The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. (7:24)
As Elijah went away from Israel for a time, I went away after this clash with the Pharisees. God is not only the God of one people, my people Israel, He is the God of the whole creation, and wants to bring all the creation back to His plan of love and grace. The paradox is that, sometimes, those who believe that they are close to God - like the Pharisees - are very far and that those who believe that they don’t have much value can be very close to the heart of God.
But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. (7:25-30)
This woman did not come out of pride, but out of hope. She wanted the good for her daughter, she knew that as a Jew I would probably not welcome her, yet she took the risk to be rejected. Out of love for her daughter, she begged for my help. I first rejected her plea in a very clear way. It is true, I first came for the lost children of Israel, and she was not one of them. Yet, I also listened to the Father and in this case He asked me to make an exception. The overall plan of the Father is to reach all the creation, yet even I did not dare to do more than what was my part during my time on earth. Only the Father could extend my ministry when He wanted. My first answer to this woman was not so much a matter of despising her, but rather a witness of the limitation of my ministry on earth. In the same way, it is important that you follow clearly our directions concerning your service for our glory. Respect the limits of your tasks, and learn to do them well. Sometimes, we will extend your area of service, but it is very important that you don’t do that kind of things on your own. Listening and obeying is of great importance in your journey as a disciple.
In the case of this Syrophoenician woman, a non-Jew, she had faith that I could heal her daughter, and that this would not remove anything from my ministry to my people, Israel. Her humble attitude opened my heart to the Father’s grace for her. She did not force her way, she did not come with pride, but she begged for crumbs of the Father’s grace. That kind of attitude is so important, and the Father gave her, through me, what she hoped for. Through her faith, the grace of the Father flowed to her daughter, who was delivered from the demon.
From this story, you learn a key element of faith. Faith in me and faith in the Father is not a matter of entitlement, but rather the simple expectation to see our love manifest itself. Come humbly to me and to the Father, come with humility and love in your heart. This woman did not ask for her, but for her daughter. She wanted the good for her child. So many prayers of parents for their children are answered, just because they are not selfish prayers, just because they are humble prayers.
The woman had first to find me, before she could ask for help. In the same way, when you pray, don’t forget to first ask for my presence, to turn away from all the concerns you have and to ask me to come in your presence. This first step is of great importance. Many people forget that, when they want to ask something to us. They should first come to encounter us, to encounter me, Jesus. I am close, yet I don’t respond to snapping fingers. Learn to forgive before you come to me in prayer, so that the Father can also forgive you, that is one of the rules of the kingdom. Learn to come and wait on me, as this woman did. Learn to ask with faith for the Holy Spirit to fill your heart. Don’t hesitate to ask others to pray for you.
As you learn to come to me and to experience my peace and my presence, ask and you will receive. Ask for my love to be revealed. Accept that you are not the master but come as a student. Don’t expect my grace to be exactly what you expect. I want to speak with all the children of the Father, but I will not say just what they want me to say. I will lead them closer to the Father, to his love and holiness. If you come to me because you want me to be your servant, I am sorry but you will be disappointed. If you come to me because you want to be a servant of the Father, then I will rejoice to teach you, to train you as my disciple. In this journey, you will see many miracles of the Father’s love. Learn from the humble faith of this woman, she is a good example for you to follow.
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