And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
People can be annoying. They are, at times, always demanding. They are, at times, always asking and listening for advice but never applying the advice. They are, at times, failings to read the room and failing to understand the moment. Yes, in the above passages we read about this Canaanite woman who kept coming after Jesus and His disciples. She was asking to be healed. I suppose that could be annoying. That might be who you thought I was referring to regarding annoying people. But I wasn’t referring to the woman, although she was. I was referring to the disciples, who once again missed the point of Jesus mission, methods and mind. That is annoying.. The woman had enough faith to understand that God sent His Son into the world the save the world, of which she was part of. She was persistent in her desire to have Jesus heal her. In another passage Jesus speaks about that type of pursuit when one has a need. He calls it impudence. When teaching the disciples about prayer and coming to the Father for answers to prayer, He told them the story about someone coming to his neighbor to ask for a need to be meet; in the middle of the night. The neighbor does not want to get out of bed. But because of her impudence he did. He met the need. Here was Jesus’ conclusion:
Luke 11:8 (ESV)
I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
This Canaanite woman was impudent. She was persistent. Yes, annoying to some. But to the Creator of the universe, she was doing exactly as she was told. She was to approach God in faith. Yes, Jesus tested her theology and perseverance by telling her He came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That was true. Jesus was not lying. But this is a turning point in His ministry as He heals even those outside the nation of Israel. The disciples are annoying. Despite all the teaching they have had, they still do not get it. But Jesus is, Himself, impudent, persevering and persistent. He continues to love us and teach us and forgive us and heal us. We are to be persistent in our faith. Jesus rewards persistent faith. And, He heals us, even when we of so little faith.
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