“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3: 28). “God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10 : 34). God is a God of everyone. Faith in God is beyond the boundaries of man. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him (Romans 10: 12). This is what continually prompts the Christian Church in its duty. The ability to have faith in itself is the grace of God is what the scriptures teach us. And so we cannot judge or measure somebody else’s faith. At the same time we should be able to recognize and appreciate others’ faith.
1. Acknowledge the Faith of Cyrus (Isaiah 44: 28- 45: 8)
Cyrus II is the son of Cambyses I. He reigned in Anshan in BC 559. He established an elaborate Persian kingdom. His reign was from BC 559- 530. It is opined that he was a believer in Zoroastrianism (a Parsi religion). This King holds an important place in the prophecies of the Bible (Isaiah 41: 25, 44: 28, 45: 1- 13) and in history (2 Chronicles 36: 22, Ezra 1: 1, Daniel 1:21 ; 10: 1). Cyrus who conquered Media and Lydia went on to conquer Babylon in BC 539. Following this Judea for around two centuries continued to be a province of Persia. He showed mercy to the Jews in his province and gave them the permission to build a temple in their own land. Isaiah called Cyrus God’s ‘anointed’ or Messiah and God’s ‘shepherd’ (Isaiah 45: 1; 44: 28). He not only send forth a declaration for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple but also rendered the needed help for the progress of the work (Ezra 3:7). He also returned the articles belonging to the temple of God ( Ezra 1: 7,8). King Cyrus is portrayed as a good king in the book of Daniel also( Daniel 1: 21, 6: 28, 10:1). God’s ways are mysterious. King Cyrus is a proof that God will use any man for his majestic reestablishment and redemption.
2. Acknowledge the faith of the Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15: 21 – 28)
In Matthew 15: 21- 28 we see the incident of the Canaanite woman who approaches Jesus in the hope of getting her daughter healed. We see Jesus appreciating her faith saying, ‘you have great faith’. Canaan is the fourth son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. Noah cursed Canaan (Genesis 9: 18, 22 -27). The borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha (Genesis 10: 19, 12: 5, 13: 12 Numbers 13: 17- 21, 34: 1,2). Jews normally considered the Canaanites as outcastes and cursed. The 11 tribes who are settled in Phoenicia especially in Syria and Palestine are the descendants of Canaan (Genesis 10: 11 -19). It is from this region that a woman comes to Jesus for the healing of her daughter. In Mark 7: 24 -30 it is designated that this woman is a Greek. Phoenicians called themselves as Canaanites. During Jesus’ ministry, Phoenicia of which Tyre and Sidon was part of, belonged to the Roman province of Syria. Therefore the people here were known as Syria- Phoenician. Jesus acknowledged the faith of this Greek woman. Without any judgements we should also be able to acknowledge the faith of people who are part of other religions.
3. Acknowledge the faith of Cornelius (Acts 10 : 24- 33)
Cornelius was a centurion in Caesarea. He was devout and God-fearing and he gave generously for those in need and prayed to God regularly. God accepted this spirituality of Cornelius. Through a vision God advised him to call Peter and to hear the gospel from him. When Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit descended on Cornelius. Thus without the opposition of the people Peter baptized him. Cornelius’ repentance holds prominence due to the fact that he was the first Gentile to have put his faith in the gospel of God’s grace and was attracted to the church of God. Following this a Church in itself was formed of the Gentiles.Peter later again describes at the Jerusalem Church Council the activities that was done in this place (Acts 15: 7- 11).
Translation : Neena Kishor, Ph.D Scholar, Department of English, University of Kerala