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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Matthew chapter 15. As we continue our exposition 
through Matthew's gospel, we're going to finish, God willing, 
chapter 15 this morning, and then probably take a few weeks 
off during the summertime, as is our custom. So, God willing, 
we'll return to Matthew's gospel, chapter 16, in a few weeks, perhaps 
when the fall arrives again or September. I'm not quite sure 
at this point, but as I said we want to finish chapter 15 
beginning in verses 29 to 39. We're going to look at this in 
terms of our focus for the sermon, but I'll begin reading in verse 
21 to set the larger context. Then Jesus went out from there 
and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a 
woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him, 
saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David. My daughter is 
severely demon-possessed. But he answered her not a word. 
And his disciples came and urged him, saying, Send her away, for 
she cries out after us. But he answered and said, I was 
not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then 
she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he 
answered and said, it is not good to take the children's bread 
and throw it to the little dogs. And she said, yes, Lord, yet 
even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their 
master's table. Then Jesus answered and said 
to her, oh woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you 
desire. And her daughter was healed from 
that very hour. Jesus departed from there, skirted 
the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down 
there. Then great multitudes came to him, having with them 
the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others. And they laid 
them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude 
marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the lame made whole, 
the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the 
God of Israel. Now Jesus called his disciples 
to himself and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they 
have now continued with me three days and have nothing to eat. 
And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint 
on the way. Then his disciples said to him, 
where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such 
a great multitude? Jesus said to them, how many 
loaves do you have? And they said, seven and a few 
little fish. So he commanded the multitude 
to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves 
and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to his 
disciples. And the disciples gave to the 
multitude. So they all ate and were filled. 
And they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments 
that were left. Now those who ate were 4,000 
men, besides women and children. And he sent away the multitude, 
got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala." Let us 
pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your holy word. We thank you for this gospel 
according to Matthew. We pray now that the Holy Spirit 
would guide our thoughts and our minds as we look to Scripture. 
We pray that you would illumine us and give us grace to receive 
with thanksgiving the Word of God Most High. May we see in 
this passage the glory of Christ so clearly displayed. May we 
see his sufficiency, may we see his provision, and may we see 
his mercy and his grace. And God, we pray that sinners, 
by your grace, would see his ability to save to the uttermost. 
We know, God, that he does not Help men to save themselves, 
but He saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through 
Him. We ask that You would forgive us for our sins and unrighteousness. We pray that You would cleanse 
us in the blood of the Lamb, that You would cause us to be 
able to come to this section of Scripture with our minds renewed 
and with help from on high, that we may receive with thanksgiving 
the implanted Word. And we ask these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, if you have been 
with us over the last several weeks, you will see that this 
particular passage is very similar to what we've already considered 
in Matthew chapter 14. In fact, if you want to look 
back there for just a moment, in Matthew 14 specifically, verses 
13 to 21, we see Jesus feed a multitude. We see him take bread and take 
fish, and break it, and thank His Father for it, and then distribute 
it to 5,000 men, plus women and children. And then at the end 
of chapter 14, we have a summary healing statement. Notice in 
verses 34 to 36. We see that Christ, or that when 
He crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret, and then 
the men of that place recognized Him. They sent into all that 
surrounding region and brought to Him all who were sick. and 
begged him that they might only touch the hem of his garment, 
and as many as touched it were made perfectly well." So we see 
the feeding of the multitude and then the healing of the multitude. 
Lo and behold, we get to chapter 15 and we find the exact same 
situation. Verses 29 to 31 deals with the 
healing of a multitude. And then in verses 
32 to 39, we see the feeding of the multitude. Now the numbers 
are different to be sure, but the idea is exactly and precisely 
the same. So we might ask the question, 
why does Matthew give us these back-to-back miracles? Well, 
in the larger context of Matthew's gospel, we know that he is demonstrating 
to us the power and the glory and the majesty of Jesus Christ. All along the way, he wants us 
to behold our God. He wants us to recognize the 
Son of David for who He is. He wants us to see Him as that 
servant of the Lord, as that one prophesied by the prophet 
Isaiah, who would come to bring healing and come to bring salvation. But as well, there's something 
else going on in chapter 15 that is, I hope, of peculiar interest 
to us as a predominantly Gentile audience. Jesus is in Gentile 
territory. Jesus is ministering. He is the 
son of David, the Messiah of Israel, but now he is ministering 
specifically to Gentiles. And in order to fully appreciate 
what's going on in this passage, we ought to look at Paul's commentary 
his theological commentary on what transpires with New Covenant 
religion. Pastor Cam read at the outset, 
this is a description of Gentiles before the cross. He says, therefore 
remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called 
uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made in the 
flesh by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, 
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from 
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the 
world. But now, in Christ Jesus, you 
who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of 
Christ." We see that Paul is not teaching anything contrary 
to the Lord Christ, but what we find in the Gospel accounts 
sets the stage and the foundation for what Paul does write in Ephesians 
chapter 2. And as we work our way through 
Matthew's Gospel, we know This is one of his themes, is to set 
forth Christ, not only a son of David, but a son of Abraham. Matthew 1.1, it was to Abraham 
the promise was given that in him all the nations of the earth 
would be blessed. And we see a heavy emphasis on 
Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God in this gospel 
according to Matthew. And so as we read or as we study 
these two particular instances, we will note first the healing 
of Gentile multitudes, and secondly the feeding of Gentile multitudes. This is what is transpiring before 
our eyes. So let's take up first of all 
the healing in verses 29 to 31. We ought to show, or ought to 
establish, or ought to demonstrate that he is in fact in Gentile 
country or territory. I don't want to throw that out, 
but there are many indicators within the passage itself that 
