Playing "Hard To Get"..

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon‑possession.”

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 their dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”

Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour."

(Matthew 15:22-28, NIV)

When you first read this passage, it's easy to get caught up in what seems to be a poor attitude by Jesus. I mean, He basically blew off her request three times, calling her a "dog" at one point in the conversation. He seems rude and unfeeling toward the woman, and it seems to go against all that we've been taught about Him...but on a second look, I think I see what His plan was.

I think Jesus knew all along what that woman wanted...I just think He wanted to know how much she wanted it. This woman had three chances to lose faith and walk away from Jesus, to accept defeat and leave in shame. Instead, she kept working and asking for Jesus to heal her possessed daughter. She was so persistent that the disciples basically asked Jesus to heal the kid so the woman would just be quiet and leave them alone.

Jesus told her that he came only for the Jews, but she did not quit. Jesus told her that she basically wasn't worth the time and effort, but she did not stop. In fact, she defended herself by telling Him that even the dogs got scraps from the master's table. Satisfied of her faith, Jesus granted her request and healed her daughter.

It's a great story, but you wonder if the disciples got the point. Instead of looking at the woman's great faith, persistence, and perseverance, they just were glad to have that chatterbox gone. You see, what I get from this passage is that God doesn't always hand us everything on a silver platter. Sometimes we have to work for it. Sometimes the road is rough and filled with many obstacles. Sometimes we see where He wants us to be and we give up before we even start, saying it's too hard and we just can't do it. I know, in my life, the greatest lessons I've learned and the closest I've felt to God have been on the other side of the great valleys and trials of my life. I don't think I would have learned the same lessons without those hardships.

Here's hoping God doesn't make it too easy on us today.