Dogs
Spring 2022
Do you have a dog? Dogs (especially puppies) can be so much fun. Did you know that the Bible talks about dogs? There is a lesson we can learn from the Bible’s mention of dogs.
Dogs are not like people. They don’t have eternal souls. So although we can love our dogs and they can feel like part of our family, we should not value them like people. The Bible says that a righteous man regards the life of his beast (or pet)–so it pleases God for us to be kind to our animals. But it would be wrong for parents to love their dog as much as their children. Dogs are unworthy of that. Jesus used this truth to teach us something important.
One day while Jesus was traveling, a woman chased after him crying and calling to him, “Have mercy on me!” She had a daughter that she loved very much who had been tormented by a devil. She pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter. At first Jesus ignored her. But she kept crying after Him. Jesus’ disciples were irritated by her and asked the Lord to tell her to go away. But Jesus answered her, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The children of Israel were God’s chosen people. They were to be His sheep and He was their Shepherd. But this woman was an outsider. She fell at Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him crying, “Lord, help me!” Jesus looked on her and said “It’s not meet [right] to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.”
At first this poor woman may have thought that Jesus was pushing her away because she wasn’t one of the children of Israel. She wasn’t one of the sheep. Jesus was calling her a dog. But the woman knew that Jesus loved sinners. She knew that He was kind and gentle to all who would come to Him. She believed Him when He said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out!” She remembered that those who come to Christ must believe that He rewards those who call upon Him and she knew it would dishonor Him to doubt his mercy. So she continued seeking, bowed, and said “Truth Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” She agreed with Jesus that she was as unworthy as a dog, but she used the example of the dog to tell Jesus that He was her master and that she believed in His power and goodness so much that just a crumb from His table would satisfy her. Jesus smiled at her faith. He said she could have what she asked for, and her daughter was healed that very same hour. He had tested her to see if she understood and believed in His goodness in spite of her unworthiness. She believed!
We all need Jesus to save us. Like this woman, we must believe in Jesus. We must confess that we are unworthy to be called a child of God just like a dog. And then we must believe that Jesus loves sinners and saves those who are unworthy. Jesus loved us so much that He came to die in our place to take the penalty for our sins. His goodness and kindness are greater than all our unworthiness. His grace is greater than all our sin!
Mrs. Jan Kimbro | Grace FPC, Winston-Salem, NC