What sets you apart today? As leaders – be that full time, part time, on staff, lay ministry, leading the single women, co-leading a Bible Talk or the children’s ministry, supporting your husband’s role as elder or deacon – we are looked to as examples by our sisters. In this Lesson for Leaders we’d like to take some time and look at a woman who was set apart by, stood out in the crowd because of, her “great faith”.

 

 

The Only Thing That Counts

We all know that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” and that “without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:1, 6).

 

There are hundreds of examples of people of faith in the Bible. Just in Hebrews 11 we read about Abraham and Sarah, having Isaac and then offering him as a sacrifice, by faith. Moses’ parents hiding him in faith, and then Moses himself leading God’s people by faith. There are the heroes of faith who started off quite insecure like Gideon, Jeremiah and even Moses. There were those who said “Here am I send me” like Isaiah and even Deborah to the shame of Barak.

 

And – speaking of women – there is such a variety of personalities and backgrounds among the women of faith. There are prostitutes, such as Rahab; mothers, like Sarah, Deborah and Elizabeth; there are singles, like Mary and Martha; there are widows, like Ruth and Naomi; there were those who had been demon possessed, like Mary Magdalene; and there was even a queen, Esther. Some of them were by nature more gentle and reflective, others were women who were quick to take action. Some we’re told were very beautiful, but I assume most were not. Some had very questionable pasts while others were always devout. They were of different races, cultures, languages and backgrounds. They were very much like us today. And those are just the ones we know.

 

Yet, they all had one thing in common: “the only thing that counts”.

 

In Galatians 5:6b, we read that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. In Luke 10:42 Jesus tells Martha that Mary chose the one thing that was needed and it could not be taken away from her. The rich young ruler did not have the faith to give up the “one thing” he lacked (Mark 10:21). Don’t you love how God likes to keep things simple for us.

 

Let’s look at the one woman in the Bible that Jesus said had great faith. If we must have faith to please God, then let us aim for the kind that is “great”!

 

Her story is found in Matthew 15:21-28.

 

She, a Canaanite, a Gentile, comes not just to find Jesus, but to “cry out” to Jesus, obviously emotional and intense, probably loud too. But what does she cry? Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

She recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah and she actually addresses Him as “Lord” three times in their brief encounter. But her first request is for mercy for herself. We don’t know if she wants mercy for her own sin or because she has a demon-possessed daughter.

 

This, a request for mercy, is the beginning for all of us who want great faith. When was the last time we asked for mercy? How often do we ask for mercy from Jesus and from others? How aware are we of our need for mercy?

 

When we start thinking we “deserve” something from God for our sacrifice and service to Him, we’ve lost sight of mercy. When we ask “why me, why am I suffering this way”, we’ve lost sight of mercy. When we see our sins as “only a few”, or “small and really insignificant” (especially as we compare them to others), then we’ve lost sight of mercy and, consequently, our love is small, insignificant and limited. We are only able to love a few – if any – besides ourselves. As Jesus put it, she who has been forgiven little loves little. (Luke 7:47b).

 

Her daughter is in a very bad way. Not just suffering, but extreme suffering. And not just an illness, but the very forces of Satan himself have taken hold of her. The need for help is very great. This mother’s desperate need produces a great faith. This woman came asking first for mercy for herself, but in the next breath asked for her daughter’s suffering to cease.

 

Great faith overcomes selfishness. This is a great challenge for us as leaders and as women. We start off with faith, but somewhere along the line our faith is overcome by our selfishness. We are ambitious women, that’s part of what makes us leaders. We want to make something happen, make a difference. But when our self-centered, sinful nature takes control, we think more of ourselves than God or others. We become very concerned with what others think of us, how our career in the ministry is going, if we are really being appreciated for our talents.

 

Great faith comes from great love. This Canaanite woman passed on a blessing to her daughter, instead of a curse. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 gives us this same choice. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

 

What are you passing on? What are you choosing today? Who will you love more – yourself or God and others? Mother Teresa once said, “You can do no great things, just small things with great love.” This Canaanite woman had great love.

 

Jesus ignores her. Have you ever felt like your prayers and pleas to God were just coming back like an echo in an empty room? They say the worst punishment that you can give a child is to ignore them. A child would rather be spanked than be ignored. No one likes to be ignored. It strikes at our very worth as a person.

 

There is a stone silence from Jesus. Why? We know that it is not beneath Him to talk to a woman. Is he mulling over her words? Turning her down? Or trying her faith? Great faith is tested, sometimes by silence.

 

With great faith comes great humility. How many people have you knelt before in your life? And then asked them to help you? Not many of us have, especially from someone we respect who is ignoring us.