highlights this particular reality. Note first the setting. He departs 
from there, according to verse 29. Well, where is there? It 
is found in verse 21. He's in the region of Tyre and 
Sidon. Remember he's up there north 
of Galilee. He has left that particular region 
after this debate with the Scribes and the Pharisees in chapter 
15 verses 1 to 20. The question was over food and 
defilement and things of that nature. But if you think just 
for a moment, the whole issue of food and defilement doesn't 
terminate with food. It goes on to people. So the 
Jews were fastidious about these food laws because it distanced 
them from the Gentiles. So Jesus seems to be teaching 
contrary to them, he receives opposition from them, and then 
in verse 21 he goes out from there, and he departs to the 
region of Tyre and Sidon. And then what happens? This Canaanite 
woman comes to him. I mean, you couldn't underscore 
more. just how unworthy such a person was. You couldn't demonstrate 
more fully. For those of us who study the 
Old Testament, we understand what Canaanites were. They were 
the objects of God's holy war. Deuteronomy 7, 1 to 5, the children 
of Israel were not told to go in there and ask the people to 
leave. They were told to go in there and utterly destroy, to 
utterly decimate, to have no political alliance, to have no 
social alliance, and certainly to have no religious alliance 
with the people of Canaan. And so when Matthew tells us 
this Canaanite woman comes to the Lord Jesus, he is ringing 
a bell. He wants us to take note. He 
wants us to pay attention. Christ is entire inside him, 
and a woman from Syrophoenicia comes out to meet him, and she 
ends up being one who confesses faith in a tremendous way. She first states her case, he 
doesn't answer. The disciples say, send her away, 
and I think with the request granted to her, he still doesn't 
respond. Or actually, there he responds 
by telling her, defining the mission that he was sent for. 
Not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She then 
comes and bows in worship to him, and then he says to her, 
as France says, adding insult to injury. Notice what he says 
in verse 26. It is not good to take the children's 
bread and throw it to the little dogs. And then we see her faith 
graduate to such a place. We see her make this confession, 
yes Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall 
from their master's table. If you agree to take a pet into 
your home, you're still bound to feed that pet. She uses the 
very parable that he gives to her, and she says, yes, Lord, 
based on what you're saying, I as a Gentile dog nevertheless 
have privilege to the crumbs that fall from the table. Christ 
doesn't admonish her, Christ doesn't rebuke her, Christ doesn't 
reprove her, Christ commends her. He says, this is great faith. 
And then I submit that what happens from 29 to 39 fully illustrates 
that reality, but shows us that not only are they dogs under 
the table, eating the scraps that fall from the table, but 
they are being brought on par with Israel themselves. Notice, secondly, he skirts the 
Sea of Galilee. In the northwest portion of the 
land, he skirts the Sea of Galilee, and then as he comes down, according 
to Mark's gospel, he goes through the Decapolis. Now the Decapolis, 
as its name might indicate to you, is ten cities. That's what 
Deca and Polis means. So it's 10 cities on the east 
side of the Sea of Galilee. It is a heavily populated Gentile 
area. He's probably avoiding those 
regions that are reigned or ruled or governed by Herod Antipas. 
We already know that Herod is upset with him according to the 
beginning of chapter 14. So he skirts that area As Mark 
tells us, he departs from the region of Tyre and Sidon. He 
comes through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea 
of Galilee. Christ has been in this region. Christ has dealt with Gentiles 
before in this particular region, specifically in the Gerasenes. In Matthew chapter 8, verses 
28 to 34, those two men that were demon-possessed that lived 
among the tombs. This was Decapolis. This is why 
there was a herd of pigs there. Jews didn't herd pigs, Jews didn't 
look out for pigs, but Gentiles did. The Decapolis is a heavily 
populated Gentile area. Notice as well, when the multitudes 
are healed, according to verse 31, who do they give glory to? The God of Israel! Not to say 
that Israel would never say, God of Israel, but it's a more 
fitting confession coming from the mouths of Gentiles. As well, 
the Lord Jesus, according to verse 39, has to take a boat 
to get to Magdala. That means He's on the eastern 
shore of the Sea of Galilee, and He must travel west. The 
eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, if anybody can remember just 
a couple of minutes ago, is where? It is in the Decapolis. This 
is a Gentile audience, and if you really want to boil it down, 
the words that are used for basket are different in chapter 14 and 
in chapter 15. A poet by the name of Juvenal 
said that the Jews used to carry their kosher food in a particular 
type of basket. It is the basket mentioned in 
Matthew 14. In Matthew 15 it's a different 
type of basket. I know this is small and it's 
a tiny detail and some would suggest that it's stylistic, 
but when Jesus highlights both of these fading accounts in Matthew 
16, he uses the same language in terms of basket. And then 
the fact that we have healing in a Jewish audience in Matthew 
14, and then this teaching in Matthew 15, 1 to 20 on defilement. This teaching on what goes into 
a man and what comes out of a man. And then we have this healing 
of the Canaanite woman. All of this evidence mounts up 
evidence mounts up to suggest and indicate that Jesus is now 
in Gentile territory and he is not just allowing Gentiles to 
eat the scraps that fall from the table, but he is inviting 
them to table fellowship and he is multiplying bread and fish 
to give to them. It is a wonderful illustration, 
it is a wonderful demonstration of the theology of Ephesians 
chapter 2. Notice what our Lord does according 
to chapter 15 verse 29. He went up on the mountain and 
sat down there. This is hopefully reminiscent 
in your heads to Matthew 5.1. This is how the Sermon on the 
Mount begins. Jesus goes up to the Mount, and 
what does He do? He sits down. This is the official 
posture for rabbinic teaching. So when Jesus says, the crowd 
has now been with me for three days, it's time to feed them, 
we see something of the priority of our Lord. What's He doing 
for those three days? Yes, He's healed the multitudes, 
but He's also teaching the multitudes. What's more important than your 
physical bread? Spiritual bread. What comes first? What's most essential? What was 
Israel taught in Deuteronomy chapter 4? What does Jesus reiterate 
in Matthew chapter 4? Man does not live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Now sometimes 
I suspect that if we go a bit long, people start to look at 
their watches. I've mentioned before that children 
are a lot more honest. They just look back. They just 
look right at the clock. We polished adults have to sort 
of sneak that we're taking a peek. Or, not that yawning is any good 
thing, too, or stretching. That really doesn't help your 
case. But we look at the clock and we think to ourselves, he's 
going a bit long. They have now continued with 
me for three days. Let's feed them. Note the priority 
of our Lord. Don't complain if we go three 
minutes over. Don't be upset. Don't throw darts 
at my picture. Christ sets forth what's important. That's what this passage sets 
forth as well. Let's look at the healing. Notice 
verse 30. Then great multitudes came to 
Him. This is beautiful. This Canaanite 
woman, hailing from the region of Syrophoenicia, identifies 
Him as Lord and Son of David. His own countrymen don't do this. 
