Comments on: Was Jesus Unkind? http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/ Do you follow the LORD? Or traditions and leaders? Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:22:15 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: flee the wrath http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-471 flee the wrath Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:31:01 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-471 Hey Geno, Hope you're feelin better.. I agree wholeheartedly with what you say here. The one part of that whole scripture which sticks in my mind is the “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” It invokes an image of someone who is hungry for God, for the truth of God, for Grace or mercy... and are just waiting for those crumbs to fall their way. There are those amongst humanity who are hungry enough for a taste of the living God that they will be satisfied with just a crumb of what He has to offer. So often we, the body of Christ, the Church are unwilling to allow the dogs to come eat even the crumbs. I also like Bono's (U2) inference in their song "Crumbs from your table", that we in western Christendom withhold from others what we demand for ourselves. In a sense of food, clothing, care, meeting needs amongst the poor of the world. http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/Crumbs_From_Your_Table.html Hey Geno, Hope you’re feelin better..
I agree wholeheartedly with what you say here. The one part of that whole scripture which sticks in my mind is the “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
It invokes an image of someone who is hungry for God, for the truth of God, for Grace or mercy… and are just waiting for those crumbs to fall their way.
There are those amongst humanity who are hungry enough for a taste of the living God that they will be satisfied with just a crumb of what He has to offer. So often we, the body of Christ, the Church are unwilling to allow the dogs to come eat even the crumbs.
I also like Bono’s (U2) inference in their song “Crumbs from your table”, that we in western Christendom withhold from others what we demand for ourselves. In a sense of food, clothing, care, meeting needs amongst the poor of the world.
http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/Crumbs_From_Your_Table.html

]]> By: Prodigal Knot http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-470 Prodigal Knot Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:34:57 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-470 This incident reminds me of Jesus' parable about the widow and the judge in Luke 18. While it was to show that God would give justice to the persecuted elect, it still tells us God expects us to put some effort into our asking, I think. Faith can be so matter-of-fact that we become casual about our petitions, but sometimes we have to fast and truly call on God to see the answer. I don't think Jesus was being unkind. He was surely making a point to us and His disciples. This incident reminds me of Jesus’ parable about the widow and the judge in Luke 18. While it was to show that God would give justice to the persecuted elect, it still tells us God expects us to put some effort into our asking, I think.

Faith can be so matter-of-fact that we become casual about our petitions, but sometimes we have to fast and truly call on God to see the answer. I don’t think Jesus was being unkind. He was surely making a point to us and His disciples.

]]> By: Jessie http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-469 Jessie Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:35:03 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-469 Hi Geno :-) Trust you are feeling better? This passage has always intrigued me. I would like to share some thoughts on it too, if I may? (Sorry if it’s a bit long) I do not believe Jesus is being ‘unkind’ to her in the sense we can be unkind, but in my understanding He is stretching her – seeing what her faith is really made of, how far she is prepared to hold on to Him. He already sees her heart, so He knows who she is and also of how much she was able to hold onto His grace in her. He is refining her faith as pure Gold as He still does with us. Is she prepared to hold on to Him regardless of what He says, even when she knows He speaks the Truth about her origins. When she does not get discouraged by anything He ‘throws’ at her, even to the extent of calling her a dog, you can almost ‘see’ Him open His arms to her and say at the end of their whole dialogue, ‘My daughter’. (By the way, it is quite fascinating that in Philemon 3:2 –it says, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” where it is talking about the Jews here!) Does Jesus always answer us first time we ask? Not in my own experience, so what do we do? Go away in a huff or take offence? Or does it make us ask again, but this time more fervently? Have we ever got to a place where we will say to the Lord, “If I die here at the foot of your cross, that’s fine, but I am not letting go of you, no matter what you do to me or allow happening to me? I will persevere in your grace with this regardless! It is all sufficient for me!” I believe in this passage, Jesus is testing her. He sees her heart, and He takes joy in testing her, pressing her a bit further. I believe He loves us to cling to Him when we are at the end of ourselves, just as she certainly was here. Her daughter was in dire need of help that only He could give. She knew that she was unacceptable to the House of Israel, but still she had faith in the Lord and knew He was more than able to heal her daughter. I think the disciples wanting to send her away (the Greek for sending ‘away’ is dismiss or put away), was because they were embarrassed by her crying out to the Lord and also the fact that she was Gentile – and therefore unclean and that they said to Jesus to ‘give her a quick cure and send her on her way’ – ‘get rid of her quickly, she’s causing a scene’. The Greek here of ‘after’ us means ‘behind’ us or ‘a way’ from us, so I think she may have possibly been crying loudly to Jesus from a distance, rather than up close to Him and the disciples. I think that it is important to also see something here - because Jesus had not yet been crucified for all at that point and was as He rightfully stated, I am not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, ito also shows to me that He has His remnant in every people of every nation as you rightfully pointed out above. John 10:14-16 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. It is against God’s character to be unkind. I believe He is looking for children like Job –Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15) Bless you for this posting, bro :-) Hi Geno :-)
Trust you are feeling better?

