THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 7:24-30
“It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” (Mark 7:27)
Jesus is visiting Tyre, a non-Jewish area.
But why does He call this woman a ‘dog’… not a very Jesus-like thing to say?
He knows how the Canaanites and Jews felt about each other.
It might be the same attitude found between Jews and Palestinians today.
Jesus knows how this woman thinks of Jews, and He throws that back at her.
He knows her heart, and cuts deep with surgical knife into her unhealthy attitude.
“It is from a person’s heart that malice, slander and arrogance come…” (Mark 7:21-22)
The woman knows it too, and her heart is humbled.
Jesus loves her; He heals her daughter, but also the attitude of her heart.
Jesus speaks personally to each one of us, addressing our issues and sins.
As a Jesus follower, this passage is meant to speak to me, to expose my attitudes.
Is the Spirit challenging how I think about people of other faiths, cultures, lifestyles?
Am I demeaning others by labelling them, treating them as less than God’s children?
Does my heart need to be humbled, to see that I am not better than others?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, You are speaking to my heart, gently but firmly calling me to repent too. Help me to see that when Your words are sharp, they are a surgeon’s knife, cutting away something unhealthy.
Remember the saying of ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me?’
Well they do hurt!
I still remember may elementary school days when I had many a fight because others taunted me and told me to go back to the land I came from.
Today, people still fight because of colour or race or religion or . . .
Yet we were all created by the same Maker – all members of the same family – the family of God whether we believe that or not. In the beginning . . .
Serving God in various countries one works with all kinds of people. It made me appreciate the variety in God’s creation and appreciate their gifts and challenges while working with them. We are but one family and we need His love to make the world go around and around. His love covers all our differences and makes us one. One-anothering which has no place for name calling or hatred or fighting or . . .
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Refrain
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me!
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessèd presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service too, to Him belongs.