Jesus came to earth for a specific reason. He came as a Jew through God's people the Jewish nation. In Matthew 15:24-28 we see the encounter between Jesus and a woman of Canaan. She came and asked Jesus for the healing of her daughter. Jesus' answer to her request was: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel". In verse 25 we see that she "worshipped" Jesus. Jesus again answered "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs".

To understand what Jesus said here we have to know that "dogs" is a symbol of Nations.

It is clear by the woman's answer that she was well aware of this fact and that she knew "her place" in society. "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table".

Where we at first see that Jesus was not moved by the need of the woman, we see now that He is moved by the faith she displayed by her actions. He granted her the desire of her heart. "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire". Off cause this woman's daughter was healed from "that very hour".

Again let us look at verse 28. The healing took place at "that very hour". What hour is the Scripture referring to? The hour when this woman displayed her faith in Jesus.

There is a great lesson in this for us who are in Ministry. To be excellent in Ministry, as leaders we have to follow Jesus' Ministry. The way He ministered to people and the way He met the needs of those who came to Him.

As today, it was in the time of Jesus. There are many people with many needs. Jesus Himself said: "For you have the poor with you always" (Matthew 26:11). We have to lean on the leading of the Holy Spirit. The needs of the people are increasing. We see this by the e-mails we receive with requests for help to all the different Ministries and individuals. But we (you and us) can not react without the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we all as Ministers of the Gospel have to learn to do what Jesus did. Jesus practiced excellence in His Ministry.

Jesus entered into a conversation with this woman. In verse 24 He clearly stated His purpose for being on earth and being in the Ministry which His Father ordained Him to do. By obedience and excellence He did only what His Father told Him to do. Therefore we as ministers of the Gospel ordained by God (1 Timothy 2:7) must know our purpose as Jesus clearly knew His. If we know our purpose in live we will not be moved by each and any person that comes along. With purpose in live we will start to conduct ourselves with excellence.

The enemy also uses people to distract us and get us "off course". Jesus did not allow that to happen with Him. It could have if He reacted to every need He saw along the way. Needs are every where. But Jesus kept His eyes on His purpose.

What happened next was that Jesus continued His conversation with this woman in verse 26. He established her "level" of faith. Jesus is God. He knew before hand that He only had to speak one word and this woman's daughter would be healed. Jesus knew that He was well able to meet all the needs of all the people at once. He is still well able to do that and much more today. But He did not meet this woman's need before she displayed her faith. And that moved Jesus and He said: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire".

Even though this woman was not a "lost sheep of the house of Israel", Jesus gave her, her desire because of her faith which she displayed before Jesus and every one present.

Jesus was not moved by her need

Jesus was moved by her faith.

To be excellent in our Ministries as leaders where God has placed us on this earth to do His purpose (His will), we have to do what Jesus did. We have to know our purpose for what Jesus called us to do as a person. As a leader of a Ministry or a Church, we have to live and work to fulfill the purpose which God has placed in us. That was what Jesus did. We have to be moved by faith and not by needs. It is very difficult to "see faith" through the internet. Bethesda International Ministries is an internet Ministry and we have to wait on God and seek His will in prayer.

God showed us that the internet became a "tool" in His Hands and yes the enemy is also using the same "tool", but that is the reason why we as Spirit Filled leaders of God's body - the Church - have to stay at His feet and lean only on the Holy Spirit for His leading. We have to do what Jesus did. To be excellent we have to. He did only the Will of His Father and we have to do only the Will of the Father too.

Jesus met the need of this woman even though she was not part of His purpose only because He saw her faith. May God found us busy doing what God called us to do by His purpose and being moved the same way as Jesus was, by the faith we see in God's precious people.

Again we find Jesus in John 4. We clearly see that Jesus "needed to go through Samaria". Why is this such a significant statement?

Let us back up to Matthew 10:5-6. Jesus sent the twelve disciples to go out to go and fulfill their purpose. He called them to be disciples and their purpose was to take the gospel to "lost sheep of the house of Israel". In other words the same purpose as Jesus had. They had to do what Jesus did.

In Matthew 10:5 we see that Jesus gave them instruction not to "go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans". Cleary Jesus' purpose and Ministry was for the Jews (lost sheep of the house of Israel) and not the Gentiles. He gave instruction to the disciples "not enter a city of the Samaritans".

But in John 4 we read that Jesus "needed to go through Samaria". Did Jesus have double standards? We miss interpreted the Word of God if we think that Jesus did that because there was no other way or that He had double standards. Most defiantly Jesus knew His way around that part of Israel where He lived and ministered. No Jesus "needed to go" that way that day as He was led by the Holy Spirit. There was a need to be met by someone who would display her faith.

Again Jesus met a woman - a Gentile. A woman of Samaria. A place of which Jesus previously (Matthew 10) instructed His disciples "not to go". But by the Holy Spirit Jesus perceived that there would be a need to be met even though it was not His purpose to go to the Gentiles.

As from verse 7 Jesus entered into a conversation with this woman to establish her "level of faith". In verse 19 she "perceived" that Jesus was a "prophet". Her "level of faith" increased. Their conversation continued and in verse 25 the woman displayed her faith in the Messiah whom she knew would come.

A very dramatic thing happened in verse 28. The woman left without her waterpot. Can you imagine? Her whole purpose that day was to fetch water in her waterpot and take it home. What happened to this woman? It seems like she lost it. She forgot her purpose of being at the well.

But did she really lose it? No!! She found the true purpose as she found Jesus. Didn't Jesus said in verse 10 "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water"? She found the living water and had no need of her waterpot that day.

Jesus again was moved by this woman's faith and not her need. He "needed to go through Samaria" to meet the need of this woman after He was moved by her faith.

In verse 39 we see the real purpose of this woman's live. She had to take the message of Jesus to her people, the Samarians and "many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified".

We see here when Jesus was moved by the faith of this woman many believed in Jesus because of this woman's testimony. If Jesus was moved only by this woman's need, only this woman's need would have been met. The same will happen when we allow the needs of people to move us. We will meet the needs of individuals but there will be no testimony to go out and draw the people to Jesus. Only when we are moved by faith and do what Jesus did, multitudes will come to Jesus.

Let us therefore lean on the Holy Spirit and move when He moves. Let us spend time with God and His Word in order for us to hear His voice to minister the way Jesus did. Some time ago the popular saying was: "What would Jesus do?" It is not a bad question to ask yourself from time to time.

You need to ask yourself the following question. Am I moved by a need? How do I re-act to a need? What do I do when I see needs around me? Now according to the answers that you gave do you think that your reactions were driven by the need or by faith of the person in need. Did you do what Jesus did? Considering the word that came to you today do you think that you will act differently now?