Christian Living
The Syrophoenician Woman of Tyre and Sidon created more than a scene to catch Jesus’ attention. She made certain that Jesus and His disciples were very uncomfortable. She created such discomfort that nauseated the disciples to the point that they walked up to Jesus to complain that she’s almost driving them crazy with her shouts and outbursts (Matthew 15: 22-23).
All this Woman wanted was for Jesus to drive out an evil spirit that has cruelly afflicted her daughter. And should that be a problem for Jesus? No! Jesus spent most of His time on earth doing good and healing ALL who were oppressed (Acts 10:38).
So why was Jesus making things difficult for this Woman? Why did He choose to remind her of a most revered Jewish religious and traditional belief by saying “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel“, “it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs“, even though He knew otherwise?
My Thoughts…..
Jesus wanted to utterly eliminate any barrier that could potentially obstruct the healing process. The barrier of unworthiness was already evident in the Syrophoenician’s woman’s request when she cried out for mercy. Mercy, because from her understanding ‘divine healing’ was an exclusive preserve of the Jewish people. Jesus wanted to change that mindset. And the moment the woman made the switch, by pleading for the ‘crumbs’ ‘drops’ or ‘remnants’ of healing , Jesus became elated, He was excited. Jesus connected with her faith and the healing she sought was a done deal 🙂
While we appreciate the import of that, while we understand that it is impossible to experience ‘divine healing’ without faith, irrespective of how ‘bad’ or ‘serious’ the situation may be, let’s do a little more studying to navigate towards the main thrust of this article.
What Do ‘Crumbs’ and Bread here mean?
Crumbs are pieces, residue or fragment of bread or baked food. They are usually irrelevant to people savoring the main meal or bread. Crumbs are not filling. They do not satisfy. They do not successfully quench hunger.
Bread, on the other hand, is the food one needs in order to live. We take in bread in order to nourish and repair the body. Bread should provide energy. Bread should satisfy and sustain.
The ‘daily bread’ Jesus encouraged us to ask the Father for was to be a routine (Matthew 6:11). Something we need for daily use and living.
That’s one way to understand ‘bread’.
When you read Matthew 15:22-28, you may also understand ‘bread’ the way Jesus used it there to mean something that is readily available and accessible. Something that can be easily reached.
In the Old Testament, bread symbolized fecundity {abundance, new growth, fertility}, while in the New Testament, bread is often associated with miracles.
What was Jesus Saying to the Canaanite? ……
He was saying…..’Healing is the children’s bread, it is available always. Healing is accessible always. Healing should be a daily experience for the Jews {and everyone born of God through Jesus Christ}.
In the Old Testament, God healed His people in different ways. Moses could be asked to lift up the serpent in the wilderness, the people could be asked to drink from a particular stream, or to go wash several times in a particular river, and so on. Their obedience and faith brought them the desired outcomes.
Jesus Christ, introduced a new way for God’s people to live in health.
Isaiah 53: 5;
“but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
1 Peter 2:24;
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed,”
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ got us a blank cheque to constantly withdraw our healing needs. Beloved in Christ Jesus, we were healed and we are healed. But how do we make this withdrawal? Luke 17:19;
“Jesus said to him, ‘Get up and go {on your way} your faith {your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power} has restored you to health.” -Amplified
This is What We Should Do Next after ‘Believing’ that we are Healed……
Notice, that at the time Jesus said to this one grateful leper ‘get up and go on your way’, this guy wasn’t physically cleansed of his leprosy. The symptoms were still visible. This man could have responded; ‘Lord, the symptoms aren’t gone yet, please let me hang on to you until its all cleared’. No, he obeyed. He carried on with his life, he went on his way and his healing manifested fully as he went.
‘Going on your way‘, is the next step to getting healed after you’ve made a withdrawal by faith. Again, notice that Jesus carefully pointed out the magnet for divine healing in Luke 17:19 (just as he established for the Syrophoenician woman); ‘your faith {your personal trust in Me and your confidence in God’s power} has restored you to health’.
Can Christians Visit Doctors?
Many times as children of God, we are alarmed when we wake up to a new symptom on our body. We run to our GP, to the clinic, etc. We all do that, even I still visit my doctor. As a doctor, I have to say that medicine has been of immense help in restoring and maintaining health and well-being. But I have also encountered situations where ‘sorry, we did all we could medically‘ becomes inevitable.
It can be a different experience with God. Isaiah 40:5 tells us;
“the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” -Amplified Version.
John 1: 4-5 tells us; ……Jesus Christ is the Word.The Word is Life, it is the SOURCE of all things that were made by God and The Word is the light of men.
Summary: All things that God made emanated from the Word, can be preserved by the Word and can be illuminated/directed by the Word. There is LIFE in the Word. Little wonder the wise man wrote, referring to the word of God;
“for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:22 NKJV
Indeed, healing is the children’s bread because the WORD now resides in us. Healing is available and accessible at all times and it will manifest as long as we put our faith, trust and confidence in Christ and in His power.
And what we trust and believe, we’ll confess, meditate on and proclaim.
Thank You Faithful Father.
Get My Book on Healing; “When The Doctor Says No”
To learn more about our healing benefits in Christ Jesus, follow this link to my book, “When The Doctor Says No” available online at https://www.amazon.com/When-Doctor-Says-No-Word/dp/1704859166/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=70RTSM062YD4ZEWJ7TTB
The Book is available in two formats; kindle and paperback. It is also available for order online from all amazon market places, meaning that the Amazon shop in your neighborhood should be able to supply you.
