Miracle Crumbs

Can you picture this – An outcast, a potentially shady character, a “Lowland Lowlife” female ... approaches the King and says “My daughter needs a miracle!”. The King says nothing as his entourage urges the King to send her away, but he finally answers all... “I am here to seek out the Lost sheep of my Highland house.” She immediately falls before the King in Worship and then responds - “I need your help!”

What the King says next is disturbing BUT it was acceptable in the culture of the day ... Matthew 15:26 - “But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

Somehow I can almost sense the sleazy triumphant thoughts and stifled rude laughter of those nearby … carried by one under-girding insidious; “Boy, Jesus put her in her in place!” But He knew their biased thoughts, and He knew her longing heart, and He knew that she trusted Him.

So what seemed to be a very cold answer actually opened the avenue for faith's response. “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.” Matthew 15:27 … The attitude of the entourage was caught in the paralysis of this spiritual plea.

Jesus had used an abusive idiom of the day that declared that those outside of Kingdom were known as "dogs". He never once inferred that this woman was a “dog”. {The Crude and the Rude ... love to use so-called truth and absolute truth to abuse, instead of seeing it from love's vantage point}. The allegorical truth of the Word puts anyone that is not God's chosen with characteristics of "dogs on the outside". His words to this woman of Canaan (Lowlands) would reveal what had a stronger pull on her life .. public opinion and cultural barriers, or a needy and faith-filled connection to God. On top of this, her response showed "every hearing ear" that her heart was for the LORD, and she was not afraid to violate cultural barriers to get to Him.

Hear her words again ...“Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table”. Crumbs are naturally, and in her case supernaturally, for the “dog” near or under the table. "Let some crumbs fall on me". When the Children of the King of King are sitting at their table of miracles, is it an unfair expectation for the crumbs of miracles to fall to the “dogs”? In this case (much like today) miracles were a little scarce on the table of the Children, and that meant this Woman of Faith needed to go to the Master of the table. Faith knows where to get a miracle and does not see that crumbs as a disability or a disadvantage.

Some may perceive that this woman had to beg Jesus to get a miracle... and this might seem out of character with some Bible verses that we think are instant promises to instant answers. If importunity is begging then we all need to be beggars. Importunity helps us to continue to focus on the One who can and will meet our need … in His Time. We are all beggars, at some point in our lives (actually most all of mine). With the distance that appears to be there between the seen and the unseen, we are very timid in our approach to the God of the unseen.

People piously say stupid things (Duh!) like "Be careful what you ask or wish for because you might just get it" ... Jesus said "Ask (continually) and it shall be given unto you, seek (continually) and ye shall find, knock (continually) and the door shall be opened unto you." He cares too much to be controlled, like a servant, to obey our selfish barking commands. God is sovereign and nothing in this universe threatens Him to act rashly or without purpose. He is in control...for our good and His glory. God wants us to pray expecting, but He will always answer "beyond" our expectations.

The passage of scripture, Matthew 15:21-28, is one more call to Know our God, know our culture and know that our connection to Him will transcend all cultural barriers and bias. "Yes I am a dog and a beggar, but I have my place too! Let me have access to the miracle crumbs!"

HLFA,

Jeff
"NOW Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1