Why You Are Free Because Healing Is the Children’s Bread

Divine healing is the children’s bread, a fact revealed to a Gentile woman one day by the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s right, Jesus said ‘healing is the children’s bread.’ Bread, being a symbol of life-giving sustenance, gives this analogy that Jesus used great weight. There are some modern day Bible teachers who believe that this bread has been turned into stones — that is that Jesus no longer heals today. Now, I believe that most of these men who teach these things, mean well. But, I can personally tell you that it’s not so because Jesus healed me of a condition deemed incurable almost twenty years ago. Healing is still available and it is still as Jesus declared it to be, the children’s bread. When Stanley Frodsham was a young Christian, [you know Stanley wrote a biography on Smith Wigglesworth] and a member of a large Congregational church, he was often troubled with the thought—Why do we not see miracles today as of old? The Lord Jesus went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. His apostles did the same. Why are we not having a like ministry today? One day in the year 1908 a paper came into his hands. It told of the Spirit’s being poured out in Los Angeles, Calif., just as at Pentecost. Many remarkable healings were described. As he read of this revival there came a strong witness to his spirit that this was of God. Later other papers came from Canada, England, India, South Africa, and different parts of the United States, and his eyes were opened to the fact that God was once more pouring out His Spirit in many places even as at Pentecost, that the Lord was truly with His people and confirming His Word today as He did in the beginning of this church age. This same year, the Lord filled Stanley with the Spirit, making no difference between him and those at the beginning. He was soon awakened to the fact that he was one of a large, world-wide fellowship. There were Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Holiness people, Christians from every denomination and from no denomination, who had received a like experience. He noticed that all these Spirit-filled ones made very much of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and that the cross of Christ had been made very real to all of them through the power of the Holy Ghost. He found that all that he came in contact with believed that the Lord healed today just as of old, and that many of them had had marvelous healings themselves. They were one and all looking eagerly for the soon coming of Christ. Everyone of them honored the Word of God, believing in every part of it, and they were all seeking to be not only hearers but doers of the Word.¹ Are you in this company — a Spirit filled, Blood of Jesus partaking, divine healing believing doer of the Word of God? Well, that’s at least part of our focus today as we talk about Why You Are Free Because Healing Is the Children’s Bread all on this week’s Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
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Know that that you’re a child of God, and that healing is the children’s bread. Just a crumb out of that loaf of healing bread is enough to do the job.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
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Question: Reach out to God and receive your healing because healing is the children’s bread.

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching on the subject of Divine Healing. You can click on the links below to listen to more podcasts or read blog posts along this line.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 48 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 44 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Well again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, I thank you for the marvelous provision you have made for us in providing healing as a staple for our lives. Help us to learn about this, help us to apply what we have learned so that we can cooperate with you in your great plan of salvation. Thank for doing so in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Healing Is the Children’s Bread: Two Accounts

We are in Matthew chapter fifteen today.

Matthew 15:21–22 (ESV) — 21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”

Now, in Mark seven, you will find the same account but with some additions.
I’m going to highlight those for you.
Mark says in 7:26 that the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.
Matthew says the woman was crying.
Mark says the woman was begging him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
That’s Mark 7:26.
Jumping back into Matthew now, verse 23 of chapter 15.

Matthew 15:23–27 (ESV) — 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Mark has this as: “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Matthew says the ‘dogs eat the crumbs.’
Mark says the ‘dogs eat the children’s crumbs,’ putting the emphasis on the word ‘children.’
Matthew finishes up now with verse 28.

Matthew 15:28 (ESV) — 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

While Mark has the finish as.

Mark 7:29–30 (ESV) — 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

So, a few differences between the accounts.
The main one is that Matthew mentions the faith of the individual involved and Mark does not.
There are 23 individual cases of healing in the gospels.
The faith of the individual involved is mentioned in the majority of these accounts.
In a previous podcast, we looked at the Centurion’s servant.
We took note of his faith — Jesus called it out, describing it as ‘great faith.’
He says the same thing about this Gentile woman’s faith.
Now, isn’t that intriguing how in both of these cases, Gentiles are called out as the ones having great faith?
Also, we looked at the method of healing Jesus used in restoring the Centurion’s servant to full health and wholeness: Jesus spoke the Word.

A Gentile Woman Experiences Healing Because of Jesus Love

So, let’s look at what’s going on here in this second case with this woman.
First, the thing you might consider doing with all of these cases of healing is understand how much Jesus loved the people He was helping.
You primarily see this ‘love’ emphasis in John’s gospel.

