Tuesday, December 13, 2016

77. A Canaanite Woman



Jesus left there, and went into the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman came from there, and cried, “Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by an evil spirit!”


But he answered her not a word.


His disciples came and begged him, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”


He said, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”


She came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”


But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”


But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”


Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you want.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Reflection


The interaction between Jesus and this woman is hard for us to understand given the cultural gap between their time and our own. The disciples were annoyed and Jesus was perplexed until the situation was resolved through the woman’s sincere faith and quick wit. Are you troubled by Jesus behaving in an uncharacteristic manner? Could Jesus be fully human and still in complete control of every situation? 


Prayer: Help me realize, Lord, that not everything in your story is simple and easy to understand.
 

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