Matthew 15

Matthew 15:1-15

Chapter 6 he taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 15:12). Now he teaches us that our sins are debts cancelled and forgiven by God, and that as we have been forgiven, even so we ought to forgive one another. Christ’s Purpose Our Lord’s purpose in giving this great parable is obvious. Here our all-merciful Savior shows us that we are to forgive one another of all evil done against us, just as our God has forgiven us for Christ’s sake (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1). What a vast, immeasurable debt sin is! Our Lord compares it to “ten thousand talents,” using a definite number to represent a debt that is indefinite and incalculable. He is telling us that the offences of men against us are nothing, compared to our offences against our God. As God’s forgiveness is free and without limit, so we ought to forgive one another freely and without limit. As Benjamin Keach wrote… “O what have sinners done, and in what a poor, miserable, and wretched state are all men naturally? Owing so much, and not having one farthing to pay. What is any debt owing to us, compared to this?” The example our Savior gives, by which he motivates such brotherly kindness, as in all things spiritual, is himself, and the grace of God that is ours in him. The God of all grace freely forgives all who seek his mercy in Christ. If the love, grace, and mercy of God to us is so infinite and boundless, how utterly unthinkable it is for forgiven sinners not to forgive one another! “It was,” as Don Doezema states, “to underscore that all-important principle of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant.” All Debtors The “certain king” in this parable represents the Lord God. We are all debtors to him. There are certain, moral obligations due to God from all his creatures. We are all debtors to the Almighty. Creatures owe a debt of obedience to their Creator. All that God required of Adam in the Garden was obedience. Certainly, the Creator deserves that much! God is our Creator, our Preserver, our Provider, our Benefactor. “It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” He is “the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” Every breath of our nostrils is the gift of God. We live upon his bounty. All of us owe our lives to him. As our Creator and Benefactor, God demands two things from us. His law is not extreme. His demands are not unreasonable.

They are perfectly righteous demands (Matthew 22:37-39). (1.) “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Exodus 20:3-11). (2.) “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Exodus 20:12-17). In a word, we all owe the Lord God a life of perfect righteousness, a life of perfect obedience. He requires it. Failure to render such a life unto him is the incurrence of a very great debt. Not only have we failed to obey him, we have further indebted ourselves by sin, by the willful transgression of his law. What a debt sin is! It is compared in Matthew 15:24 to “ten thousand talents.” That is millions of dollars in modern currency! And the debt increases every day. It is a debt of infinite proportion, beyond calculation, a debt that will go on swelling as long as we live, unless it can be removed from us by some power greater than our own. Sin is a debt with tremendous consequences. It is written, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). The consequence of sin is death: legal death (Romans 5:12), spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1-4), physical death (Hebrews 9:27), and the second, everlasting death in hell (Revelation 20:6; Revelation 20:13-15). Truly, saved sinners, those who have been pardoned and forgiven of all their sins by the grace of God through the blood of Christ are debtors who owe a mighty, deep debt of gratitude and love to God. There is nothing in this passage about this debt; but I cannot fail to remind you, and my own heart, of it. Let us never forget it. Let us ever be keenly aware of it (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Romans 12:1-2). “When I stand before the throne, Dressed in beauty not my own When I see thee as thou art, Love Thee with unsinning heart, Then, Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe.” Sin is that which makes us debtors to God. These days debt is not so shameful and embarrassing as it once was. Most people today seem to think, “The more I owe, the more I own,” ignoring the word of wisdom, which declares, “the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Still, debtors and sinners have much in common with one another. Debtors are very likely to get more deeply into debt. One of the terrible facts about sin is that it breeds so quickly and profusely. You can never say to sin, “Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further.” Sin, like a great debt, causes uneasiness in people when they are aware of it. If a man has a spark of honesty about him, he cannot rest when he knows he has debts he cannot pay. Even so, a sinner awakened by the grace of God to see his debt to God begins to be greatly disturbed and troubled by sin. He cannot find rest for his soul because he cannot pay his debt.

Debtors and sinners alike shun their creditors. When a man is in debt and has nothing to pay, he tries to hide from his creditors. So men and women in debt to God try to hide from him, just as Adam and Eve, after the fall, made fig leaf aprons to cover themselves and tried to hide from God in the Garden. And sinners, like debtors in earlier times, are in very great danger. The law of the land these days says, “You do not have to pay anyone you owe, unless you want to. Instead of paying your bills, if you like, you can file bankruptcy.” It was not always that way; and it shall never be that way with regard to our sin debt.

God demands that the debt be paid (Matthew 5:25-26). We are all debtors to God; but some have greater debts than others. This thought must not be pressed beyond what is revealed. Yet, it is clearly represented in this parable. Here is one man who owed “ten thousand talents” (millions of dollars), and another owed “an hundred pence” (about 15 dollars). The indication is obvious. We have all sinned; but we have not all sinned alike, or to the same degree.

Therefore, we are not all debtors to the same extent. Some sins are greater than others; and the consequences, both in this world and in the world too come, are greater (John 19:11; Matthew 11:20-24). Every sin is an infinite, immeasurable evil, deserving of eternal ruin. Any sin will destroy the soul forever. Yet, there are some sins that have a special venom in them, a special vileness of offence to God. The Scriptures clearly teach that there are degrees of punishment in hell.

Punishment is always in exact proportion to the crime committed. But the Word of God does not teach degrees of reward in heaven. Heavenly glory is the inheritance of grace. Sinners go to hell by their own merit and are rewarded according to his wages. But do not imagine that God measures sin by man’s yardstick. It may surprise you to read the Book of God and discover who God says are in the greater condemnation. Those who are placed in positions of greater trust and influence, but neglect or abuse it shall suffer greater condemnation (James 3:1). Those who have been given greater light, but refuse to walk in that light shall suffer greater wrath (John 15:22; John 15:24). Those who hear, but refuse to believe the gospel of Christ shall have the greater punishment (1 John 5:10). Unbelief, the willful rejection of God’s mercy and grace in Christ, is the most glaringly hideous evil in the world. It is written, “He that believeth shall not be damned.” “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Unbelief is man’s highest crime against God. Unbelief says that God is a liar! Unbelief is man’s stubborn denial of his own sin and his obstinate claim of personal righteousness. Unbelief is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Unbelief is despising the grace of God. Unbelief says that Christ accomplished nothing.

By unbelief, sinful men and women, ever clinging to their fig-leaf righteousness, attempt to justify themselves, hide from God, and refuse to submit to (trust) Christ, the sinners’ Substitute, for righteousness (Romans 9:31 to Romans 10:13). C. H. Spurgeon wrote of unbelief, “That is the sin which, above all others, drops the black wax upon (your) death warrant, and sets the seal of divine wrath there.” Not even the sins of Sodom can be compared to the sin of unbelief (Matthew 11:23-24). Do you see what debtors we are to God? We are sinners.

