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August
06 Devotions
Daily Devotions for August 2006
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
THEME - The
Gospel of Matthew, cont.
by Charles Haddon
Spurgeon
Please
click on the current date # above or scroll down to read the devotional
for the day!
Tuesday, August 1st
MATTHEW 14:23-36
THE KING RULING WINDS
AND WAVES
29. And
he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the
water, to go to Jesus.
When good men are unwise and presumptuous, it may be for
their lasting good to learn their folly by experience. “He said, Come.”
Peter’s Lord is
about to teach him a practical lesson. He asked to be bidden to come. He may
come. He does come. He leaves the boat and treads the wave. He is on the way
towards his Lord. We can do anything if we have divine authorization,
and courage enough to take the Lord at his word. Now there were two on the
sea, two wonders! Which was the greater? The reader may not find it easy to
reply. Let him consider.
30. But
when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he
cried, saying, Lord, save me.
“But” a sorrowful “but” for poor Peter. His eye was off his
Lord and on the raging of the wind: “he saw the wind boisterous.” His heart failed him, and then his foot
failed him. Down he began to go — an awful moment is this “beginning to sink,” yet
it was only a “beginning,” he had time to cry to his Lord, who was not
sinking. Peter cried, and was safe. His prayer was as full as it was short.
He had brought his eye and his faith back to Jesus, for he cried, “Lord.” He had come into this danger through
obedience, and therefore he had an appeal in the word “Lord.” Whether in
danger or not, Jesus was still his Lord. He is a lost man, and he feels it,
unless his Lord will save him - save him
altogether, save him now. Blessed prayer: “Lord save me.” Reader, does it not suit you? Peter was nearer his Lord
when he was sinning than when he was walking. In our low estate we are often
nearer to Jesus than in our more glorious seasons.
31. And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto
him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Our Lord delays not when our peril is
imminent and our cry is urgent: “Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand.” He
first “caught him” and
then taught him. Jesus saves first, and upbraids afterwards, when he must
needs do so. When we are saved is the fit time for us to chasten
ourselves for our unbelief.
Wednesday, August 2nd
MATTHEW 14:23-36
THE KING RULING WINDS
AND WAVES
Let us learn from our Lord, that we may not reprove
others till we have first helped them out of their difficulties. Our doubts
are unreasonable: “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” If there be reason for little faith, there is evidently
reason for great confidence. If it is right to trust Jesus at all, why not
trust him altogether? Trust was Peter’s strength; doubt was his danger. It
looked like great faith when Peter walked the water; but a little wind soon
proved it to be “little faith.” Till our faith is tried, we can form no reliable estimate
of it. After his Lord had taken him by the hand, Peter sank no further, but
resumed the walk of faith. How easy to have faith when we are close to Jesus!
Lord, when our faith fails come to us, and we shall walk on the wave
together.
32. And
when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
So that Peter’s walk and his rescue had happened in the
face of the tempest. He could walk the water well enough when his Lord held
his hand, and so can we. What a sight! Jesus and Peter, hand in hand, walking
upon the sea! The two made for the ship at once: miracles are never spun out
to undue strength. Was not Peter glad to leave the tumultuous element, and at
the same time to perceive that the gale was over? “When
they were come into the ship, the wind ceased,” it is well to be safe in a storm, but more pleasant to find the
calm return and the hurricane end. How gladly did the disciples welcome their
Lord, and their brother, Peter, who though wet to the skin, was a wiser man
for his adventure!
33. Then
they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou
art the Son of God.
No wonder that Peter “worshipped
him,” nor that his comrades did the same. The
whole of the disciples, who had been thus rescued by their Lord’s coming to
them on the stormy sea, were overwhelmingly convinced of his Godhead. Now
they were doubly sure of it by unquestionable evidence, and in lowly
reverence they expressed to him their adoring faith, saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
Thursday, August 3rd
MATTHEW 14:23-36
THE KING RULING WINDS
AND WAVES
34-36. And when they were gone over they came into the land of
Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent
out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were
diseased; and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment:
and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
The barque so lately tempest tossed is
soon at the desired haven; and now other scenes of wonder meet our eyes. Land
where he may, the great Physician is sure to find patients. Some of the men of that place had knowledge of him; and
these were as sparks to set the rest of the people
on fire by wonderful accounts of what Jesus had done. Many became eager
advertisers of his skill, and either went themselves, or “sent out” others “into all that country round about.” Very busy those people were. They
sent out; they brought unto him; they besought him; they touched his garment;
they were made perfectly whole. The sentences
follow each other without a break. The people asked little, they begged “that
they might only touch the hem of his garment;” but
they received much; for they “were made perfectly whole.” In no case was there any failure: in every instance the
work was complete. Their humble request was founded upon a precedent, was
urged by earnest spirits, and was accompanied with practical sympathy,
therefore it was not refused. How glad that whole region was made! “All
that were diseased” had become happy witnesses
of the Lord’s healing power. Our King is master both on land and water.
Whether it is on the sea of
Gennesaret, or in “the land of Gennesaret” his
supreme power and majesty are infallibly proven. He stills tempests, and
allays fevers. He touches waves with his foot, and they grow firm; he touches
sick bodies with his hand, and they return to health. He imparts to his
servant Peter, and to the hem of his
own garment marvelous power.
Friday, August 4th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
1. 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 hand, when they eat bread.
