Thought of the Day !!

Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.

Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, "First I should feed the children—my own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."

She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children's plates."

"Good answer!" he said. "Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter." And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.
Mark 7:25-30

This is a tough text to grapple with. It seems as though Jesus doesn't want to help this woman simply because she's a Gentile. And this just isn't the Jesus that we've come to believe in.

The woman is a mother who's coming on behalf of her demon possessed child. She displays faith by coming and also by the fact that she's a woman and a Gentile approaching a Jew. It takes great faith to step out like this. But evidently she believes the risk of rejection is worth it.

Jesus responds to her request for a healing with what we might only describe as surprising words. He tells her that what he has to give (at least for now, or first) is for his family, the Jews. But why? Has he decided to take sides or become prejudiced to outsiders all of a sudden?

No. I believe that he's testing her. Oh he's not testing to see if she has enough faith or not, for the Bible makes it clear that Jesus knows the hearts of people. I think he's allowing her to see that she can pass the test.

And her response? An "A+", for she stands up for herself. But she does so with persistence and humbleness (not declaring that she is just as deserving as anyone else).

Often times we need to see that our faith can pass the test. We need to be given a chance to win (or get an A+). Maybe that's why we go through some of the things we go through. Maybe it's to strengthen us and build character in the process. I don't believe that every single thing in this life is a test from God. But there are times when we just need something to push us to use what Jesus teaches us through the acting out or our faith.

In the love of Christ,
greg