And our sin involves us in a very great debt. Payment Demanded “But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made” (Matthew 15:25). The sin debt must be paid. Some disposition must be made of our debt. We may try to ignore it; but God will not. We may deny that our debt exists; but the debt still stands. And it must be paid. God is just. Our obligations to him must be met, or we must suffer the consequences forever in hell. God will deliver the debtor to the prison to suffer at the hands of his tormentors forever in hell. Our sin debt must be paid (Rom. 6:25; Ezekiel 18:20). Nothing to Pay But, like the man in the parable, we have no ability to pay our debt. – “He had not to pay.” We must see this. No one will ever seek forgiveness until he realizes that he has nothing to pay. We are all insolvent debtors. Repentance can never satisfy our debt. Good works cannot erase our debt. Not even the sufferings of hell can satisfy the infinite justice of God.

The sufferings of the damned in hell are everlasting torments, because the sufferings of finite creatures can never satisfy the demands of infinite justice. God demands perfect righteousness; but we have none (Isaiah 64:6). He demands complete satisfaction, atonement for sin; but we cannot give it. Silver and gold cannot ransom our souls (Psalms 49:6-8). Sacrifice and offering cannot purge away sin (Psalms 40:6; Hebrews 10:1-3). We are all bankrupt debtors before God.

The sooner we realize it, the better. We have “not to pay” ¾ Nothing with which to pay our debt. Our Great Surety If the sin debt must be paid and the sinner has nothing with which to pay, then someone else must pay it for him. The only way the sinner’s debt can be paid is by an infinitely great, blessed, and all-sufficient Surety. That Surety is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Hebrews 7:22). Nothing but the blood of Christ can satisfy the justice of God and cancel our debt. There is no other way for our sin debt to be liquidated. Among the many descriptions used in Holy Scripture to describe our Savior’s glorious person and redemptive work, none can be more instructive, consoling, and assuring than the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Surety, the Surety of the everlasting covenant. As Judah became surety for Benjamin (Genesis 43:8-9), the Lord Jesus Christ became Surety for God’s elect in the covenant of grace. That is to say, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, willingly, voluntarily assumed the total responsibility of our souls before his Father, making himself honor bound to save us! A surety is one who makes himself liable and responsible for the debts of another, for debts that he himself did not make. Someone else made the debts. The surety pays them. And the one who made them goes free. The only possible way for sinners to be saved and God’s law be honored, the only way God could ever save us and still be consistent with his justice and truth, is through a Surety. Unless there is someone able and willing to pay our debt, we are all absolutely without hope, doomed forever! But, blessed be God, there is such a Surety! The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Surety, has fully paid the sin debt for his people. In one of his sermons, C. H. Spurgeon told a story that illustrates this beautifully. — A young man in the army of Nicholas the Great was addicted to gambling. He had gambled so much that he had lost everything he owned and had accumulated a very great debt, which he could not pay. He had come from a good family. But he brought shame upon his family’s name by his deeds.

At last, he reached the end of his rope. Completely hopeless, he sat at a table and added up his debts. When the overwhelming sum was known, he wrote these desperate words across the bottom of the page, “Who is able to pay all this?” Exhausted and hopeless, he fell asleep at the table where he sat. As he slept, the Emperor walked through the barracks. When he saw the paper on the table, the great debt, and the question, “Who is able to pay all this?” he leaned over and wrote one word — “Nicholas!” Even so, when I saw my debt, I cried, “Who can pay my debt? Who can atone for my sin?” And I heard these words echo through my soul - “Jesus paid it all! All the debt I owed! Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!” The Son of God disposed of the sin debt owed by his people, paying it off completely, by the sacrifice of himself (Galatians 3:13). Complete atonement Christ has made And to the very last penny paid All that His people owed! Since Jesus my discharge procured And freely in my room endued The whole of wrath divine, Payment God cannot twice demand, First at my bleeding Surety’s hand, And then again at mine. If we would obtain forgiveness for our sin, we must sue for mercy (Matthew 15:26). There is a time coming when the King of heaven shall “take account” of all men. God must reckon with us regarding our debt, either by his grace through the gospel, or in his wrath on the day of judgment. Blessed are those sinners whom God calls to account now by his grace and compels to sue for mercy. God Ready to Forgive The God of all grace, against whom we have sinned, is ready, very ready, because of his infinite, free love, mercy, and grace, to forgive the sins and cancel the debts of all who call upon him, because he “delighteth in mercy” (Matthew 15:27). “The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord” (Isaiah 38:20). Blessed be his name, the God of all grace is “a God ready to pardon” (Nehemiah 9:17). In this parable, it looks as though the king is moved with compassion and forgives the debt in response to the debtor’s plea. That is how forgiveness is first viewed by us. But, in reality, the sinner’s suit for mercy is the result of God’s mercy, love, and grace. But I do like the way Matthew 15:27 reads. — “Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.” What a picture that is of our God! Substitution Though this wicked servant was just that, a wicked servant, he was the representative of all the kings servants. His debt, being cancelled, all their debts were cancelled. That is a great picture of Christ our Substitute. Yet, this man was forgiven of all his debt. As this one servant represented all, so our Lord Jesus Christ is the Representative of all God’s elect. As the representative of all in the kingdom, this man had incurred a great, immeasurable debt.