His own religious leaders don't do this. The contrast between 
15, 1 to 20, and what follows is sharp. Matthew wants you to 
get this. The Pharisees and the scribes, 
they rage against him when he heals a man with a withered hand 
in the synagogue on the Sabbath. What do you think they think 
about Him now going to the Decapolis to heal multitudes? You see, 
those scribes and Pharisees do not confess Him as Lord, they 
do not confess Him as Son of David, but these multitudes recognize 
something about Him. The Gentiles are plagued with 
the same ills and the same issues that are common to Jews. Notice 
in verse 30, then great multitudes came to Him, having with them 
the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others. It's a very 
descriptive catalog of maladies. You see, they recognized His 
power. They hoped in His mercy. They 
cast the sick at His feet. prayerful, seeking the God of 
Israel, that if perhaps He would just reach out and touch these 
people, they would be healed. Chamberlain says the repetition 
of these four terms underscores the magnitude and the breadth 
of Jesus' healing powers. As well, it underscores the reality 
that Isaiah 35, 5 and 6 isn't only for ethnic Israel, but it 
is for Gentiles as well. You see that Jew and Gentile, 
together under Christ, make up one new man, as the Apostle Paul 
teaches there. in Ephesians 2. The prophet describes 
the mission of the Messiah in this way, Isaiah 35, 5 and 6, 
"...then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears 
of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like 
a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For water shall burst 
forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert." They 
recognize the power of Israel's Messiah, they hope in the mercy 
of Israel's Messiah, and they respond to Israel's Messiah a 
far cry differently than Israel's leaders. This is fundamental. When we return to Matthew's Gospel, 
again, beginning in chapter 16, Jesus announces that He must 
go to Jerusalem. Why must He go to Jerusalem? 
So they can hail me, so they can praise me, so they can worship 
me, so they can adore me, so they can put me on my rightful... 
give me my rightful authority? No, verse 21 in chapter 16. From that time, Jesus began to 
show to 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 the third day." That's how Israel's leadership 
responds to Christ. But this Gentile rabble sees 
Him, and they come to Him, and they cast their sick at His very 
feet. There's a hope here. There's 
a desire for mercy. There is a recognition of power. 
And if you are here this morning outside of Christ, there is something 
worse than the maladies described. There is something worse than 
being lame. There is something worse than 
being blind. There's something worse than 
being mute and maimed. And it's the problem of sin. 
You see, they recognized His power to heal, they recognized 
His mercy to heal, and so they cast themselves at the feet of 
the Savior. And may I suggest that is what 
you ought to do today. Our Christ has power to heal 
sinners. Our Christ has mercy to heal 
sinners. Our Christ is at the right hand 
of God Most High, where the Bible says He ever lives to make intercession 
for His people. And where the Bible also says, 
all that come to me, I will certainly not cast out. Come to Christ. Learn from these Gentiles what 
it is to come to Jesus. We saw this with the Canaanite 
woman. She didn't stop. You couldn't stop this woman." 
He doesn't answer, she keeps coming. The disciples say, send 
her away, she keeps coming. He says, the scope of my mission 
doesn't include you, she keeps coming. He says, you're a Gentile 
dog not worthy of the scraps, she keeps coming. How many of 
you know something of your problem before a holy God? How many of 
you have come to this church, or you sit under family worship, 
and you've heard your father, you've heard faithful friends, 
you've heard faithful witnesses, and you've heard faithful preaching, 
all telling you, your biggest problem isn't that you're lonely. 
It isn't that people don't like you. I'm not suggesting these 
aren't necessarily problems. Your biggest problem isn't that 
you're broke. Your biggest problem isn't that 
you're lame. It isn't that you're blind. It isn't that you're deaf. 
It isn't that you're maimed. Your biggest problem is that 
you have sinned against a thrice holy God. A God who, according 
to the Scriptures, inhabits eternity. A God who, according to the Scripture, 
His eye is too pure to approve of any evil. A God who sent wrath 
from heaven, or sent hell from heaven down upon Sodom and Gomorrah 
for their sin. A God who sent rain from heaven 
upon a world because of their sin. A God who brings judgment 
to bear upon the nation of Israel, first in the 8th century and 
then again in the 6th century. A God who ultimately hung His 
Son up on the cross, it was the predetermined plan of God, and 
He was pleased to bruise Him. This is what God thinks of sin. So you see there's a malady or 
a problem or a situation or an issue that's far worse than anything 
physical, than anything temporal, than anything plaguing you in 
this lower world. God is angry with the wicked 
every day. That's what the Bible says. God 
hates the workers of iniquity according to the Psalms. I know 
we don't like that message. We like the message, God is love. And God is love, but He's also 
wrath, and justice, and fury, and anger against sin. And so 
if you are here this morning, I don't care if you're old, I 
don't care if you're young, as you look into this particular 
passage, you may not be lame, you may not be maimed, you may 
not be deaf, and you may not be crippled. You're in sin. And you need a Savior. And look 
at what the Savior does when this Gentile crowd brings their 
sick and throws them. That's the language of the text. 
They fling them at his feet. It's almost a violent term. I 
don't think they did it in a violent way. I just think it's a very 
descriptive term of what's going on in the situation. The idea 
is this. Great need demands great earnestness. When you've got maimed people 
and lame people and deaf people and people that are plagued with 
malady, you don't just gently bring them forward and say, if 
you are willing, Lord, I want you to find it in your heart 
to deal with them. No, you take them, you throw 
them at his feet, you say, Lord, heal them. It's like this Canaanite 
woman. What does she do? My daughter 
is severely demon possessed. I'm not going to let you go, 
Lord Jesus, until you bless me. I'm not going to let you go until 
you render my verdict. I am not going to let you go 
until you visit me with healing in your wings. You see, I think 
some of you haven't come to that place. You know, you're a sinner. The Bible says it. There's no 
earnestness. There's no importunance. There 
is no zeal to be right with God. I don't get that, other than 
the reality that sin darkens the understanding. But if you 
knew that a volcano was going to erupt and you were in the 
target zone, you would run from that place, wouldn't you? You 
wouldn't stop to collect your belongings. you wouldn't stop 
to collect your documents. If you're in the blast zone, 
you run for the hills. And yet, when we consider the 
spiritual blast zone, the reality that Romans 118 sets forth for 
us, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against what? All 
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. We don't run. If we're young, we say things 
like, well, when I get older, then I'll come to Jesus. When 
I'm done having my fun, then I'll come to Jesus, as if being 
with Jesus can't be fun. And why is fun the most important 
thing ever anyway? That's North American. It's not 
Bible. Sometimes young people, and I'm 
not picking on you here, but you think this way. Especially 
young men, eight foot tall and bulletproof. Nothing can harm 
me. My dad lived to a ripe old 80, 
well so will I!" We forget what Edward said so 
classically in his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry 
God. He simply cited what the scripture teaches us over and 
over and over again. Edward says there are innumerable 
ways of men going out of this world. It doesn't just happen 
to 80-year-old men. It doesn't just happen to 50-year-old 
men. It doesn't happen to just 30-year-old men. It happens to 
all men, all women, all boys, all girls, sometime. There is 
no promise ever that you are going to reach your next birthday. Sure, I've shared with all of 
you, those who have been around for any time will probably remember 
this particular illustration. The children were younger. We 
were driving around doing errands. Josh was about two or three. 
He was one of these kids that had to know everything about 
the future. What are we doing now? Where 
are we going now? What are we doing this? If he ate breakfast, he 
wondered what was for dinner. This was the kind of character 
that he had. And we're pulling into a particular 
restaurant. And I finally had had enough. 
And I said, Josh, we may not make it to the front door of 
that establishment. Was it wholly pious and righteous 
the way I expressed it? No. But it was the truth. So a second later, I'm doing 
something at the car, and then I hear him say, Dad, Dad, I made 
it. He's standing at the door. He had made it. We don't think that way, do we? 
We think every morning when we get up, there's going to be a 
food supply. Every morning when we get up, there's going to be 
milk in the fridge. Every morning when we get up, 
my car is going to function safely. Every morning when I get up, 
I'm going to go to work. I'm going to do my thing. I'm 
going to come home tonight. I'm going to kiss my wife. I'm 
going to play with my children. I'm going to do those things 
each and every day. It never dawns on us that the 
reality of James could affect us. You ought not to boast about 
tomorrow. You don't know what a day brings. 
Your life is like a vapor. It's here for a moment and then 
it's gone. Some of you guys are playing 
with fire. Some of you guys know better. You sit under, I hope, 
faithful preaching that warns you. And I hope family altars 
where the warnings are given. Take a cue from these Gentiles. Don't tarry, don't wait, don't 
play games, but by the grace of God, throw yourself at the 
feet of Christ. There's no better place. There's 
no more excellent place. There's no more safe place than 
at the feet of the Savior. Talk to anybody here who's a 
Christian. Talk to anybody that's been a believer for any amount 
of time and ask them, do you regret having come to Jesus Christ? I have yet to meet that specimen 
that says, well, yeah, you know, I really liked it when I was 
dead in my trespasses and sins. I really liked it when I was 
living under the wrath and fury of God. I really liked the guilt 
and the plague of sin that I carried in my bed every single night. 
Nobody says that. What does Paul tell us? Whoever 
believes in Him will not be disappointed, will not be put to shame. Quit 
playing games! You ought to believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. You ought to be baptized. You 
ought to join the church. You ought to treasure the church 
of Christ the way that God the Lord does. He loves the gates 
of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Pastor Kim was 
absolutely right. There is no more excellent place 
on the face of the earth. I don't know if your experience 
has ever been like mine, but sometimes you wake up on a Sunday 
morning and you're a bit sluggish and you're a bit cold. You try 
to pray, you read your scriptures, and it just doesn't seem like 
anything's happening. And then you come into the house 
of the Lord, you start singing praises to God, and you hear 
the brethren alongside of you. What happens? It's as if God 
looks down upon His corporate people, and He lifts us together. Your friends will never offer 
you anything in any way comparable to that. There is no drug out 
there, there is no pill out there, there is no cigarette, no drink, 
no anything out there that affords what Christ gives. It's not just 
the fun, it's not just the happiness, it's not just the bliss, it is 
the forgiveness of sins and is the being clothed in the righteousness 
of Christ. Nothing's better. Nothing's better. They cast Him. They cast them 
at his feet. Notice verse 30. They laid them 
down at Jesus' feet and he healed them. Don't we expect this from 
the son of David? We don't expect him to kick them 
away at this point, do we? We don't expect Him to say, what 
are you throwing this rabble down at my feet for? No, He heals 
them. This is what He does. This is 
His job. This is what He's about. He is 
a Savior. He makes man whole. This is why 
if you come to Him, you will not be cast out. If you come 
to Him, you will not be confounded. If you come to Him, you will 
not be refused or rejected. It is what He's about. You ever 
meet a man who is defined by His Word? What do you do? I'm 
this. And he says it with a degree 
of pride. And that's good. God made us to work and to labor 
and identify with those things that He has given to us. When 
we say, what is your job to the Lord Jesus Christ? If I dare 
speak as a man, He says with a gleam in His eye, it is to 
save my people from their sins. Isn't that beautiful? You don't 
find that outside of Christ. You don't find that elsewhere. 
You find that solely and alone in Jesus. Very clear, very concise, 
very simply, and He healed them. The Geneva Bible tells us, "...and 
that Christ healeth the sick, we are given to understand that 
we must seek remedy for spiritual diseases at His hands, and that 
we are bound not only to run ourselves, but also to bring 
others to Him." Beautiful description of what's going on. Note the 
response to this particular healing, verse 31. So the multitude marveled 
when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame 
walking, and the blind seeing." So of course they're going to 
marvel. They've just seen incredible things. Of course they're going 
to be amazed because they've just seen incredible things. I suggest that we seek, by God's 
grace, to capture some of that Gentile thrill in this context 
and appropriate it into our hearts. Because we get to read about 
it. We get to see it displayed in the Scriptures. We get to 
follow the Son of Man in His dealings and in His doings. Why 
should they marvel and we not? Why shouldn't we stand in awe 
at the God of Israel for His wondrous works manifested through 
His servant Christ revealed in Holy Scripture? They marveled, 
they wondered, they delighted. Matthew Henry says it this way, 
they wondered and well they might. Christ's works should be our 
wonder. What do you do more, complain 
or wonder? What do you do more, grumble 
or marvel? What do you do more, whine or 
stand in amazement? Henry goes on to say this, It 
is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous, Psalm 118.23. He says, 
the spiritual cures that Christ works are wonderful. When blind 
souls are made to see by faith, the dumb to speak in prayer, 
the lame to walk in holy obedience, it is to be wondered at. Have you ever met somebody that 
you never knew had become a Christian and you're, wow, I didn't know 
you were a Christian. Or has anybody ever said that 
about you? Wow, I didn't know you were a Christian. I haven't 
seen you for 20 years and you're a believer. Boy, I never dreamed 
of that. What is that but to wonder and 
marvel that this wretch, this God-hating wretch, this man who 
reveled in sin and depravity and wickedness, this man who 
drank iniquity like it was water, this man who ate transgression 
like it was bread, this man who was far from God, this man who 
was living in the hog pens, is now a child of the Redeemer King. It is to wonder. It is to marvel. But notice they also glorify 
God. They glorified the God of Israel. This is the proper response when 
we see the power of Christ displayed. To marvel and to glorify. Just thinking of Psalm 103 in 
this regard. If you have a tendency to whine, 
rumble, or complain, get Psalm 103 in your head. Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. David then says again, bless 
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. And then David indicates several 
benefits for which he ought to bless God. May I suggest that 
that is a good exercise for us. May I suggest that we consider 
the mighty works of God. May I suggest that we consider 
His salvation in our lives. We consider the salvation of 
our children. We consider the salvation of 
others. We consider the temporal blessings. We consider the fact 
that we did get up this morning. I was talking to somebody last 
week and saying, you know, I used to go and minister with some 
old folks and one of the old guys used to say, you know, the 
first thing I do in the morning is I check the obituary to make 
sure I'm not in it. How often do we not think in 
terms of what we ought to be thankful for? What do these people 
do? They see the power of the son 
of David. They've seen the mercy of the son of David. They can't 
help but marvel and they can't help but glorify the God of Israel 
who gave the son of David the power to do these things. They're 
exercising biblical religion. Now notice, secondly, the feeding 
of the Gentile multitudes. Again, so much of this is so 
similar to what we have found in chapter 14. His compassion 
on the multitude. Verse 32, now Jesus called his 
disciples to himself and said, I have compassion on the multitude. This isn't the first time in 
Matthew's gospel that we've read this phrase. Chapter 9, verse 
36. He looks upon the multitudes 
and what does he do? He feels compassion for them because they're 
like sheep having no shepherd. In the feeding instance in Matthew 
14, same thing. He looks upon the multitude and 
what happens? He feels compassion for them. Ryle discusses how there are 
many things stated about Christ in the gospel narratives. But 
he also mentions this reality that compassion is mentioned 
a lot. And Ryle makes this particular 
note. 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. Christ's mercy is 
a deep well, of which no one ever found the bottom. That Christ 
feels compassion, that Christ is moved by men, that Christ 
reaches out to engage with these, is cause for marveling. It is 
cause for glorifying the God of Israel. He makes the statement, 
I have compassion on the multitude. He gives the reason, because 
they have now continued with me three days and have nothing 
to eat. Again, I mentioned the priority. 
He is teaching. Yes, he's healed, but he's teaching. He's expounding doctrine. Perhaps 
the same sorts of things that come forth in the Sermon on the 
Mount is what he speaks to these Gentiles, to show them kingdom 
righteousness, to show them God's law, to bring them to that place 
of humility before Him, to confess Him as Lord and Savior, to take 
that doctrine and to put it into practice by the power of the 
Spirit in normative biblical Christianity. It's probably the 
same sorts of things that he is teaching there. He says they're 
hungry. Isn't this great? Jesus cares not just for the 
spiritual man. Man shall not live by bread alone. Alone is put there because it 
is crucial. If we don't eat bread, guess 
what? We do drop dead. We can live 
longer without bread than without water, but we are not disembodied 
spirits, we are not wafted around by our wings, we need food. And so Jesus looks upon these 
people, he sees that they've been attentive to him for three 
days, he has taught them many things, and now he feels compassion 
for them because they're hungry. And as Mark tells us, some came 
from a long way off. Well, if you haven't eaten and 
you are traveling, then you may faint. You will grow weary. You 
could drop dead on the walk home. This is what's going on in the 
instance. So Jesus has a remedy or an intention 
at the end of verse 32. And I do not want to send them 
away hungry, lest they faint on the way. Now, note his discussion 
with the disciples. And in many ways, this is very 
surprising, isn't it? Isn't what the disciples say 
here very surprising? Look at what they say. Verse 33. Now, that's true, on 
the one hand, because there's not a Costco in the Decapolis. 
There's not a Walmart. There's not a superstore. There's 
not even an IGA or a corner store. So on the one hand, that's right, 
where can we get food for all these people? But on the other 
hand, especially those of us who have read Matthew 14, what 
are they saying? Have they forgotten that quick? Didn't He just feed 5,000 men 
plus women and children back in chapter 14? What is it that 
these men are thinking? It probably is one of two things. The first thing might be this, 
that in that feeding of the multitude, what is typified is the messianic 
banquet. Now, whether the original audience 
would have got that or not, that's not the point. We as the readers, 
looking at the same sort of language employed in the Lord's Supper, 
thinking in terms of the messianic banquet, would see a foretaste 
of what's going on there. Perhaps the disciples are thinking, 
Well, those Jewish multitudes were privy to the Messianic banquet, 
but these Gentiles, not so much. That could be what they're thinking, 
but more than likely they're probably just sinfully forgetful. You say, well, how? Could they 
ever forget in the space, at least in the written form, of 
a chapter and a half, what their majestic, glorious master had 
done for the 5,000? What about us? How many times do we forget the 
Lord's provision? How many times do we run the 
risk of betraying our Master, who in Matthew 6 tells us, do 
not worry, do not worry, do not worry, do not worry. He tells 
us that four times. How many times have we forgotten 
the feeding of the 5,000? How many times have we forgotten 
the feeding of the 4,000? How many times, when the resources 
are getting low in our homes, do we fret, do we freak, and 
do we almost commit apostasy, because we can't ever imagine 
how the Lord will ever provide for us in such a situation. So 
before we look at these disciples and say, you sinfully forgetful 
wretches, I would say that's probably what they were, but 
were there too? Every time we freak out, every 
time we flip out, every time we forget the sufficiency and 
the provision of our Lord, we're in the same boat with these men. 
We're looking around saying, well, how in the world can we 
ever eat in a situation like this? That's to confess with 
the disciples. You ever done that? How in the 
world are we going to get out of this financial mess? How in 
the world can Maybe we ought to say we know that God is sufficient, 
we know that His provision is good, we know that He does all 
things well, and we know based on Romans chapter 8 He is going 
to work this out for His glory and for our good. Whatever my 
God ordains is right and I will submit to His rule. Wouldn't 
that be the better way to operate than freak out? Notice how Jesus responds. Jesus said to them, how many 
loaves do you have? He doesn't yell at them. He doesn't 
smack them. He doesn't say, how in the world 
can you guys not remember what I just did for those Jews in 
Gennesaret? How do you not get that? John 
Gill says in a very mild and gentle manner, taking no notice 
of their stupidity. Galvin also tells us that they 
were stupid. Taking no notice of their stupidity, 
nor upbraiding them with their forgetfulness of the late miracle, 
and willing to exercise their patience and try their faith, 
he asks, how many loaves have ye? Meaning in the common stock, 
in which they brought along with them for their own supply. We 
see they say seven and a few little fish. There are differences 
between the feeding of the 4,000 and the feeding of the 5,000. 
Different numbers. Some speculate that it was one 
miracle that for whatever reason Matthew made into two. But Jesus 
does not treat it that way in Matthew 16, 9 and 10. He treats 
it as two separate miracles. The feeding of the five, the 
feeding of the four. And in this particular instance, 
this is the backdrop, this is the groundwork, this is the frame 
for which we ought to appreciate the manifestation of the power, 
the provision, the abundance, and the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. He has seven loaves. He has a 
few fish, and again, these aren't big trout that were pulled out 
of the sea. They're probably dried, and it's probably like 
a jelly or a relish that you would put on small loaves of 
bread. Not these big ones that are so 
loaded with extras that they weigh like five pounds. These 
are little portions per person. You're supposed to get this. 
You're supposed to see this. You're supposed to consider the 
woman whose oil runs out. You're supposed to realize that 
our God is able to do these things. You're supposed to appreciate 
that with little, he can feed many. You're supposed to get 
that a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief is triumphant, victorious, 
and able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto him. Seven 
and a few little fish. Notice the provision for the 
multitude, 34 to 38. Again, it's rehearsed for us 
in language very similar to what we met with in chapter 14. He 
commands the multitude to sit down on the ground. He takes 
the seven loaves, the fish. He gives thanks. He breaks it. 
He gives it to his disciples and the disciples then give to 
the multitude. Again, the early readers or the 
participants in this miracle wouldn't be thinking Lord's Supper. 
But as we move forward in redemptive history, as we move forward in 
the biblical narrative, we ought to think that. And if we have 
any theological acumen, we'll see that he's taking Jews from 
Matthew 14, he's taking Gentiles from Matthew 15, and he's gathering 
together them as one new man, the way Paul tells us in Ephesians 
chapter 2. We ought to appreciate that they're 
no longer dogs eating scraps that have fallen off the master's 
table, but they are on the equivalent status or the equivalent place 
that these Jews are. And while his primary focus is 
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, that does not mean 
that Gentiles are to fend for themselves. We learn in Matthew 
1.21 that he will save his people from their sins, whether they're 
Jew or they're Gentile. He will consolidate them as one 
church to enter into the eschaton to praise his Father forever 
and forever and forever. Christ is displaying the covenant 
promises of God being yea and amen in him. In you, Abraham, 
all the nations of the earth will be blessed." He goes from 
a Jewish region in Gennesaret, he goes to Tyre and Sidon, he 
heals a Canaanite woman, he acknowledges her faith, and then he moves 
himself into Gentile territory where he heals multitudes and 
where he feeds multitudes. What's he telling us? That God 
in Christ is reconciling the world to himself. Men from every 
tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. It really is 
an amazing piece of biblical theology going on. Notice, I want to read this quote 
from Spurgeon that we read in Matthew 14 concerning the fact 
that the entire multitude ate and were filled. Spurgeon says, 
some would give the poor only the barest necessities, bread 
only. Our Lord adds fish. What a feast 
was this! Christ for master of the feast, 
apostles for butlers, thousands for numbers, and miracles for 
supplies. What a far more glorious feast 
is that which the gospel spreads for hungry souls. What a privilege 
to be fed by the Son of God. It's beautiful. It's what's happening 
in this feast. But as we said and noted before, 
there's something worse than being hungry. There's something 
worse than having these physical maladies, and this is what Jesus 
Christ came to deal with, primarily. The passage ends with his movement 
to Magdala. Mark tells us it's Dalmanutha. John Gill indicates that this 
is a shore, Dalmanutha, or rather a part of our place within the 
shore, the coast of Magdala." So it's in the same general vicinity 
that the gospel writers indicate. He sent away the multitude, got 
into the boat, came up to the region, or came to the region 
of Magdala. He enters back into territory 
that is inhabited primarily by Jewish people. He confronts the 
religious leaders again. He makes that announcement that 
he must go to Jerusalem. And then we enter into the third 
major section of Matthew's gospel. So that's sort of the structure, 
that's the format, that's the flow. God willing, we'll return 
to that in a number of weeks back to chapter 16. But let's 
just draw a few closing applications and then we'll pray. First, and 
this morning, Pastor Cam read something that was quite intriguing 
from C.H. Spurgeon. He read a portion of 
a sermon. And Spurgeon took as his text 
Romans chapter 5 verse 6. Spurgeon was going to preach 
the cross. He was going to preach the atonement. And he's walking 
to the pulpit and he sees an American theologian sitting in 
the crowd there, sitting in the church. I wish he would have 
told us which American theologian that was. I'd like to know that 
for my own reference. But he said that man had come 
to him about eight years previous. And this Spurgeon walked up, 
he said, I wonder if that man came to hear something new. That 
man came to hear some advance in the young preacher. I'm paraphrasing 
here. Says he didn't, because I'm going 
to preach the same old truth. I'm going to preach the same 
old cross. Tonight we're going to have the 
Lord's Supper. We're going to consider the priesthood of Jesus 
Christ. You're going to probably think 
in your own head, you know, there are many times that we've had 
Lord's Supper and we've heard of the priesthood of Christ. 
There's nothing more important. There is nothing more important 
than Christ. This is a Christian church. We are Trinitarian to the core. Father, Son, Spirit. Father tells us to glorify His 
Son. The Spirit fills us so that we'll 
make much of His Son. We go to the Father, through 
the Son, by the Spirit. We're not here first and foremost 
for social benefit. We're not here first and foremost 
for what we can get in terms of a shot to the arm so that 
I can live in another otherwise dreary world. We're here first 
and foremost to make much of the Savior. And that's what Matthew 
conspicuously does every jot and tittle of his gospel. If 
we get tired of hearing of the glory of Christ, we need to repent. If we get tired of hearing that 
message of the old rugged cross, we need to repent. It is that 
message of the old rugged cross that we hang our souls on. Certainly 
we want to hear that. We want to be refreshed. We want 
to be renewed. We want to come in out of the 
world into this place so that there will be a renewal ceremony 
transpiring. When we eat the bread tonight 
and we drink that cup, it is to make much of Christ. When 
you gather together, as the Apostle says, as often as you eat this 
bread and you drink this cup, it is not to say that you're 
doing well in the Christian life. When you eat this bread and you 
drink this cup, it is not to proclaim your worthiness for 
such things. When you eat this bread and you 
drink this cup, it is not to proclaim how much better you 
are than your neighbor. When you eat this bread and you 
drink this cup, it is to do what? To proclaim his death. That's what we're about. That's what we're for. That's 
why God saved us. Next time you wonder, what is 
it that I can do to serve the Lord? Do what Peter tells you 
to do. He called us out of darkness 
into marvelous light to do what? To proclaim His excellencies. You got kids? Proclaim His excellencies 
to them. You got neighbors? Proclaim His 
excellencies to them. You've got no one, you're living 
out on a deserted island, look in the mirror and proclaim His 
excellencies to you. Preach the gospel always to yourself. The glory of Christ is seen in 
His sovereignty. Who can multiply fish and loaves? Who can heal people like this? 
