Verse For Today

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:24 But He answered and said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

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Observe, when our Saviour doth answer, he gives not one word of comfort, but rather a repulse.  Christ has often-times love in his heart to his people, when they can read none in his countenance, nor gather it from his discourse.
 
Observe, the answer itself, Christ says not,  I am to sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Adam, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  The Jews are compared unto sheep, the Gentiles unto dogs.  Christ insinuates, that though they were a lost sheep of Adam, yet not being one of the lost sheep of Israel, he could do nothing for her.  It was a common saying among the Jews, "That the nations of the world were likened to dogs, whereas they were God's sons and daughters."

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me!

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Yet hath not this poor woman done: Christ's former silence, and his present denial, cannot silence her.  She comes, she worships, she cries,  Lord help me.  O what an undaunted grace is the grace of faith!  It has a strong heart, and a bold forehead, peremptory denials cannot dismay it.  This woman will not despond, though her prayer of faith, from the knees of humility, succeed not.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:26 But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and to throw it to dogs.

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Observe here, the seeming severity of Christ to this poor woman; he calls her not a woman but a dog: and as it were spurns her from his feet with an harsh repulse.  Did ever so severe a word drop from those mild lips?  What shall we say?  Is the lamb of God turned a lion?  That a woman in distress, imploring pity, yea, a good woman, and an humble supplicant, should be thus rated out of Christ's presence for a dog!
 
Learn hence, that Christ puts the strongest faith of his own children upon the severest trials; the trial had never been so sharp, if her faith had not been so strong.  Usually, where God gives much grace, he tries grace much.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:27 And she said, True, O Lord; but even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' tables.

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Observe, how her humility grants all, her patience overcomes all, she meekly desires to possess the dog's place; not to crowd to the table, but to creep under it, and to partake of the crumbs of mercy that fall from thence.  Indeed she shewed one of the best qualities of a dog, in keeping her hold where she had once fastened; not letting go, or giving over, until she had gotten what she desired.
 
Learn hence, that nothing is so pleasing unto Christ, as to see his people following him with faith and importunity, when he seems to withdraw from them.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! So be it to you even as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

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The disciples observing her behaviour, might have been ready to say, O woman, great is thy patience, great is thy humility: but says Christ,  Great is thy faith: he sees the root, we the branches.  Nothing but faith could thus temper the heart, thus strengthen the soul, thus charm the tongue.  O powerful grace of faith, which Christ himself could no longer withstand, but cries out as a person overcome by the prevalency of it; O woman, great is thy faith.
 
Note, that no grace ever goes away from Christ uncrowned: though we may wait long for mercy, yet the hand of faith never knocked in vain at the door of heaven.  Mercy is as surely ours, as if we had it, if we have but faith and patience to wait for it.  This good woman found it so to her unspeakable comfort; and the same shall we find in the exercise of the same grace.
 
Question.  But how doth this poor woman's faith appear to be great faith?
 
Answer.  Because having no promise to rely upon, and suffering so many repulses with seeming contempt, she still retained a good hope of Christ's kindness and mercy.
 
Learn hence, 1.  That the faith of those who depending on God's goodness, do place an humble confidence in God, and are not by great temptations or discouragements removed from that their confidence; such faith is deservedly stiled great faith.
 
2.  That the faith of believing Gentiles was not only praise-worthy and well-pleasing to God, but more excellent and better pleasing than that of the Jews, to whom the promises did belong.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:29 And moving from there Jesus came beside the Sea of Galilee. And He went up into a mountain and sat there

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Observe here, 1. The charity,
 
2. The faith of the multitude, in bringing the blind, the deaf, and the dumb to Christ their charity in lending eyes to the blind, and a tongue to the dumb; who could neither come to Christ themselves, nor speak for themselves.  Every man has a tongue to speak for himself, happy is he that has a tongue to pray and intercede for others:  this charity did the people exercise here.
 
Observe also their faith; they laid the lame and blind down at Jesus' feet, relying upon his power and believing his willingness to help and heal them.
 
