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This chapter gives us a hint concerning the heart of God. The book of Matthew and the book of Mark both have the same goal, which is to cause people to know God's heart — He so loved man that He gave His only begotten Son. The Lord Jesus did not say directly that He is the Son of God, because He wanted to give people a hint concerning this. The Lord has already done many things in the past, but now He will continue to do things in order to give us sufficient evidence to know Him as the Son of God.
Verse 1:"Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem." The Pharisees were the pragmatists, whereas the scribes were the theologians. Originally, these two groups did not agree with each other, but here they joined together to trouble the Lord. From this we can realize that the Lord has the influence and the balancing power. If the Lord did not have the influence, they would not have had to join together. Jerusalem was the center of religion as well as the center of rebellion. Therefore, the Lord wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). However, in Matthew 2 Herod and the people of the entire city were troubled; they did not welcome the Lord. This was the reason that during the final week the Lord did not stay in Jerusalem. Rather, He stayed in a home in Bethany, a home that had life, love, and service.
Verse 2:"Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." These people had already questioned Jesus concerning the transgression of the commandment (see ch. 12), but they had failed. Therefore, they questioned Him now concerning tradition. Tradition may be kept, but it must not be considered as having any power in itself, much less should it be considered equal to the word of God. People often consider tradition as the word of God. Because the Lord saw such harm, He purposely transgressed tradition, although He knew hygiene.
Verse 3:"And He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?" Refer to Mark 7:7. What the Lord was arguing with was whether their tradition could replace the word of God. The common traditions in this age, such as not shopping on the Lord's Day, are taught by men as teachings; therefore, such people worship the Lord in vain.
Verses 4-6:Whether it is man's tradition or a supplement to the word of God, after a short time people emphasize tradition and make void the commandment of God.
Verse 5:"A gift to God." This is the "corban" (Mark 7:11). There are two kinds of offerings: (1) a direct offering to God (such as putting money into the offering box), and (2) an offering like that of Jephthah's. (This is like making a vow, a personal offering. For instance, if a person became ill and he vowed to God that he would not eat meat or spend money, then his parents could not eat meat or spend money.) The vow of Jephthah (Judg. 11:29-40) was a corban that violated the commandment regarding not killing. This is to transgress the commandment of God because of men's tradition which is against God's judgment. The prayer book of the Anglican Church is tradition, and they place it above the Bible today. Anything that is placed together with the commandment of God is liable to be higher than it. Those in the Anglican Church would rather have idol worshippers as their teachers than those who have been baptized. The Jews would rather keep corban and abolish the commandment of God. We often say, "The Bible says thus, but..." This but leads to trouble; this is the teaching of tradition.
Verse 7:"Hypocrites! Well has Isaiah prophesied concerning you." To be hypocritical is not to be truly evil; it is to be falsely good. False good is worse than true evil.
Verse 8:"This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart stays far away from Me." Anyone who advocates the authority of tradition honors God with his lips, but his heart stays far away from Him.
Verse 9:"But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commandments of men." Since their heart is far away from God, their worship of God is in vain. God desires His worshippers to worship in spirit and truthfulness (John 4:24).
Verse 10:"And He called the crowd to Him and said to them, Hear and understand." He said this not merely to the scribes and Pharisees but also to the multitude. This word is also for people today. What He spoke concerned not merely the tradition of the washing of hands but also all traditions.
Verse 11:"It is not that which enters into the mouth that defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." Man's evil is not on the outside but on the inside. Therefore, there is no need to wash the hands. Only that which proceeds out of the mouth defiles the man.
Verse 12:"Then the disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were stumbled when they heard this word?" Because the Pharisees had prejudice in their hearts, they were stumbled.
Verse 13:"And He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up." (1) The Lord acknowledged that traditions come from men. (2) All traditions will one day be rooted up by God. Let us not wait until that day to have them rooted up. (3) "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted" refers to the teachings of the Pharisees. May all our teachings of tradition be rooted up today and not wait until the day when we will stand before the judgment seat. (4) From this verse we can realize that all heresies of men will be removed.
