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Day 40 Matthew 15:21-28 Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she cries after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Have you ever wanted something so bad, but didn’t know how you were going to achieve it, because what you wanted was denied for people of your class or abilities? Consider the recent royal wedding. Only 600 people were on the guest list, and only 200 of them were invited to the reception. Yet people lined the streets to get a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they came from the church. They wanted to see the event of the year. Tyre and Sidon were not part of Israel, but Lebanon. Yet Jesus went there with his disciples for a purpose. The Jews believed when their Messiah came, he would be for the Jews only. Jesus wanted to know the response of his disciples, and the woman who sought his help for her daughter. It would seem Jesus was telling her, she had no right to his help. However, that was not the case. He wanted to know the extent of her faith. When she proved her faith, he told her, her daughter was well. When he did so, he told his disciples he wasn’t only the Jews Messiah, he was the Messiah for the whole world. It took a while for the disciples to fully grasp that concept. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, Jesus appeared to Peter in a vision and told him he was to accept everyone, and sent him to a tanner in Caesarea, who believed in God. Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that fears him, and works righteousness, is accepted with him. Peter reported to the apostles what Jesus had sent him to do, when they questioned him about his actions in eating with uncircumcised Gentiles. Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (KJV) When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, Jesus told him he was the Messiah for the whole world. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he told the apostles they were to go to all the nations, but until Peter went to the Gentiles in Caesarea, they hadn’t left Jerusalem. Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (KJV) By healing the Canaanite woman’s daughter, Jesus showed he was not only their Messiah, but everyone’s Messiah. As Christians, our mandate is still to go to the whole world and preach the gospel to every nation. I heard a statistic on the radio recently showing that most Christians don’t open their mouths proclaiming the gospel, yet their own testimonies showed someone did leave their comfort zone to tell them about Jesus and what he came to do for us so we could have eternal life. Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Jesus showed the disciples by his actions of healing those who resided in Israel, and outside its borders, that he was the Savior of the nations. The Canaanite woman was from Lebanon, the centurion’s daughter was a Gentile and Roman, the centurion’s servant was an Israelite, while the centurion was a Roman. The woman at the well, was from Samaria, a country of Israel, Jews refused to enter. In all these situations, Jesus healed them and showed them the kingdom of heaven was also for them. Jesus’ invitation is for everyone. Nobody is left to watch outside the gates to get a glimpse of their Savior, they are all invited in. Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to be his child and inherit eternal life? Let’s pray: Father, thank you for inviting me to be your child. Help me leave my comfort zone and go to the world, proclaiming your Word to anyone who will listen to the amazing opportunity for salvation you offer them. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 29 May 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay