It used to hurt my feelings when I read this passage and heard Jesus refer to me (a Gentile) as a dog. But I have since changed my perspective.
I have come to realize that Jesus wasn’t saying that the Jewish people are better than others, they just happen to be first. The fact that they have priority is undeniable. When I fly, I am never the first one on the plane. I wait and wait, and eventually it’s my turn to board. The crew boards, the first class cabin boards, the business class board….and then the rest of us. I’m not offended, they have their place; I have mine. We are all going to the same destination, just in different seats. The fact that Jesus allows this woman to experience his healing grace early simply testifies to the fact that God is loving and gracious to all His creation. She was allowed to “cut the line” because her faith was even greater than that of the Jews. I say “good for her”. It’s in the past anyway….now it’s time for everyone to “get on board”.
I don’t want to leave this passage without commenting on what could be the most important part: Jesus identifies our heart as the well spring of all unrighteousness. I think He’s saying our “original nature” or “person we are on the inside”. Therefore, when we become aware that our actions are unsuitable for a Christian, we shouldn’t pray that God would correct the activity…that’s just a symptom. Pray that God will change your heart. The real work is for God to change you on the inside. Lately we have been discussing the removal of the “original nature”, the human “operating system” that became corrupted in the garden of Eden. It has a virus, and is constantly downloading malware. It can’t be saved, it must be deleted. With that in mind, don’t pray that you won’t steal things…pray that God would make you content with what you have, then the desire to steal is gone. (and it doesn’t hurt to ask God to remove the desire). The harmful desires come from the flawed nature. Asking God to remove it is always a good prayer. I personally have done this several times recently and it really works. I feel like I am connecting with my Heavenly Father on a much more personal level than I was before, simply because I am now asking God to do work in my life that He has always wanted to do. So I am seeing my prayers answered, because I am praying the right prayers.
Learning as I go,
PR