It's Day 59 and we're in Matthew 17.
Sometimes we only want to hear words of comfort from God, but we're reminded in Hebrews 4:12 that the Bible is "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit." It's great when we get an encouraging word, but we need to be convicted too.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - He doesn't even require massive faith - we just have to have a little faith.
If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
Your Questions And Comments:
- "Isn't Jesus all things to all people now and always has been? And didn't Jesus heal other gentiles too?" - Matthew 15:21-28 is a challenging passage. It seems strange that Christ is unwilling to perform a miracle for the woman. Shouldn't He be eager to perform a miracle for anyone? It's important to remember the immediate mission that He was pursuing during His earthly life. He came as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah of Israel. His immediate mission was to the Jewish people. During His three years of public ministry, He didn't travel all around the Mediterranean preaching (that is, going to Gentile lands). He stayed right there in Palestine and the surrounding regions. Why? Because His mission was to the Jews. The mission was to present Himself as the Messiah with the hope of them accepting Him. Of course, they rejected Him, but that mission is why He says in verse 24 that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. It's only as we get into the books of Acts that the door opens for Gentiles to come into the Kingdom. As for your second question, yes, there are other occasions when Jesus did a miracle for a Gentile, but, like this instance, they were the exception to the rule. Only in rare circumstances would Jesus momentarily work outside His stated mission to the Jews.
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