When our Lord was busiest his enemies assailed him. These
ecclesiastics “of Jerusalem” were probably
the cream of the set, and from their great reputation they reckoned upon an
easy victory over the rustic preacher. Perhaps they were a deputation from
headquarters, sent to confound the new Teacher. They had a question to raise,
which to them may have seemed important; or possibly they pretended to think
it so to answer their own purposes. Traditions
of the elders were
great things with them: to transgress these must be a crime indeed. Washing
of the hands is a thing proper enough; one could wish it were oftener
practiced; but to exalt it into a religious rite is a folly and a sin. These “scribes
and Pharisee” washed their hands, whether they
needed washing or not, out of a supposed zeal to be rid of any particle that
might render them ceremonially unclean. Our Lord’s disciples had so far
entered into Christian liberty that they did not observe the rabbinical
tradition: “they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” Why should they wash if their hands were clean? Tradition
had no power over their consciences. No man has any more right to institute a
new duty than to neglect an old one. The issuing of commands is for the King
alone. Yet these religionists inquire why the Lord’s disciples break a law
which was no law. It will be well if our opponents are unable to bring
against us any worse charge than this.
3. But he
answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God
by your tradition?
“He answered” their question by asking them another.
This was a very usual way with our Lord, and we may often imitate him in
discussions with captious persons. Our Lord turns a blaze of light upon them
by the question. What are elders in comparison with
GOD? Our Lord knew best how to handle these messengers of the evil powers.
His question carried the war into their own territory, and turned their
boastful assault into rout.
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Saturday, August 5th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
4-6. For God
commanded, saying, Honor 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 honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye
made the commandment of God of none effect by tradition.
Our Lord explains his question, and lays home his
accusation. God
had bound the son and daughter to honor the
parent; and this unquestionably included rendering to father and mother such
help as they might need. From this duty there could be no escape without
breaking the plain command of God. It was always right, by the law of nature,
to be grateful to parents; and by the law of Moses it was always a deadly sin
to revile them. In Exodus 21:17 we read: “He that curseth his father,
or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” Father and mother are to be
had in reverence, and cherished with love; and the precept which ordains
this, is called “the first commandment with promise.” There could be no
mistake as to the meaning of the divine law, yet the base teachers of the
period had invented a method of excusing men from the performance of so
obvious a duty. These wretched tradition - lovers taught that if a man cried,
“Corban! A gift”; and
thus nominally set apart for God what his parents sought of him, he must not
afterwards give it to them. If in anger, or even in pretense, he placed what
was requested by father or mother under a ban he became free from the obligation to aid his parents. It is true he was
not required by the Rabbis to carry out his vow, and actually give the money
or the goods to God; but as he had compromised the sacred name, he must on no
account hand over the gift to his parents. So that a hasty word would loose
any child from his duty to aid his father or his mother; and then he might
pretend that he I was very sorry for having said it, but that his conscience
would not permit him to break the ban. Vile hypocrites! Advocates of the
devil! Was ever device more shallow? Yet thus they “made the
commandment of God of one effort.”
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Sunday, August 6th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
7, 8. Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Right well did they deserve the name which the indignant
Savior fixed upon them: “Ye
hypocrites.” They were agitated about hands unwashed,
and yet laid their foul hands upon God’s most holy law. The prophetic words
of Isaiah were indeed descriptive of them: he had pictured them to the life.
Theirs was mouth-religion, lip-homage, and that only. Their heart never approached the Lord at all. Thus, our Lord gave his
opponents Scripture instead of tradition: he broke their wooden weapons with
the sword of the Spirit. Holy Scripture must be our weapon against the Church
of traditions: nothing will overthrow Rome but
the Word of the Lord. When quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah, our blessed
Lord not only used a translation, but he gave the sense freely; thus rebuking
the mere word-chopping of the Rabbis. Jesus insisted upon heart-worship, and
said nothing as to the matter of washing or not washing the hands before
eating bread. That was too paltry a point for him to dwell upon.
9. But in
vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the command-ments of men.
Religion based on human authority is worthless; we must worship the true God in the way of his own
appointing, or we do not worship him at all. Doctrines and ordinances are
only to be accepted when the divine Word supports them, and they are to be
accepted for that reason only. The most punctilious form of devotion is vain
worship, if it is regulated by man’s ordinance
apart from the Lord’s own command.
10. And he
called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand.
He turns to the common throng, among whom he had wrought
his miracles of love. He called the
multitude and
bade them “hear, and understand.” It
looks as if he would say by his actions that he would rather teach the
ignorant peasants than those false-hearted scribes and Pharisees.
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Monday, August 7th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
He had more hope of being understood by the ignorant
multitude than by educated men who had so wretchedly enslaved their judgments
by following worthless traditions. The appeal of the gospel is from the
doctors to the people. These last have more common sense and honesty than the
former; yet even these need the exhortation, “Hear, and understand.”
11. Not that
which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which
cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Here is something for the crowd to think over, and for
the Pharisees to chew upon. It would be a riddle to many, and a surprise to
all. Preeminently it would be a staggering statement for formalists.
Religionists of the day placed the chief point of morals in meats and drinks,
but the Lord Jesus declared that it lay in thoughts and acts. The Pharisees
had now a string to harp upon, since harp they would: this saying would
afford a text for malicious comment for many a day. They had sought to lay
hold upon a sentence which they could use as an accusation, and in this case
he gave them one which they might quote with that design if they dared to do
so. It was diametrically opposed to their teaching, and yet it was not easy
to meet its keen edge, or withstand its singular force.
12. Then came
his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were
offended, after they heard this saying
The disciples evidently thought more of offending the Pharisees than their Master did. He knew that
they would be offended, and thought it no calamity that they should be. He
placed his remarkable aphorism in their way, that they might find themselves
balked and graveled by it. 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.
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Tuesday, August 8th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
13. But he
answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted,
shall be rooted up.
If men are themselves an offense, they deserve to be
offended. If these professed teachers of God’s mind cavil at God’s Son, they
deserve no quarter; but it is right and wise to treat them to truth which
shall annoy them. A good gardener is careful to uproot weeds as well as to
water plants. Our Lord’s sententious utterance operated like a hoe to uproot
these men from their religious profession; and he meant that it should do so.
