Crumbs | Part 2

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

Have you ever been afraid of asking God for something big?

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!” Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed. Matthew 15:21–28 NLT

What did the disciples (wrongly) assume when Jesus was quiet and did not respond to the woman? Have you ever concluded that God didn’t care just because you didn’t get a response to your prayers immediately?

It wasn’t for lack of compassion that Jesus took his time; it was for the sake of the mission. Healing is a temporary gift…faith changes eternal perspectives and shifts eternal destinations. Why did Jesus “hold out” until the woman experienced and expressed genuine faith?

What is Jesus prompting you to do, think, feel, or stop these days?

Lord, thank you for being patient with me and caring about my faith first before anything else in my life. Thank you for giving me the gift of forgiveness and reconciliation through the physical death of Jesus so that you could bring me into your presence and present me to yourself holy, blameless, and without a single fault (Colossians 1). Help me to love others with the extravagant love you have spent on me!

What is the strangest crowd you have ever seen?

Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”

So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan. Matthew 15:29–39 NLT

Jesus did not heal crowds…he healed individuals. He took so much time with people that his disciples would sometimes try to rush him, shield him, or excuse him.

Do you slow down and “take time with Jesus” (through prayer, reading the Word, spending time eating and praying with other believers)?

Do you (if you are a believer) slow down so people can experience Jesus’ kindness and patience through you?

Lord, thank you for taking time to meet individual needs. I’ve got some needs I’d like to share with you right now…thanks for taking time with me!

If you were to meet Jesus out in public, what do you think he would ask you?

Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” … John 4:1-14 NLT

How was Jesus’ compassion evident?

Jesus wasn’t talking about water…Jesus was talking about new life given by the Holy Spirit. Have you received the gift Jesus has for you—a fresh, bubbling spring within you, giving you eternal life?

Lord, help me to experience true love, peace, joy, and satisfaction in you…today! Help me to be filled with your compassion and see others with your eyes!

Who are you unable to lie to?

Continued from yesterday’s Scripture: “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!” John 4:15-26 NLT

Jesus told the woman, “You certainly spoke the truth.” From the context, it appears that was NOT what she was intending to do. Realizing Jesus had supernatural insight, and not wanting THAT conversation to go any further, she quickly switched the conversation to religion and a dusty argument about location of worship. What did Jesus help her see?

Why is it significant that this extreme outcast (nationally, religiously, socially, morally) was one of the first to whom Jesus revealed his identity?

Lord, I am unworthy of your love. Thank you for loving me and giving me the opportunity to share your love and truth with others!

What is the most awkward conversation you remember having recently?

Continued from yesterday’s Scripture: Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?”

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.

Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:27-42 NLT

Jesus reached the hated Samaritans with the good news of the Kingdom of God VERY early in his ministry—before many of the Jews heard the good news. He reached this village through the most unlikely person—an outcast in every way. What does that tell you about Jesus?

Does doing God’s work fill your soul?

Lord, help me see with your eyes, listen with your ears, and have your heart of compassion!

Crumbs | Part 2

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