November 2

Matthew 15, 16
Mark 7, 8

In today's reading, there are two different occasions when people asked something of Jesus.

The first was the Canaanite woman who had a demon-possessed daughter. This woman was desperate to help her child. She was so desperate that she was willing to risk asking Jesus for help. At this time in history, Jews believed that Canaanites were unworthy of any kind of blessing. I'm sure that the fact that Jesus and His followers were Jews did cross her mind. Asking Jesus for help could have resulted in ridicule or physical harm. But that didn't stop her from knowing that Jesus was the only One who could help her and having the faith to believe that He could and would heal her daughter. Jesus rewarded her faith by healing the girl that very hour.

The second were the Pharisees. They wanted to test His deity by asking Him to demonstrate a sign from heaven. The difference between the Pharisees and the Canaanite woman was faith. The woman asked for a miracle because of her great faith. The Pharisees asked for a miracle because of their lack of faith. They refused to believe Jesus until they saw evidence of His power. Jesus refused to grant their request because there were already plenty of signs pointing to Him as the Messiah. If their eyes and hearts were open, they would have already known the truth. Personally, I doubt they would have believed Jesus even if He had demonstrated His power for them. They were just too hardhearted.

I remember hearing a pastor once say that God is not a divine Santa Claus. It is not His job or obligation to grant our every wish and desire. We are to have faith in His love and power, even if we can't immediately see it. We are to have faith that He will always take care of us and always do what is best for us, even if we can't see His plan for our lives. Our relationship with God cannot be based on what whether or not He grants all our requests. He rewards those who have great faith in Him. I pray that we all can have the same faith that the Canaanite woman had. Even when it appeared that Jesus was not listening to her, she did not lose faith. She still believed that He would heal her daughter.