relationships (Matthew 15:21-28) Considering the Heart

(Matthew 15:21-28)

21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

I'm curious why Jesus remained quiet at first.  Maybe He was giving His disciples a chance to step up and say or do the right thing, since the Canaanites were pagans and known enemies to Israel.  But what we do know is that:  the Lord does not want us to look at anyone with prejudice or preference;  all people are created equal;  and we are to love all people.  We also know that the Lord desires that all people come to know Him personally, and this is why He came in flesh to suffer and die for all sins, for all people, of all time.  This fact is even prophesied in the Abrahamic covenant...

(Genesis 12:1-3)
1   Now the Lord said to Abram,
     “Go from your country,
     And from your relatives
     And from your father’s house,
     To the land which I will show you;
2   And I will make you into a great nation,
     And I will bless you,
     And make your name great;
     And you shall be a blessing;
3   And I will bless those who bless you,
     And the one who curses you I will curse.
     And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

When Jesus came to earth in flesh, it was to fulfill that last part of verse 3 (in part).  Therefore, Jesus was born in flesh through Mary (and Joseph as step-father) who were both descendants of Abraham, as well as descendants of king David, so that Jesus had legitimate claims to the earthly throne of Israel... all the while knowing that the Jews would reject and crucify Him.  This was necessary to make possible the way of salvation, which spiritually blesses all who believer in Him.

At that time, if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and King, as well as their physical King, they would have gone straight into the Millennial kingdom with all of their covenants fulfilled, but as prophesied... 

(Daniel 9:24-26)  24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined..."

FYI:  "one week" is seven years, and each year is a prophetic year of 360 days, so when we do the math, there are 7 years left of the Jewish Age.  Those 7 years are also known as the Tribulation, which will bring judgments upon unbelievers of all nations.  These judgments are also the signs of the times for the Jews to recognize and realize that Jesus was and is their Messiah, and that He will soon be returning.  It will be at that time, that they as a nation will become believers, and cry out for Him.  At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will return to remove all unbelievers, and will remain with all those who became believers during those 7 years here on earth, to set up His kingdom, fulfilling all covenants, and bringing spiritual AND physical peace and blessings to the entire earth.

Knowing this demonstrates the faith that the Canaanite woman had, as she recognized and acknowledged Jesus as the Son of David and Israel's Messiah!!!  This woman also approached Jesus will full humility, which is demonstrated by how she likened herself as a "dog", which was one of the harshest insults in antiquity.  Although, throughout the Old Testament, we see many people of pagan cultures becoming believers and being accepted into the Jewish culture, so why NOT now?!  Well, of course, Jesus saw her humble heart of faith and healed her daughter!  This is just one example of how the Bible and the Lord God advocates for women!  And just as God looks at the heart of a person, this is how we are to consider others!