Skip to main content

Mother Appreciation Week - Day 3

"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...and he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." - Matthew 15: 23-24, 26

Mark #3 - Great mothers are armed with great determination.

She conquered the test of patience in silence.  When the mother cried out to Jesus for help, he did not respond at all, basically ignoring her.  We know through more accounts that Jesus was not being rude to this mother, but that he was testing her faith.  How do we respond to silence?  Do we assume that means no and give up when God doesn't answer our prayers on the first try, or within a week?  She didn't let that stop her, she continued to pursue Jesus and the disciples for help for her daughter.

We see in the second part of that verse that she conquered the test of doubt and discouragement.  The disciple had gotten so annoyed with her requests, that they even asked Jesus to "send her away."  Can you imagine that feeling?  Have you ever been there?  Wanting to be a part of something or wanting someone to help only to be turned away.  When we are faced with that, we cannot allow that seed of doubt planted by others to grow into a feeling of unworthiness. 

She conquered the test of rejection.  In v24, Jesus responds to the mother saying, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  At least now he was acknowledging her but he was still rejecting her request.  But Jesus' answer was actually much bigger than just the healing of her daughter.  He was teaching her and his disciples that his current duty and focus of ministry was for the people of Israel, it wasn't time yet for him to reach out to the Gentiles.  He was not saying that he would not reach them, just that the time was not now.  If he improperly shifted his focus, it would be like in v26 where the children's food is taken off the table and fed to the pets.  A parent will take care of their children first, then others. 

But this mother, like many in our day, was not going to quit even as she faced silence and rejection.  She kept pushing and was determined to save her daughter.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2020 is Hindsight...Finally!

Wow, what a year! 2020 could literally be an entire decade, maybe more, of history, change, and lessons rolled up into these twelve months. While many aspects of 2020 were kind of sucky and we would like to forget them, it will certainly be a year to remember. And it will be enlightening when this year is looked back on in 10, 25, or 50 years to be discussed. I wonder if we'll seem like geniuses or idiots? Probably both to some extent! While there is so much that I could consider and analyze about this year, I'll try to break some of it down into four dimensions - Physical, Spiritual, Mental, and Social/Emotional. These are events and happenings from my world and perspective and I'm trying to be open in sharing and would love to hear from others on events you found most transforming. Physical When COVID cause gyms to close, that messed me up. Our town and state were late to be hit with severe cases and therefore later than many across the country to close up shop. I'm n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Who Wants to be Dilos?

You're probably wondering if that's a typo or not. While doing a search for these letters did actually reveal that there is a brand and some fictional character out there with this name - my real intent was to show that order matters. You see, if we reverse the letters, you then spell the word, S-O-L-I-D. Yet far too many of us are operating with a Dilos mindset instead of getting our priorities in order and becoming Solid. We chase money like it's the most important thing in the world. And while it's certainly necessary, if money is the number one goal of any individual, or even any business, failure is surely on the horizon. To better understand the significance of the order, let's go through them backwards. Dollars. Yes, money matters. But what good is all the money in the world if you're "dumb as a box of rocks" and lack the next component, Intelligence, and don't know how to manage (or keep) your wealth? Intelligence. Let's say yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The New Normal

When all of this COVID, Coronavirus, and pandemic talk first started, I literally got sick of hearing the phrase, "the new normal."  I heard sermons preached talking about what is normal.  I even preached one that I titled, "The Next Normal."  But what if these "new normal" people are actually onto something? When I was growing up, a normal summer consisted of a lot of time with Mom.  She was a school teacher so we were all out for several (probably stressful) months together.  She, my brother, and sister would spent countless hours at the pool and make several trips each year to stay at my aunt's house in the lower part of the state, about 30 minutes from the beach.  That was normal for me. But now, 30ish years or so later, life for my children (and their precious little grandchildren) looks very different - almost like there's a new normal in town.   My parents worked hard, sacrificed, and saved for years before purchasing a lake house in 2010 - ...
Post a Comment
Read more