So our Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for us. He incurred all our debt before God, a debt that would have sunk us forever into hell! Yet, just as all the king’s servants were forgiven when that one servant was forgiven, so when Christ was “justified in the Spirit,” released from all the debt he incurred as our Substitute, all God’s elect were justified in him and forgiven of all things forever! Once the man was loosed from all obligation and responsibility and forgiven his debt, it could never be recalled. His cruelty to his fellow-servant made him liable for another offence, but the debt forgiven could not be unforgiven. Here is the superiority of our blessed Savior and the forgiveness of our sins by his great sacrifice. Our God has forgiven all our sins, all our debt, (past, present, and future), by the precious blood of Christ. The parable certainly is not intended to teach us that our everlasting salvation depends upon our forgiveness of those who offend us. The Scriptures universally declare that God’s forgiveness of our sins is free, eternal, and irreversible. The teaching of our Lord in this parable is that men and women who are hard hearted, merciless, and unforgiving have never known God’s forgiveness. Our Lord here tells us that as we hope for mercy, we ought to show mercy, as we have been forgiven, we ought to forgive one another. The consciousness of pardoned sin in Christ ought to make us gracious, kind, and forgiving. In a word, grace experienced makes saved sinners gracious. Christ in us is manifest to our brethren when we imitate the goodness and love of God that is ours in him (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1). The intent of our Lord Jesus in this parable is set forth beautifully in Robert Hawker’s comments regarding it. May God be pleased to give you and me such grace that his words are echoed in our hearts. “Thanks to my dear Lord for this beautiful and instructive Parable, Yea, Lord! my debt was so great, in ten thousand talents as made me insolvent forever. In vain were it for me to say, Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all. Never to all eternity, could I have done it. Oh! then add a grace more to the merciful forgiveness of all; and incline my heart to be merciful, even as my Father which is in heaven is merciful! Precious Jesus! help me to imitate thee in all things!”Chapter 51 Marriage, Divorce, Eunuchs, and Children“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.” (Matthew 15:1-15) Marriage The matter of marriage, divorce, and remarriage was as hotly debated among religious people in our Lord’s day as it is today (Matthew 15:3-9). “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” The importance of our Lord’s words in these verses cannot be over stressed. The well-being of nations, the happiness of society, and welfare of the church greatly depends upon the strength of families. And family values, family strength, family wholeness depends upon a proper understanding of the teachings of God’s Word about marriage. In these verses our Lord teaches us that marriage is for life. The marriage union of a husband and wife is never to be dissolved, and cannot be lawfully dissolved, except upon the most serious grounds. In the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry, during the zenith of the Roman Empire, moral decadence was much the same as it is in western society today. Divorces were permitted and marriages were dissolved, even among the Jews, for the most frivolous and trifling reasons. The Pharisees did not simply ask, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?” They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” It is true, because of the hardness of men’s hearts, to prevent the abuse of and murder of women, Moses did permit men to divorce their wives, but not for “every reason” (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Yet, by long tradition and great laxity, that which Moses permitted was so commonly practiced, that marriage had become nothing more than a whimsical thing, regarded with utmost disdain. When men and women abandon God’s law and look contemptuously upon marriage, they produce a generation of children who are utterly without conscience (Malachi 2:14). The disciples comment in Matthew 15:10 (“If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.”) gives us some idea of just how bad things were. They as good as said, “If a man cannot get rid of his wife whenever he wants to, he would be better off not to marry at all!” Marriage is a relationship of greater importance and greater influence than any other earthly relationship. It was established by God in Paradise before sin entered into the world (Genesis 2:18-25). It was chosen to be typical of the relationship that exists between Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:25-33). Marriage is a relationship superior even to the relationship between parents and children (Ephesians 5:31). Marriage involves commitment, the loving devotion of a man and a woman to one another. It involves sacrifice and self-denial. It is giving, never taking. It is yielding, not demanding. It is unconditional, never qualified. Marriage involves a dissolution of other relationships, and a blessed isolation of a man and woman with one another. Our Lord here teaches us that this blessed relationship of marriage is a life-long union. Today, few people enter into a marriage with the determination that it is forever. Multitudes write out prenuptial agreements in anticipation of divorce. And many do not even bother with a wedding ceremony. They just shack up like wild animals until something more attractive comes along. “From the beginning it was not so…What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” All who violate God’s Word in this matter are guilty of adultery, and cause those who are recklessly abandoned and put away to do the same. Divorce This life-long marriage union can be dissolved lawfully, biblically, only for the most extreme reasons. In this passage our Lord cites fornication as the basis of divorce. As it is used here, the word “fornication” refers to sexual infidelity. The Master is not teaching that men and women ought to get a divorce if one or the other commits an act of infidelity. Indeed, we ought to forgive. But he is teaching that in such cases the marriage union may be permanently dissolved. The apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, also allows that abandonment dissolves the marriage union (1 Corinthians 7:15). In such cases, the person abandoned, or the one against whom the infidelity was committed, is perfectly free to marry again in the Lord (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Many of God’s saints have already experienced divorce and remarriage, some several times, before the Lord was pleased to save them by his grace? The question is sometimes raised, “How should we deal with them?” We are to deal with them as forgiven sinners, just like the rest of us! Like us, they are sinners saved by God’s free grace in Christ, born of God, washed in the blood of the Lamb, forgiven of all sin, free from all condemnation, and new creatures in Christ (Romans 8:1).[3] [3] 1 Timothy 3:2 has nothing to do with divorce and remarriage! There Paul is dealing with the issue of polygamy. Union with Christ The Scriptures clearly teach us that marriage was ordained of God to be an instructive and beautiful picture of the union of Christ and his church (Genesis 2:18-21; Ephesians 5:23-33). Moses, the law, permitted the union of a man and his wife to be dissolved by divorce because of adultery. He did so because of the hardness of men’s hearts. But, blessed be his name, God our Savior “hateth putting away” (Malachi 2:16). He has betrothed his elect to himself forever (Hosea 2:19-20). His word is, though “thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet return unto me saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:1).

Therefore, he recovers his adulterous wife by his free and sovereign grace. When he does, he causes the object of his love to willingly put away her lovers and return to him, saying, “I will return unto my first husband” (Psalms 65:4; Psalms 110:3; Hosea 2:6-7). Eunuchs In Matthew 15:10-12 our Savior gives us a word of instruction about eunuchs, or about the matter of celibacy. “His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” The word “eunuchs” here does not merely refer to an emasculated man. Nowhere does the word of God approve of physical disfigurement in the name of worship! As it is used here, the word refers to men who have no interest in marriage. Yet, it has nothing to do with effeminacy! Our Savior tells us that some are eunuchs by birth. Some (particularly those who were slaves) were forced to be eunuchs. Others choose to be eunuchs, to remain celibate, so that they may be freer to serve Christ’s interests in this world. Our Lord is not here teaching that celibacy is a more spiritual or more desirable state than marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-2; 1 Timothy 4:3). He is simply telling us that some men do not have the need to marry. And he is telling us that some men voluntarily forgo marriage that they may more freely serve Christ (1 Corinthians 7:32-33). Such men are not to be held in suspicion. Having said that, I must add, in this day of rampant homosexuality, it seems best (in my opinion) for any man who is not impotent to take a wife with whom he can serve Christ, particularly if he is a minister of the gospel. Children Our Savior uses children to exemplify his own humility and to teach us what humility is (Matthew 15:13-15). “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.” These little children were brought to the Lord Jesus, just as sick and diseased people were, that he might lay his hands upon them and pray for them. There is no more and no less in this incident than that. There is not a word about whose children they were. There is not a word about baptism, much less sprinkling! And there is not a word about the common practice these days of having a dedication service for babies. Very few passages in the New Testament have been so perversely twisted to teach false doctrine as these three verses. Papists and those who continue to practice Roman rituals commonly refer to these verses as a defense of sprinkling water on babies. If there were any place in the Bible where we might expect to find some mention or example of “infant sprinkling” this would be the place; but that is not the case. This practice of what is called “infant baptism” is totally without foundation in Holy Scripture. There is not so much as one word in the Bible that teaches, or even implies it. And there is not a single example of it in the entire Bible.

