Jeremiah 50
Hebrews 8
“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to [Jesus], crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’ —Matthew 15:22
A Canaanite woman who had a demon-possessed daughter went desperately before Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly” (Matthew 15:22). From these simple statements alone, we could glean three things about her. Firstly, the Canaanite woman referred to Jesus as “Lord,” which was a term of address to someone who is of higher social standing, greater resources and greater abilities. Clearly, she saw her humble position before Jesus. Secondly, the woman was a Canaanite, a Gentile; and yet, she called Jesus “Son of David,” a title that referred not just to a descendant of David but the descendant. Even though the Canaanite woman was not Jewish and David was not her king, she acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. Thirdly, she cried, “have mercy on me”; this is a cry of an inferior to superior pleading for undeserved favour. For her, the question was would Jesus have mercy and compassion on her, a Gentile woman, and her daughter?
When Jesus did not respond, the disciples took it upon themselves to urge Him to do something about the Canaanite woman. They were not pleading on behalf of the Canaanite woman for Jesus to help but were urging, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us” (Matthew 15:23). The disciples found the Canaanite woman disturbing them, and their behaviour showed disdain towards her.
We could compare the disciples’ behaviour to flying and being in business class. From the moment one steps into the plane, one experiences exceptional service from the seat to the meal to all the amenities on board, which is in contrast to those travelling in economy class. The most obvious difference in status is the curtain that divides the two sections. To indicate the privilege of those in business class, a curtain is drawn shut during the flight to keep the chaos of the economy class from disturbing those in business class. The disciples felt like they had been upgraded to “Jesus class” but what they did not realize was that they belonged in economy. The disciples forgot that they were lowly fishermen and tax collectors. Yet, they were placed in “Jesus class” as an act of grace. They failed to remember that their upgrade was only made possible by Jesus in order to bring people to Jesus.
As people who experienced the grace of Jesus, the disciples failed to extend the same grace to the Canaanite woman. Ephesians 2:14 tells us, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” By the grace we received, may we also extend grace to those who need Jesus.
Precious Jesus, thank You for the grace that You have given me. Stop me from putting up a dividing wall against those who need Your grace. Help me to boldly share Your good news.
Hebrews 8
“A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to [Jesus], crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’ —Matthew 15:22
A Canaanite woman who had a demon-possessed daughter went desperately before Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly” (Matthew 15:22). From these simple statements alone, we could glean three things about her. Firstly, the Canaanite woman referred to Jesus as “Lord,” which was a term of address to someone who is of higher social standing, greater resources and greater abilities. Clearly, she saw her humble position before Jesus. Secondly, the woman was a Canaanite, a Gentile; and yet, she called Jesus “Son of David,” a title that referred not just to a descendant of David but the descendant. Even though the Canaanite woman was not Jewish and David was not her king, she acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. Thirdly, she cried, “have mercy on me”; this is a cry of an inferior to superior pleading for undeserved favour. For her, the question was would Jesus have mercy and compassion on her, a Gentile woman, and her daughter?
When Jesus did not respond, the disciples took it upon themselves to urge Him to do something about the Canaanite woman. They were not pleading on behalf of the Canaanite woman for Jesus to help but were urging, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us” (Matthew 15:23). The disciples found the Canaanite woman disturbing them, and their behaviour showed disdain towards her.
We could compare the disciples’ behaviour to flying and being in business class. From the moment one steps into the plane, one experiences exceptional service from the seat to the meal to all the amenities on board, which is in contrast to those travelling in economy class. The most obvious difference in status is the curtain that divides the two sections. To indicate the privilege of those in business class, a curtain is drawn shut during the flight to keep the chaos of the economy class from disturbing those in business class. The disciples felt like they had been upgraded to “Jesus class” but what they did not realize was that they belonged in economy. The disciples forgot that they were lowly fishermen and tax collectors. Yet, they were placed in “Jesus class” as an act of grace. They failed to remember that their upgrade was only made possible by Jesus in order to bring people to Jesus.
As people who experienced the grace of Jesus, the disciples failed to extend the same grace to the Canaanite woman. Ephesians 2:14 tells us, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” By the grace we received, may we also extend grace to those who need Jesus.
Precious Jesus, thank You for the grace that You have given me. Stop me from putting up a dividing wall against those who need Your grace. Help me to boldly share Your good news.
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