John 11:5 (ESV) — Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So, that’s pretty cool.
We know that Jesus loved these three siblings.
Now, we also know that He didn’t just love those three, right?
He loved more than that.

John 15:9 (ESV) — 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

Who is Jesus talking to?
Who is the ‘you’ that Jesus loved that John is referring to?
Well, it’s the disciples.
There were twelve of them.
Jesus loved them.
Now we are up to fifteen whom we have a scriptural record that Jesus loved.
Then in John thirteen.

John 13:34 (ESV) — 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Again, Jesus is talking to His disciples here but this is a broad commandment.
What is Jesus saying?
He is saying that disciples are to love one another as He has loved them.
“Love one another as I have loved you” is a statement about God loving every child of God and every child of God loving every other child of God.
So, yes, this command is, by transference, for all Jesus followers in every generation everywhere.
Now, look at pool of people that Jesus loved.
I mean it’s a ginormous pool of believers.
Jesus loved all of them.
But, we are not done yet!
John three — sixteen says this and you know this verse well.

John 3:16 (ESV) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

So, now the pool has turned into a vast ocean of people consisting of the entire world!
The entire world means every human being ever born in any generation of men.
Jesus loves every one of these men, woman, and children, sinner or saint.
So, when you look at any Jesus encounter in the gospels, you have to know that He loved everybody He ministered to.
So, He loved the Syrophoenician woman and He loved her daughter who was demon possessed.
He loved them both.
Now, reread this story while viewing it through this pair of ‘love glasses’ and let’s examine what Jesus communicated to this woman.

Matthew 15:27 (ESV) – And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Did Jesus just call this woman a dog?
Did He actually do that, I must be hearing things.
Sounds derogatory doesn’t it?’
I thought Jesus loved this woman?
He did — Jesus loved everybody.
We just proved that.
So here’s the thing, you must keep your love glasses on to understand this statement.
Look at the statement “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” through the eyes of love.
There has to be something else going on here that’s not apparent from just a surface reading of these verses.
Jesus didn’t say to this woman who was crying out for help, “I’m not going to heal your daughter. You are nothing but a dog to me.”

Dogs and Healing as the Children’s Bread

Let’s talk about dogs in the first century.
The Jews had bad feelings about the Gentiles.
In some ways, they were a little racist.
They considered all Gentiles to be nothing but dogs.
Paul, writing to the Philippians, says.

Philippians 3:2 (ESV) — 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

What kind of evil doers are these that Paul is calling dogs?
Well, Paul was talking about the Judiazers here.
Judaizers were Jews who wanted ‘newly come to the faith’ Gentile believers in Jesus to be circumcised according to the Law.
In other words, they were wanting to channel Christianity into Judaism.
These Judiazers wanted this new thing with Jesus to be assimilated into the Old ways of the Law in the Old Testament.
Well, the Law had been done away with in Christ.
The veil in the Temple had been torn in two.
The Old Covenant, the Law was finished but these Jews didn’t want to let go.
They wanted what was finished to keep on going.
Paul compares these people wanting to dilute Jesus to dogs.
Specifically, the scavenger dogs of the oriental world.
And, with that thought, here is the Historical Background of the Day.

These scavenger dogs that Paul mentions were severely looked down upon in the world of the first century. Get out of your mind the image of the domesticated animal considered part of the family in the Western world. Dogs were considered pariah’s, and nothing but pack scavengers. If you recall, dogs ate the remains of Queen Jezbeel after she was thrown down to her death.

You can look at 2 Kings 9:10 and 36 for reference.
So, to be called a scavenger dog was a term of reproach.
That’s how Paul meant it.
Now, I assumed for many years that Jesus called this woman a scavenger dog because she was a Gentile out of covenant with God.
Nope, that’s not what He did.
You see, I didn’t know that there were two different Greek words for dogs.
I thought there was only one Greek word — you know a dog is a dog.
In my ignorance, I thought that Jesus was trying to provoke this woman into faith.
You know — egg her on — as the saying goes — trying to get a faith reaction out of her.
But, you can readily see that this woman didn’t need any help being stirred up.
She was already stirred!
The term ‘dog’ that Jesus used is a different Greek word than the one Paul used.
The word Jesus used describes a ‘small dog’ that was found in households of the first century.
These were little tiny cute dogs.
Jesus surely wasn’t trying to degrade this Gentile woman — that’s not who Jesus is.
Mark describes her as a Gentile that means she was the not same religion as the Jews.
Mark also described her as Syrophoenician, that means she was born Phoenician by race but spoke Syrian by language.
As a Gentile, she was outside the Covenant of God that was operating in the earth at that time.
That Covenant God made with the Jews at Sinai — you know Exodus nineteen — Exodus twenty.
This little daughter of this Gentile woman had a demon.
Mom, like any good mother wanted her daughter to be well.
She presses Jesus forcefully.
And Jesus response? “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little tiny cute dogs.”
Not the outside scavenger dogs that ate trash out of garbage and were always on the hunt for food.
No!