Observe farther, The effect of this miracle upon the multitude; it was two-fold:
 
1.  They were struck with admiration and wonder, to see such cures wrought as exceeded the course of nature, and the power of art.
 
2.   They glorified the God of Israel; that is, they acknowledged it to be a wonderful work of the power and mercy wrought by that God whom Israel worshipped.
 
Whence we learn, That the miraculous works of Christ, which he wrought before the multitude, were obvious to their sense; and did constrain the beholders (if not blinded with pharisaical obstinacy) to acknowledge the power of God communicated to Christ, and to praise him for it:  The multitude marveled and glorified God!

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:32 Then Jesus called His disciples and said, I have compassion on the crowd because they continue with Me for three days now and have nothing to eat. And I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

Mt 15:33 And His disciples said to Him, From where should we get so many loaves in the wilderness, so as to fill so great a crowd?

Mt 15:34 And Jesus said to them, How many loaves do you have? And they said, Seven, and a few little fish.

Mt 15:35 And He commanded the crowd to sit on the ground.

Mt 15:36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish, and gave thanks, and broke, and gave to His disciples. And the disciples gave to the crowd.

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Here we have the second miracle of Christ's compassionate feeding the hungry multitude. In Mt 14:15-21 we read of five thousand fed with five loaves and two fishes; here Christ feeds four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fishes.
 
Where observe, That Christ had fewest, when he had most provision; when he had seven loaves, he fed but four thousand; when he had five loaves, he fed five thousand.  Thus the wisdom and power of Christ is glorified by him as he pleases.  The feeding of one thousand with one loaf, was as true a miracle as the feeding seven thousand.  Our Saviour did put forth the power of his godhead in working miracles, after what manner seemed best to his own wisdom.
 
Observe farther, A double action performed by our Saviour.
 
1. He gave thanks:  that is, he prayed for a blessing upon the food.  Teaching us our duty, That if the Son of God did look up to heaven, and bless his food, we should not sit down to our food as a beast to his fodder, without craving a blessing upon it.
 
The next action was, He gave to his disciples.
 
But why did he distribute the loaves by the hands of his disciples?
 
Answ.  Because the disciples questioned, through the weakness of their faith, whether such a multitude as four thousand could be fed with so small a provision as seven loaves.
 
Now our Saviour, to convince them how easily he could do that thing which they had judged impossible, distributes the bread by them: making use of their own eyes and hands, for their conviction and satisfaction.
 
Thus Christ, to shame the unbelief of his disciples, makes them not only spectators but actors in that work which they judged impossible to be effected.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 15:37 And they all ate, and were filled; and they took up seven lunch baskets full of the pieces that was left.

Mt 15:38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Mt 15:39 And sending the crowd away, He went into the boat and came into the borders of Magdala.

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 They did all eat, not a crumb or a bit, but to fulness and satisfaction; yet seven baskets remain; answering the number of the loaves, as the twelve baskets in the former miracle answered to the twelve apostles:  in both, more is left than was at first set on:  it is hard to say, which was the greater miracle, the miraculous eating, or miraculous leaving.  If we consider what they eat, we may justly wonder that they left anything; if what they left that they eat anything. (Dr. Fuller.)
 
Observe lastly, Christ would not have these fragments lost but gatherd up; the great housekeeper of the world will not allow the loss of his orts.  O how dreadful will the account of those be, who have the large and plentiful estates to answer for as lost, being spent upon their lusts in riot and excess! Dr. Fuller

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:1 The Pharisees and the Sadducees came to Him, tempting Him. And they asked Him that He would show them a sign from Heaven.

Mt 16:2 He answered and said to them,[/color] When it is evening, you say, Fair weather; for the sky is red.

Mt 16:3 And in the morning, Foul weather today; for the sky is red and gloomy. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky, but you cannot see the signs of the times!

Mt 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. And there shall no sign be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And He left them and went away

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Observe here, 1. The persons demanding of our Saviour a sign, the Pharisees and Sadducees, person of contrary opinions and interests; yet both agree in tempting and opposing Christ.
 