It is a practice purely of Roman Catholic origin. It is vainly hoped by those who practice infant sprinkling, that the baby sprinkled with a little water is thereby regenerated, or at least given one foot up toward God. The practice is, of course, totally contrary to the plainest declaration of Holy Scripture, both with regard to salvation and baptism. It is a complete contradiction of the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. Salvation does not come by water, be it much or little, but by grace. It is not the result of some man’s priestly pretense, but of God’s sovereign operation. Infant sprinkling is also totally contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture about baptism. Baptism is immersion, picturing the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and our death, burial, and resurrection with him (Romans 6:3-6). It is called “believer’s baptism” because only believers are to be baptized. Baptism is the believer’s symbolic confession of faith in Christ. “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.” — They brought these children to the Master that he might, as was his custom, heal them of their diseases by touching them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought these sick children to the Master. We are not told why the disciples’ rebuked them. They may have had what they thought were good reasons for doing so. In fact, that appears to have been the case, because the Lord Jesus did not, in any way scold them for their action. But this much is certain. — They did not bring the children to the Savior to be baptized by him. As John Gill observes… “From this rebuke and prohibition of the disciples, it looks plainly as if it had never been the practice of the Jews, nor of John the Baptist, nor of Christ and his disciples, to baptize infants. Had this been then in use, they would scarcely have forbidden and rebuked those that brought them, since they might have thought they brought them to be baptized. But knowing of no such usage that ever obtained in that nation, neither among those that did, or did not believe in Christ, they forbad them.” “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me.” — Our Lord Jesus was such a gracious, humble, accommodating man that he readily seized the opportunity to tenderly embrace young children, take them onto his lap, and minister to them. He was so gracious, gentle and kind that young children were perfectly comfortable in approaching him. “For of such is the kingdom of heaven”. — It is as if our Lord said, “Don’t drive these children away from me. Let them come, and I will teach you something. These children are a good picture of what I require all my children to be: trusting and dependent, harmless and inoffensive, free from bitterness and malice, meek, modest and humble, without pride, arrogance and ambition, having no desire for greatness, just children.” In a word, our Savior here tells us that there is no true faith, except that faith that is exemplified in childlike qualities. What a profound, needful, vital lesson that is! May God give us grace to receive it. — “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Infant Salvation I am compelled to give a word of comfort and instruction concerning infants. As I was preparing to write this chapter, I received a lengthy, sad letter from a dear friend. She and her husband married fairly late in life, just two or three years ago. They have been trying to have a child. You can imagine their elation when they learned that she was pregnant. Then, my dear friend miscarried. You can imagine their disappointment. She wrote to ask me three things. Was my unborn child a human being? At what point is an unborn child a living person? Is my child in heaven? You can imagine my elation as I wrote back and said, “Yes, your baby is one of Christ’s jewels, taken from your womb into his everlasting arms and into his glory. John Newton once said, “The majority of persons who are now in the kingdom of God are children.” I would not argue the point. When I think of all the multitudes of babies who have died in infancy, who are now swarming the streets of glory, I rejoice in God’s great wisdom and goodness. Though adults, generation after generation, die in rebellion and unbelief, countless multitudes of infant children have entered into the kingdom of heaven, saved by the grace of God, through the death of Christ, and forever sing the high praises of their great Redeemer and Friend before the eternal throne of his glory. — “Of such is the kingdom of heaven.” I have no hesitancy in asserting that infants dying in infancy (That includes the infants slaughtered in abortion, burned upon heathen altars, the infants of Papists, Mohammedans, and Buddhists.) enter the kingdom God. I am fully convinced that all of our race who die in infancy are the objects of God’s eternal love, are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and born again by God the Holy Spirit. Let others object, if they please. For my part, I am delighted with this. Everything I read in the Book of God convinces me of it. All who leave this world as babies are saved. How are they saved? How do they enter the kingdom? By works? By the exercise of their will? Of course not! They enter the kingdom by the mighty operations of God’s free grace. And if we enter the kingdom of God, that is exactly the way we will enter it. However it is that they receive the kingdom of heaven, that is the way we must receive it (Luke 18:17). How do such children receive the kingdom of heaven? In the same way we must receive it! Certain it is that children do not receive the kingdom by birth or blood, for we are expressly told in John’s gospel that the children of God are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh. No baby enters into heaven because it was born of godly parents, neither shall any be shut out because his parents are atheists, or idolaters, or ungodly. If saved, as I am convinced the Scriptures teach they are, infants must be saved simply according to the will and good pleasure of God, because he has made them his own by election, redemption, and regeneration. Notice this, too. These children were “brought unto him.” These young children were brought to Christ. The word means “brought and presented.” So sinners, if ever they enter into the kingdom of God, must be brought by God the Holy Spirit, brought by omnipotent, irresistible grace and power, and presented to Christ, presented to him as the reward of his soul’s travail. Thus, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” When we think of marriage, let our hearts be drawn to Christ, who has married himself to us, and has caused us to be married to him forever. When we think about eunuchs, may the thought of such inspire us not with curiosity, but with devotion to Christ. When we see a child, let us pray for grace to be as a child before Christ, our God and Savior.

