A Faith Filled Mother

* Mothers teach us about logic: "If you fall out of that tree and break your neck, don’t come crying to me."

* Mothers teach us about religion: "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."

* Mothers teach us about time travel: "If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

* Mothers teach us about perseverance: "You are going to sit here until you eat every last piece of that broccoli."

* Mothers teach us about the weather: "It looks like a tornado swept through your room."

* Mothers teach us about the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." (Adapted from Sermon Central)

There are many lessons that we learn from mothers. While these items are in jest, we learn a great deal from mothers. Here are a few examples from scripture:

Biblical Examples of Godly mothers

Eve - literally means the mother of all

Sarah - The elderly mother who laughed at the notion of having children. She gave birth to Isaac

Hannah - Mother who prayed for god to give her a child. She gave birth to Samuel.

Mary - The mother of Jesus

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Matthew 15:21-28

What lessons do we learn from this nameless mother?

1. We learn a lesson in love (v. 22)

The mother comes to Jesus with a desperate for her daughter. The girl was plagued with the ongoing presence of a demon. The grim reality is that the mother no hope of healing for her daughter. The mother had obviously heard about Jesus and His ability to heal diseases and cast out demons. The love of this mother moves her to action and seeking out Jesus.

The woman loves her daughter so much that she was willing to seek out Jesus and do whatever it took to get Jesus to help her. Notice what the mother does:

She asks for mercy

The woman appeals to the compassion of Jesus and pleads with Him out her own heart of compassion.

She acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah

The woman accepted the identity of Jesus when many Jews did not. She calls Jesus Lord and Son of David. Both of these titles signal the identity of the Messiah. Lord is a direct title of Christ or messiach in Hebrew which means messiah. Son of David was a title that would be given to the true messiah. The woman gives Jesus a double acknowledgement to reveal the depth of her faith.

Love is fuel for life

When life gets rough - love gives strength

When life gets tough - love gives power

When life lets you down - love gives encouragement

When life seems empty - love gives meaning

When life gets mundane - love gives enthusiasm

When life seems sad - love gives joy

When life gets confusing - love gives clarity

Love is at the center of our new life in Christ. Jesus shows us His divine love through dying on the cross. Jesus loved us enough to put that love into action. It is the love of Christ that paved the way of salvation through His blood and body. The active love of Jesus allows us to look forward to eternity.

2. We learn a lesson in persistence

The disciples saw the woman as a problem to be solved. They were trying to do the work of Jesus and this woman was getting in the way and causing problems. Notice what they say to Jesus: send her away, for she keeps shouting at us. The reality is that the disciples completely missed the point of ministry. The woman was part of the reason they came to Tyre and Sidon.

Jesus did not answer the woman immediately but He was not ignoring her. There is a lesson here for the woman and the disciples. When Jesus waits to answer it gives the woman, He allows the woman to continue to pursue her faith. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach the disciples about persistence.