21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 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.”23 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.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.REFLECTIONSWritten by George MihasIn today’s passage, Jesus travels outside Israel into Gentile territory. He meets this Canaanite woman who is desperate for her suffering daughter. And in her desperation and love for her daughter she cries out after Jesus. She knows she isn't a Jew; she knows the Israelites look down on Gentiles, but she is persistent because she loves her daughter. The disciples of Jesus want her to move on, but she is still persistent. It seems like even Jesus is quite rude to her. Yet she responds with humbleness.It reminds me of the Scripture, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 3:34). She isn't an Israelite, but she displays great faith and Jesus grants her the healing of her daughter.It’s amazing how much respect she has for Jesus, calling him “Lord, Son of David”. She has more respect for him than the Jewish religious leaders and the people of Jesus’ own town, who were offended by him.Here are some questions that this passage raised for me:·       Do we have faith today that Jesus hears our desperate cries for help?·       What if our prayers don't turn out the way we wish – should we stop praying big prayers?·       Is our faith hindered when we don't get our way?As another desperate parent cried out to Jesus in Mark 9:24: Lord we do believe; please help our unbelief!ABOUT THE AUTHORGeorge is a member of our of our Bossley Park congregation.