Our last class focused on Jesus’ interaction with a woman of Syro-Phoenician decent. We concentrated on their interaction with each other, Jesus’ gentleness that often gets misconstrued and even accused of being unloving and unkind and her unoffended understanding of His words and faith-filled response. The account of the same interaction in Matthew 15 shows Jesus joyfully responding to the woman “’O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.’”
Tonight we pick up with Jesus continuing this particular journey. So far, in what appeared to simply be an escape in hopes of finding quiet and rest Jesus has revealed to those with Him that He indeed came “for the lost sheep of Israel” but that His love, His benefits and even what would be His salvation would not be withheld from the Gentiles. The next verses will reveal yet again that He is something more than a prophet or a healer, but He is the “One” that was promised.