Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Another of our Lord's miracles is recorded in these verses:the circumstances which attend it are peculiarly full of interest; let us take them in order, and see what they are. Every word in these narratives is rich in instruction.

We see in the first place, that true faith may sometimes be found where it might have been least expected.

A Canaanite woman cries to our Lord for help, on behalf of her daughter. "?Have mercy on me, she says O Lord thou son of David!?" she says. Such a prayer would have showed great faith had she lived in Bethany or Jerusalem; but when we find that she came from the "?coasts of Tyre and Sidon?", such a prayer may well fill us with surprise. It ought to teach us that it is grace, not place, which makes people believers. We may live in a prophet's family, like Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, and yet continue impenitent, unbelieving and fond of the world. We may dwell in the midst of superstition and dark idolatry, like the little maid in Naaman's house, and yet be faithful witnesses for God and his Christ. Let us not despair of anyone's soul merely because his lot is cast in an unfavorable position. It is possible to dwell in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and yet sit down in the kingdom of God.

We see in the second place, that affliction sometimes proves a blessing to a person's soul.

The Canaanite mother, no doubt, had been sorely tried. She had seen her darling child vexed with a devil, and been unable to relieve her; but yet that trouble brought her to Christ, and taught her to pray. Without it she might have lived and died in careless ignorance, and never seen Jesus at all. Surely it was good for her that she was afflicted (? Psalm 119:71).

Let us mark this well. There is nothing which shows our ignorance so much as our impatience under trouble. We forget that every cross is a message from God, and intended to do us good in the end. Trials are intended to make us think—to wean us from the world—to send us to the Bible—to drive us to our knees. 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 be afflicted like the Canaanite mother and, like her, flee to Christ, than live at ease like the rich "?fool?" and die at last without Christ and without hope.(Luke 12:20)

We see in the third place, that Christ's people are often less gracious and compassionate than Christ himself.

The woman about whom we are reading found small favor with our Lord's disciples. Perhaps they regarded an inhabitant of the coasts of Tyre and Sidon as unworthy of their Master's help. At any rate they said, "?Send her away.?"

There is only too much of this spirit among many who profess and call themselves believers. They are apt to discourage inquirers after Christ, instead of helping them forward. They are too ready to doubt the reality of a beginner's grace because it is small, and to treat him as the disciples treated Saul when he first came to Jerusalem after his conversion, "?they believed not that he was a disciple.?" (? Acts 9:26). Let us beware of giving way to this spirit: let us seek to have more of the mind that was in Christ. Like him, let us be gentle and kind and encouraging in all our treatment of those who are seeking to be saved: above all, let us tell men continually that they must not judge Christ by Christians. Let us assure them that there is far more in that gracious Master than there is in the best of his servants. Peter and James and John may say to the afflicted soul, "?Send her away,?" but such a word never came from the lips of Christ. He may sometimes keep us long waiting, as he did this woman, but he will never send us empty away.

We see in the last place, what encouragement there is to persevere in prayer, both for ourselves and others.

It is hard to conceive a more striking illustration of this truth than we have in this passage. The prayer of this afflicted mother at first seemed entirely unnoticed: Jesus "?answered her not a word?." on. The saying which by and by fell from our Lord's lips sounded discouraging: "?I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of theIsrael?." Yet she prayed on: "?Lord, help me!?" The second saying of our Lord was even less encouraging than the first: "?It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs.?" deferred?" did not make her "?heart sick?" (? Proverbs 13:12). Even then she was not silenced: even then she finds a plea for some "?crumbs?" of mercy to be granted to her. And her importunity obtained at length a gracious reward: "? O Woman, great is thy faith! Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." That promise never yet was broken: "?Seek and ye will find?" (? Matthew 7:7).

Let us remember this history when we pray for ourselves. We are sometimes tempted to think that we get no good by our prayers, and that we may as well give them up altogether. Let us resist the temptation: it comes from the devil. Let us believe, and pray on. Against our besetting sins, against the spirit of the world, against the wiles of the devil, let us pray on and not faint. For strength to do duty, for grace to bear our trials, for comfort in every trouble, let us continue in prayer. Let us be sure that no time is so well spent in every day as that which we spend upon our knees. Jesus hears us, and in his own good time will give an answer.

Let us remember this history when we intercede for others. Have we children whose conversion we desire? Have we relations and friends about whose salvation we are anxious? Let us follow the example of this Canaanite woman, and lay the state of their souls before Christ. Let us name their names before him night and day, and never rest till we have an answer. We may have to wait many a long year: we may seem to pray in vain, and intercede without profit; but let us never give up while life lasts. Let us believe that Jesus has not changed, and that he who heard the Canaanite mother, and granted her request will also hear us, and one day give us an answer of peace.

The beginning of this passage contains three points which deserve our special attention. For the present let us dwell exclusively on them.