Learn hence, That wicked men, how opposite soever they are one to another, yet can agree together in opposing Christ, and undermining his truth.
 
Observe, 2. The sign demanded;  Shew us a sign from heaven:  as if they had said, Put us not off with such earthly signs as we have seen, in multiplying loaves; but let us see a miracle from heaven, such as Moses and Elias wrought.  This they desired, not so much for their satisfaction, as out of curiosity, nay wicked treachery.
 
Learn thence, That to demand a sign, not to confirm our faith, but to harden ourselves in our unbelief, is a dangerous tempting of Christ.
 
Observe, 3. Our Saviour's rejection of this demand of the Pharisees to give them a sign; O ye hypocrites, says he, ye can discern the face of the sky, but ye cannot discern the signs of the times.  As if Christ had said, "Did not malice and obstinacy blind your eyes, ye might as easily see and discern that these are the times of the Messias, and that I am he, by the miracles wrought by me, as you can make a judgement of the weather, by looking upon the sky."
 
Learn, that to pretend more ignorance and uncertainty in discerning the signs of the gospel times, than the signs of the weather is great hypocrisy:  Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but ye cannot discern the signs of the times?
 
Observe lastly, That our Saviour doth not condemn the study of nature, or making observation of the state of the weather, from the face of the sky.  All that our Saviour blamed was, that they were better skilled in the signs of the weather, than in the signs of the times.  As God by natural signs gives us warning of a change in natural things:  so by his providential dispensations he gives us warning of a change in civil things.  He that is wise, will observe these things; and by their observation will come to understand the pleasure of the Lord.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:5 And when His disciples had come to the other side, they forgot to take loaves.

Mt 16:6 And Jesus said to them, Take heed, and beware the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mt 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no loaves.

Mt 16:8 And knowing Jesus said to them, Why do you reason among yourselves because you took no loaves, little-faiths?

Mt 16:9 Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many hand baskets you took up;

Mt 16:10 nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many lunch baskets you took up?

Mt 16:11 How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about loaves, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

Mt 16:12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

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Observe here, 1. How dull the disciples of Christ were under Christ's own teaching, how apt to put a carnal sense upon his words; they apprehended he had spoken to them of the leaven of bread, what he intended of the leaven of the Pharisee's doctrine.
 
Observe, 2. The smart and sharp reproof which Christ gave his disciples, for not understanding the sense and signification of what he spake.  The Lord Jesus Christ is much displeased with his own people, when he discerns blindness and ignorance in them after more than ordinary means of knowledge enjoyed by them;  How is that ye do not yet understand?

Observe, 3. The metaphor which Christ sets forth the corrupt doctrine of the Pharisees and partly for its diffusiveness.  Leaven is a piece of sour dough, that diffuses itself into the whole mass or lump of bread with which it is mixed.
 
From whence our Saviour intimates, that the Pharisees were a sour and proud sort of people; and their doctrine like themselves, poisonous and pernicious in their consequences; the contagion of which our Lord warns his disciples to avoid and shun.
 
Whence learn, That error is as damnable as vice; persons erroneous in their judgments are to be avoided, as well as those that are lewd and wicked in their conversations.  He that has a due care of his soul's salvation, must as well beware of erroneous principles as of debauched practices.

Observe, 4. Our Saviour does not command his disciples to separate from communion with the Pharisees, and oblige them not to hear their doctrine; but only to beware of the errors that they mixed with their doctrine.  We may and ought to hold communion with a church, though erroneous in doctrine, if not fundamentally erroneous.  Separation from a church is not justifiable upon any other ground than that which makes a separation between God and that church:  which is either the apostacy of that church into gross idolatry; or in point of doctrine into damnable heresy, or imposing sinful terms of communion.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:13 And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say Me to be, the Son of man?

Mt 16:14 And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

Mt 16:15 He said to them, But who do you say I am?

Mt 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mt 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him,  You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.

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Observe here, 1. Our Saviour's question, and the disciples answer, Our Saviour's question is twofold:
 
1.  Whom do men say that I am?  Not that the Son of God was ignorant what men said of him; but he had an intention more firmly to settle and establish his disciples in the belief of his being the promised Messias.
 