But what a solemn word is this! If our religion is not wholly of God it will
come to an end, and that end will be 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.” Those whom the truth uproots are uprooted indeed.
14. Let them
alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch.
He turned from them as unworthy of further notice, saying “Let them
alone.” There was no
need for the disciples to combat the Pharisees, they would be uprooted in the
natural order of things by the inevitable consequences
of their own course. Both themselves and their dupes would “fall into the
ditch” of error and absurdity will ultimately
come to utter destruction. In every case it is so when the bigoted teacher
leads the ignorant disciple, they both go wrong. The same is the case with
every form of spiritual blindness in those who lead the thought of a period,
and in those who follow their erroneous guidance. The philosophic unbelief of
this age is blind with self-conceit, and fearful is the ditch towards which
it is hastening. Alas! its teachers are carrying precious souls with them
into the ditch of Atheism and anarchy. O Lord, suffer us not to be despairing
as to the present ascendancy of false doctrine. In patience may we possess
our souls! We cannot make either the blind leaders or their blind followers
see the ditch before them; but it is there all the same, and their fall is
certain. Thou alone can open the eyes of the blind, and we trust that this
miracle of grace will be wrought by thee.
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Wednesday, August 9th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
15. Then
answered Peter said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
The saying, which Peter calls a parable, was spoken to
the multitude, and then were bidden to understand it; but assuredly they did
not comprehend it, for even the College of Apostles failed to grapple with
it. Peter, as spokesman, did well to go at once to the fountain-head and
humbly say, “Declare unto us this
parable.” He that uttered the dark saying could
best interpret it.
16. And Jesus
said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
Of course the Pharisees would hate the light, and so
refuse to see the spiritual truth which our Lord had set before them in so
forcible a fashion. Nor was it wonderful that the crowd should be too
ignorant to see the divine meaning of the compact sentence. But should not
the chosen twelve have had clearer insight? After all their Lord’s teaching,
were they “yet without
understanding” Should they not have reached the
inner sense of their Lord’s utterance? Alas, how often have we been in a like
state! How pertinently might the question be put to us, “Are ye
also yet without understanding?”
17. Do not ye
yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the
belly, and is cast out into the draught?
After years of the Master’s teaching, are we still unable
to grasp an elementary truth? Can we not discern between physical and
spiritual defilement? Food does not touch the soul: it passes through the
body, but it does not enter the affections, or the understanding, And
therefore does not defile a man. That which is eaten is material substance,
and does not come into contact with the moral sense. This is clear enough to
any unprejudiced mind. Meat passes through every passage of the bodily frame,
from its entrance at the mouth, its passage through
the bowels, to its ultimate expulsion; but it bears no relation to the mental
and spiritual part of our being; and it is there only that real defilement
can be caused.
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Thursday, August 10th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
18. But those
things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they
defile the man.
The out-comings of the mind have sprung from the soul of
the man, and have a moral character about them: “things which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart.” Words, and the thoughts which
wear words as their garments, and the acts which are the embodiment of words;
these are of the man himself, and these defile
him. If the mind or heart had nothing to do
with an act, it would no more pollute a man than the food which he swallows
and ejects. Because acts and words come not from the mouth only, but from the
soul, they are of far more importance than meats and drinks. Of course,
defilement comes to a man when he is guilty of gluttony and drunkenness; yet
this is not because of the mere meat or drink, but because the taking of them
to excess is the exercise of unbridled appetite, and this also grows by that
which gratifies it.
19. 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! These are the bees: what must the hive be! “Evil thoughts”, or reasonings, such as these Pharisees had been guilty
of. “Modern thought” is a specimen of these evils; it comes from the heart
rather than from the head. “Murders”
begin not with the dagger, but with the malice of the soul. “Adulteries
and fornications” are first gloated over in the
heart before they are enacted by the body. The heart is the cage from whence
these unclean birds fly forth. “Thefts”
also are born in the heart: a man would not wrongfully take with the hand if
he had not wrongfully desired with the heart. “false witness,” or lying and slander:
this, too, first ferments in the heart, and then its venom is spit out in the
conversation. He that utters “blasphemies” against his Maker shows a very black heart: how could he
fall into such a needless, useless vice, unless his inmost soul had been
steeped in rebellion against the Lord? These dreadful evils all flow from one
fountain, from the very nature and life of fallen man.
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Friday, August 11th
MATTHEW 15:1-20
OUR KING COMBATING FORMALISTS
20. These are
the things. which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man.
They not only come from a defiled nature, but they still
further defile a man. Thus had the
Savior proved his point with a short neatly expressed truth. The things from within evidently are of a most defiling character, and
make a man unfit for communion with God, and for the performance of holy
duties; but the neglect of having water poured on the hands cannot be in the
least comparable thereto. Yet those who had no repentance of polluting sins
were struck with horror at a man’s eating a piece of bread with
unwashed hands Blessed Master, wash me within, and
save me from the defilement of a corrupt nature! Suffer me not to make
outward forms my trust, but in the hidden parts purify thou me!
MATTHEW 15:21-28
OUR KING AND THE WOMAN OF CANAAN
21. Then
Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
He left the loathsome company of the Pharisees, and went thence, going as far away as he could without quitting his own
country. The great Bishop went to the very borders of his diocese. An inward
attraction drew him where he knew that a believing heart was yearning for
him. He was sent to the house of Israel as a
preacher; but he interpreted his commission in it largest sense, and went “into the coasts of Tyre and
Sidon.” When those at the center prove
incorrigible, the Lord goes to those who can be only reached from the
circumference. Let us always plough to the very end of the field, and serve
our day and generation to the extreme limits of our sphere.