In the first place, let us remark how much more pains people take about the relief of their bodily diseases than about their souls. We read that "?great multitudes came to Jesus having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed and many others.?" Many of them, no doubt, had journeyed many miles, andgone through great fatigues. Nothing is so difficult and troublesome as to move sick people. But the hope of being healed was in sight: such hope is everything to a sick man.

We know little of human nature if we wonder at the conduct of these people. We need not wonder at all. They felt that health was the greatest of earthly blessings; they felt that pain was the hardest of all trials to bear. There is no arguing against sense. A man feels his strength failing; he sees his body wasting and his face becoming pale; he is sensible that his appetite is leaving him: he knows, in short, that he is ill, and needs a physician. Show him a physician within reach, who is said never to fail in working cures, and he will go to him without delay.

Let us, however, not forget that our souls are far more diseased than our bodies, and let us learn a lesson from the conduct of these people. Our souls are afflicted with a malady far more deep-seated, far more complicated, far more hard to cure than any ailment that flesh is heir to. They are in fact plague-stricken by sin. They must be healed, and healed effectually, or perish everlastingly. Do we really know this? Do we feel it? Are we alive to our spiritual disease? Alas, there is but one answer to these questions! The bulk of mankind do not feel it at all. Their eyes are blinded. They are utterly insensible to their danger. For bodily health they crowd the waiting-rooms of doctors; for bodily health they take long journeys to find purer air; but for their souls' health they take no thought at all. Happy indeed is that man or woman who has found out his soul's disease! Such an one will never rest till he has found Jesus. Troubles will seem nothing to him. Life, life, eternal life is at stake! He will "?count all things loss?" that he may win Christ and be healed. (? Philippians 3:8).

In the second place, let us mark the marvelous ease and power with which our Lord healed all who were brought to him. We read 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?"

Behold in these words a lively emblem of our Lord Jesus Christ's power to heal sin-diseased souls. There is no ailment of heart that he cannot cure. There is no form of spiritual complaint that he cannot overcome. The fever of lust, the palsy of the love of the world, the slow consumption of indolence and sloth, the heart-disease of unbelief, all, all give way when he sends forth his Spirit on anyone of the children of men. He can put a new song in a sinner's mouth, and make him speak with love of that Gospel which he once ridiculed and blasphemed. He can open the eyes of a man's understanding and make him see the kingdom of God; he can open the ears of a man, and make him willing to hear his voice and to follow him whersoever he goeth; he can give power to a man who once walked in the broad way that leadeth unto destruction to walk in the way of life; he can make hands that were once instruments of sin, serve him and do his will. The time of miracles is not yet passed. Every conversion is a miracle. Have we ever seen a real instance of conversion? Let us know that we saw in it the hand of Christ. We should have seen nothing really greater if we had seen our Lord making the dumb to speak and the lame to walk, when he was on earth.

Would we know what to do if we desire to be saved? Do we feel soul-sick and want a cure? We must just go to Christ by faith, and apply to him for relief. He has not changed: 1800 years have made no difference in him. High at the right hand of God, he is still the Great Physician. He still "?receiveth sinners.?" (? Luke 15:2). He is still mightyto heal.

In the third place, let us remark the abundant compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We read that "?He called his disciples and said,?I have compassion on the multitude.?'?A great crowd of men and women is always a solemn sight. It should stir our hearts to feel that each is a dying sinner, and each has a soul to be saved. None ever seems to have felt so much when he saw a crowd, as Christ.

It is a curious and striking fact, that of all the feelings experienced by our Lord when upon earth, there is none so often mentioned as "?compassion.?" His joy, his sorrow, his thankfulness, his anger, his wonder, his zeal, all are occasionally recorded. But none of these feelings are so frequently mentioned as "?compassion.?" The Holy Spirit seems to point out to us that this was the distinguishing feature of his character, and the predominant feeling of his mind when he was among men. Nine times, over to say nothing of expressions in parables, nine times over Spirit has caused that word "?compassion?" to be written in the Gospels.

There is something very touching and instructivein this circumstance. Nothing is written by chance in the Word of God: there is a special reason for the selection of every single expression. That word "?compassion,?" no doubt, was specially chosen for our profit.

It ought to encourage all who are hesitating about beginning to walk in God's ways. Let them remember that their Saviour is full of "?compassion.?" He will receive them graciously; he will forgive them freely; he will remember their former iniquities no more; he will supply all their need abundantly. Let them not be afraid. Christ's mercy is a deep well of which no one ever found the bottom.

It ought to comfort the saints and servants of the Lord when they feel weary. Let them call to mind that Jesus is "?full of compassion.?" He knows what a world it is in which they live; he knows the body of a man and all its frailties; he knows the devices of their enemy, the devil. And the Lord pities his people: let them not be cast down. They may feel that weakness, failure and imperfection are stamped on all they do; but let them not forget that word which says, "?His compassions fail not.?" (? Lamentations 3:22).