And therefore, 2. He puts the question to them, Whom do you, my disciples, say that I am?  "You, that have heard the holiness of my doctrine, and seen the divinity of my miracles:  what say you to me? And what confession do you make of me?"
 
Christ expects greater measures of grace and knowledge, and higher degrees of affiance and faith, from those that have enjoyed the greatest means of grace and knowledge.  The disciples were eye and ear-witnesses of his doctrine and miracles, and accordingly he expects from them a full confession of his divinity.
 
Observe, 2. The answer returned,
 
1. By the apostles in general; and they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:  some Elias: some Jeremias.  It is no new thing, it seems to find diversity of judgments and opinions concerning Christ and the affairs of his kingdom.  We find, that when our Saviour was amongst men, who daily both saw and heard him, yet there was then a diversity of opinions concerning him.
 
2. Peter, in the name of the rest, and as the mouth of all the apostles, makes a full and open confession of his being the Son of God; thou art Christ the Son of the living God.
 
Whence note, that the veil of Christ's human nature did not keep the eye of his disciples' faith from seeing him to be the Son of God as well as the Son of man; thou art Christ the Son of the living God.
 
Observe, 3. How highly pleased our Saviour was with this confession; he pronounces Peter, and the rest in him, Blessed, who had by him made this Christian confession;  Blessed art thou, Simon; and tells him,
 
1.  What did not enable him to make that confession, Not flesh and blood; that is, not man, nor the wisdom and reason of man.
 
2.  But postitively, God the Father, by the operation of his Spirit, and the dispensation of the gospel has wrought this divine faith in you, and drawn forth this glorious confession from you, that I am indeed the Son of God.
 
Thence learn, That no man can savingly believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, and Saviour of the world, but he in whom God himself by his Holy Spirit has wrought such a persecution by the ministry of the gospel

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.


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Observe here, 1. As Peter confessed Christ, so Christ confesses him; Peter said,  Thou art Christ; Christ says, Thou art Peter, alluding to his name, which signifies a rock; he having made good that title, by the strength, stability, and firmness of his faith.
 
Observe, 2. A double promise made by Christ to Peter.
 
1. For the building. 2. For the upholding of his church.
 
For the building of his church;
 
1. Upon this rock will I build my church.
 

Upon what rock?  Upon Peter, the rock confessing, say the papists; but if so, no more is said of Peter here, than of all the apostles elsewhere.  Ga 2:9.
 
James and John are called pillars as well as Peter.  So that Peter's superiority over the rest of the apostles can with no shew of reason be from hence inferred.  "Upon Christ, the rock confessed," says the protestants; for Christ is the foundation-stone upon which his church is built; Eph 2:20.
 
  Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.  So then, not upon Peter the rock confessing, but upon Christ the rock confessed, and upon the rock of Peter's confession, that fundamental truth, that Christ is the Son of the living God, is the church built.
 
  Upon this rock will I build my church, Super hanc confessionis tua Petxam edificabo Ecclesiam meam.
 
Yet Christ may here be said to build his church upon Peter, because he used St. Peter's ministry in laying the foundation of a christian church among the Jews and Gentiles; he being the first preacher of that faith which he here confessed first to the Jews, Ac 2:29-37.  and then to the Gentiles Ac 10:33-43.

And accordingly St.  Peter's conversion of thousand souls by his ministry, Ac 2:41 is looked upon by some as a punctual fulfilling of this promise here made upon him.  He was stiled the rock, because he laid the foundations of faith among the nations, that is, the first foundations of a christian church in the world.
 
Whence it appears, that in this matter St. Peter neither had nor can have a successor; but if the pope will pretend to be his successor in this affair, he must not sit a Rome, lording it there over God's heritage, but must go in person to the unbelieving Jews, and unconverted Heathens, as Peter did; and labour by his preaching to bring over the Turk, the Jew, and the Infidel to christianity.

