Imitating the compassionate Christ
Written by William Wright
Written by William Wright
Posted Wednesday, April 1, 2015 8:00 am
Millions of people have read with awe the signs and wonders
performed by a Jewish man nearly 2,000 years ago who was sentenced to death for
crimes he did not commit. That world did not show compassion to him. It hated
him.Still, this kind man loved orphans and widows, honored his parents, obeyed the law, stood up for the oppressed, enlightened minds, healed the sick and prayed constantly every day. For sure, he was no ordinary man. The accounts written about him have changed the lives of more people than any other person in history.
One of the things that touches me most about this man was the way he treated others — how humble, thoughtful and reasonable he was — especially in comparison to the pious religious leaders of his day.
Consider the example at Matthew 15:21-28: “Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.’ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’ The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’
“‘Yes it is, Lord,’ she said. ‘Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’
“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.” — New International Translation.
Re-examine that for a moment. In verse 24, Jesus explains his reason for ignoring the Canaanite woman at the outset, stating “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” But the woman kept pleading with him, prostrating herself before him. He then told the woman in verse 26, that it was “not right,” to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. Here Jesus drew on the biased view of Jews toward other nationalities. But he appears to use this illustration to test her faith. How so?
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