During His ministry, Jesus performed more than 40 miracles, including healing the sick, changing the natural elements of nature and even raising people from the dead. A miracle is considered an event that occurs outside the bounds of natural law. Each month we will take a closer look at one of His miracles to understand the depth of His love for us. Understanding the miracles of Jesus can change your life, and it all begins with believing through faith.
One of the most notable passages in the New Testament describes a miracle of a desperate mother begging Jesus Christ to miraculously heal her young daughter, who was possessed by a demon. This miracle is described in both the Gospels of Mark and Matthew.
As explained in the Gospel of Matthew, “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.”
When this desperate mother approached Jesus, she broke every rule of society. This was a time when Jews did not associate with non-Jews. A non-Jewish woman approaching a Jewish man was extremely taboo. Clearly, this woman was desperate for her daughter’s healing.
Jesus’ comment about taking children’s bread and tossing it to the dogs may seem cruel outside of the context in which it was spoken. The phrase ‘children’s bread’ refers to the Old Testament promise that God would help the children of Jewish people of Israel that faithfully worshiped God rather than idols. When Jesus uses the word ‘dogs,’ he was not comparing her to an actual canine, but instead using the terminology that Jews referred to the Gentile people of that time, who often lived in ways that upset faithful Jews.
Even after Jesus initially did not respond to the woman, she remained steadfast in her faith. She again asked Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus was impressed by the mother’s display of great faith and healed the girl. This mother received a miracle for her daughter because her faith was tireless, even in the face of discouraging circumstances.
Faith is the precursor to change. This woman’s courageous and determined faith is the kind of faith God wants for us. If we’re going to see a change in our own lives, we must have the faith to persevere.
Many of us have felt this sort of desperation in our own lives. The kind of desperation that will make us reach out in bold faith. Sometimes, God doesn’t always answer our prayers right away. We can learn from this mother that when you believe in faith and reach out in continuous belief, God will see your faithfulness to Him.