 
Observe next, our Saviour's promise for the upholding, as well as the building of his church; The gates of hell shall not prevail against it; that is, all the policy and power of the devil and his instruments shall neither destroy my church, nor extinguish the light of this divine truth, which thou hast now made confession of; namely, "That I am the true Messias, the Son of the living God."
 
Note, 1. That Jesus Christ is the builder, and will be the upholder of his church.
 
2. That the church upheld by Christ's power and promise, shall never be vanquished by the devil's policy or strength:  upon &c. and the gates, &c.
 
By the gates of hell, understand, 1. The wisdom of hell, gates being the seat of council.
 
2. The censures and sentence of hell, gates being the place of judicature.
 
3. By the gates of hell, understand the arms and powers of hell, gates being a place of strength and guards.
 
So that when Christ secures against hell, he secures against all that receive their commission from hell; neither hell, nor any envenomed by hell, shall prevail against my church.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:19 And I will give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven to you. And whatever you may bind on earth shall occur, having been bound in Heaven, and whatever you may loose on earth shall occur, having been loosed in Heaven.

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Observe here, 1. The person to whom this promise is made, namely to Peter, with the rest of the apostles; the confession being made by him in the name of the rest.  Elsewhere we find the same authority and power given to them all, which is here committed unto Peter;  Whose sins soever ye remit, they are remitted. Joh 20:1 Although there might be a priority of order among the apostles, yet no superiority of power was founded in any one of them over and above the rest.
 
Observe, 2. The power promised; I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; that is, the key of doctrine, and the key of discipline, or full power and authority to preach the gospel, to administer sacraments, and execute church censures.  The speech is metaphorical, and alludes to stewards and officers in great houses, to whose trust the keys of the household are committed.  Christ's ministers are the stewards of his house, into whose hands the keys of his church are committed by Christ; the pope would snatch them out of all hands, and keep them in his own; he snatches at Peter's keys, but makes shipwreck faith, arrogating Peter's power, but abrogating his holy profession.
 

 
Learn, 1. That the authority and power which the ministers of the gospel do exercise and execute it from Christ; I will give thee the keys of the kingdom.
 
2. That this power of the keys Christ dispensed promiscuously to all his apostles, and never designed it as a peculiar for St. Peter.  As they all made the same profession of faith by Peter, so they all received the same authority and power with Peter.  And accordingly, the apostles exercised their office independently upon Peter, in converting those of the circumcision as well as he.
 
And St. Paul who was the apostle of the Gentiles, opened the kingdom of heaven to far more Gentiles than ever Peter did; and therefore had this key of the kingdom of heaven given to him, as much as to St. Peter.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:20 Then He warned His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

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That is, till after his resurrection.  It may seem strange, that our Saviour should charge his disciples to tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ, seeing the knowledge of it was so necessary.  The reason is conceived to be:
 
1. Because the glory of his godhead was not to be fully manifested till after his resurrection, and then to be published by himself, and confirmed by his own miracles.
 
2. Lest the knowledge of it should have hindered his death; for  had the rulers known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
 
Learn, That Christ has his own fit times and proper season, in which he reveals his own mysteries to the world.
 
3. That Christ was so intent upon his laying down his life for sinners, that he would not have his death hindered by an untimely declaration of his being truly and really God; after his death it was, that he declared himself to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead.

[airIam2worship]

Mt 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

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Observe, 1. The wisdom of our Saviour, in acquainting his disciples with the near approach of his death and sufferings.  This he did for several reasons:
 
1. To let them understand that he was really God, (as they had just before confessed him to be) by his foreknowing, and foretelling things to come.
 
2. To convince them of their error, in apprehending that his kingdom was of this world, and that he was to reign here as a temporal prince.
 
3. To prevent their being offended at his sufferings, and to prepare them for their own, that they might not shrink at them, nor sink under them.
 
Observe, 2. The persons foretold by Christ, that should be the bloody actors in the tragedy of his death; namely, the rulers and chief priests; it was the poor that received Christ, and embraced the gospel; it was the great ones of the world that rejected him, and set him at nought; and the rulers both in church and state condemned and crucified him.