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Saturday, August 12th
MATTHEW 15:21-28
OUR KING AND THE WOMAN OF CANAAN
22. 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.
“Behold”: here
is something
worth beholding; good for eyes and hearts. Just as Jesus went to the coasts
of Tyre and Sidon, a woman came out of the same coasts to meet him. Sooner or later, a meeting will come about between
Christ and seeking souls. This “woman of Canaan” had no claim on account of her nationality: she was a
Gentile of the worst sort, of a race long before condemned to die. She came
from the narrow strip of land whereon the Tyrians dwelt; and like Hiram, of
Tyre, she knew the name of David; but she went further, for she had faith in David’s
Son. Love for her
daughter led her to travel, to cry, to beseech, to implore mercy. What will
not a mother’s love achieve? Her need had abolished the barrier between
Gentile and Jew; she appealed to Jesus as though she were of the same country
as his disciples. She asked the healing of her child as a mercy to herself: “Have
mercy on me.” She asked it of Jesus as Lord.
She asked it of One greater than Solomon, the son of David, the wisest and most potent of wonderworkers. She put the case
briefly and pathetically, and pleaded for her daughter with all a mother’s
loving anxiety. Her need taught her how to pray. Until we, also, know what we
require, and are full of hopeful longings, we shall never plead prevailingly.
Do we pray for our children as this woman pleaded for her daughter? Have we
not good reason to take her for our example?
23. But he
answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying,
Send her away; for she crieth after us. Silence
was a hard answer; for it is translatable by fear into something worse than
the harshest speech. “Not a word,” not a word from him
whose every word is power! This was a heavy discouragement. Yet she was not
silenced by the Lord’s silence. She increased her entreaties. The disciples
were mistaken when they said, “She crieth after us.” No, no, she cried after him.
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Sunday, August 13th
MATTHEW 15:21-28
OUR KING AND THE WOMAN OF CANAAN
Should this have afflicted them? Oh, that all men would
cry after him! Such a blessed annoyance should be longed after by
compassionate hearts among the Lord’s servants. The disciples were, however,
driven to appeal to their Master, and though that was something, it was not
much. Possibly they meant their complaint to help the women by obtaining an
answer for her one way or another; but their words have a cold look — “Send her away.”
May we never be so selfish as to feel troubled by inquirers! May we never
send them away ourselves by cold looks and harsh words! Still the disciples
were not able to neglect her; they were forced to plead with Jesus about her;
they came and besought him. If Christian people
are apparently unsympathetic let us warm them into feeling by our persistent
fervency.
24. But he
answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.
When Jesus did speak, it was not to
her, but to his disciples. She heard the word, and felt it to be a side blow
that struck heavily at her hopes. She was not of “the house of Israel” she owned that she could not number herself
among the sheep; he was not sent to her;
how could he go beyond his mission? It would have been small wonder if she
had retired in despair. On the contrary, she redoubled her pleading.
25. Then came she and
worshipped him, saying, lord, help me.
Instead of retiring she
came nearer, and
she “worshipped him.” It was well
done. She could not solve the problems of the destiny of her race, and of the
Lord’s commission; but she could pray. She knew little about the limitations
of Messiahship, but she knew that the Lord had boundless power. If, as a shepherd, he may not gather
her, yet, as Lord, he may help her. The divine nature of Christ is a
well-spring of comfort to troubled hearts. Her petition was brief, yet
comprehensive; it came hot from her heart, and went straight to the point.
Her daughter’s case was her own, and so she cried, “Lord, help me.”
Lord; help us to pray as she did.
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Monday, August
14th
MATTHEW 15:21-28
OUR KING AND THE WOMAN OF CANAAN
26. But he
answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast
it to dogs.
At length he turns, and gives a reply to her
pleading; but it is not a cheering one. How hard its language! How unlike our
Lord’s usual self! And yet how true! How unanswerable! Truly “it is not
meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” Of course
privileges must not be given to those who have no right to them, nor must
reserved blessing be wasted upon the unworthy. The blessing sought is as
bread for children, and the Canaanites were no more members of the chosen
family than so many dogs. Their heathen character made them like dogs as to
uncleanness. For generations they had known no more of the true God than the
dogs which roam the streets. Often they and other Philistine tribes had
snapped as dogs at the heels of the Lord’s people. The woman had probably
heard such phrases as this from proud Jewish bigots, but she had not expected
it from the Lord.
27. And she
said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their
masters’ table.
It was humbly spoken: “Truth, Lord.” It was
bravely spoken; for she found food for faith in the hard crusts of our Lord’s
language. Our Lord had used a word which should be rendered “little dogs
or puppies” and she understood it. Little dogs
become the playmates of the children; they lie under the table, and pick up
the crumbs that fall to the ground from the
table of their little masters. The householder so far takes the little dog
under his care as to allow him to be under the table. If, Gentile dog as she
is, she may not be shepherded as one of the flock - she will be content to be
tolerated as one of the household in the character of a little dog; for then
she will be allowed the crumbs which fall from the children’s bread,
from the dog’s little master’s table. Great as was
the blessing which she sought, it was but a crumb to the Lord’s bounty, and
to Israel’s portion, and therefore she begged to
have it, dog as she owned herself to be. Let us accept the worst character
that the Scripture gives us, and still find in it an argument for hope.
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Tuesday, August 15th
MATTHEW 15:21-28
OUR KING AND THE WOMAN
OF CANAAN
28. 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.
Our Savior loves great faith, and grants to it whoever
desires it. Her faith was great comparatively: for a heathen woman, and for
one who knew so little of the Savior, she was surpassingly strong in faith.
