40-Days to Servanthood: Day 12

Servants are interruptible.

Imagine that just before you leave for a long-planned vacation, the telephone rings. It’s the next-door neighbor. He and his wife need to run to the hospital, where his mother has just been taken unexpectedly. He wonders if you can look after his kids for awhile.

For a moment, you consider listing all the reasons why you can’t do it. But you know that your neighbor needs you. Babysitting wasn’t part of your game plan for the day. But, mindful of Jesus’ call to love and serve as He has loved and served you, you say, “Yes.”

A few hours later, your neighbors’ usual sitter shows up to take over from you. You and your family pile into your vehicle and take off for your vacation. Somehow, the world hasn’t come to an end because you didn’t get started on time. Part of growing in our faith in Jesus Christ is being willing to be sent wherever God may seem to want us to go even when it interrupts our plans.

During His ministry on earth, Jesus had a mission. He came, first of all, to call “the lost sheep of Israel,” His fellow Jews who had wandered from God. After His death and resurrection, His followers in the Church, were to call non-Jews, Gentiles. Occasionally though, Gentiles who believed Jesus was the Savior of everyone, Gentiles as well as Jews, would approach Him with needs.

One day, a Gentile woman, one of the Canaanites, historic enemies of God’s people in Judea, asked Jesus to cast a demon from her daughter. Up to this point in Matthew’s Gospel, where the story is told, no one had expressed such faith in Jesus. Jesus could have ignored the woman. But He could neither ignore her great faith or just as importantly, her great need. Jesus departed from His schedule in order to respond to the woman’s need. (Matthew 15:21-28)

Servants are interruptible.

Bible Passage to Ponder: “...she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’” (Matthew 15:25-27)

UPDATE: John Schroeder at Blogotional has linked to this piece and added some interesting (and honest) thoughts of his own. Thank you, John!