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Crumbs
Friday, December 6, 2024 by Rick Stockwell
Crumbs
READ Matthew 15:21-28
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He [Jesus] replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
-- Matthew 15:26-27 (NIV)
We have an eleven-year-old Cockapoo named Amazing Grace who’s always hovering around the kitchen table when we’re having a meal. Should a piece of food accidentally fall to the floor, she immediately scampers over and gobbles it up. If it’s a large piece of food, she’ll transport it to the living room to chew on it for a while before eating it.
I often think of today’s scripture when I see Gracie sitting at my feet beside the kitchen table. A Canaanite woman begs Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. He initially refused, as the focus of his ministry at that time was on presenting the gospel to the Jews. The woman understood his meaning, since she was a Gentile, and told him she would settle for any crumbs he might be willing to offer. Since she persisted in believing that he could heal her daughter, Jesus granted her request. It’s ironic that the people he was directly seeking rejected him, while the people he was indirectly seeking believed in him (Isaiah 65:1).
The Canaanite woman wasn’t necessarily interested in the theological implications of who Jesus was (i.e., the Messiah, the Son of God) or her eternal destiny. She was focused on getting help for her suffering daughter who had an immediate need. Her request was urgent. Fortunately, Jesus healed her daughter at that very hour. This grace of God is available today to all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile (Romans 3:22-24). God is able to meet your need if you ask him (Philippians 4:19).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Urgent requests sometimes require persistent prayers.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please grant the urgent requests we have for those we love.
Prayer Focus: CHILDREN WHO NEED HEALING
Rick Stockwell
Rick Stockwell retired from a career in information technology, teaches Sunday school for first graders, served as an elder at his church, has been married for thirty-five years, and has two children and six grandchildren.
Rick is the author of two novels in his Heavenly Realms series called The Wall and The Battle. Audio, eBook and paperback versions are accessible via this link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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