But her faith was not only great comparatively it was great positively: to
believe in a silent Christ, in one who treats her with a rebuff, in one who
calls her a dog, is exceedingly great faith, measure it how you will. Few of
us have a tenth as much faith in our Lord as this woman had. To believe that
he can cure her daughter at once, and to cling to him for that blessing, is
faith which sets even the Lord a wondering, and he cries, “O woman, great
is thy faith!” How splendid the reward: “Be it unto thee even as thou
wilt”! According to her will her daughter’s cure was immediate, perfect,
and enduring. Oh, for like precious faith, especially for such faith in
reference to our sons and daughters! Why should we not have it? Jesus is the
same, and we have even more reasons for trusting in him than the Canaanitess
could have had. Lord we believe; help thou our unbelief, and make our
children whole.
MATTHEW 15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER
BANQUET
29. And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh
unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
He was always on the move: he “went about doing good.”
He had gone to the border of the land: he was soon back again to
headquarters. He wastes not a moment. He does not stay to be congratulated
upon his success, but hastens to other work; and so we often read, “And
Jesus departed from thence.” How he loved the mountains and the sea! By
the lake of Galilee he again chooses out a rising knoll, selects a standing
place with ground around it for an assembly, and opens another session of his
ministry of mercy.
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Wednesday, August 16th
MATTHEW
15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER BANQUET
He sat down there,
for he had set his heart upon blessing the people on that convenient spot. In
imagination we see him taking his seat, and then speaking ex cathedra, from the rising
ground, “nigh unto the sea of Galilee.” The mountain’s side was free to all, and none could complain of
trespass, and it was far enough from busy towns to escape the noise of
necessary labor. See how the people crowd! Our Lord’s presence will not long
be unnoticed, though no sound of churchgoing bell gave notice of a service. As
a preacher he never lacked a congregation. Where he sat down the people came:
if he “went up into a mountain” they
climbed after him. If we preach Jesus in the most out-of-the-way village, in
a region almost inaccessible, we shall not be left without hearers.
30, 31. 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. The
crowd in increased in volume. “Great multitudes came unto him.” They
seem to spring up from the earth, and swarm from the sea: they are so soon
about our Lord that there is no interval wherein he might rest. The sickness
that they bring before him is still more varied than in former times. What a
list of patients! What a gathering of miseries to one spot! The expectation
of the people remains at floodtide; they have the sick with them, and they “cast
them down at Jesus’ feet”: leaving them with him in full confidence.
The healing power continues to flow in full force: that one sentence is a
grand summary of his marvelous cures: “He healed them.” This time the
result is a greater degree of wonder among the crowd, attended by a gracious
savor of praise to Israel’s God: “They glorified the God of Israel.” It
was evident to them that Jehovah had remembered and visited his people, and
was healing their sicknesses, and so for the moment
they gave him glory. What must it have been to be an eyewitness of such a
scene of healing and of worship! What an education for the apostles!
The God of the covenant, the God of wrestling prayer, the God of all grace.
Back to Top
Thursday, August 17th
MATTHEW
15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER BANQUET
32. 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.
History repeats itself. We shall be wise to note the variations. What
Jesus has done once he can and will do again and again should need arise. In
fact, one mercy is the promise of another. Our Lord is here the first to
speak upon the way of dealing with the vast famishing crowd: the disciples do
not come to him about the business, but he begins the conversation. In every
case his heart is first, and in this case his speech is so. “Then Jesus
called his disciples unto him.” They are to be co-workers, and so he
consults them, making them members of his council. He has all tenderness, and
can truly say, “I have compassion on the multitude.” Whether he moves
in a matter of distress or not, his heart is always compassionate, and he
thinks of the people’s present fasting, and possible fainting. His compassion
is the spring that sets his power in motion. The crowds had continued
following him, and he could not but pity the need that arose out of their
perseverance in listening to his teaching. These people had endured a three
days’ fast, or at least scantiness of food,
to hear him preach. What preaching it must have been! But the great Teacher
cares for their bodies as well as for their souls, and will not feel content
to feed their minds only. From the usual point of view their lack of
provision was their own concern: they had gathered of their own accord. They
could not reasonably look to him to give them both board and instruction for
nothing; but his great heart could not consent to let them faint: he would
not even innocently be the cause of injury to one of them. He solemnly
declares, He would not have his servants indifferent to the sufferings of the
poor, even as to the bread that perishes. We may be doubly sure that he will
not long allow any earnest hearer to faint through spiritual hunger. He may
make us wait to awaken appetite; but he will not in the end dismiss the
hungry. He loves not to let the hungry famish; he fears “lest they faint
in the way.”
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Friday, August 18th
MATTHEW
15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER BANQUET
33. And his
disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the
wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
On this second occasion we might have hoped for better
things from the disciples; but they are in the old rut; as doubtful as ever,
and as much guilty of forgetting their Lord’s power. He said, “I will not
send them away fasting”, and they answer his gracious declaration with a
hard and chilling question. How quickly they forget what He could do, and
dote upon what they cannot do. “Whence
should we have so much bread?” Who said
anything about “We”? The only good point in their speech is their
associating themselves with their Lord at all; but even there they take too
prominent a place. They think of their own poverty, of the wilderness, of the
“so much bread,” and of the “so
great a multitude”; and they forget their “so great” Lord. Are we not too much like them? Are we sure that we
are even as wise as they were? We fear not.
34. And Jesus
saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few
little fishes.
The Lord accepts their association, and says, “How many loaves have ye?” Small as their store was, and utterly
insignificant for the work proposed, he allows them to contribute it towards
his grand design. They make a rapid inventory, and they speak of it in
mournful tones: “Seven loaves, and a
few little fishes. The loaves were by no means
such masses of food as we intend by the English word; they were merely thin
cakes. The fishes were few and little; more bones than
anything else, so are our abilities slender and marred with many
disabilities; yet we must put all that we have into the common stock, and it
will be enough in the hands of him who worketh all things.
