Matthew 15
Jesus explains how faith comes from within, not by rituals
Discussion Question
- Does the Church have traditions, teaching or doctrine which can become obstacles to a relationship with God?
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Going Deeper – from 'Words of Life'
'My Story – A Canaanite Woman'
Some refer to me as a Syro-Phoenician; some, a Greek; others, a Canaanite. The bottom line is – I was a foreigner to the Jews. But I knew all about them, and I especially knew about this man Jesus, referred to by many as Lord and Son of David. The stories I heard about him were wonderful! Healing people and performing so many miracles.
My little girl was very sick, but not in the way some people thought. She was possessed by a demon – which meant she was ostracised. No one would come near her and because of this our family became isolated. Deep in my heart I knew Jesus was the only one who could heal her. And someone told me he had come into our area.
I found out where he was and went to him – falling at his feet. I was so desperate for my daughter. I wasn’t a Jew, but my faith was strong, so I begged him to heal her.
He said nothing at first. In fact his disciples tried to push me away. Then he spoke to me of children’s bread and tossing it to the ‘dogs’. Somehow, I knew what he was talking about. In my response, using the same kind of language, I conveyed the fact that many Gentiles, even Canaanites, were open to hearing God’s Word – open to belief, ready to learn about the truth of God’s revelation for all people.
He seemed to like my response using the same imagery. I think I even saw a little twinkle in his eye! Then he affirmed that I had great faith. After telling me this, he told me my daughter was healed at that very hour. A miracle!
People don’t have to be raised in a Christian environment to have faith.
We simply have to believe Jesus is God’s Son, and that he came to the world for all people. This is my wonderful story of faith – my story of great love.
How’s your faith today?
Beverly Ivany
'Mountains' courtesy of SG Dryer used under Creative Commons licence