Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Today’s text

Matthew 14:21-28

Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.' He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.' He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.' She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Prayer

Did you mean it when you called her a dog, Jesus? Or was this play and a ploy? We play with words all the time, joking, mock insults, verbal jousting, all to see who can be most clever. Such banter is well understood among friends, the better the friend the more rapid the repartee.

But this woman was not your friend, Jesus. She was an outsider, an undesirable. She had no place at the table of God’s grace. The abundance of blessing intended for God’s chosen was not hers to claim. She could only skulk beneath the table hoping for a few crumbs.

I am not sure how this amounts to great faith. But I see the surprised pleasure and amazement on your face as you wheel about and proclaim the greatness of what is in her. That look is real to me as my fingers on these keys.

So, too, is the constancy and fidelity I see in her. She stays put even when it is hard, hoping even expecting that some good, some blessing, maybe even something amazing can yet happen.

And it does: Because even the crumbs from the table of your abundance are enough for us, whoever we are, wherever we go.

Pr. David L. Miller