Frequently Asked Questions // Isa Al-Masih // Why Did Jesus Compare A Woman With A Dog?Why Did Jesus Compare A Woman With A Dog?
Have you ever accused Isa Al-Masih of being prejudiced against Gentiles and pagans? Didn’t Jesus once call non-Jews “dogs?” I have had Muslims tell me that Isa only came for Jews, or Israel. He was unconcerned about other people.
Bible Passages and Apparent Prejudice
In one account, a Canaanite (pagan) woman asked Jesus to help her. “‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.’ … He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’ The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Injil, Matthew 15:22-28).
When Isa Al-Masih called the woman a dog, He was probably referring to pet dogs, lap dogs. Higher-class Greeks sometimes raised dogs as pets and did not see them as troublesome, unclean pests.
Was Jesus Testing the Woman’s Faith?
Jesus often tested the faith of those who asked Him to do miracles. Isa actually told the woman that her faith was greater than the faith of all the Jews in Israel. What seemed like prejudice at first ended with praise!
Isa Al-Masih loved all people. At this point in His ministry He was focused on reaching Israel. He knew that He had only a short time before he would be crucified. Isa’s priority was to make sure the people of Israel heard the Gospel message before He returned to heaven.
The Above Passage Shows That Jesus Loves All Races
In reality, though, this passage and others show that Jesus was not prejudiced against non-Jews. Isa Al-Masih healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter. Another passage that shows Isa’s love for everyone is His encounter with the Samaritan woman.
In John 4:1-26, Isa Al-Masih was traveling and stopped at a well to rest. A woman came to get water. He talked to her. The fact that Isa, a man, would talk to a woman, was a big deal. An even bigger deal was that she was a Samaritan woman and He was a Jew. The Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Typically Jews took a long by-pass of many miles on their way to Judea in order to avoid Samaria and the Samaritans.
Isa Al-Masih and His disciples purposely walked through the area. Then Isa talked to one of its inhabitants! And more over to an adulteress! He wanted to interact with whomever came his way and tell them the Good News. Isa could do this because He had no prejudice in His heart.
Does the Muslim Quran Teach Prejudice?
The Quran, on the other hand, states that God does not like anyone except Muslims. In Qs. 2:121 all non-Muslims are called “losers.” Qs. 5:60 says, “Those whom God has condemned (Christians and Jews), afflicted with His anger, made apes out of them, swine and worshippers of Satan, will have the worst dwelling and will wander far away from the right path."
This is very different from what the Bible teaches. God loves all people! While those who don’t believe in God are separated from Him, it is not because God doesn’t like them or has cursed them. It is because those people have chosen not to follow God.
So How Does Isa Feel About Humanity?
Isa Al-Masih loves all people, no matter what race they are. Isa came for everyone. Isa Al-Masih wants all people to hear the good news. He wants all to receive eternal life. This is why He said, “. . . go and make disciples of all nations [all ethnic groups]” (Mt. 28:19). He also said, “. . . God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son [Kalimah Allah], that whoever [from whatever ethnic group] believes in Him [Kalimah Allah] shall not perish but have eternal life” (Injil, John 3:16).
Clearly, because of His love, Isa Al-Masih came to earth to become the sacrifice for the sins of every ethnic group in the world. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Injil, Romans 5:8).
[We invite you to visit us at http://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa Al-Masih said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)]
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idionline.info.The Quran firms up the truthfulness of the Torah, the Psalms, the Injil, and the Quran. As such, Muslims are bound to believe in the Holy Scriptures as of old, and not the man-made Gospels.
Only John 1:1 recites the First Fundamental of Christianity "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Surprisingly enough, the 3rd part of this, "the Word was God," is different in the Greek, which recites as 'the god was the Word" and too with small 'g' as against CAPITAL 'G' of God in John 1:1. Why this change?
The Quran has discarded these man-made Gospels but not the Original Gospel (Injil) which is not in you peoples hands.
In view of a Muslim's above belief in man-made Gospels there is no need to comment on "Why did Jesus compare a Woman with a Dog?" If Christians see the status of women in their society, they can themselves witness that women are considered even below a dog, to quench the sexual urge of (Christian) men.
This western culture wants to spread all over the world just to defuse the Islamic Culture that has sheltered the dignity, fidelity, and integrity of women. That is why the women of the West are embracing Islam so rapidly.
Binibrahim,
We can only allow a person to make one comment at a time. Please refer to the guidelines above your comment.
The Injil has not been changed as many Muslims believe. We have manuscripts that date back to the 4th century, just a few years after the Injil was written.
All of the manuscripts are the same and the Bible is translated from these. While there are some differences in translations of the Bible, they are very minor. The differences are because different scholars disagree about what word is best to convey the message in the original Greek and Hebrew languages.
In response to your comment about women, the views you say are "Christian" are not "Christian," but "Western." You cannot equate the west with "Christian."
The Bible teaches that women are to be respected, loved, and cherished. Ephesians 5:25-28 tells husbands, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ...husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."
Jesus also modeled the way that women should be treated when he spoke to the Samaritan woman, which you can see in the above article.
BinIbrahim,
I think what you wrote is the other way around. A woman in Christianity is treated as a human being in all aspects of life, unlike in Islam where a man can marry as many as he can, in prayer women are behind curtain, underage girls are forced to marry, etc.
Always analyze issues well before you comment. Don't just base your beliefs on what you are told by biased minds.
Thank you
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