Verse 14:"Let them be. They are blind guides of the blind; and if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." "Let them be" indicates that the Lord was not anxious. Time will prove what is real and what is false. We are just the opposite; we are most anxious. Not only the Pharisees but even the crowd who heard the Lord's speaking that day were blind. A blind man guides a blind man — whoever follows a blind man must also be a blind man himself. One who sees will not follow a blind man. Those who love excitement like to listen to those who love excitement, and those who are cloudy-minded like to listen to those who are cloudy-minded. Those without sight always like to lead; those without learning like to instruct others; those without foundation in the Bible love to preach (their preaching may be likened to holding an exhibition, showing that they have this and that); and those who are ignorant of God's will love to tell others about God's will. In the whole world who makes rash moves? Only the blind do; they are most subjective.
Verses 15-20:"This parable" is the parable of a blind man leading a blind man, referring to the washing of hands. The heart is the source of evil. The traditions of the Pharisees require people to wash their hands until they are clean and white, but such traditions ignore the fact that the people's heart remains defiled. One does not need to go to Africa to find a savage; savages are everywhere in America, England, China, Japan, etc. This section shows (1) how defiled man's heart is, (2) how loving God's heart is, and (3) that it is the heart that needs cleansing; this is not an outward need. The foregoing passage speaks concerning man's heart being defiled, whereas the following passage speaks concerning God's heart. If we do not know man's heart, neither can we know God's heart.
Verse 21:"And Jesus went from there and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon." Because He desired to leave those hypocritical ones, the Lord withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon, which were places cursed by God (see Isa. 23; Joel 3:4). God openly cursed Tyre and Sidon through the prophets. The Lord preferred to leave the secret sinners to go to the open sinners. "The parts" means the realm. Although we do not live in Tyre and Sidon, we are in that realm.
Verse 22:"And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried out, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter suffers terribly from demon possession." This Canaanite woman belonged to the race of the Canaanites, who were also cursed (Gen. 9:25-26). She came out from a cursed place. "Lord" is a cry for mercy; "Son of David" is a cry by mistake. The Son of David had nothing to do with a Canaanite woman.
Verse 23:"But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, Send her away, for she is crying out after us." If the Lord were only the Son of David, He could have nothing to do with the Gentiles. This woman was standing in an improper position to lay hold of the Lord. Hence, when we pray, we should not be careless in the way we address the Lord. The disciples were impatient with the bothersome woman, so they asked the Lord to fulfill her desire quickly.
Verse 24:"But He answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." All the works of the Lord on the earth were for the Jews; His open works for the Gentiles would begin in the house of Cornelius. Until then the Lord's works toward the Gentiles were only suggestive. Even in His going to the house of Israel, He went only to the lost sheep (the remnant). Why did the Lord speak such a word? He wanted to give the woman a handle. The Lord was sent only to the house of Israel. Now, since He was to go to the lost sheep, the realm had become much broader. Was the woman not a lost sheep? Could she not receive grace? All she needed to do was to admit that she was a lost sheep. The Lord stayed at a far distance to allow her to think. His not answering was not a refusal; rather, it was a silent permission. Although the Lord did not open His mouth at that time, His heart was beating unceasingly, and He was eager to give grace. However, since the woman did not stand in the position of a sinner, it was inconvenient for the Lord to answer her request. God's silent delay is not a rejection. When our God delays, it is not that He rejects us; rather, He is waiting for us. After the Lord speaks one sentence, He stops. But within, He eagerly expects and loves us immensely. His outward distance is not a real distance.
Verse 25:"But she came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me!" This woman began to realize the handle of the Lord's word, and she held on to it. She thought, "Oh, I thought that all the Israelites were moral and good people. Little did I know that they are lost sheep. Since this is grace, there is not the limitation of position. Although I am a sinner under the curse, I am also a lost sheep and therefore may receive grace." The Lord Jesus brought the entire nation of Israel down to the same level as Tyre and Sidon — all are sinners. Now she called the Lord only "Lord" and eliminated the title "Son of David," for she now understood what salvation was.