35. And he
commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
What they had seen of our Lord’s miraculous power
awakened expectation, and created readiness to follow his lead. There is
generally a preparedness of mind when Jesus is about to work his wonders of
grace. Lord, cause our people to be ready “to
sit down on the ground” at thy feast of grace!
Back to Top
Saturday, August
19th
MATTHEW
15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER BANQUET
36. 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.
He did as aforetime. His way is perfect, and so there was
no need for altering it. “He took the seven loaves and the fishes.” They only made one handful for him. This shows us that our
slender abilities must be placed at his disposal, and in his wonderworking
hands. He does not disdain to carry the bread and the fish, though he bears
up both heaven and earth. His giving
thanks at an outdoor meal should teach us not to eat without thanksgiving.
The breaking teaches that there must be expenditure of talent, and that there
should be a crumbing down of truth to suit human mouths. His giving the
provision into many hands shows that nothing is to be retained in store, but
all must be distributed among the many. Our Lord
Jesus again honored his disciples by making them the servitors by whom he reached the
multitude. Lord, use us: for if we have neither loaf nor fish, we have
grilling hands.
37. And they
did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was
left seven baskets full.
The feast was carried out in a manner so orderly, and
with provision so bountiful, that all ate to satisfaction: even little
children had their bread and fish. The remainder, the broken food, was too good to waste, and so it was
taken up in baskets for future use. The God of abundance is yet the God of
frugality. We want not, but also we waste not. Baskets are always to be had: the
difficulty is to fill them. Here the baskets corresponded to the number of
the loaves; in the former banquet they corresponded to the number of the
apostles. The blessings which rewards service may bear a relation to the
workers or to the original supply which they contributed, according to the
manner of comparison. In both cases of feeding the multitude, that which was
in store after use was greater than that which was at first possessed. The
more we give the more we have. May not some of us be poor because we have
given so little away? Might not the most gifted have had more gifts by this
time if they had unselfishly laid out what they have for the good of others?
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Sunday, August 20th
MATTHEW
15:29-39
THE KING GIVES ANOTHER BANQUET
38. And they
that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
Here is no desire to swell out the number, to make
the wonder greater. In some religious statistics the tale would be soon told
if the women and children were left out, for they are the bulk of the
attendants. In the Bible we find the people counted by the number of the
males, and Matthew when he took taxes was accustomed so to levy them. That
plan is followed here There is no reason why the women and children should be
omitted in our enumeration nowadays, since the whole method of census taking
has been altered, and both sexes are now included.
39. And he
sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magadala.
Our Lord was ever earnest to send the crowd’s home: he
desired not to detain them from their daily labor. He does not want them to
attend him as a guard of honor or as enthusiastic processionists: he speeds
away from their praises. He took ship. Like a shuttle through
the loom, he crosses and re-crosses the lake. He comes “into the
coasts of Magdala.” Was he seeking out Mary of
Magdala? He had some errand of mercy there. It was soon accomplished, for he
was off to sea again. Our Lord was largely a seafaring-man. Let sailors run
up Christ’s colors, and sail under his command. O Lord Jesus, I would
traverse the sea of life with thee as my pilot, owner, and captain!
CHAPTER
16 MATTHEW 16:1-4
THE KING AND HIS CHOSEN SIGN
1. THE
Pharisees also with the Sadducees come, and tempting desired him that he
would shew them, a sign from, heaven
The King is again met by his foes. Two sects, which were
violently opposed to each other, unite their forces against him. It is the
way of the wicked to become friends when seeking the overthrow of the kingdom
of heaven. On this occasion they come not with a question, but with the old
demand for a sign. This time it must be “a
sign from heaven” possibly a marvel in the sky.
Back to Top
Monday, August 21st
CHAPTER
16 MATTHEW 16:1-4
THE KING AND HIS CHOSEN SIGN
What right had they to set him a test of such a sort as
their fancy might suggest? What need for more signs when his miracles were so
many? Were not all his miracles signs
from heaven? Did not this demand cast a slur on all
that he had already done? Was it not a practical ignoring of all his previous
works of power? Too often we also have fallen into the weakness of asking a
new token of divine love, thus undervaluing former favors. If the evidence we
have already received of our Lord’s grace and power is not enough, when will
our doubts be ended? In this demand for a sign, our Lord’s foes were tempting
him. Did the
temptation lie in urging him to seek his own glory by some ostentatious
display of power, for which there would be no real need? Whatever it was, our
Lord passed scathless through this ordeal, for there was no pride in him.
Pharisees and Sadducees will tempt us also. From their wiles and smiles may
the Lord deliver us! From the desire to stand well with men may we be happily
freed by our love to Jesus!
2, 3. He
answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair
weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to
day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the
face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
They could prognosticate the weather by certain signs,
and our Lord Jesus mentions the weather-tokens of Palestine; yet they could
not read the plainer and more plentiful warnings of the near future.
Weather-signs are doubtful; but there were moral and spiritual tokens around
them that could hardly be misunderstood if they would only consider them.
Each country has its own sky warnings, and those of Palestine differ from those of England; but the signs of the times are the
same in all lands. Our Lord singled out an instance of their supposed
weather-wisdom: the same sign that, in the evening was a token of fair weather, was in the morning a mark of foul weather. They were able to draw
nice distinctions on the variable condition of “the face of the
sky:” why could they not “discern the
signs of the times?”