I know there's a lot of charlatans today that say they have this 
power. They say they have this ability. 
They have these big miracle crusades where they talk about money and 
me more than they talk about the Savior. He actually does it. They're 
cast at his feet and he heals them. People are hungry and He 
feeds them. This is sovereignty. This is 
power. He is full of power, heart says. But as well, we learn something 
of His compassion. The fact that He says, I have 
compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with 
me three days and have nothing to eat. You're a sinner. You're undone. You're mindful 
of it? You don't want to continue to 
do those things? You want to cast yourself by 
the grace of God upon the mercy of Christ? If he cares for people 
that are hungry after three days, do you think he's going to care 
for people that are sinners after 30 years? that by grace will 
cast themselves upon him." This is the whole point of John 6, 
37. All that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one 
who comes to me, I will what? I will certainly not cast out. 
He is full of pity, joined with power. We see the confirmation 
of His origin in power. This Canaanite woman confesses 
Him as Lord, confesses Him as Son of David. He casts out the 
demon from her severely demon-possessed daughter. And now He heals the 
multitudes and He feeds the multitudes. What is this evidence? Divine 
origin, divine power. He is His Father's man. He is Isaiah's servant of the 
Lord. He is the Isaiah 35, 5 and 6 
man. He is the Messiah sent to Israel. And not just to Israel, but to 
Gentiles as well. And then the mission of Christ 
is extended beyond Israel. Gentile inclusion in the promises 
of God. I already mentioned 1.1, son 
of Abraham. 1.21, he will save his people 
from their sins. Who's the first group that comes 
to worship Jesus according to Matthew 2? It's men from the 
East! Right? It's not Israel. What 
happens when Jesus heals that centurion servant in Matthew 
8? An instance very similar to the 
Canaanite woman. He commends her faith. where 
he commends his faith. I've not seen such great faith 
even in Israel. He says, the sons of the kingdom 
are going to be cast out, but many will come from the east 
and the west and they will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob. What does he mean? Gentile inclusion in the promises 
of God Most High. We see that here throughout chapter 
15. We see it and the gospel record in Matthew 28. Go therefore 
and make disciples of all the nations. The ministry and mission 
of our Lord Jesus Christ is to the Jew first, and also to the 
Greek. Secondly, the provision of Christ. This ought to be a balm and an 
encouragement to all of our hearts. He cares for his people. If you 
don't get that from this passage, I haven't explained it properly. 
He cares for his people. He cares about their maladies, 
He cares about their illnesses, He cares about their struggles, 
He cares about their difficulties, He cares about their empty stomachs. 
You say, well, I've got a malady, I've got an ailment, and I've 
cried out to Him, and He hasn't taken it away from me. He still 
cares. He's still for you. Interesting passage, Hebrews 
5 is. It says that Jesus cried out to the Father. cried out 
with tears and agony. I think it pictures for us Gethsemane. 
It says he cried out to him who had power to spare him from death. Isn't that what Jesus cried out 
for? Father, if it is possible, let this pass from me. Even so, 
Father, not my will, but yours be done." He knew the Father 
had the power to deliver him from death. He cries out to the 
Father to deliver him from death. Hebrews 5 tells us that he was 
heard because of his godly fear. But the answer was no. It was 
necessary that he die. So while he cries out for deliverance 
from the cup of wrath, God hears him, God answers him, and God 
sends him to the cross. All that to say, my beloved brethren, 
who are having struggles and trials and difficulties, do not 
immediately conclude that if you get an answer you're not 
looking for, you haven't got an answer. It's about God's will for us. It's about God conforming us 
unto Jesus Christ. It's about God taking us through 
those trials, and through those afflictions, and through those 
difficulties, so that our faith will grow, our confidence will 
rest, and our dependence will be upon Him, and Him alone. Jesus 
cares for His people. You can't miss that in the passage. 
And then I've alluded to this, I want to close with a quote 
from J.C. Ryle. If I haven't along the 
way encouraged you to get J.C. Ryle's expository thoughts on 
the Gospels, get J.C. Ryle's expository thoughts on 
the Gospels. Actually, you can find them online. 
I think it's at Grace Gems. Here's what Ryle says concerning 
the problem that is worse than illness or hunger. He says, 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 waiting rooms of doctors. For bodily health, they take 
long journeys to find pure air. But for the soul's health, they 
take no thought at all. He says, happy indeed is that 
man or woman who has found out his soul's disease. Such and 
one will never rest until he has found Jesus. Troubles will 
seem nothing to him. Life, life, eternal life is at 
stake. He will count all things lost 
that he may win Christ and be saved. healed. Your problem this 
morning outside of Christ is worse than physical illness. It's worse than physical hunger. It is deadness in sin and trespass. It is impoverishment concerning 
spiritual things. The only remedy is announced 
to us in Matthew 1.21. He will save His people from 
their sins. And from 16 and following, we 
know exactly how He undertakes. It is through His death at Calvary, 
His resurrection from the dead, and all those who, by God's grace, 
look to Him in faith, will have everlasting life. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word and we thank You for our Lord Jesus and for His mercy, 
His compassion. We thank You for His power and, 
Almighty God, we pray that today You would reach down and You 
would save sinners to the uttermost. God, as well, You would increase 
our faith and cause us to see what a What a gracious and a 
sufficient Savior that we have. He is to be trusted in all circumstances 
and in all situations. Make us to be like this Canaanite 
woman. Make us to be like these multitudes 
who saw in Israel's Messiah power and mercy to save. Grant us grace 
now. Watch over us in the remainder 
of this day. Bring us together again that 
we may worship you in spirit and in truth. And we pray these 
things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.