Verse 26:"But He answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." This was the first time the Lord answered the woman directly. The previous word was spoken indirectly to the woman but directly to the disciples. The Lord likened the Jews to sheep and the Gentiles to dogs. Only the Israelites are qualified to be God's flock; they are the Lord's sheep mentioned in John 10. The "other sheep" are the Gentiles who are saved. Not all Jews are sheep, but the Jews considered themselves as sheep. Therefore, the Lord said that they were lost sheep. The Gentiles thought that they too were sheep, but the Lord said that they were dogs. A sheep has divided hoofs (outward cleanliness) and chews the cud (inward cleanliness). This woman considered herself a sheep, yet the Lord said that she was a dog and refused her. However, He still did not give her up; rather, He again gave her a handle to hold on to.
Verse 27:"And she said, Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." In saying, "Yes, Lord," the woman acknowledged that what the Lord had spoken was right and that she was wrong. In Greek there are two different words for dog. One is used in reference to wild dogs and the other is used in reference to domestic dogs. Here the word used is that for domestic dogs. The Lord gave her the handle of His word, and she held on to it. What she meant was this: "Although I am a dog, I am Your dog. Since I am Your dog, I can eat the crumbs."
Verse 28:"Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that hour." The Lord here addressed her as "woman," and He first praised her and then gave her what she had asked. (The way of the Lord's rewarding is also first by praising and then by giving — Matt. 25:21, 23). The Lord's heart leaped because He greatly marveled at her faith. God's delay and God's trial are training schools of our faith. The longer the delay in answering, the greater the faith. "Son of David" denotes a natural relationship. If you consider that your behavior is good and that your conduct is not bad, then God will give you up. If you are willing to humble yourself and stand in the position of a dog, God will bless you. May we learn from this passage how to pray and hold on to the handle of God's word. (This portion speaks of the heart of the Gentiles.)
Verses 29-31:The Lord returned to the midst of the children of Israel. The Lord went first to the Jews, then to the land of the Gentiles, and then back to the midst of the children of Israel. The Jews need to repent and the Gentiles need to believe. This portion is a type of the beginning of the millennium. At that time the Lord will return to the midst of the Jews. Realizing that they are sick, the Jews will come to the Lord. Then the Lord will heal and save them. (Healing is a manifestation of the power of the millennium.) The children of Israel will glorify God because of the Lord.
Verses 32-39:In the preceding passage what the woman ate was crumbs. But now the Lord was preparing a feast, signifying the grace and riches in the kingdom. There is not one age in which the number of saved ones is greater than during the millennium. Five thousand is the number of responsibility. Four (signifying the created man) comes from three (signifying the Creator). This means the creatures come out of the Creator. Four thousand represents a great number. "Five loaves" is the number of responsibility; "two fish" signifies testimony. "Seven loaves" is the number of completeness; "seven baskets" signifies great abundance. There is another precious and significant thing, and that is that the Lord Jesus was also without anything to eat for three days. The Lord knew how to stand on the same position as man. We may listen to the Lord's speaking for three days and not feel hungry; the Lord can speak for three days and not feel hungry. For others, after three days He performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves. However, for Himself, after forty days of not eating He would not make the stones become loaves of bread (Matt. 4:2-4). In caring for others we should have compassion and put ourselves in their position. However, toward ourselves, we should be strict and exercise selfrestraint. Whether the Lord would or would not do something, both were miracles. He did not want to see the people go away hungry.
At present there are two kinds of people. One is the kind who are given to social service. The other is the kind who care only for spiritual needs. Both are wrong. The latter kind are the ones spoken of by James, who have faith only, but no works. It is most natural to have a compassionate heart, unless, as John said, one shuts up his affections (1 John 3:17). Therefore, to help the brothers in material things is something that every believer should endeavor to do. Those who say, "Where can we get so many loaves?" (v. 33), are people who look at circumstances. The first lesson of faith is to remove doubts. Not one prayer of faith ever asks such a question. As long as God has spoken, that is good enough. The loaves given by the Lord to the disciples signify resurrection life. The loaves of bread originally in the disciples' hands would never have increased, but after they were broken by the Lord, the leftovers filled seven baskets (seven being the number of greatest abundance). When life is dealt with by the cross, it is no longer natural but supernatural, and it is multiplied.