The dogs our Lord referred to were the well-cared for little house pets of an oriental household. The dogs that Paul talks about were the mangy, flea-bitten, vicious, starved scavengers of the oriental streets.²

So, now that sheds some light on this whole ‘dog’ thing.
Now, let’s look at another significant piece to this healing episode and that’s the approach of this woman to Jesus.

Healing the Children’s Bread and a Gentiles Woman’s Strong Approach

Now, Matthew says that the approach of this woman included crying.
Mark didn’t highlight this part — what he did emphasize in his account was that the woman was begging Jesus to heal her daughter.
Now, with that thought, here are the Definitions [plural] of the Day.
Let’s look first at the word ‘crying’ and then let’s look at the word ‘begging.’
The Greek word ‘crying’ used here means more than just shedding a few tears.
The word means to make a vehement outcry, to cry out, to scream, to shriek as when one utters loud cries, without words capable of being understood. ³
So from that definition we can understand that this Gentile woman wasn’t just boo-hooing a few crocodile tears.
No, she was hysterically crying, screaming even, shrieking intensely and being strenuously emotional and passionate about having here request heard by Jesus.
Now, Mark says she begged Jesus.
Let’s look at that word.
The Greek word ‘begged’ means to request urgently or to demand.
When you put these two words together — one by Matthew and one by Mark — here’s the picture you have.
This woman was just not taking no for answer.
Her whole being — physical and emotional was involved in getting healing for her daughter.
This Gentile woman was ‘Momma bear on steroids!’
You could easily caption this story ‘The Day Jesus Met Momma Bear.’
You have to love Jesus — you gotta love Him.
Look at His reaction to all this hysterical screaming that this woman was putting out.

But he did not answer her a word.

Jesus was silent.
My, that must have been uncomfortable for this woman.
But, that’s pretty good self-control for Jesus, wouldn’t you say?
I mean, would you be able to do that?
Talk about restraining yourself!
Do you know how easy it would have been for this scene to escalate?
But, Jesus didn’t let it escalate.
He didn’t say anything!
Silence was what fell from the lips of Jesus.
Now, when Jesus wouldn’t answer her, this Gentile turned on the disciples.
Momma bear went after them.
Her mindset was “Somebody is going to help me today!”
This Gentile woman starting screaming and shrieking at the disciples until they couldn’t handle it anymore.
The disciples turned on Jesus and starting begging him to do something with this crazy woman.
‘She’s nut’s Jesus.’

…“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”

‘We don’t care if her daughter gets healed or not, just get rid of her.’
For all who are lovers of God and desire to do God’s will should take special note of the next words that come out of Jesus mouth.

Matthew 15:24 (ESV) — 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

What was Jesus doing answering this way?
He was keeping the main thing the main thing.
Jesus was staying in His lane — the lane that God assigned for Him.
His mission was to the Jews first with the idea that the Jews would go and take the message, the gospel, the good news of Jesus saving and healing grace to the Gentiles.
Jesus staying focused on His mission was not favoritism.
It was the will of God — It was the wisdom of God.
Reach the Jews — get them saved, get then healed so they can reach the Gentiles.
A Jesus follower must understand this ‘keeping first things first’ principle.
We all must stay in our God assigned lanes.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) — 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

It’s important to do things and keep things in your life in the order that God has them for you.
Some make a mistake here.
They get life out of order.
They put a second area or the third area first.
It doesn’t work.
Now, Jesus loved this woman.
He loved everybody.
But yet and still His call was to minister to the Jews first and so he reminded this woman that she was not first, she was second.
The children have to be fed first.
You don’t feed the little dogs first, you feed the humans first.
By the way, that may fly in the face of some animal lovers.
I’m specifically talking about those who call animals ‘their children.’ * You know some people treat their animals better than they do other human beings.
I’ve seen it.
I worked with some people who are like that.