Back to Top
Tuesday,
August 22nd
CHAPTER
16 MATTHEW 16:1-4
THE KING AND HIS CHOSEN SIGN
They could have seen if they had chosen to do so, that
all the prophecies were one in declaring that the date of Messiah’s appearing
had arrived. They could also have observed that every event was fulfilling
those prophecies; but they were false at heart, and would not see, and yet
cried out for a sign. Signs were all around them, and yet they repeated the
cry “Show us a sign.” Our Lord was indignant with them, and upbraided
them, using the severe words, “O ye
hypocrites!” Today the men who want more
evidences of the supernatural deserve a similar denunciation. Lord, do not
allow any of us to be blind to the heavenly signs, thy cross, thy
resurrection, thy Word, thy Spirit, and thy work of grace, Teach us carefully
to discern these things as being in very
deed the abiding “signs of the times.”
Even in the growing coldness of the church, and the abounding iniquity of the
world, let us see the tokens of His Advent, and stand waiting and watching
for His long promised appearing.
4. A wicked
and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be
given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and
departed.
It was not lack of evidence, but the sad depravity of
their minds, which set them upon seeking
after a sign; and therefore the Lord would not satisfy their unhealthy mind.
They were wicked in morals and adulterous in heart in their forsaking the one true God; and then
they turned round and justified their unbelief in the Son of God by pleading
we want proof, demanding more miracles to enable them to come to a right
conclusion. Such is the deceit of man’s heart. Our Lord repeats his former
answer: he will give them no other. In the compass of the Old Testament there
is no fuller sign of our Lord than Jonah. Our Lord knew that he would fulfill
the type of Jonah even in its details, and therefore he points them to that
prophet’s life. This is a subject that deserves our careful meditation, but
we cannot enlarge upon it here. Our Lord looks to his death and resurrection,
and gives the prophet Jonas as his sign. Our Lord had said before, and he here
repeated it. “He left them, and departed” and that place saw him
no more.
Back to Top
Wednesday, August 23rd
MATTHEW 16:5-12
THE KING MISUNDERSTOOD BY HIS
OWN
5. And
when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take
bread.
They had forgotten to bring food for
their boat. This they seem to have found out for themselves as soon as they “were
come to the other side.” Possibly they trusted
each other, and what was every man’s business was nobody’s business. They did
not notice the omission while they were crossing the sea; but mealtime came,
and their minds were quickly brought to think of the loaves. Controversy had
for a while engrossed their minds, but lack of bread, and consequent hunger soon
called them to the things of earth.
6. Then
Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadducees.
He used a parabolic expression, which they would readily
have understood, had not their minds been already absorbed by their lack of
bread. He saw that in them, too, there would soon be a desire for a sign, now
that they needed bread; and he feared the influence of both the Ritualism of
the Pharisee, and the Rationalism of the Sadducee upon his little church.
Hence his double word, “Take heed,
and beware.” The warning is needed today as
much as in our Lord’s time: possibly it is even more required, and will be
less regarded. “Pharisees and Sadducees” are both leavening the churches, and the spirit of the one is as bad
as that of the other Everywhere we see the one evil force, operating in two
opposite ways, but rapidly leavening the meal of nominal Christendom. Lord,
save thy people from this souring and corrupting influence!
7. And
they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
Their thoughts ran along the low material level from leaven to bread. Did they imagine that he forbade their borrowing
leaven from the Pharisees when they began to make a batch of bread? How could
they have found any meaning in the literal sense of leaven as applied to
Sadducees? They were earthbound by anxiety, or they could not have blundered
so foolishly.
Back to Top
Thursday,
August 24th
MATTHEW 16:5-12
THE KING MISUNDERSTOOD BY HIS OWN
8-10. Which
when Jesus perceived, he said unto them O ye of little faith, why reason ye
among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand,
neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets
ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many
baskets ye took up?
Want of faith made them thus dull and carnal. Want of
bread would not have troubled them if they had possessed more grace. Our Lord
as good as says to them, “Why begin raising questions as to what can be done
under this small difficulty? Have I not dealt with far greater necessities?
Have not your own personal wants been richly supplied? Has your store been
exhausted even when all your thoughts have gone out towards the multitude,
and all your store of bread and fish has been given up to them? What occasion
can there be for anxiety in my presence, when I have always supplied your
wants?” How foolish they were, but how like we are to them! We seem to learn
nothing. After years of experience, our Lord has to say, “Do ye not
yet understand, neither remember?” Two
stupendous miracles had not lifted those disciples to that plane of thought
which is becoming in believers; and after all our experiences and
deliverances, we, alas! are much as they were. How our mind dwells on the
bread that we are wanting, and how readily it forgets former times when all
such wants were abundantly supplied! The many
baskets that were
so amply filled by former providences were the disciples’ own share and
store, and therefore they ought not to have forgotten the miraculous
festivals. Even the empty baskets should have refreshed their memories, and
reminded them of how they had twice been filled. If it were not for our
wretched little faith, and our reasoning among ourselves, the memory
of our former deliverances would lift us beyond all
tendency to mistrust our God. O sacred Spirit, teach us, or we shall never
learn! Make us wise, or we shall still continue in the folly of carnal
reasoning!
Back to Top
Friday, August 25th
MATTHEW 16:5-12
THE KING MISUNDERSTOOD BY HIS OWN
11. How is it
that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that
you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
At bottom it was unbelief which clouded their understanding. Jesus
may well say to doubters, “Ye do not understand.” Truly, nothing more effectually blunts spiritual
perception than an overpowering anxiety for the bread which perisheth. When a
doctrine is not understood, it may not always be the fault of the teacher.
Very plain speaking is frequently misunderstood when the mind is absorbed in
pressing needs. It was sad to see apostles taking our Lord literally, and
failing to see the obvious parable of his words. How could “the leaven of
the Pharisee” be a term used concerning
bread?
12. 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.
