Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-17
In The Religious World;
tREvlEw OF SUNDAY SCHOOL LEssoN)

or the house or Israel. One day ne
was met by Greek woman, dwell
er in this heather fringe OF the holy
land. She was gentle and q pa
orthodox Jews the appellation OF
dog" But she had deep human
grief which took no account OF her
nationality or religion. The elemental
human qualities run through all
colors, races and creeds. AS Shakes
peare makes Shylock says:
Hath not Jew eyes? hath not a
Jew hands, organs. dimensions,
senses, affections. passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same
weapons, subject to the same dis.
eases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same win
ter and summer as Christian is"
This woman's daughter was in the
clutch Of an evil spirit The pre-.
dominant fact in the family life was
the illness of the child. The su.
preme ambition Of mother and
daughter was health for the afflicted
one. So, brushing away all barriers
that separated the gentle from the
orthodox Jew, she fell at the feet OF
Jesus and entreated him, with a
pdTOAybI VI uLSSLCy SuSh 90 Ouiy
they who have encountered an ORR
entail beggar, or one asking for
mercy, can understand. 1t Is very
real and human picture which the
historian records here4a mother plead
ing for her child. Her great need had
givn her great daring.
A Woman's Quick wiz.
Let us not get into difficulties
over this passage. The answer OF
Jesus to the woman had been. Let
the children first be filled: for It 10 not
meet to take the children's bread and
to cast it to the dogs" That word
dog" sounds harsh to u.s. We know
that to this day Jew and Moslem speak
of christian dogs" The woman was
no unused to this speech of the time.
She expected 1t, as the tolerant and
cultivated Chinese take the word, "hea-
then" from the unthinking lips OF q
Christian.
The quack witted woman saw that
Jesus was only testing her, and that
he spoke with tenderness and con.
sideration that took all the sting out
OF the conventional word. for instead
of calling her by the simple, rough
word dog" which would have meant
the psriahs Of the street, Jesus used
the diminutive, which meant pet
house-dog." 1t was very much as when
a father said to his little boys. wrest.
ling about the floor in exhuberance of
animal spirits, "You puppy dogs"
There was no sting nor offense in the
phrase. With woman's keen intui-
ton, the Syro-P hoenican suppliant saw
her opportunity and instantly rejoined,
taking advantage of the figure OF the
house-dog, Yea, Lord. even the dogs
under the table eat Of the children's
crumbs
There was no resisting such hui.
mility and persisting faith. The
daughter was cleansed straightway.
Thus began the foreign mission en-
terprise, at least in its medical aspect.
The Soldiers Confidence.
The second incident included In
this lesson Is laid back In Capernaum,
the home city of Jesus, and for those
who are fond of pursuing types, 1T
may represent Christian work for
foreigners in ones native land. This
time it was not a suppliant alien
woman who approached Jesus, but a
proud Roman commander, solicitous
for a servant stricken with the palsy
This man warns our heart. He Is
of the type to whom "noblesse
oblige' was vital principle. He
humbled himself for his servants
sake: the welfare OF his dependents
was fundamental concern OF his
life. If all employers were like this
Roman centurion, there would be
scant need to write about an indus
trial problem. AS we contemplate
this incident, we may study, each for
himself, this portrait of a perfect
gentleman, with all the qualities that
appertain thereto.
As One Born to Command.
The sudden delight of discovering
noble qualities where they were not
expected was given to Jesus. His
own royal heart must have leaped
as he saw this proud Roman bending
knee in behalf Of a slave. AS