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3 - No rejection here!
Matthew 15:
21. Jesus then left that part of the country and walked the fifty miles
to Tyre and Sidon.
22. A woman from Canaan who was living there came to him, pleading,
"Have mercy on me, O Lord, King David's Son! For my daughter has a demon
within her, and it torments her constantly."
23. But Jesus gave her no reply - not even a word.
Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to get going,"
they said, "for she is bothering us with all her begging."
24. Then he said to the woman, "I was sent to help the Jews - the lost
sheep of Israel - not the Gentiles."
25. But she came and worshiped him and pled again, "Sir, help me!"
LB
This mother was willing to risk racial and gender prejudice and humiliation
in order to get help for her daughter from Jesus.
At first she got no response from Him.
It was as if He had not heard her or was ignoring her. But she kept on
pressing her case to Him, until his disciples were embarrassed and asked
Him to send her away.
Then Jesus laid out his purpose before her: telling her that she was outside
the scope His ministry was intended to reach.
But this mother didn't hear this as a statement of rejection.
Instead, she what she heard was that this Jewish Prophet - the only person
who could help her daughter - was actually responding to her pleas!
So she came and worshipped Him.
This means she was risking further humiliation by bowing before Him,
probably in public.
Once again she pleaded, "Sir, help me!"
Jesus understood this kind of humility.
This is what the Apostle Paul says about Him:
5. Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ,
6. who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God,
7. but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave
and becoming like men. Christ humbled himself
8. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a
criminal's death on a cross.
(Philippians 2 LB)
Prayer:
Father, thank You that Jesus was willing to go to these lengths of public
humiliation so that I could be bought back from the hand of the evil one.
Lord Jesus, I love You,
Amen.
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