such a phase? You have prayed to God about your son/daughter. You have fasted. You have begged to God to heal your child. And the only response you got from God was Silence. Is that you? Then, hold on as we move further.
3. The third thing is the response of the disciples. They said “Send her away”. I thought a recommendation to Jesus would have been apt. But they just wanted to “send her away”. At least they could have said “Heal her daughter Lord”. The reason: She is bothering us. Many disciples of Jesus today do the same. When somebody is in need, we just want them to go away. Don’t bother us is our reply or at least our unuttered thought.
4. Finally, I wanted to title this passage as “Persistence Prayer”. But then Jesus doesn’t commend her for her persistence prayer but her faith. Her persistent prayer was the result of her Faith in Jesus that He was able and will heal her daughter. Jesus told her, “Great is Your faith”. Her Great faith made her to endure phases like “Silence of Jesus, Send her away’s of disciples and humbling talk from Jesus”. Do you have Great Faith in our Great Gracious God?? Hold on. Never Give Up. Jesus Sees You Faith. He will respond.
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