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.
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.
