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| Religion News |
| Written by Rev. ChakaHier A. M.Oliver, Ph. D, Founder and CEO |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 10:13 |
 Great Faith (Matthew 15:21-28) by Rev. ChakaHier A.M. Oliver, Ph.D. Most of us have heard the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” While everyone may not agree with the saying, it’s clear that social networks play a large role in today’s society. The popularity of internet social networking sites such as socialgo, bebo, facebook, and myspace indicates that many people are sold on meeting as many people as they can. People make special efforts to go to the right places, and meet the right people. In many cases, meeting the right people means having the right contacts. In turn, having the right contacts can mean having access. Access can mean the difference between getting the best, or getting what’s left – and sometimes even getting what’s left is better than getting nothing at all. A Sincere Desire The list of things that we desire is not short by any stretch of the imagination. While it might take us a little bit to get the list started, after we get warmed up we could go on, and on, and on. It seems that no matter how much we have, we always want more. We quickly become disenchanted with last weeks’ acquisition, and move on to something else that strikes our fancy. From new shoes to a new car, we want what we want, and if it’s within our power we go through all of the necessary paces to grasp the target. In this weeks’ text, we are provided with a portrait of a woman of Canaan who followed after Jesus crying out to Him. This woman made no secret of her purpose. She cried out to Jesus, identifying Him as Lord and the Son of David. She asked Him to have mercy on her, and told Him that her daughter was severely demon-possessed. Giving this information in such a forward manner illustrates that she was not operating from a position of shame. She did not hide her need and was specific enough to let Jesus know just how desperate she was for His help. Her sincere desire, was her daughters’ healing. Although this woman was forward, Jesus basically ignored her plea. The text tells us clearly that Jesus didn’t answer her. His disciples were obviously irritated with her presence and wanted her to leave Jesus alone, because they went to Jesus and asked Him to send her away. They presumptuously said “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” Technically, she was not crying out after them, she was only crying out after Jesus – the disciples just happened to be with Jesus. At this point, Jesus entered the conversation and clarified that He “was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Relentless in making sure that Jesus filled her need, this woman came and worshipped Him, and again solicited His help. Even after she humbled herself in worship, Jesus still did not grant her petition. He answered her and told her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Insistent in her cause, she countered with, “True Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Faith Counts It is easy for us to recognize that the woman of Canaan showed determination; however, Jesus’ final response to her illustrates that His insight goes a lot deeper, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” Her faith accessed her daughters’ healing that very hour! We learn from this woman that unshakable faith pays off. She not only knew the right person, she had the right motives, and stayed focused on her purpose. At times, when it seems as though we aren’t getting the answers we want, we give up and give in. However, the example that the woman of Canaan provides, helps us to see that persistence with a right desire is an appropriate approach to access the blessings of the Lord. |
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