 

The Canaanite woman calls Him Lord again. She is begging. She has no shame. She will continue to humble herself to gain a blessing from Jesus.

 

Great humility takes a great deal of determination and godly self control. It’s been said that, “love and pride can occupy the same space, but only one makes you free.” (Sara Groves)

 

The Jews referred to the Gentiles as “dogs” in a derogatory way. Jesus has just insulted her. Earlier in Matthew 7:6 Jesus taught, Do not give dogs what is sacred. He has made it clear to her that she is a dog and not one of His children. She doesn’t have the right to ask for the children’s food. Again her faith is tested.

 

Many of us have endured the “test of insults”. How do we handle it? Do we stay humble or do we want to retaliate. Do we stand our ground or do we stomp away in anger. Do we continue to love whoever “insults” us? Continue to persevere in building that friendship?

 

This woman kept her eyes on Jesus. She was not going to let an insult sway her from her mission – that Jesus grant her mercy. Her faith, our faith, is a gift from God. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians2:8). Great faith is tested, repeatedly.

 

The Canaanite woman is no longer emotional but is using her head. She acknowledges that Jesus is the Lord for the third time. This places her spirited exchange within the confines of faith; she confesses Jesus’ lordship even as she argues her case with Him. She accepts her role as a dog and the superiority of the Jews. Those are facts and not to be debated. But even dogs get something and so she asks for a dog’s share. This woman never loses her faith in the power or the goodness of Jesus. She believes so much in His power, that even a crumb will do.

 

Had she heard about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and that there were 12 baskets left over? Who knows. But somehow, she knew the kind of Master He is, that with Jesus there will always be more than enough to go around. And she never doubted His goodness. He would not leave the dogs to starve under the table. She is acting on her “knowledge” of God and not her feelings or experiences. She believed there was power – even in the crumbs – to overcome Satan’s hold on her daughter. She would be very happy with the “least” He could give her. She “knew” a God whose love had no boundaries and whose blessings were pressed down and always overflowed.

 

Sometimes we struggle to believe that God will overcome the Satanic forces in our world even with His mighty hand. She had faith in a God she knew to be good. Since Eve, Satan has been tempting us to doubt the goodness of God. Can He really be trusted? Is He really a good God? That is the question that great faith answers with a resounding YES! Knowing who God really is produces great love and great trust.

 

Jesus did not change His mind about His mission. He was not convinced because she was so effective in coming up with a quick thinking response. Her great faith forced the barrier of Jesus’ rule of working only among His own people.

 

Maybe you’re thinking, “but faith doesn’t always get the result we want”. Faith is not magic. It is not the power we have over God to manipulate Him. But a good, loving father is always moved by the trust of His children. One of my favorite examples of faith is Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:13-25 Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

 

From that very hour, her daughter was healed, her life was changed and has been changing lives ever since. The question for us is: Where do we go from this very hour?

 

The one thing Satan is after in every one of our lives is our faith. He will take it any way he can get it. Whether it’s pain, insults, pressure, unanswered questions, disappointments, fear, missed opportunities, or just sheer fatigue. He is after only one thing in every situation – to destroy your faith.

 

Some of us have gone from “Lord I don’t understand it, but I trust you”; to “I don’t understand it and I want to know why. I’m not going to take your word for it anymore.” The fruit of anger, bitterness, cynicism and fear is anger, bitterness, cynicism, fear and death. We can’t create a perfect world for ourselves, our families. Work will never be perfect. Life at home will never be perfect.

 

It’s been said that 80% of success is showing up. This Canaanite woman just kept “showing up”. Our faith affects how we live – do we live to survive or live to thrive? Will the way we live change lives?

 

God started a good work in you and He won’t quit until you are free. (Phil. 1:6) God doesn’t leave any “unfinished” projects or people. He said He won’t let us go until His day comes. Maybe you’ve been like Jonah and just felt like God should leave you alone. But God’s question to you is, “What about Nineveh?” Nineveh was an evil place. An evil place where little girls are kidnapped, sexually abused, and murdered as they plead for the lives of their sisters. God sent Jonah to their rescue to save a hurting woman, a mother, a child.

 

You are here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept…Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – Shine! (Matthew 5:14-15)

 

God needs people today to save those hurting around us. He needs you. Be God’s hands and feet. Let’s not just aim to survive and keep our faith. Let’s imitate this woman and go for Great Faith!

 

 

- Mother Teresa

 

Black and white artwork from Jesus and Courageous Women: Youth Study by Ann Craig (New York: Women's Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church). The art is copyright © 2000 Doris Pritchett.