Matthew 15:10-20

Chapter 37 True Religion — More Inward than Outward “And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” Matthew 15:10-20 In All aspects of worship, faith, and obedience to God, the most important thing is the attitude of our hearts. I do not suggest that outward obedience is insignificant. We must never become negligent in matters of worship and obedience to our God. Public worship, the ordinances of divine service, the reading of Holy Scripture, and prayer are matters of great importance, and must be meticulously observed in strict accordance with divine Revelation. However, if we observe all things outwardly, but fail to approach God with grace, and faith, and love to Christ, the most careful and strict observance of outward duties is an abomination to God (Isaiah 66:3; Proverbs 15:8; Proverbs 21:27). Offensive Doctrine Our Savior turned from the Pharisees and called the multitudes, saying, “Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man”(vv.10-11). The Pharisees, by their tradition, taught that spiritual cleansing came from observing religious traditions and ceremonies, such as ceremonially washing their hands before they ate in public. Those who did not observe their traditions were considered unclean and unholy. Our Lord Jesus had reproved them for their hypocrisy (Matthew 15:1-9). Here he declares plainly that we do not defile ourselves by what we eat. All that we are and do is defiled by the corruption of our depraved hearts. He was not speaking to the Pharisees, but to the multitude. Yet, knowing that the Pharisees were listening, hoping to catch a word or phrase they could use against him, he gave them exactly what they wanted. — “Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” They now had a direct quote from the Master’s own lips they could twist and use against him, to accuse him of teaching against the law. In a word, he threw the goats a can to chew on. But that which is to goats a sharp can, is sweet food for the Lord’s sheep. Sheep are not offended by having their inward depravity exposed. Sheep find in their depravity reason to look to Christ for mercy. Sheep are never offended by being told that their religious works are, at best, filthy rags. Knowing that to be true, they trust Christ alone for righteousness. But the Pharisees were (and still are) offended by the Master’s doctrine. — “Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:12). The disciples were far more concerned about offending lost religionist than the Lord Jesus was. It is obvious that our Lord deliberately offended the Pharisees. Let that be a lesson to us. We should never be fearful of offending those whose religion is an offense to our God. Spurgeon wrote, “They had come to him in a fawning manner, desiring to catch him in his speech: he was disgusted with their hypocrisy, and by this staggering statement he unmasked them, and they came out in their true colors. They could not further conceal their hate: henceforth they could not entrap the disciples by their professions of friendliness.” The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees, and told them plainly, that they transgressed the law of God, which they pretended to honor by their religious customs (Matthew 15:3), making the commandment of God “of none effect” (Matthew 15:6). He told them that they were nothing but hypocrites (Matthew 15:7). And he pointedly told them that Isaiah’s damning words were specifically intended to describe them (Matthew 15:8-9). Then, when the Savior publicly declared the depravity of their hearts (Matthew 15:9-10), that band of lost religious legalists was obviously offended and provoked to anger. The disciples were disturbed by that fact, but not the Master. Rather than retracting, or even qualifying his words, the Lord Jesus declared their condemnation even more forcefully. “Rooted Up” We read in Matthew 15:13-14, “But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” With those words, the Son of God declares that it is the duty of God’s servants to oppose every doctrine that sets itself in opposition to Christ. The destruction of heresy is a matter of certainty. God’s truth shall prevail (Matthew 16:18). All who teach that which is in opposition to Christ, his gospel, and his glory are to be forsaken by us! His standing command is, “Come out from among them!” Without question, these stern words may be applied to individuals, to all who profess faith in Christ and are numbered with his people in this world. If our religion is not wholly of God, if our faith is not a God given faith, if our salvation is not a God wrought salvation, it shall be rooted up! It will come to an end. And that end will be everlasting destruction! “No matter how fair the flower, if the Father hath not planted it, its doom is sealed: It shall not be pruned, but ‘rooted up.’” (C.H. Spurgeon). It will be rooted up by the trials of providence (Matthew 13:21), by the temptations of Satan (Matthew 13:22), and by the preaching of the truth (John 6:66). But, primarily, our Lord was talking about those who teach and preach another gospel. The disciples were shocked that the Lord had spoken bluntly to the Pharisees, and had offended them. But the Master shows us that he intended to offend them. He shows us that those who teach “for doctrines the commandments of men” are people to whom we are to show no mercy or kindness. It mattered nothing to him that they were planted in high office, if his Father had not planted them. It mattered nothing to him how highly esteemed they were in their own eyes or in the eyes of men. Those who are the enemies of the cross are the enemies of men’s souls (Philippians 3:18-19). And those who are the enemies of our God must be accounted by us as our enemies. God commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us; but we are not to love and pray for his enemies (2 Chronicles 19:2; Psalms 139:21-22). God’s servants must expose, denounce, and condemn them and their doctrine. God’s people must forsake them (Revelation 18:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1). The Master’s word is, “Let them alone.” If we submit ourselves and our families to the counsel of the ungodly and the doctrines of antichrist, our blood and the blood of our children, and of all who are influenced by us will be upon our own heads. It is never right to follow the blind into a ditch! God will overthrow that doctrine that opposes him, and those who preach it. Babylon must and shall fall: the sooner, the better (Revelation 18:1-2; Revelation 18:20). By Babylon, I mean the religion of this world, Arminian, freewill, works religion. The weapons of our warfare, by which we must oppose Babylon, are spiritual, not carnal. We fight the forces of evil in this world, as our Lord did here, not with the sword, or even the ballot box, but with the gospel (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Distinguishing Grace The Lord Jesus said, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” God’s elect are a people loved with an everlasting and unchangeable love, a people planted in Christ by sovereign, distinguishing grace. It is impossible for those who are thus planted by the Lord to fall from his grace and be rooted up. And everyone who is not planted in Christ is sure to be rooted up and fall into everlasting ruin. “Oh! the blessedness of distinguishing grace. Lord! sweetly give grace to the improvement of thy people, that we may know where we are, and to whom we belong. And avert from thy redeemed, false teachers and false guides: that we may not be in danger of being led by the blind, and both fall into condemnation.” (Robert Hawker) Source of Defilement Our Master teaches us that the source of all sin and defilement is the heart of man. — “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man” (Matthew 15:15-20). The Pharisees of old, like the religionists of our day, taught that holiness, righteousness, and godliness depended upon abstaining from certain meats and drinks and carefully observing religious ceremonies of washing and purification. Our Savior overthrows this doctrine by declaring three things. It is not what you put in your body that defiles you, but what comes out of your mouth (Romans 14:17). Material things cannot defile your soul by using them. And material ceremonies cannot cleanse your soul by enduring them. Carnal things can neither corrupt nor cleanse the soul. If we would worship and serve God, we must have something more than a separated life and a form of godliness. We must have a heart that is clean and upright before God, a clean heart and a right spirit. Such a heart is the gift of God’s grace, the work of his Spirit in the new birth. All sin and defilement originates in and springs from the heart. It is not our environment that corrupts us, or our company, or our education, but our hearts. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” What a list! What must that heart be out of which so many evils pour forth! If these are the bees, what must the hive be! “Evil thoughts,” evil devisings such as the Pharisees displayed, come from the heart. “Murders” begin not with the dagger, but with malice in the soul. “Adulteries” and “fornications” are committed in the heart before they are performed by the body. The heart is the cage from which every unclean bird flies forth into the world. “Thefts” are born in the covetousness of the heart. No man steals what he does not first covet. “False witness,” lying and slander, is venom in the heart that is spewed out of the mouth. “Blasphemies” are the enmity of the heart expressed by the vile speech of the tongue. All these, and all other evils, ooze from the vile cesspool inside fallen man called, “the heart.” “These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” It is the corruption of the heart that makes fallen man unfit for communion with God, not failure to pour water on your hands before you eat, or failure to observe religious duties. The heart of man is abominable before God. The evils gushing from the heart makes fallen man loathsome and revolting before God and expose all to shame and ruin. It is only the blood of Christ that can cleanse us from the pollution and guilt of our corrupt hearts and save us from the wrath of God, which we so fully deserve. Yet, those who know nothing of the corruption of their hearts, know nothing of God’s saving grace, know nothing of repentance and faith in Christ, are horrified when they see one who worships God in Spirit and in truth neglecting the religious traditions by which their blind leaders lead them into hell. God looks on the heart. But we prefer outward things, because we are able to perform them and they call attention to us. Few are able to grasp such elementary, but vital truths, because they are turned away from the simplicity that is in Christ by self-righteous, works religion. There is a vast difference between physical and spiritual defilement. What we eat and drink does not touch the soul. It passes through the body; but it does not reach our hearts. Material things cannot defile a person. That which is eaten is material substance, and cannot make anyone spiritually, or morally unclean. That fact is so obvious that no one would ever imagine otherwise, were it not for the man made dogmas of false religion. True Religion Our Lord’s doctrine in this passage, and throughout Holy Scripture, is this: – True religion is more inward than outward. The state of our hearts before God is the main thing. Do not be content with church attendance, religious duties, and outward behavior. Make certain that your heart is right in the sight of God (Psalms 51:10; Proverbs 4:23; Acts 8:21; Romans 10:10). The Lord God receives the broken, contrite, believing heart (Psalms 51:17; Romans 10:9-10). Let us never forget that our greatest enemy is our own heart.

