Matthew 15:21-39; Mark 7:24-37
The woman from Canaan asked Jesus to heal her daughter of a devil. His mission to minister to the Jews, and the gospel was not yet offered to gentiles. Because she was a gentile, He did not immediately grant her request. However, she had great faith and persistence, and Jesus did her bidding. Requiring great faith of all, Jesus teaches us patience by being slow to bless us at times.
As Jesus traveled east from the Sea of Galilee, He went through gentile Decapolis. Meeting many sick and afflicted persons, He healed them. Because of his compassion, the people glorified Him. For three more days, the people traveled with Him. Hungry and tired, the people inspired compassion on Jesus; he fed them all with loves and fishes. While this miracle bears similarities to the earlier account of feeding 5,000 in Matthew 14, it is a different event. The former were Jews; these were gentiles. Although compassion spurred the actions, it was symbolic of the teaching of gentile nations.
These verses speak of faith, persistence, compassion, and glorifying God. They hint at teaching gentile nations. How can I apply these teachings to my life? I can adopt the virtues emulated in the stories. I can be an example of the believers, thus teaching unbelievers by my example. I can testify of Christ, when opportunities arise.
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Reading the scriptures and keeping this journal are my delight. I do not keep an online journal to preach to anyone but myself. I like this format, because I can add pictures and correct my writing easier. If you enjoy reading it, I am happy. If you feel offended, please, realize it is not my intention to offend but to teach myself. No negative comments will not be published.