Book of Common Prayer

Paul’s appeal to his children

¹² Become like me!—because I became like you, my dear family. This is my plea to you. You didn’t wrong me: ¹³ no, you know that it was through bodily weakness that I announced the gospel to you in the first place. ¹⁴ You didn’t despise or scorn me, even though my condition was quite a test for you, but you welcomed me as if I were God’s angel, as if I were the Messiah, Jesus! ¹⁵ What’s happened to the blessing you had then? Yes, I can testify that you would have torn out your eyes, if you’d been able to, and given them to me. ¹⁶ So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁷ The other lot are eager for you, but it’s not in a good cause. They want to shut you out, so that you will then be eager for them. ¹⁸ Well, it’s always good to be eager in a good cause, and not only when I’m there with you. ¹⁹ My children—I seem to be in labor with you all over again, until the Messiah is fully formed in you! ²⁰ I wish I were there with you right now, and could change my tone of voice. I really am at a loss about you.

The Canaanite woman

²¹ Jesus left that place and went off to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from those parts came out and shouted, “Have pity on me, Lord, son of David! My daughter is demon-possessed! She’s in a bad way!” ²³ Jesus, however, said nothing at all to her.

His disciples came up.

“Please send her away,” they asked. “She’s shouting after us.”

²⁴ “I was only sent,” replied Jesus, “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman, however, came and threw herself down at his feet.

“Master,” she said, “please help me!”

²⁶ “It isn’t right,” replied Jesus, “to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “I know, Master,” she said. “But even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ “You’ve got great faith, haven’t you, my friend!” replied Jesus. “All right; let it be as you wish.”

And her daughter was healed from that moment.