The world and the devil combined are not so dangerous as our hearts. So let us keep our hearts with all diligence! The only way to keep your heart is to keep it full of Christ (Philippians 4:1-8). May God graciously keep us so that we may keep our hearts for him. Remember, “He that trusteth in his heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).

Matthew 15:21-28

Chapter 38 Lessons from the Canaanite Woman “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:21-28) Every word in this passage is rich in instruction, and deserves to be thoroughly studied, mediated upon, and laid up in our hearts. In these verses we see a woman with a great need, who shows great faith in our great Savior, and obtained great mercy from him. The circumstances attending this miracle are both interesting and instructive. We will look at them in order and see what they are intended to teach us. This Canaanite woman is here held before us as an example of faith in Christ. Sheep Found The Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, will seek and find his lost sheep wherever they may be. That is the first lesson set before us in this passage (Matthew 15:21-23; Luke 15:3-7). The natural man, reading our text with spiritually blind eyes, might think, “This is not a story about Christ seeking the woman, but about a woman seeking Christ.” Granted, this Canaanite woman came to Christ, earnestly seeking him. But she would never have come to him in Matthew 15:22 if he had not come to where she was in Matthew 15:21. Our Lord Jesus came into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon because, as Mark says, there was “a certain woman” there to whom he must come. God, in his eternal decree, had marked out the spot where and the time when this needy soul would meet her all-sufficient Savior.

When “the time of love” arrived, he came to the spot to perform for her and in her his great purpose of grace (Ezekiel 16:8; John 4:1). In all his movements while upon the earth, and in all his movements now in providence and by his Spirit, the Son of God is on an errand of mercy. He is seeking and saving his people (Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10). Wherever you find a seeking sinner you will also find a seeking Savior (John 6:44-45). Here we read that she was “a woman of Canaan.” She was a Gentile. Mark tells us (Mark 7:26) that she was a Syrophenician. She was from that part of Phoenicia near Syria. She came seeking the Lord Jesus and his mercy, believing him to be the Christ, the Son of David. How did she know Christ? How did she come to trust him? No answer can be given except God revealed his Son in her and gave her faith in him by his omnipotent grace (Psalms 65:4; Isaiah 54:13; Matthew 16:16-17; John 6:37-40; Romans 9:16). The Lord Jesus came “into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon” on an errand of mercy to meet this woman, as she was coming out of those coasts to meet Christ. It is written, “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, l will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). We have before us in this Canaanite woman a marvelous display of the sovereignty of God’s free grace in Christ. Here is a chosen vessel of God’s mercy taken from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. She shows us that the church and kingdom of Christ is made up of God’s elect gathered by him from all nations into which he has scattered them. They shall come from “the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south.” And their coming is a matter of absolute certainty. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psalms 110:3). He scattered them that he might gather them (Ezekiel 11:16-17). Most Unlikely Second, we see here, as we do throughout the Scriptures, that God’s elect are usually those we think are the most unlikely to be saved. Lay it to heart. It is a lesson that must never be forgotten. God’s elect are often found where we least expect them. It is grace, not place, that determines who shall be saved. It is grace, not race, that determines who shall obtain faith. Remember, this was a Canaanite woman, a Syrophenician, from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. She was a woman of a cursed race of idolaters (Genesis 9:22; Genesis 9:25; Deuteronomy 7:1-2). But she was a chosen vessel of mercy (1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 4:7). Many, like Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, live in the homes of God’s prophets, and yet live and die without Christ, without grace, without life, and without faith. Others, like this Canaanite woman, rise from the darkness and debauchery of idolatry, sin, and utter paganism to faith in Christ, righteousness, peace, joy, and eternal life. God’s saving grace is not a family inheritance. It does not run in bloodlines (John 1:12-13). No one has any claim upon God’s grace by nature. And none are beyond the reach of God’s grace. Grace and Providence A third lesson should be obvious to all who read this passage. That is the fact that God’s providence is ordered according to his great purpose of grace toward his elect. This entire story is a commentary upon and illustration of Rom 8:28-30. What prompted this woman to come to Christ? Her daughter was grievously vexed with a devil. No one else could help her? The Son of God was manifested “that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Love for her daughter, who was grievously vexed with a devil, compelled this broken-hearted mother to come to the Savior, bringing her daughter’s need to him. She asked the Lord Jesus to pity her daughter as an act of mercy to herself. “Have mercy on me,” was her cry, bowing to Christ as her Lord. Her desperate need brought her to the Savior and taught her how to pray. Let every believing mother and father follow her example. The ground upon which she sued for mercy was her need. The ground upon which she hoped for and expected it was that the man Christ Jesus is the Son of David, God incarnate, Emmanuel, God with us, God and man in one person. The multitudes who saw him had no idea who he is and did not trust him. This woman, being taught of God (John 6:46), knew him and trusted him. And, when she was in great need, she came to him for mercy. Affliction is often a means of grace to God’s elect, and proves a great blessing to a person’s soul. Adversity will never produce faith. But God often uses adversity to bring chosen sinners to the Savior. Carefully read Psalms 107:1-43. This poor woman had been put through the wringer. Her heart was crushed. Her darling daughter, probably her only child, was grievously vexed with a devil. She was utterly helpless. There was nothing she could do to help her daughter. Yet, it was the very thing that caused her great pain, heartache, and sorrow that brought her to Christ and taught her to pray.

