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Today we look at a fascinating pair of stories. The first has to do with the boundary between purity and defilement. The second works out what honoring that boundary looks like in practice. What results is the reworking of what boundaries are and why that matters. Let’s begin!

  • What are the key boundaries you observe as you live your day-to-day life? When have you had to confront/challenge/remove a boundary?

  • What do you think faith is for the Canaanite woman? How is this faith expressed? How does Jesus respond to her faith? What makes her faith great in Jesus’ eyes?

  • Is the picture of Jesus we get in this story one that’s familiar to you? How? How not? Why does Jesus treat this woman the way he does in the beginning? What is Jesus’ ultimate judgment concerning the boundary existing between him and the Canaanite woman?

Next Step: How do you treat those who make requests of you—or even demands on you? Does it depend on who’s doing the requesting or what the request is? How available are we to the needs of others? What can be learned from this story that you can put to practice?

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