When our son told me he wanted an electric guitar I was not quick to agree to it. In fact, I was completely against it. The thought of all the noise that an electric guitar can make (my two college room-mates played electric guitar) was one of my first objections. But the biggest objection was that it would be a waste of money, money that could be spent on other things.
But he persisted in his requests and, most importantly, he demonstrated with the guitar he already had that he was willing to practice and gain skills in playing. He practiced on his acoustic guitar day and night, showing that he was serious about music. That, more than anything else, overcame my objections.
Today’s passage is another of many that can disturb the reader. What is Jesus’ attitude toward the Canaanite woman? Does this surprise you? What seems to change his mind? Did she convince Jesus, or was he just waiting for her to get to a certain point, a place he knew she would eventually arrive at?
When talking about Jesus as a helper, as someone who is merciful and kind, it can be unsettling to read his response to the Canaanite woman. He ignores her at first, even after she tells him of the terrible situation her daughter is in. When he does respond to her his first comment is to refuse to help. Then he makes a comment that is rather insulting.
The question arises, does Jesus truly not care about the woman’s daughter? We know that there was a great division between the Jews, of whom Jesus was a member, and those of other nationalities – Gentiles and Samaritans. But our view of Jesus is that he is caring and loving to all people.
This type of response may at first put some doubt and fear into our own minds. What if I am not good enough for Jesus?
But Jesus has offered healing and mercy to others who were Gentile. He helped Samaritans and often lifted them up as good examples. He even was merciful to Romans.
It is entirely possible that Jesus was not ignoring or rejecting the woman because of who she was, but because of her attitude. We might assume that she was trying to get help from someone she had heard about – some great healer – without truly believing in him as the Son of God.
It is only when she persists and demonstrates that she truly desires mercy, that she truly believes that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus offers healing.
We need Jesus to be merciful to us in our difficulties. We need Jesus to help us in our troubles. But we need to go to him in humility and with complete faith that he can help.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you be sure you are approaching Jesus with the right attitude?
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