If she could speak to us now from heaven, she would say, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalms 119:71).Every trial, every providential adversity, every difficulty of life is a message from God. Our troubles in this world are sent by our heavenly Father and are intended to draw us to Christ, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Scriptures, and to teach us to pray. As trials are used of God to bring us to Christ and cause us to trust him, so our trials are designed to keep us clinging to Christ, and to strengthen our faith in him (Hebrews 12:5-14). Commenting on this passage, J. C. Ryle wrote… “Health is a good thing; but sickness is far better, if it leads us to God, Prosperity is a great mercy; but adversity is a greater one, if it brings us to Christ. Anything, anything is better than living in carelessness, and dying in sin. Better a thousand times to be afflicted, like the Canaanite mother, and like her to flee to Christ, than live in ease, like the rich ‘fool’, and die at last without Christ and without hope.”Sinners Still Here is a fourth lesson. It is a sad lesson, but one we need to learn. God’s saints in this world are all sinners still, justified and sanctified in Christ, but sinners still. Sometimes we act as if we did not know the Lord at all. Here is a woman, a poor, broken-hearted woman, crying out for mercy. And here is a band of blood-washed sinners, who had themselves obtained mercy, looking down their noses upon this Canaanite, Syrophenician woman of Tyre and Sidon, as though she was not worthy of being identified with them! What a pity! They cried, “Send her away; for she crieth after us!” She was not crying after them. She was crying after Him! Our Master is far more gracious than we are. How thankful we ought to be! Let us ever beware of and guard against our natural prejudices, pride, and hardness of heart toward those who are around us. Do not try to determine who is and who is not sincere and true, who is and who is not a believer. We have no way of knowing. We cannot look upon the heart. You and I should never be doubtful of those who profess faith in Christ (Acts 9:26; Romans 14:1). Great Faith When we read that our Lord said to this woman, “O woman, great is thy faith,” we learn that there are varying degrees of faith. Our Lord calls this woman’s faith “great faith.” He called the centurion’s faith great faith, too. But he spoke of his disciples’ faith and even of Peter’s faith as “little faith.” He would have us to understand that even little faith, if it is fixed upon him, is saving faith. Yet, he holds this woman who is newly converted before us as an example of great faith, so that we might seek to imitate her. When I read these words, “O woman, great is thy faith,” I want to know what this great faith is. I cannot say much about the matter, but of these six things I am certain. Great faith looks to Christ alone, trusting him alone for all mercy and grace (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Great faith is based upon the naked Word of God. She believed Christ Jesus to be the Christ, because he met the prophecy of the Old Testament and fulfilled it (Matthew 11:3-6). Great faith involves great repentance. Repentance and faith always go hand in hand. This woman turned from her sin, her religion, and her gods to Christ. Great faith bows to the Word of God. When Christ spoke of election (Matthew 15:24), she worshipped him. When he called her a dog (Matthew 15:26), she acknowledged it and used it as an argument for mercy. (Matthew 15:27). Great faith cannot be driven from Christ. It never gives up. It never quits. Look how this poor soul hangs on to Christ. She had nowhere else to go (John 6:66; Hebrews 11:13). Great faith always gets what it wants – mercy! Faith wants, needs, and seeks nothing else but mercy at the throne of grace. And great faith must endure great trials. Nowhere else in the Book of God do we find a sinner coming to the Savior discouraged by him; but this woman met with great discouragement. At first the Master did not even answer her. Then, he who calls every poor, weary, heavy-laden, broken-hearted soul to come to him, assuring all who come that they shall find rest, said to one coming to him, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel…It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs.” Does it sometimes appear that the Savior refuses to hear your heart’s cries? When that is the case, lie still before the throne of grace and wait for him. He sees you. He hears your cries. He knows all your sorrows. It is he who measures out your portion day by day. And, being touched with the feeling of your infirmities, he is infinitely more disposed to give you mercy than you are to ask for mercy. But he waits to be gracious at the best time, at the time that is best to fulfill his purpose and best to for you. Still the trial of her faith is not finished. When the Lord finally spoke to her, his words must have cut her to her heart. He said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel…It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs.” Who can imagine how she must have felt when she heard those words? Yet, those are the first words the Savior spoke to her. He who loved her infinitely and everlastingly, who was determined to do more for her than she asked or thought, made the trial of her faith even greater, because he desired to make her an everlasting monument and example of faith among his people, teaching us by her example to hope against hope, trusting him. By all this, he sweetly and graciously forced her to publicly take her proper place before him, saying, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table!” Just in proportion as we see Christ’s glory, we will see and acknowledge our unworthiness of his grace. “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (Matthew 15:28). — Robert Hawker wrote, “It is as if Jesus threw the reins of government into her hand, saying, as by the Prophet, ‘Concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me’ (Isaiah 45:11). And was there ever a more finished instance of grace and mercy, not only in following up this daughter of Abraham’s petition; but planting such faith in her heart, as might sustain so long, and painful a trial.” Let us remember this woman when we try to witness to sinners. God’s elect may be found anywhere. Let us remember this woman when we pray. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” because our great God and Savior waits to be gracious. Let us remember this woman when our faith is tried. The more greatly our God intends to bless us, the more greatly he tries our faith.

Matthew 15:29-39

Chapter 39 “I will not send them away.” “And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.” (Matthew 15:29-39) We have here another display of our Savior’s great compassion and grace, both to the souls and bodies of men. He manifested his power and Godhead and proved himself the Messiah, fulfilling that which had been prophesied of him (Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 61:1). Here was a great throng of people gathered around the Lord Jesus. They had been with him for three days. He performed miracle after miracle, healing the sick, diseased, and impotent souls that were brought before him. His miracles were so astounding that all these thousands of people were utterly astonished by the power and grace of God. “And they glorified the God of Israel.” This great crowd of people, twenty thousand or more strong, was so taken up with Christ, his miraculous power, his infinite goodness, and his gracious word that they lost all track of other things. Three days had passed before they knew it. Now they were all hungry and faint. Having received great, great mercy and blessings, one on top of another, they were yet in great need. They needed food and strength. Notice our Lord’s response to their need in Matthew 15:32. He says to his disciples – “I will not send them away!” Oh, how I love the sound of these words falling from the lips of the Son of God! He says, “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). That means there is nothing in any sinner in all the world that will keep Christ from receiving him, if he does but come to him. Come then to Christ! Come just like you are! Just come to Christ; and he will receive you.” “Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come!” Then, regarding those who have come to him, our Savior says, “I will not send them away!” That means, having come to Christ, there is nothing in us that will cause him to send us away, and no need that might arise that can necessitate our going away from our Savior. “Christ is all I need! Christ is all I need! He is all I need. For me He died. He was crucified. And He is all I need! Come to Christ and he will never send you away, for this is his promise. – “I will not send them away!” Needy Souls In Matthew 15:29-30 we see great multitudes of needy souls coming to Christ. — “And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them.” What could be more difficult and troublesome than moving sick, impotent, diseased people, especially in those days? They had to be literally carried to the Savior. But the hope of being healed was in sight. Such a hope inspired these needy souls and those who cared for them. No obstacle was considered. No cost was calculated. When people are in desperate need, nothing will prevent them from seeking relief, if there is any hope. For bodily health, people will wait in a crowded doctor’s office for hours, move from one state to another for purer air, give up jobs, and pay any price. But few are even slightly concerned about their souls’ health. Yet, the Word of God teaches us that any sinner who knows his souls’ need, will allow nothing to keep him from Christ, who alone can meet his soul’s needs. And anyone who knows the power of Christ and cares for the souls of others will do whatever he can to get sin sick souls to the Savior. We saw that in the story of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28). I have been under a doctor’s care for many years. He treats me for glaucoma. A while back, I got a little weary of going to his office every two months and paying the fees connected with his constant examination. So I asked if I might not be able to cut back on the number of visits. My doctor’s reply was, “They are your eyes. You’re the one that has glaucoma.” I was embarrassed and immediately decided that the inconvenience and cost was far less significant than the possibility of losing my eyes!

