Is Jesus Prejudice?

[Jeffinator]

Mark 7:25-30
A woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about [Jesus], and came and fell down at his feet. The woman was a Greek, by race a Phoenician from Syria. And she started asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He responded to her like this: "Let the children first be fed, since it isn't good to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to the dogs!" But as a rejoinder she says to him: "Sir, even the dogs under the table get to eat scraps dropped by children!" Then he said to her: "For that retort, be on your way, the demon has come out of your daughter." She returned home and found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone".

Jesus at first brushes this woman off because she was a Greek, but He then answers her request because she admits that shes a "dog" for being greek but deserves some sort of grace from Him.

Was Jesus Prejudice against those who were not Jewish?

[BrianW]

Of course the Jews are the chosen people of God. We see it all through the bible starting with the old testament and even up to and through the new testament.

Even Paul preached the gospel to the Jews first.

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Prejudice? Who am I to judge God?

I can only shrug as I say it is what it is. We were grafted in my friend. Rejoice and be thankful!

[Diggindeeper]

Jeffinator, how can you possibly ever think that Jesus was prejudiced? He actually set the best example for us to NOT be prejudiced! Read again (I know you've read it before. I'm thinking you just forgot what happened in that chapter.) but read and look at what he did in John chapter 4!!

John 4:3-9
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.


Read down through verse #43, but pay special attention to verses 39-43. Look what happened!

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

40So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41 And many more believed because of his own word;

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

He stayed two extra days with the people the Jews would have NOTHING to do with!

Does that not PROVE, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was showing us that we are to deal with those who normally are shunned? Even STAY among them, if invited? It didn't bother him at all. In fact, he stayed 2 extra days, and the fact is...do you know he did not even have to go through Samaria to get where he was headed?

Jesus went OUT OF HIS WAY to meet that woman of Samaria, knowing the Jewish people had no dealings with Samaritans! He just saw the need to go there, even though it was well our of his way! And he went, and ended up spending time with them!

Jesus did not have a prejudiced bone in his body.

[jayne]

Jeff, Christ was most definitely NOT prejudiced against this woman because she was a Gentile. How could be prejudiced against a woman that He loved before God said, "Let there be light"? If He were prejudiced, then He wouldn't have healed her daughter. He knew when He got up that morning that He would have an encounter with this woman and He knew exactly what she wanted. He knew the child was demon-possessed before the mother knew.

It was always God's plan to include the Gentiles in His salvation plan and it was always the intention of Christ to die for Jew and Gentile alike.

Genesis 18:18 "Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him"

Amos 9:11-12 "‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old."

Matthew 12:18 "Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased;; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the gentiles."

Matthew 12:21 "And in His name the Gentiles will hope."

There's a lot more than that, but those four verses will suffice.

Why His hestitation then ..... or was He really hesitating? I think He wanted her to proclaim what was in her heart out loud for others to hear. He already that she was desperate and would argue her case in desperation. He already knew exactly what she was going to say. It needed to be said out loud. And ... her faith was quite clear. She wasn't leaving until she got a positive from Him.

Do we pray that expectantly? that earnestly? that desperately?

I think He wants us to..... not to see us beg, but to draw us closer to Him.

[IMINXTC]

Jesus uses the circumstances as an opportunity for teaching, fully intending to heal this woman's daughter.

While contrasting the shameful weakness of faith among the Hebrews against the remarkable faith of many non-Jews, Christ appropriates the opportunity to demonstrate the power of faith and His ultimate purpose to save all who will come to Him.

[LookingUp]

Jesus uses the circumstances as an opportunity for teaching, fully intending to heal this woman's daughter.

While contrasting the shameful weakness of faith among the Hebrews against the remarkable faith of many non-Jews, Christ appropriates the opportunity to demonstrate the power of faith and His ultimate purpose to save all who will come to Him.

Love this post!

[notuptome]

Salvation is of the Jew first then to the Gentile. Jesus came to His own but His own rejected Him. Jesus came to the Jews not to the Gentiles knowing that He would be rejected and that rejection would open salvation to all peoples of the earth. The Jews were chosen by God to be His witnesses to all the nations of the earth. Since they failed God now uses all the nations to witness to the Jews.

Prejudice is the wrong term. God purposed to deal with the Jews first and afterward the Gentiles.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

[BrianW]

And then there's that whole John 3:16 thing too.

[Jeffinator]

point still remains that Jesus called this woman a dog because she wasnt jewish

[Sojourner55]

Have you considered the fact that Jesus may have been testing the woman's faith?

God intended all along to extend His mercy to the Gentiles, a fact made clear by a number of OT passages. But Jesus was sent first to the house of Israel, as God lead Him, in accordance with the promises made to Abraham. He did not fully open the door to Gentiles until after His resurrection, and a reasonable time of exclusive invitation had been granted to the Jews. It was a matter of covenant priority, rather than some perceived bias.

Once the time was right, God opened the gate and brought the Gentile flock into the fold, beginning with Cornelius. (Acts 10) The Lord plainly told Peter--in preparing him to take the Gospel into the house of a Gentile--not to call "unclean" what He had given His blessing to.

You should not lose sight of the fact that we Gentiles are not a natural part of the olive tree, but are a wild branch grafted in (Rom 11:24). Neither should one attribute a vile characteristic of human nature such as racism to the risen Christ. We are plainly told that God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35), and that neither Jew nor Gentile is loved more by Him, but are all one in Christ. (Gal 3:28-29). Jesus ultimately died for all of us.

[elisha]

Of course the Jews are the chosen people of God. We see it all through the bible starting with the old testament and even up to and through the new testament.

Even Paul preached the gospel to the Jews first.

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Prejudice? Who am I to judge God?

I can only shrug as I say it is what it is. We were grafted in my friend. Rejoice and be thankful!

The Jews are not the chosen people of God.

Israel is the people of God,not the Jews.

The word Jews is not mentioned until 2 Kings 16:6.

[markedward]

point still remains that Jesus called this woman a dog because she wasnt jewish

In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the poor, sick, hungry Lazarus is meant to symbolize all people made to be outcasts by the Jewish leadership: he's so lowly his company consists of dogs. Yet, Lazarus symbolizes Gentiles (among other things).

Being a 'dog' had nothing to do with prejudice, but with the typical perception of order ('the Jew first, then the Gentile', as Paul put it, and Paul was by no means 'prejudice'). Jesus was making an analogy. Nothing more.

The point doesn't 'still remain' if the point misunderstands.

[markedward]

The Jews are not the chosen people of God.

Israel is the people of God,not the Jews.

The word Jews is not mentioned until 2 Kings 16:6.

Jews are Israelites. So, yes, Jews are members of the chosen people of God.

[Liquid Tension]

Have you considered the fact that Jesus may have been testing the woman's faith?

Bingo!! Once again, you're spot on S55.

[Sojourner55]

In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the poor, sick, hungry Lazarus is meant to symbolize all people made to be outcasts by the Jewish leadership: he's so lowly his company consists of dogs.

I think we also see here, a comparative analogy demonstrating that even dogs were more compassionate than the rich man. This sort of parallels the parable in which Jesus portrayed the generally detested Samaritan being more compassionate than the "religious" Pharisee and Levite. In both examples, Jesus is teaching that God--unlike man, assesses an individual based on what's in the heart, rather than outward appearance, material wealth, or public standing. In the case of Lazarus, we are reminded that such earthly distinctions are forever removed at the point of death.