St Matthew, Chapter 15, verses: 28, The Lost Children of God: Let it be done.

Our paragraph topic is: (The Canaanite woman) Part 7.

And the Canaanite woman crawled up from the depths of her heart, admitted to her wrongs and begged Christ for crumbs.  She begged for forgiveness and asked for crumbs.  She begged for healing and asked for crumbs.  She begged for understanding and asked for crumbs.  She gave her heart and asked for crumbs.  For Christ saw the faith in her.  He saw the love in her.  He saw the hope in her and he knew what was in her heart.

In her heart was a need.  In her heart was a desire.  In her heart was a hope.  In her heart was the word that brought her out of the village into the wilderness to meet Christ.  In her heart was the belief that Christ was the one who would save her daughter.  She knew when he spoke to her.  She knew in her heart that he had the power.  She knew in her heart that he had the truth.  She knew in her heart that what she had heard about him was true because of the words he spoke to her concerning the children.  And yet she still believed.

For she had searched everywhere for a cure.  She had asked everyone for help.  She had sought the wisest and the knowledgeable and none could help.  But when she came to Christ she knew that he was the one.  For Christ saw beyond her need.  Christ saw into her heart.  Christ saw into her soul and knew the medicine that would help.  But Christ did not just want to cure her daughter.  He wanted to cure the Canaanite woman also. 

So Christ posed a cure that would bring forth the deep seated beliefs from her soul and cleanse her of her wrongs.  And the Canaanite woman opened herself and allowed her soul to be cleansed.  She admitted her wrongs.  She spoke forth the errors in her beliefs.  And she humbled herself before Christ and asked for the crumbs from his table that she may be healed.  And Christ saw her humility.  Christ saw her desire.  Christ saw her belief and opened the door for her prayers to be answered.   Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is thy faith!   Let it be done to thee as thou wilt." And her daughter was healed from that moment.

The Canaanite is an example to us today.  She heard the word of Christ and set out to find him.  She found him and she worshipped him.  She praised him and he opened her heart.  And she humbled herself and Christ healed her and her daughter.  It was her belief in what she heard that drove her.  It was her desire to know that led her.  It was her hope in him that humbled her.  And it was her faith in him that healed her.  Many today hear the word but do not seek.   Many find but do not worship him who gave.  Many praise but do not open their hearts.  And many have faith but do not humble themselves because they live in a world that holds them, a world of their bodies.

My own journey led me to him.  My own path took me through many tricks and turns on the path to him.  It was only as a last resort that I turned to him for help.  And in seeking that help I gave up everything else.  I released all ties to this world.  I wanted to establish ties with him.  What do you seek?  What are your desires?  Do you wish to know?  Do you seek to find?  Christ awaits you that you may receive your treasures.  Christ awaits you that you may know the truth of who you are.

Come follow the path that I followed!  Come read the truth that was given to me! Come seek the knowledge that has been before mankind for ages yet hidden by the world!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  And in that knowledge will come the Advocate who will teach, who will guide, who will protect, who will provide, and who will reveal the kingdom of heaven where Christ Jesus our lord awaits with loving arms.

St Matthew, Chapter 15, verses: 27, The Lost Children of God: The needs of the children.

Our paragraph topic is: (The Canaanite woman) Part 6. 

Christ said it is not fair.  Christ told the Canaanite woman that it was not fair to take the children's bread.  It was not fair to not care about the children.  It was not fair to have a selfish attitude without consideration of one's actions.  It was not fair to take and take and take no matter who one took from, including children.  It was not fair Christ told the Canaanite woman to have such an attitude, to be so careless, to be so self absorbed, to be so selfish, and yet she pleaded with Christ for help.

She believed that her daughter could be saved.  She believed that Christ could save her.  She believed that he was the one, out of all the others she had sought for help.  She knew within herself that he was the one.  And she came and cried out.  She pleaded with the disciples.  She begged for help and Christ did not answer her because he knew what was in her heart.  He knew of her carelessness.  He knew of her deeds.  He knew of her attitude.  And he did not answer.  But that did not dissuade the Canaanite woman.  That did not turn her around.  That did not stop her from pressing on, from continuing to believe, from having no doubts as to the help that Christ could provide.  And Christ told her that it was not fair to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.

And she was devastated.  She was crushed.  She was cast down because this was what she did.  This was her life.  This was her attitude,where she did not have any concerns about who she hurt, even the children.  And she crawled up from the depths of her soul and admitted that she was wrong.   But she said, "Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."  

Yes, Lord, she admitted.  Yes, Lord, she was wrong.  Yes, Lord, she was selfish.  Yes, Lord, she took the children's bread.  Yes, Lord, she admitted and asked for help.  Even the dogs feed.  Even the dogs have a place.  Even the dogs get the crumbs.  Even the dogs are taken care of.  Lord, I have been wrong in my actions.  Lord, I have been wrong in my deeds.  Lord, I have been wrong in my selfishness.  But, Lord, even the dogs have a place to go.  Lord, even the dogs have a master to feed them.  Lord, even the dogs eat.  Lord, let me be a dog and feed from the crumbs of your table.