But that is nothing compared with losing my soul, and nothing compared with the thought of others perishing. Let all who value their souls make it their life’s business to seek Christ. Let all who value the souls of others make it their life’s business to bring sinners to the Savior. Every believer ought to be like those four men who are described by Mark (Mark 2:1-4), who carried their needy friend up to the roof and tore the roof off, so they could get their friend to the Master. Omnipotent Mercy Matthew 15:31 displays the omnipotence of God’s mercy. — “The multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” Our Lord Jesus was not one of our modern false healers. He healed people with real infirmities. The word “maimed” means mutilated or cut off, as one whose limb had been cut off in an accident. What we have before us is a tremendous picture of our Lord’s power to heal sin-sick souls. There is no plague of the heart that he cannot cure. There is no deformity of soul that he cannot overcome. There is no fever of lust that he cannot stop, no palsy of worldliness that he cannot heal, no cancer of indolence that he cannot remove. When the Son of God sends his Spirit, omnipotent grace is healing grace for our souls. He opens blind eyes, causes the dumb to sing his praise, the deaf to hear his Word, the blind to see his glory, and the lame to walk in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. I have no hesitance in asserting that those who claim apostolic gifts of tongues and healing are deceitful workers. But do not imagine that the time of miracles has passed. Every conversion is a miracle of omnipotent mercy. If you would be saved, go to Christ by faith. Cast your soul down before him. Call upon him for relief. He is still the same today as he was two thousand years ago. He is still “the great physician.” He still “receiveth sinners.” He is still “mighty to save.” Our Compassionate Savior Matthew 15:32 shows us the compassionate character of our God and Savior. — “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” It is striking to me that this word “compassion” is used more often in the four gospels to describe our Savior than any other. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show us much about our Redeemer’s feelings of joy and sorrow, thanksgiving and anger, holiness and zeal. But the word they most often use to describe him is this word “compassion.” The word means, “to be moved from within.” Our English word means, “co-passion,” or “to suffer with.” It is “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow, accompanied with a strong desire to alleviate the pain and remove its cause.” Our Lord’s compassion for his elect extends to every aspect of our lives. Our spiritual and eternal needs are of indescribable importance to him, and so are our immediate, temporal needs. Let us never imagine that our Savior is less concerned for our welfare than we are for the welfare of our own families! And let no sinner question the tenderness and compassion of Christ. He will graciously receive all who come to him. He will freely, fully, and forever forgive all the sins of all who trust him. He will forever supply all the needs of all who call upon him. God’s mercy in Christ is an infinitely vast, bottomless ocean. Though countless multitudes draw from it incessantly, its boundless fulness is never diminished. What comfort there is for our souls in this great attribute of our God. “His compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22). He knows the world in which we live. He knows our temptations. He knows Satan’s devices. He knows our frailties. He remembers that we are dust. And he pities us. If the Lord Jesus is full of compassion toward us, how much more compassionate we ought to be toward the needs of men (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:1; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17; Galatians 6:10). Human Instrumentality Our Savior’s employment of his disciples in the distribution of the loaves and fish teaches us something about the sphere of human instrumentality. Certainly the sovereign God does not need us for anything. Our Savior does not need to use us. He could have distributed the loaves and fish far more easily and much, much faster than the disciples. But he chose not to do what they were perfectly capable of doing. What a privilege it was for the disciples to be allowed to pass out the bread and fish as he multiplied it! Serving Christ by serving the needs of others is the highest honor and greatest privilege in this world (Matthew 10:40-42; Ephesians 3:8). Faith and Usefulness “And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?” (Matthew 15:33) — The disciples’ reply to the Savior was not, as I see it, a matter of unbelief. They had not forgotten what happened in chapter 14. They were simply saying, “Lord, if this crowd is going to be fed, you will have to feed them. We do not have any bread and have no way of getting any bread.” We are most useful, when we acknowledge that we are useless. We are most sufficient when we acknowledge our insufficiency. God never gives us a task to do without giving us the means and the ability to do (Acts 1:8). If we would serve our Savior, if we would be useful to the generation in which we live, we must constantly acknowledge that we have nothing with which to serve him, except that with which he supplies us. “Our sufficiency is of God.” God’s Glory When I read the last line of Mat 15:31, I am reminded that the glory of God, only the glory of God, must be our motive in all things. When our Lord Jesus healed the multitudes, “they glorified the God of Israel.” The object and goal of everything we do in the service of Christ must be to bring eternity bound souls to glorify and worship the God of Israel. The goal of the preacher, the church, and the individual believer must never be success, fame, popularity, or the approval of men, but the glory of our God. The Blessedness of GivingRead Matthew 15:34-37 and learn something about the blessedness of giving. — “And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.” The word “baskets” here is not little lunch baskets as in Matthew 14:20, but huge baskets, the kind used by people carrying goods to the market, the kind that was used to lower Paul over the city wall in Damascus (Acts 9:25). These disciples handed the Lord Jesus just seven loaves and a few small fish. With that insignificant lunch, sufficient only to feed one or two men by us, the Son of God fed over 20,000 people; and the disciples gathered up seven grocery carts full of the Master’s leftovers! What an honor it is to give to Christ! What an honor for our great, glorious, all-sufficient God to take our loaves and fishes and use them! Let us leave this great display of Christ’s goodness being convinced that it is impossible for anyone to impoverish himself by giving (Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6).