Scripture

“Dear woman.” Jesus said to her, “Your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Observation

Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon where a Gentile woman approaches him and pleads with him to heal her daughter who is tormented by a demon

At first Jesus makes no reply to her. But then he tells her He is only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.

She pleads some more, then she says that even dogs can eat scraps from the table. Jesus tells her that her faith is great and her daughter is healed.

Jesus returns to the Sea of Galilee. A vast crowd, comes to him to have their sick people healed. The lame walk, the blind see, and everyone praises the God of Israel.

Application

The way Matthew tells this story, it seems like Jesus travelled to the region of Tyre and Sidon just to heal this woman’s daughter. I find it interesting that Jesus did not respond to the woman’s ethnicity nor to the need of the daughter. These things seem to not interest the Lord.

What does interest the Lord and catches His attention is the level of faith we have. This woman is

described as having great faith. Even though Jesus ignored her and insulted her, she clung to the idea that he could and would heal her daughter. The key to having prayers answered is to have the kind of faith that persists, even when it seems that God is not interested in our needs.

Pray and keep on praying. Ask and keep on asking. Knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that you answer prayers. Please give me faith to trust you even when it seems that you are not hearing my prayer. Amen.

Scripture

“From the heart, come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

Observation

Some Pharisees come to Jesus and ask him why He permits His disciples to disobey the traditions of hand washing before eating.

Jesus turns the question back on them by asking, “Why do you allow people to dishonour their parents by not supporting them?” He goes on to tell the crowd that they are not defiled by what they put into their mouth, but rather by what comes out of it. What is important is not what we eat, but the state of our heart.

Application

What does it mean to be clean before the Lord?

The Pharisees were concerned with total obedience to the law. They specified very clearly what could be done on the Sabbath, how to tithe, what to eat, and so on. They believed it was following these rules that made a person right with God.

Jesus pointed out that the deeper issue is what our hearts are like. It is the heart, which determines our behaviour. A bad heart generates bad behaviour. The person whose heart is right with God, does not have to worry about following the rules. They will do what pleases God naturally.

A good heart draws us closer to God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please make my heart more like you. Amen.