The Word To Live By: 8-2-26
Phil Waggoner
She came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” Then Jesus said to her, “O Woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once. Matthew 15: 25, 28
The Word To Live By: This is the other place in the Gospels that Jesus used the term, “great faith.” First of all, let’s look at the similarities that stand out between the centurion in chapter 8 and this woman. They both came from a background of worshiping multiple gods. The woman was a Canaanite. The Canaanites practiced various forms of idolatry, including worship of multiple gods, and engaged in rituals that included child sacrifice and sexual immorality. They both, the centurion and the Canaanite woman, came to Jesus and they both addressed Him as Lord. The word “Lord” here indicates their acknowledgement of Jesus as "Lord" and "Son of David," therefore of His messianic identity and power to heal. This title reflects their faith and understanding of Jesus as a figure of mercy and authority, transcending their Gentile background. In recognizing His authority in the spirit world and the power of the spoken Word of God, they stood out and proclaimed through their actions that with God nothing is impossible. They were both bold with their faith and understood they had no right, spiritual or legal, to ask Him for anything. (They were both humble.) And they both ignored the fact that, in their culture, children were viewed as second class citizens. (The centurion’s boy was a servant and the Canaanite’s daughter was viewed as a sacrifice to a perverted god. Always remember that God wants all people to be saved and come into a knowledge of Him. 1 Timothy 2:4)) What stands out to me as being different in her situation was her obvious persistence and perseverance. Hebrews 6:11-12 says, “We desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” I think that all those attributes are what makes “great faith,” and it is what I strive for daily.
Read through the Bible in a year: 2 Corinthians 1:1-2:4; 2 Kings 14; Micah 4:1-5:1;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 2, Matthew 17:1-14, Romans 5
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160