This passage has always intrigued me. I would like to share some thoughts on it too, if I may? (Sorry if it’s a bit long)

I do not believe Jesus is being ‘unkind’ to her in the sense we can be unkind, but in my understanding He is stretching her – seeing what her faith is really made of, how far she is prepared to hold on to Him. He already sees her heart, so He knows who she is and also of how much she was able to hold onto His grace in her. He is refining her faith as pure Gold as He still does with us. Is she prepared to hold on to Him regardless of what He says, even when she knows He speaks the Truth about her origins. When she does not get discouraged by anything He ‘throws’ at her, even to the extent of calling her a dog, you can almost ‘see’ Him open His arms to her and say at the end of their whole dialogue, ‘My daughter’. (By the way, it is quite fascinating that in Philemon 3:2 –it says, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” where it is talking about the Jews here!)

Does Jesus always answer us first time we ask? Not in my own experience, so what do we do? Go away in a huff or take offence? Or does it make us ask again, but this time more fervently? Have we ever got to a place where we will say to the Lord, “If I die here at the foot of your cross, that’s fine, but I am not letting go of you, no matter what you do to me or allow happening to me? I will persevere in your grace with this regardless! It is all sufficient for me!”

I believe in this passage, Jesus is testing her. He sees her heart, and He takes joy in testing her, pressing her a bit further. I believe He loves us to cling to Him when we are at the end of ourselves, just as she certainly was here. Her daughter was in dire need of help that only He could give. She knew that she was unacceptable to the House of Israel, but still she had faith in the Lord and knew He was more than able to heal her daughter. I think the disciples wanting to send her away (the Greek for sending ‘away’ is dismiss or put away), was because they were embarrassed by her crying out to the Lord and also the fact that she was Gentile – and therefore unclean and that they said to Jesus to ‘give her a quick cure and send her on her way’ – ‘get rid of her quickly, she’s causing a scene’.

The Greek here of ‘after’ us means ‘behind’ us or ‘a way’ from us, so I think she may have possibly been crying loudly to Jesus from a distance, rather than up close to Him and the disciples. I think that it is important to also see something here – because Jesus had not yet been crucified for all at that point and was as He rightfully stated, I am not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, ito also shows to me that He has His remnant in every people of every nation as you rightfully pointed out above. John 10:14-16 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
It is against God’s character to be unkind. I believe He is looking for children like Job –Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15)
Bless you for this posting, bro
:-)

]]> By: Getting There http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-468 Getting There Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:15:08 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-468 This one's a bit of a mind boggle.. I do believe that Jesus is kind to sincerity of the heart! more than that I am unable to comment.. but He was kind enough to come as not to condemn the world but to save it.. He came for sinners.. so I see that as really overly gracious, merciful and kind.. but it all starts at the heart of the believer. This one’s a bit of a mind boggle.. I do believe that Jesus is kind to sincerity of the heart! more than that I am unable to comment.. but He was kind enough to come as not to condemn the world but to save it.. He came for sinners.. so I see that as really overly gracious, merciful and kind.. but it all starts at the heart of the believer.

]]> By: Was Jesus being unkind to the Gentile woman in Mark 7? | The Daily Scroll http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-467 Was Jesus being unkind to the Gentile woman in Mark 7? | The Daily Scroll Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:46:53 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-467 [...] Jesus being unkind to the Gentile woman in Mark 7? December 4, 2008 Gene Aptaker, author of the Endtimes Disciples Weblog, thinks probably not: “Was Jesus being insensitive or unkind to the Syrophoenician woman? I [...] [...] Jesus being unkind to the Gentile woman in Mark 7? December 4, 2008 Gene Aptaker, author of the Endtimes Disciples Weblog, thinks probably not: “Was Jesus being insensitive or unkind to the Syrophoenician woman? I [...]

]]> By: MJ http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-466 MJ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:43:01 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-466 Nowadays, when there's a lull in the conversation with friends or family, I'll say something like, "What do you want to talk about now?" Usually the other person says, "What would YOU like to talk about?" "Let's talk about Jesus," I respond. "Okay. Go ahead." Then sometimes I sing the chorus "Let's talk about Jesus: the King of kings is He, The Lord of lords supreme throughout eternity. The great I AM, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door. Let's talk about Jesus more and more." I think it is good to tell stories of Jesus, to ponder what He did and said and why. I like that you make me think about things. So tonight I'll be discussing this story and your questions with my niece when she comes for a long visit. Plus introducing her to your website and blogroll friends. Hope you have fully recovered! Nowadays, when there’s a lull in the conversation with friends or family, I’ll say something like, “What do you want to talk about now?”

Usually the other person says, “What would YOU like to talk about?”

“Let’s talk about Jesus,” I respond.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Then sometimes I sing the chorus
“Let’s talk about Jesus:
the King of kings is He,
The Lord of lords supreme throughout eternity.
The great I AM, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door.
Let’s talk about Jesus more and more.”

I think it is good to tell stories of Jesus,
to ponder what He did and said and why.

I like that you make me think about things. So tonight I’ll be discussing this story and your questions with my niece when she comes for a long visit. Plus introducing her to your website and blogroll friends.

Hope you have fully recovered!

]]> By: M. Patterson http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/was-jesus-unkind/#comment-465 M. Patterson Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:48:28 +0000 http://endtimedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=623#comment-465 I really like this passage. I don't know why. I think it might be because Jesus gave her the chance to show what kind of faith she was really made of. It was awesome. I really like this passage. I don’t know why. I think it might be because Jesus gave her the chance to show what kind of faith she was really made of. It was awesome.

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