Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
ACTIVENESS IN THE MIDST OF LIMITATIONS
Matthew 15: 25-31
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.  (Matthew 15:28)
The passage describes how Christ acknowledges a Canaanite woman’s faith. The Canaanites were descendants of despised enemies of the Israelites. Despite being a gentile, the woman addressed Jesus as “Lord”, and “Son of David”. The Canaanite woman did not yell out of desperation, but cried a humble plea three times to admit to him that she knew he was the Christ and powerful enough to save. Her cry was not even for herself, but she begged Jesus with a believing heart for the sake of her daughter, seeking relief on her behalf. She persisted and pushed through conventional wisdom and refused to give up.
Woman of Discouraging experiences: The Canaanite women faces different kinds of obstacle, social and psychological. Being a woman of the gentile stock, she had odds against her in an orthodox patriarchal society. The primary response of Jesus over her plea was absolute silence. We will be disgusted when we approach somebody with great hope and receive no response. The disciples came and ask Jesus to send her away – to them she might be a nuisance on their journey. Jesus ignores her and the disciples were unsympathetic. She received no encouraging words from Jesus on whom she put her entire trust. He said” I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel and to them alone.” The woman is undeterred, and in the kneeling posture of Christian worship continues to address her petition to Jesus. In verse 27 Jesus address her for the first time. To compare the Jews to children and the gentiles by the analogy of ‘dogs’ seems very crude, even though the word dog is used as a term affectionately used for household puppies.

Woman of Daring Faith: Seemingly un-resentful of the analogy the woman persists, and continues to plea her case. She gracefully present her rightful claim on Jesus – not that the “dogs” can eat later but that they receive “crumps” even as the “children” are being fed. Such persistent struggle in prayer, Jesus designates as great faith and immediately heals the woman’s daughter. When she addressed him as the “Son of David”, she got no reply. Secondly she used a simple and direct language to beg for mercy. For the act of faith, she was rewarded for her pleas as she will not take no for an answer. The lesson this woman teaches us is simple. Though God may test us in seemingly strange and unpredictable ways, he will not turn away from his promises to help those who call on him in their time of need.

Prayer: Lord, We thank you for being our helper in times of our needs, and help us to trust in you completely that we may see your power and activeness in the midst of limitations. Amen.

Thomas Varghese & Sophy Ann Abraham,

 Dallas Farmers Branch MTC.

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more