At the Table
At the Table
Who needs a vacuum cleaner when you have an inside dog? For many years my little Louie Bob Lewis would sit under the dinner table eagerly waiting for one of us to drop him a few crumbs. I loved that little dog, and I sure appreciated his floor-cleaning abilities. Even though our large family provided quite a few crumbs for Louie Bob, they certainly were not enough for him to survive and thrive on, so of course, we provided daily rations for him. Remembering my little Yorkie lingering under the table hoping for manna from heaven to fall for him, reminds me of a story of a woman who was also grateful for the crumbs from the Master’s table.
Matthew 15:21-28
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
She was desperate! Her daughter was in a horrible condition. Any mother can relate to this woman – we know when our children hurt, we hurt! In her desperation, this mother went out crying out to the One she believed could help her and her daughter, The Son of David!
But He answered her not a word. What?! This devastated, desperate mother was crying out to the Lord, the Son of David – the Messiah to have mercy on her and help her daughter, yet He had nothing to say to her.
Does that seem harsh to you? Honestly, it seemed harsh to me, too, at first. However, this Gentile woman used a Jewish name to address Jesus. At this point, she has no relationship, no connection, no right to call Him by His Jewish, Messianic name, “Son of David.”
Could it be that Jesus used silence to teach this woman and draw her in even closer?
· We can walk forward in faith even when God seems to be quiet.
Yet, what advice did His disciples – Jewish men – give Jesus regarding this Gentile woman? Get rid of her! Send her away because she is bothering us! Jewish men don’t talk to women, and especially not Gentile women!
I wonder if this woman could hear Jesus’ disciples encouraging Him to send her away? I wonder if they may have been blocking her way to get closer to Jesus? Did their disregard and callousness toward her plight keep her from approaching Jesus? No way!
· We can walk forward in faith even when there are obstacles in our way.
Jesus’ silence nor the discouraging disciples stopped this woman. She kept coming. A Gentile woman approaching and talking with a group of Jewish men would be unheard of! Totally out of the culturally accepted norm, this mother wasn’t giving up! Moving in closer and closer – until she was in front of HIM – and then, she bowed down and worshipped HIM. Her worship was in the form of physically humbling herself before Him and having a conversation with Him. However, this conversation wasn’t going how she had hoped as Jesus explained to her that His ministry was first to the “children” and that it was not good to take from the “children” and give to the little dogs. It is important here that we understand that Jesus was not referring to this desperate mother as a dog like the Pharisees did. Jesus actually uses a term of endearment which means “a house pet,” a loved and cared for possession of the Master of the table where the bread is passed out.
Desperate times in our lives often provide the greatest opportunities for our faith to grow and be demonstrated. This is the case for this mother. She is so desperate, and she is so determined because she knows Jesus can heal her daughter. Her reply to Him revealed her great faith, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
Did you catch that? “The crumbs which fall from their master’s table” This Gentile woman reveals her faith in Jesus Christ when she identifies herself as one who receives and is grateful for the crumbs from her Master’s table.
· We can walk forward in faith even when we feel less than worthy of His blessing
Jesus exclaimed, “O woman, great is your faith!” Surrounded by doubting Jewish men, disciples of the Messiah, Jesus speaks the words of healing for this woman’s daughter because she demonstrated great faith.
As I consider this story in Matthew’s Gospel, I am so thankful that now, because of the Cross of Christ, no one is “a little dog” under the table, but believers in Jesus Christ are now children who receive the Bread of Life at the Table of the Master.
And one day, we are going to be sitting with Jesus, this woman and her daughter at the Table of the King.
So, the next time you feel like you might not be moving forward in your faith, remember:
· We can walk forward in faith even when God seems to be quiet
· We can walk forward in faith even when there are obstacles in our way
· We can walk forward in faith even when we feel less than worthy of His blessing.
And, we sit at the table with our Master, so we never have to wait for the crumbs to fall. He is our Bread of Life.