Matthew 15, Mark 7

Good stuff from Patricia in New Jersey today....I love to share her excitement and perspective...

Posted October 19, 2010 by Patricia in Mark, Matthew. 6 Comments

 Hello!  Am I the only one that wakes up excited about what we might be reading today?  Another awesome day of Jesus’ teachings.  A few thing in background I want to touch on that will put some extra depth into the reading (not that it needs it of course) but here are a few background points.

• When the Jews came out of captivity and returned to Jerusalem religious parties such as Pharisees, Teachers (Scribes), Sadducees…made laws around the laws to not come NEAR breaking the actual law.  Having centuries of this you can imagine some major man-made “religion” was made.  Most often when a man made law is created, people are more concerned with that law than God’s Law.
• Tradition.  Good or Bad?  Depends.  Tradition should be created to help us understand and celebrate God’s perfect law and history.  We never should add or take away from it, often times the tradition becomes the focal point, not God.  Example: Hanukkah or Communion is a tradition, confession to a priest is a man made law.   
• Corban (Korban).   Corban meaning “offering” is a practice or vow that gives the money that would normally go to their parents to support them to the temple instead.  It was a way of neglecting their responsibility of taking care of their elders.  I am not trying to make a parallel here for you,  but have you ever been prompted to help someone OR an organization and you say “well, I give money to the church…let them handle it”.  Corban.
• Clean vs. Unclean.  Very important to understand that Jesus is not coming on the scene like a renegade disputing God’s Law layed out in Leviticus on ‘unclean’ food.  That was a very necessary law for the Jews to be Set Apart from the rest of the world.  They were to eat different, look different, act different…to be Holy, Set Apart.  Not to conform!  Are you hearing me…it wasn’t the food that made them unclean it was the conformity to the rest of the world that polluted them.  Here Jesus is saying…the food doesn’t make you “unclean” it is what is on your heart!  Hard concept for ‘Task Oriented’ religions.

Next we read about the woman. Tyre and Sidon…sound familiar?? If you read the Old Testament with us it would.  In 2 Samuel,  the life of King David,  Tyre was a wealthy city that was friendly with the Jewish nation, however being a strong Canaanite city over time they became so wicked they even called their own kings ‘gods’.  When Jerusalem was destroyed finally in 586 B.C. Tyre celebrated and rejoiced (in Ezekiel 28) because now they would flourish even more without  competition.  When we read the Prophecy books all summer we read over and over about the punishment Tyre and Sidon would receive for their evil ways.   So here we have Jesus heading NORTH out of Capernaum and going even further from Jerusalem towards Tyre then Sidon.  Does it amaze you that the persons furthest from a temple, 3o miles away from the seen miracles, even further from the Temple…would have more Faith then the ones that saw it all!  By the way this is NOT the first time this happened here!!!

• Go back to 1 Kings 17,  Click here to read, remember the great Prophet Elijah!  He went to Zarpetheth, Sidon and was with a widow (a Canaanite woman) and her sick daughter.  Foreshadow is incredible isn’t it!!

Finally, I am hoping that reading this chronologically although frustrating in “flipping” around shows us the journey Jesus took in order to fulfill the scriptures.  I am amazed at how many miracles he actually performed (and these are just the recorded ones), I am realizing how much time Jesus spent in the Gentile nations, using the Jewish Disciples, as instruments for his message to ALL.  The read ends with ANOTHER (I didn’t realize Jesus did this twice) feeding of the masses! And it ends with Jesus headed back to the Sea of Galilee)

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1. Posted by Tedi on October 19, 2010 at 7:32 am

   Yes, Dear Friend, I too am awakened early, eager to hear the word of God. I’m so thankful for this study and look forward throughout the day to see how the Lord will use the morning teaching to be passed on at some point during the day. (Kimberly and I are going to vote today…:)
   
2. Posted by cassity on October 19, 2010 at 10:16 am

   Hi Trish I’m back. So happy to be reading with you all again. Back with all the questions though, lol. I don’t understand why Jesus talked about the dogs to the woman with the daughter possessed.
   
3. Posted by Candy Dillon on October 19, 2010 at 11:23 am

   Yes Trish, I am excited every morning to see what we are going to read and what message I will receive that day. So excited my cousin told me about this.
   Like Cassity I too am confused about the dogs. Did he think of her family as dogs since she wasn’t from Israel? I also am confussed about feeding 4000 men plus children and women. How many times did Jesus do this? Obviously more than once.
   
4. Posted by Stephanie Meadows #3584 on October 19, 2010 at 3:10 pm

   hoping you can help me with 23-28. at first it seems he’s not going to help the woman, he doesnt’ even speak to her. then he says something about taking food from the children and giving to dogs. Her reply somehow means she has great faith. I’m not getting this parrable-guess I’m as dull as Peter.
   
5. Posted by Stephanie Meadows #3584 on October 19, 2010 at 3:13 pm

   oh wait, I might have it-not sure though. So, are the children the Jews adn the dogs are us, the gentiles? So He says it’s not right to take from the Jewish to give to the gentiles?
   Then she says right, but even we gentiles want the crumbs from His table.
   Is that right???
   
6. Posted by Patricia on October 19, 2010 at 9:07 pm

   To Cassity: The gentiles were referred to as by many of the Jews as “dogs”. This woman knew that even in reference that Jesus COULD give her a crumb…and this woman had not foundation of the Scriptures…that is FAITH.
   Candy, Jesus did it twice (recorded). Jesus could not go into Jerusalem for the required feasts (if he had they may have killed him and it was not his time yet) so this may very well be on the day of feast or passover for him.
   Yup Stephanie….you got it. See God reveals Scriptures to us as we need them…never all at once.