The doctrine of these unbelievers
had a secret, insinuating, and souring influence; and the disciples must
carefully watch lest even a little of its spirit and teaching should get into
their minds, and then spread throughout their whole nature. Both these
leavens may be at work at once in the same community; in fact, they are only one
leaven. The two
sets of opponents assailed the Lord Jesus at the same time, for they had a
common ground of opposition against him. To this day these two forms of evil
are ever working, either secretly or openly, and we have need to beware of
them at all times. It is well to understand this, and both purge out
the old leaven of Pharisaism, and keep out
the new leaven of Sadduceeism. Self-righteousness
and carnal reasoning must alike be cast out. Faith will find them both to be
her deadly foes. Many are amusing themselves with the evil leaven; and before
they are aware, the unhallowed thing will defile them. To be evangelical, and
yet to be superstitious or rationalistic at the same time, is next to
impossible. Certain of our contemporaries are trying to bake with this
leaven, but their bread will be sour. BEWARE!
Back to Top
Saturday, August 26th
MATTHEW 16:13-28
THE KING ALONE WITH HIS FRIENDS
13. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of
man am?
Our Lord knew well enough what the people thought of him;
but he asked his disciples the question that he might instruct them after the
Socratic method by drawing out their own minds. Our Lord was about to inform
them as to his death, and it was well that they should have very clear ideas
as to who he was. He begins by asking, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Human opinions about heavenly, things count for little; yet it
is as well to know them, that we may be prepared to withstand them.
14. And they
said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets
These wore all conjectures, and far from the mark; yet
was there some likeness to truth in them all. Herod’s notion that Jesus was John the Baptist, newly risen from the dead, seemed
a probable one to many, since our Lord had like courage and fidelity with
John. Elijah, too, seemed to live again in our Lord’s words of fire; Jeremiah
was revived in his constant sorrow; and the
prophets were
repeated in his memorable teachings and marvelous life. Since many of these
were types of him, it is small wonder that he should be identified with them.
Yet men make no discovery of the Lord’s true character by their own
guesswork: only those to whom he reveals himself will ever know him. Error
has many voices; truth alone is one, and abiding. Men say differing things
concerning our Lord. His Spirit alone bears witness to the one true Christ of
God.
15. He saith
unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
This is a far more searching question. Our personal thoughts of Jesus
touch a vital point. Our Lord presupposes that his disciples would not have
the same thoughts as other men had. They would not follow the spirit of the
age, and shape their views by those of the “cultured” persons of the period.
They would have formed a judgment, each one for himself, by what they, had
heard and seen while in his company. Therefore, he enquired, “But whom say
ye that I am?” Let each reader answer the question
before he goes further.
Back to Top
Sunday, August 27th
MATTHEW 16:13-28
THE KING ALONE WITH HIS FRIENDS
16. And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter, as
usual, was spokesman for the rest; and he spoke right well. He had perceived
the Messiahship and the divine Sonship of his Lord, and in outspoken words he
uttered his inward belief. It was a simple but satisfactory Confession of
Faith. We should always be ready to give an answer to those who would know
what we believe on a matter so central as the person and nature of our Lord.
A mistake on this point would involve all our religion in failure. If he is
not to us the Christ, the Lord’s Anointed and “the Son of the living
God,” we know not Jesus aright.
17. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona. for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
His old name is mentioned to bring out the distinction
between what he was by nature and what grace had made him. Simon
Bar-Jona, the fluttering
son of a dove, has now become Peter, a rock. He was a happy man to be taught
of God on the central truth of revelation. He had not arrived at his belief
by mere reason: flesh and blood had not worked out the problem; there
had been a revelation to him from the Father who is in heaven. To know the
Lord in mere doctrinal statement, no such divine
teaching is required; but Peter’s full assurance of his Lord’s nature and
mission was no theory in the head: the truth had been written on his heart by
the heavenly Spirit. This is the only knowledge worth having as to the person
of our Lord, for it brings a blessing with it, — a blessing from the mouth of
the Lord Jesus: “Blessed art thou.”
18. And I say
also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“Thou art Peter,” a piece of rock; and on that rock of which thou art a
piece “I will build my church.” He had, by the revelation of the Father, come to know
the Son, and to be identified with him: thus he was a stone of the one Rock.
Christ is the Rock, and Peter has become one with him, and “upon
this rock” is the church founded.
Back to Top
Monday, August 28th
MATTHEW 16:13-28
THE KING ALONE WITH HIS FRIENDS
If there had been no Romanists to
twist this passage, it would have presented no difficulty. Jesus is the
Builder, and he and his apostles make up the first course of stone in the
great temple of the church, and this first course is one with the eternal
Rock on which it rests. In the first twelve courses or foundations are the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14). We are “built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone.” Apostles are not the foundation of our confidence
meritoriously; but they underlie us as to date, and we rest upon their
testimony concerning Jesus and his resurrection. The assembly which Christ
gathers he builds together; for he says, “I will build my church.” He
builds on a firm foundation: “Upon this rock I will build.” Jesus
builds his “my church.” He makes his rock-founded building into a
stronghold, against which the powers of evil lay siege, but all in vain; for
“the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
19. And I
will gave unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven.The new kingdom would not be all-comprehensive, like Noah’s ark; but would
have its dove and its keys. For practical purposes the people of God would
need discipline, and the power to receive, retain, or exclude members. Of
these keys our Lord says to Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven.” Foremost among the apostles, Peter used those keys at
Pentecost, when he let three thousand into the church; in Jerusalem, when he
shut out Ananias and Sapphira; and at the house
of Cornelius, when he admitted the Gentiles. Our Lord committed to his church
power to rule within herself for him; not to set up doors, but to open or
shut them: not to make laws, but |
