Mark Ch 7 vv 24-30

Some people are puzzled by this event and feel that Jesus comes over as a narrow-minded, bigoted Jew. If that were the case, it would be out of character because He showed great love towards the woman in Samaria and the Roman centurion who asked Him to heal his slave. The written word very often can’t convey to us a tone of voice and a loving smile on a person’s face. How we speak is very often more important than what we say. Pray for grace to show the love of Jesus in your general behaviour day by day, as well as in what you say or do.

Jesus may also have been testing her faith. If He doesn’t do that, there is a very real possibility of our taking the Lord’s blessings for granted and of our becoming arrogant and demanding. We are so perverse and foolish that the Lord has to take a hard line with us. When He does we must remember that He does so because He loves us and earnestly wants us to be rescued from every aspect of our sinfulness.

Jesus responded to the woman’s agonising need not only by healing her daughter but also by increasing her faith. The Lord doesn’t just answer our prayers - He loves us far too much merely to do that. He encourages us to persevere in prayer, He teaches us humility and helps us to understand in a deeper way that we depend entirely on Him for salvation and spiritual growth. Let us learn these lessons today.