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| Frankie |
As I was
listening to my Bible the other day I heard how this idea of making our dogs
fat with people food is actually Biblical.
Jesus is our model, right?
I love the
story in Matthew 15, and it’s also a painful one to read: Jesus is walking
along when this Canaanite woman comes up to him and begs him to heal her
demon-possessed daughter. Jesus ignores her until finally his disciples beg him
to send her away. Instead of sending her away, Jesus tells her that he was sent
to help the people of Israel (not her). He tells her that it isn’t right to
take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs (like her). She pleads with
Jesus one more time, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which
fall from their master’s table.”
She’s
right. And Jesus healed her daughter because of this faith.
It’s
humbling to realize and remember that I am a dog. Jesus was not sent to this
earth for me. I was last in line to receive a crumb from the master’s table.
And how sad
for the children of Israel. They were offered a feast from the Lord prepared
especially for them. But they rejected this Bread of Life. They broke Jesus’
heart by refusing his gift of salvation.
And so what
was left over because of the children’s rejection? More than a crumb. A whole
feast has been left over and is available to the dogs: you and me.
It’s not
fair, and it’s not deserved: this gift of salvation that was never meant for me.
The people of Israel are still the Lord’s first love, and he longs to gather
them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they are not
willing (Matthew 23:37).
“Did they
stumble and fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their
transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles…” (Romans 9:11)
So we are
offered the gift of salvation because it was rejected by the Israelites. Here
is a warning, lest we become too arrogant about our position with the Lord:
“…do not
consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider
this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say
then, 'Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.' Granted. But they
were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be
arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will
not spare you either.” (Romans 11:18-20)
Before the
Israelites rejected Jesus, Jesus was only willing to give the Gentiles a crumb.
But now we are offered the same feast that the Israelites were meant to have.
So in
trying to be like Jesus, do we offer our little fat wiener dogs our feasts or our
crumbs? Which act displays the most love? Well, I guess to be like Christ we
need to feed our children first and only leave the crumbs for our pets… but if
one of those little one, two, or three year olds of mine refuse to eat that jambalaya
I slaved over, it’s going straight to the dogs!
