WEDNESDAY, EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Jer 31: 1-7 Jer 31: 10-13 Mt 15: 21-28
DISCIPLESHIP IS OPEN TO ALL
Jesus went off to the territory of Tyre and Sidon which was a gentile territory, about forty miles Northwest of Nazareth on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, in the Province of Phoenicia. A Canaanite woman, a gentile by religion and a Syrophoenician, approached Jesus to beg for the cure of her daughter. Mistrust and antipathy existed between the Canaanites and Jews. But the woman’s need was great and she dared to mingle with the crowd and approach Jesus. She calls Jesus Lord and acknowledges Him as the Messiah.
Jesus venturing into this territory was a testimony that He had come for all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. His exchange of words with the woman, might seem that He was discriminating against her and speaking against her by referring to the gentiles as dogs. But in the Jewish usage of the time dog was a common term used for the gentiles. In reality, Jesus was testing the woman’s faith, her desire and her determination. The woman approached Jesus with great and deep faith; she fell at His feet and begged Him to heal her daughter. Her response to Jesus’ words gave evidence that she was hungering for what Jesus could do for her. The Lord honoured her faith and healed her daughter. Everyone needs Jesus, it makes no difference what one’s race, nationality or creed may be. He accepts everyone and all who seek Jesus sincerely, and will find in Him a compassionate, tender and welcoming Saviour ready to fulfil and satisfy all our needs and desires.
Do we have faith like that of this woman? Do we see everyone as our brothers and sisters, as equal in their need for Christ? Are we selective in deciding with whom we would share the gospel? It does not matter whether a person is appealing to us because of his or her lifestyle, background or culture. Jesus loves every person as His own, and wishes us to proclaim the gospel message of salvation to all.
Response: The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.
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