Title: Mother's Faith / Matthew 15:21-28
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who raised her son through prayer as a person of prayer.
Eunice, the mother of Timothy, who raised a son as a man of untruthful faith,
There are mothers of faith like Mary, the physical mother of Jesus.
The Canaanite woman in today's reading is a mother who was praised by Jesus. In verse 28, Jesus said to this woman, "Woman, great is your faith. It will be done as you wish."
Jesus praised this woman as the mother of great faith.
What kind of mother was the mother in today's text?
1. This mother was a foreign woman.
In verses 21-22, it says, “When Jesus went out from there, he went into the regions of Tire and Sidon; and a Canaanite woman came out of that area and cried out, saying,”
She was a Canaanite woman. Not a Jew, but a Gentile. In Mark 7:26, it is said, “The woman was a Greek and a Syrophonic.” At that time, he was not treated like a human by the Jews.
But this mother was a man of great faith.
2. This mother had a daughter possessed by a demon.
When a person is demon-possessed, he is insane. A person possessed by a demon may go into the water or into the fire (Matthew 17:15).
It is a mental illness that is difficult to cure. A mother who cares for and nurtures sick children is hardly a happy mother. How much pain would you experience physically and mentally? But this mother was a man of great faith.
3. This mother heard rumors about Jesus.
I heard the rumors and believed. He had faith that if he pleaded with Jesus to heal his daughter, he would hear it.
As Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
In Mark 7:25 it says, "Then the woman who had a young daughter who had an unclean spirit heard the news of Jesus, and immediately came and fell at his feet.
In verse 22, the mother pleaded with the Lord, saying, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is terribly possessed by a demon."
This mother turned to Jesus and called him Lord.
Verse 22 also says, “Son of the Lord David!”
Verse 25 says, “Lord, help me.”
Verse 27 says, “Yes, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
4. This mother never gave up.
Jesus turned away from this mother's pleas. Jesus didn't answer a word. At that time, the disciples instead begged Jesus, saying, "Send her away, because the woman is screaming behind us." Perhaps this mother did not speak to the Lord only once, but she pleaded with him over and over again.
At this time, Jesus answered his disciples, "I was not sent anywhere except the lost sheep of the house of Israel." So, these words mean that Jesus had nothing to do with the Canaanite woman, a Gentile woman.
Still, this woman did not give up. Verse 25 says, “The woman came and bowed down to Jesus, saying, “Lord, help me.” Now Jesus spoke to this woman. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." The woman answered Jesus' words and said, "Lord, it is right, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of the Jeju people."
When Jesus saw this mother who never gave up and begged for the healing of her demon-possessed daughter, Jesus said, as if deeply moved, "Woman, your faith is great. Your wishes will come true." From the moment he said these words, his daughter was healed cleanly.
A mother's love for her sick daughter led to her faith in Jesus, and it was with this faith that she prayed that she would never give up. In the end, her love, her faith, and her prayers healed this sick daughter. Our Lord highly valued this mother's love that never gave up, her faith, and her prayers.
Ms. Anderson, what do you think was the best moment of your life, always when you think about it, when you performed in front of the President, in front of the Queen of England, and with the world-famous opera company?" I closed my eyes and recalled the past and said, "After success, it was time to run home and say, 'Mother, I don't have to do other people's laundry anymore,' hugged me and rubbed the back of my mother's rough hands."
There can never be a love greater and stronger than a mother's love in this world. You will be able to realize it more acutely in the following story.
As Napoleon's army kept scouring the house for food, a mother was breastfeeding her baby. The soldiers' eyes lit up. Because they thought that the mother was breastfeeding the baby because there was something to eat.
He pointed a gun at the breastfeeding mother and threatened to hand over the hidden food. But she didn't say anything. A hasty soldier approached and pushed the baby's mother away, threatening to give her something to eat. As a result, the baby's mother fell backwards and the mother's pacifier fell out of the baby's mouth. Blood was dripping from the baby's mother's nipple.
The baby was suckling and crying, but there was no way milk could come from the starving mother. So the mother had her nipples cut off and the blood was draining from the young. It is said that Napoleon's soldiers, who were oppressed by cold and hunger at this sight, also wept and gathered the bread they had hidden in their backpacks and gave it to the baby's mother. A mother's love for her children is a heart given by God. Maternal love is in some ways natural.
The most popular hymn in the world is chapter 405, "The grace of the Lord who saved a sinner like me is amazing." The composer of the hymn is John Newton, a slave trader who repented and became an evangelist. Until he repented, there was the prayer of his mother's tears.
Among those who were evangelized by John Newton was Thomas Scott, who evangelized thousands of atheists through books and sermons. Among those who listened to Scott's sermon and accepted Jesus Christ as a new person, was William Cooper, who was particularly sentimental and depressed.
Cooper also wrote our mournful hymn, “The blood of a fountain is the blood of Immanuel” (chapter 190). Scott and Cooper's repentance has a common denominator: a mother's prayer. How many people are still turning to the Lord through "Mother's Prayer"?
As we celebrate Mother's Day today, we should be thankful as we think of our parents who give us love, give us faith, and pray for us.
Proverbs 23:22-25 says:
“Be obedient to your father who gave birth to you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy and sell the truth, but also wisdom and instruction and understanding. Rejoice, your father and your mother, and the mother who gave birth to you."
This is a representative song among the Hunminga of Songgang Jeongcheol (1536-1593), who served as Uuijeong during the reign of Myeongjong of the Joseon Dynasty.
“Father, do all you have to do to serve me who is alive.
After passing by, it's okay
I wonder if this is the only thing I can't fix in my life."
The Bible teaches us.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord.
this is right
Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with promise
It may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3).
There is an old saying, "A tree wants to stand still, but the wind does not stop.
There is a saying that even if a son wants to provide for him, his parents do not wait for him.” Let's do our best to be filial to our parents while they are still alive.
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