In the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 15: 21-28) we read a story of a mother and her daughter who were tormented by a demon. Imagine this mother, caring for her tormented daughter, hearing others talking about Jesus and how he can heal and cast out demons. Suddenly, she has a renewed sense of hope; maybe Jesus could heal her daughter, and end their torment. Out of desperation and love, and with newfound hope, she was drawn to Jesus.
When she came to him Jesus didn’t send her away, even though his followers wanted him to. She was a Canaanite, a Gentile. She was not a follower of Jesus and because of that, she had no right to his healing power, and he made that clear to her. But she still approached him, and Jesus didn’t send her away.
The lesson for us here is that we can go to Jesus no matter who we are, and we can go to him just as we are. We don’t have to be afraid that we’re not good enough. We don’t have to be afraid of what we think he might say. He loves us for goodness sake. We can stake our life on the fact that he will always receive us because we really do matter to him.
The woman didn’t stop her pleading. Even though she was annoying to his followers, and they wanted him to send her away, she didn’t listen and kept her focus on Jesus.
Following her example, our goal should be to keep our focus on Jesus so that the voices around us; family, friends, media, social media, and even our own minds, that try to discourage and lead us away from Jesus, have no impact because our focus is so intense.
Jesus didn’t answer the woman as she expected. At first, there was no answer; when he did answer, it wasn’t the answer she thought she would hear. So, we shouldn’t lose heart in those times we feel God isn’t even listening or become discouraged when we don’t get the answer that we want, when we want it. It’s important that we don’t give up, and remain confident that he does hear us and will always give us what he knows is best at the best time.
This woman didn’t leave Jesus. Driven by the love for her daughter, and her belief that Jesus was the one who could end their suffering, she didn’t leave. Even after he implied she wasn’t worthy of his attention, she didn’t give up. She didn’t become offended but remained humble and determined and clung to his robes.
Even though they came from different backgrounds, even though people were trying to separate them, even though she wasn’t getting the answers she expected, through it all, she didn’t leave; and that is her greatest faith.
That is our faith; To know Jesus can do whatever we ask. No matter what joys or struggles we experience in life, to continually cling to him with humility and thank him for all the gifts he gives us, and even the ones he chooses not to. It’s this faith and trust that allowed the power of Jesus to work in the life of this mother and her daughter. It’s this faith and trust that allows the power of Jesus to take hold in our lives too.
With his power, we can receive one another, listen to one another, and commit to one another. Sharing the love of Jesus allows us to have faith in one another, bringing us closer to one another, providing a source of hope for one another.
Today, pray for the gift of faith as strong as this mother, and unleash the power of Jesus in our lives.