In the land of Gennesaret again, the people flocked to Jesus to be
healed of their diseases: and when Jesus returned to Capernaum, many
followed Him: and the Lord spake to them and told them that they only
came to Him because they had seen His miracles, and more particularly
because they had partaken of the loaves and fishes; and He warned
them, that they had better seek those far greater spiritual
blessings, which the Son of Man could give them. Many things He said
unto them, trying to persuade them to believe in Him, as the Messiah
the Son of God.
What our Lord said, displeased those who were not really willing and
anxious to be taught their duty, in order to do it: and in
consequence, many of those who had been reckoned amongst His
disciples, "went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus
unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?" Peter, in the name of the
rest, immediately declared his faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah,
saying, "Lord to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son
of the living God." Believing this, Peter declared that whatever
happened, they would hold fast to Him, and obey Him: let _us_ make the
same determination; and obey the Word of the Lord, whether it tells us
what we _like_ or not. Jesus now showed, that He knew the hearts of
all men; for alluding to Judas He answered, "Have I not chosen you
twelve, and one of you is a devil?" thus teaching Peter not to be too
hasty in answering for other men, since even in so small a number as
the twelve, there was one whose heart was not really devoted to Him.
The Pharisees with certain of the Scribes came together unto Jesus,
and blamed Him for not observing all the "traditions of the elders."
Then Jesus explained to the Pharisees, that all their washings and
outward performances could never please God, unless they also loved
and served Him, and put away all their sins.
In one of those journeys which Jesus was constantly taking, He went
to that part of the country bordering on Tyre and Sidon. Here a poor
woman, a Gentile, came to Him, and prayed Him to heal her daughter, who
had an unclean spirit. This woman, living on the borders of the land of
Judaea, had doubtless heard that the Messiah was expected; and she was
certainly convinced that Jesus was that Messiah, and that He had power
even to cast out devils. This poor woman now came to Jesus, and cried,
"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously
vexed with a devil." At first Jesus took no notice of her, and answered
her not a word. The poor woman continued her supplications, but still
in vain; this greatly surprised the disciples, who were used to see
their heavenly Master listening to the prayers of all who were in
distress: they were grieved also for this poor creature, who followed
them, crying out for mercy; and therefore they begged their Lord to
"send her away," that is, to grant her petition, that she might go away
in peace. Jesus answered, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israel." The benefits of Christ's teaching and miracles, were
at first to be offered to the Jews, the chosen people of God; and this
woman, being a Gentile, had no claim to share them. The whole nation of
the Jews, scattered without any ruler or shepherd, might well be called
"lost sheep"--sheep who had strayed from their Shepherd, even from God,
and who must be lost unless they were brought back to Him. The
Scriptures often speak of the people of God, as his sheep: and sinners
are compared to sheep, who, instead of following their shepherd, have
gone astray. In the Confession, which forms part of our Morning
Service, we say, "We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost
sheep." In the East, sheep were not driven by the shepherd as with us,
but followed him: remembering this fact will be a help towards
understanding many passages of Scripture, especially some in the Gospel
written by St. John. The poor woman continued to implore mercy; and
coming nearer to the Lord, "She fell down and worshipped him, saying,
Lord, help me!" Jesus now answered, and said, "Let the children first
be filled; for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast
it to dogs."
The Jews looked upon every nation except their own as "unclean"; and
likened them to dogs, which are unclean animals. Jesus Himself did not
look upon the Gentiles as dogs, but He spoke thus to try the faith of
the woman, and to show those who were about Him, that faith in Him
would save Gentiles as well as Jews.
The Lord's reply to the Syrophenician woman would have disheartened
most, and offended many; but she was too much in earnest to be
repulsed easily: she was quite willing to own that the Gentiles were
not _worthy_ to be looked upon, as in any way equal to the children of
Israel, God's peculiar people: she knew she had no _claim_ to the
mercy of the Lord; but still, hoping to share it, she reminded Jesus,
that even the dogs were allowed to pick up the crumbs which their
masters did not need: she believed that in Jesus there were help and
mercy for every living creature, and that He could heal the Gentiles,
without taking any blessing from the Jews; therefore, she at once
answered, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the
children's crumbs." Jesus was no longer silent: pleased with her
faith, He said aloud, "O woman, great is thy faith: for this saying,
be it unto thee even as thou wilt: go thy way: the devil is gone out
of thy daughter." Even as He spake the words, the unclean spirit was
cast out: "And her daughter was made whole from that very hour;" so
that when the mother, who at once went home, "was come to her house,
she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed."
This poor Gentile woman is an example to us, to go on praying
earnestly to God, although He may see fit not at once to grant our
petitions. When we know that we are asking right and proper things, we
must pray on in faith, and wait patiently. We should pray that the
Devil, and all the bad feelings and thoughts he puts into our hearts,
may be cast out of us, and of those we love. For this we must go on
praying earnestly: Jesus granted the prayer of the Syrophenician woman
because of her faith; and if we have faith like hers, He will most
certainly answer our prayers: but we must watch and fight, as well as
pray: for, if we encourage the Devil to abide in our hearts, we cannot
expect that the Lord will cast him out.
After this miracle, Jesus, "departing from the coasts of Tyre and
Sidon, came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts
of Decapolis." Here we are told, that He cured one who was deaf and
had an impediment in his speech, and that "great multitudes came unto
him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and
many others, and cast them down at Jesus's 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." They glorified and praised God with
their words, because of the wonderful things they had seen; but few of
them, it is to be feared, glorified Him in their hearts, by becoming
His disciples.
At this time, Jesus, having compassion upon the multitude, who had
been with him for three days, listening to His words, and were now
faint for want of food, fed 4,000 men, besides women and children,
with seven loaves and a few little fishes: this time, seven baskets
were filled with the pieces left, after everybody was satisfied.
Soon after the feeding of this multitude, Jesus "entered into a ship
with his disciples, and came into the coast of Magdala, into the
parts of Dalmanutha," to the S.E. of the Sea of Tiberias. "And when
his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take
bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf."
Jesus, who lost no opportunity of impressing His lessons on His
disciples, now "said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of the leaven of Herod." By
leaven, our Saviour here means the doctrines and opinions taught by
the Pharisees and Sadducees; doctrines very different from His, for
they looked upon religion as consisting mostly in outward forms and
ceremonies; whilst, in their hearts, they indulged all manner of evil
passions. Jesus desired to teach His disciples, that, if they in any
way followed the doctrines of the Pharisees or Sadducees, they would
soon become quite unfit to be His disciples; just as leaven quite
alters the nature of the dough with which it is mixed. At first, the
disciples did not understand their Lord's meaning, and thought that He
was reproving them for having forgotten to bring any bread with them.
But Jesus reproved them for their want of faith, in being uneasy about
a supply of needful food, after seeing the miracle worked with seven
loaves and a few small fishes: and he said, "How is it that ye do not
understand, that I spake it not to you concerning bread? Then
understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of
bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
Jesus then cometh to Bethsaida, where he healed a blind man; not all
at once, but first allowing him to see objects indistinctly, and then
restoring his sight, so that he saw all things clearly. What happened
in the case of this man's bodily sight, happens generally as regards
our spiritual sight, that is, our understanding of spiritual things.
Even in common learning, we do not all at once acquire knowledge; it
comes by little and little, as we strive to gain it. So our
understanding of things spiritual is a gradual work, carried on in our
mind, by the Holy Spirit working _with_ us; but we must work, and
strive, and pray, that we may grow wise unto salvation.