Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Jesus Christ who includes All

Text: St. Mathew 15:21-28

Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." (Matthew 15:28)

I want to begin by asking who deserves God's mercy. In this passage, a woman identified as a foreigner, a Canaanite woman, came to Jesus for her daughter's healing. She persistently cries out for God's mercy v.22 (kyrie eleison). On the other side, her pleas are matched by the shouts of the disciples, "get rid of her!" v.23. Jesus was in the middle of these two divergent camps; finally, Jesus intervened and healed her daughter. This passage gives us two important insights for our faith walk. 
First, Jesus honors persistent faith. When a person comes to Jesus full of confidence, trust, and earnest prayers, Jesus will restore them. The Canaanite woman of an alien race came to Christ, and her heart was full of faith that no one but Christ could heal her daughter. She faced obstacles from the crowd, disciples, and even Jesus. Yet her persistent faith prevailed. The Bible says, Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently."
Secondly, Jesus extends God's mercy to all. Disciples who followed Jesus thought God's mercy was only extended to those in the inner circle, but Jesus challenged their perceived status quo. Jesus called his disciples to re-think beyond their boundaries. As followers of Christ, we need to extend God's mercy to those who are the outcasts, the wounded, the hungry, the lonely, and the homeless. In conclusion, this story in the Gospel of Mathew reminds us that persistent faith Jesus honors and God's mercies are for all who call upon his name. 
 
Prayer
Lord, when we face opposition to our faith in you, help us not to give up; instead, come to you confidently in the face of impossible situations. Lord, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who will yield to our feeble and humble cries. Amen.
 
Thought for the Day
"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right." ― Max Lucado,
 
Rev. Biju P. Simon, Philadelphia MTC, Pennsylvania

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