Crumbs from Healing Bread Are Enough

So, the woman comes and knelt before him, and says, “Lord, help me.” — Matthew 15:25
Jesus answers her by saying: It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” — Matthew 15:26
Now, the clincher.

Matthew 15:27 (ESV) — 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

“Even the ‘little’ dogs who are in the house get the bread crumbs that fall onto the floor,” is how you read this.
In a household, children take precedence over the animals.
The children eat first, then the dogs.
Jesus is saying, “there is a need to follow divine order.”
“My mission is to the house of Israel.”
“I was sent to them.”
He is saying to the women, “you have to wait.”
The women says “Okay, feed the children, put them first.”
“I understand what the order is.”
This Gentiles woman agrees with Jesus mission ‘to the Jew first.’
She tells the Lord, “I don’t want the Children’s Bread.”
“I don’t want to take what belongs to someone else.”
“But Lord, the Jews are not going to eat the crumbs anyway.”
The little dogs in house are going to get that.
All I need from you is one of those little crumbs and that will be enough to do the job and set my daughter free.
Well, that statement blew Jesus away!
Jesus said, “You got it!”
“And not only do you have healing for your daughter, but you have my commendation as well.”
“You dear woman have great faith.”
Since that’s so, and we want to grow in our understanding of what great faith is because we want to walk in that realm, then we should strive to act as this woman did.
To receive healing, know that faith is vital.
“But while you are ministering healing bread to the Jewish people, all I need for my daughter to be well is a crumb out of that loaf of bread.”
“Give the Jew the loaf — but give me a crumb meant for the dogs.”
“That crumb of your healing power will do the job.”
So again, why did the woman’s daughter get healed and why did Jesus call that great faith?
Because the woman lined up with the plan of God, the will of God.
The will of God at this moment was for Jesus to minister healing to the Jews.
The woman agreed with that.
And, I am telling you that faith in God’s Word and in God’s plan works at the highest level, it’s the most effective when you agree with God.
Do you desire victory? — agree with God.
Agree with His way of doing things and His methods.
Agreement was the method of healing here.

Healing Bread Is the Children’s Bread: What We Should Do

Now, that you know the method that God used here in getting this woman healed, where does that leave you?
well know that the same method is available for you.
Know that that you’re a child of God, and that healing is the children’s bread.
Understand they’re just a crumb out of that loaf of healing bread is enough to do the job.
You have put first things first.
If you haven’t, this is where you should start.
You have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Also, you have understood the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach this same gospel that you have received to every individual.
You understand the mission is to make disciples of all nations.
And you understand that one of the tools in your toolbox is to lay hands on the sick and so they will recover.
Knowing that only a crumb out of that loaf of bread is enough to do the job.
So, while you’re ministering to others, reach out and receive healing for yourself if you need it.

Now Father God, thank you for your Word. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your way. We agree with your Word, your wisdom, and your way and we do it all in the precious Name of Jesus, Amen.

Why You Are Free Because Healing Is the Children’s Bread.
You guys have a great God week and we will see you next week for another edition of Light On Life.

Why Growing in Faith Brings Amazing Results

__________
References:

Stanley Howard Frodsham, With Signs Following: The Story of the Pentecostal Revival in the Twentieth Century, Revised Edition (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1946), 7–8. ↩
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 87. ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 563. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

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Why You Are Free Because Healing Is the Children’s Bread

Podcast: Light on Life Season Twelve Episode Twelve

by Emery Horvath

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Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching on the subject of Divine Healing. You can click on the links below to listen to more podcasts or read blog posts along this line.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Healing Is the Children’s Bread: Two Accounts

A Gentile Woman Experiences Healing Because of Jesus Love

Dogs and Healing as the Children’s Bread

Healing the Children’s Bread and a Gentiles Woman’s Strong Approach

Crumbs from Healing Bread Are Enough

Healing Bread Is the Children’s Bread: What We Should Do

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching on the subject of Divine Healing. You can click on the links below to listen to more podcasts or read blog posts along this line.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Healing Is the Children’s Bread: Two Accounts

A Gentile Woman Experiences Healing Because of Jesus Love

Dogs and Healing as the Children’s Bread

Healing the Children’s Bread and a Gentiles Woman’s Strong Approach

Crumbs from Healing Bread Are Enough

Healing Bread Is the Children’s Bread: What We Should Do

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