Blessings for All by David Jeremiah

Thursday, September 27 Blessings for All    But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Mark 7:27    In the United States, more households are owners of dogs than cats. The love shown to dogs in America is in stark contrast to the disdain heaped on them in biblical days. Packs of wild dogs roamed as scavengers and nuisances; dog became a derogatory epithet among Jews for non-Jews or other undesirables.

Recommended Reading: Romans 1:16

In a statement that at first seems harsh, Jesus even used the word dog to refer to Gentiles. But He used a term for a “little dog,” or “lap dog” (like a pet), not the term for the wild scavengers commonly referred to. What brought on this exchange? A Gentile woman pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter and He said such a blessing must first be given to “the children,” referring to the Jews. “First” was key. He didn’t deny her the blessing but tested her faith. When she countered that house dogs are allowed to consume the children’s crumbs, Jesus granted her daughter’s healing because of her faith. God’s blessing was always intended for both the Jew and Gentile (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 42:6)—for any and all who believe.  Faith is the power of putting self aside that God may work unhindered. F. B. Meyer