The Canaanite woman believed.  The Canaanite woman knew.  The Canaanite woman sought the help of Christ.   Even confronted with her wrongs, she still believed.  She still believed that there was a place for her.  She still believed that the master would take care of her needs, even though she was lower than the dogs who feed from their master's table.  She continued to believe.  She continued to have faith.  She continued to know that Christ would see through the depths of her heart and know her change in heart.  Christ would know her humility.  For she truly humbled herself from her high status and came to see the wrongs of her ways.  She humbled herself and let go of her selfish beliefs.  She cried out from the depths of her heart, "Lord let me be a dog at your table that I may feed of your crumbs." 

Lord, may I feed of your crumbs.  Lord, may I know of the goodness of your mercy.  Lord, may I find peace at your table.  Lord, may I know that you are the master.  Lord, may I believe that you are the protector, the provider, the healer.  Lord, may I know the truth of who you are.  Lord, may I know of your love.  Do you believe?  Do you know?  Do you see that you may not be blind?  For there is one who would have you deaf.  There is one who would have you blind.  There is one who would have you ignorant to the truth.  Lord, let me feed from the crumbs of your table.  Where do you feed?

St Matthew, Chapter 15, verses: 26, The Lost Children of God: It is unfair.

Our paragraph topic is: (The Canaanite woman) Part 5.   

What are beliefs?  Are they the stuff that our dreams are made of?  Are they the desires of our hearts?  Are they the thoughts that we have about what we want, think, see, feel.  A writer I once read described a belief as a feeling of certainty about something.  The Canaanite woman had a belief.  She believed that her daughter could be cured of the demon that possessed her.  She had an idea and she became certain that she could find a way to restore her daughter to the way that she knew her before being possessed.

She followed that idea up with action for she knew that there was a way.  She consulted all the known cures of the time, met with the best physicians, doctors, healers, sorcerers of the time but found no answer.  Then she heard the word.  She heard of Christ.  She heard of his miracles, she heard how he made the lame walk, the blind see, cured the sick, and made the demons depart from the possessed.  Then the word she heard convinced her, with certainty, that her daughter would be cured.  She had no doubts, she believed with certainty.

She had to find this Christ.  She had to ask him for help.  She had to beg and plead with his disciples that she might see him, get near to him, speak with him that her daughter might be saved.  She knew that she was not a Jew.  She knew that she was a gentile.  She knew that Jews and gentiles did not associate, did not live together.  The former considered the latter less than.  The former did not associate with the latter.  The former considered the latter unclean.  But all this did not change her belief that her daughter could be saved.  All of this did not deter her purpose or change her from her goal, her desire, her belief.  She was certain that she could persuade the Christ to save her daughter.

So she came to him and falling on her knees she worshipped him and pleaded for his help.  And Christ,  he saidin answer, "It is not fair to take the
children’s bread and to cast it to the dogs."

Christ made this statement in expressing the sentiment of the times.  Food was scarce and there were many mouths to feed.  Who got to eat first?  Who would go without food?  Who would make the decision, the judgement as to who would eat and who would not?  For it had come to be, that the scales of fairness played into the decisions of men.  It was not fair, it was not right to take bread from children and give it to the animals.  But the wealthy did.  It was not right, it was not fair that the dogs of the rich eat better than the poor.  It was not right, it was not fair that the poor were taxed out of the food to feed the children and those same taxes fed the dogs of the rulers, the dogs of the wealthy, the dogs of the powerful.

Christ made this statement to the Canaanite woman because he knew that just as strong as her desire, her belief, that her daughter needed help, she had the same belief that her dogs would eat before the poor.  You see the Canaanite woman was a woman of means.  She was a woman of power and influence.  She did not know hunger.  She did not know poverty.  She did not know want.  For she was of the ruling class and was a wealthy person.  And Christ admonished her with the statement that it was not fair for her to think and believe that her dogs should eat and be fed from the wealth taken from the poor.

And where are we today?  Do we believe the same?  Are we the selfish ones who feed ourselves, our children, and our pets while those less fortunate go hungry?  Do we pass up an opportunity to help others, thinking that they are bums or beggars seeking a hand out?  We tell ourselves that they are drug addicts.  We tell ourselves that they are drunkards seeking another drink.  We look down on them from our high position without considering that they too are the children of God created in his image and likeness.  And we even get indignant and angry that they would ask us for help.

They are on every corner.  They are under every bridge.  They are without house, without clothes, without means, without hope.  And we pass them by, avoid them, and yet, feed our pets and our dogs before we would feed them.  It is not fair to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.  What do you do?  What is your excuse?  What is in your heart?  Judge not and feed the children of God.