Jesus—could he spurn any" one from his feet? Then that is a safe and sure place to be; cling there and be saved. V. 25, "A Syrophoeni-cian." Matthew says, "Canaanite." It had been com- manded to exterminate Canaanites (Dt. 20:7). See how far Christ goes from Israel, how low He stoops to save, how He refuses none. "Besought . . . cast forth the devil out of her daughter." The devil is busy everywhere; no place, no age, no sex is safe from him, out of Christ. But a mother's prayers are powerful against him. Matthew says "she cried unto Him," called Him "the Son of David"; so she claimed "the sure mercies of David" (Is. 55:3). She heard at synagogue (?) the Jewish hope, with more than Jewish insight, the part in David of "peoples that knew not Thee" (Is. 55:4, 5), and ran unto Him. Tyre and Jerusalem, Hiram and David, had been allies; she saw the typical im- port and joined the alliance. "Have mercy upon me" (2 Ch. 2 :2, 11). She identified herself with her daughter, as David cried, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sa. 18:33). So parents should agonize for their children as for them- selves that they may escape the devil (Gen. 17:18; Mk. 9:21-24). "My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil ("a wicked," an "evil devil"), among devils a devilish devil (Mat- thew). It was a bad case. But father, mother, pray on; a legion of devils (Mk. 5:7-9) are no match for the Son of David. Mt. 15:23, "Answered her not a word." Disheartening! But this is His way (Ps-. 44:23; Je. 14:9; Ps. 22:1, 2; §0:4; La. 3:8, 44; Hab. 3 : 2 ). He tries, He honors her faith, all faith; by this begets greater gratitude, and bestows higher praise. "Though it tarry, wait for it." (Lk. 18:7, 8.) "Send her away." (1) Unblessed? It may be. It was like them (Jn. 4:27; Mk. 10:13, 14; Mt. 14:15). It was like many who discourage bad cases, slum service, or troublesome seekers. (2) Or like the unjust judge (Lk. 18:4, 5), did they mean' "Give and get rid of her," unsym- pathetic? So some in their charities. Or (3), as most, since He never sent the humble away empty (Lk. 1:53), did they mean to advocate and intercede for her? We trust so. Let us do so. Mt. 15:24, "I am not sent but," etc. He still guards the prerogatives of Is- rael. But He would soon cross the borders and go after His "other sheep," since Israel would have none of Him
(Jn. 10:16), and this woman shall be an earnest of it. Mt. 15:25, she paid no heed, but eried on for mercy, "Lord, help me !" Keep it up, brother, sister. He can not resist a cry for help, a cry of one resist- ing Apollyon, taking the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, praying with all supplication in the Spirit (Ep. 6:10-). Mt. 15:26, "The children's bread to dogs." Israel is still the- children of the kingdom, remember that, you Gen- tiles. Je-us said not "dogs," master- less, ownerless, scavengers of the way- side offal, the Jews said that of Gen- tiles, but He said, "doggies," "little dogs," that is house dogs, pet dogs, and I think He hated to do that, save for instruction. He would have said "sheep," "lambs," but it had spoiled the lesson. V. 2 7, "Truth, Lord, we are dogs; if Thou be not our Shepherd, Thou shalt be our Master; if we be not thy sheep, we will be thy sheep dogs, and fight the wolves and the thieves; if we may not eat of t he loaf at Thy board, we will be content with crumbs at Thy feet, so that our food is from Thy h a n d ." Truth, Lord, said the centurion, "I am not worthy." "Truth, Lord," said David, "I have sinned." "Truth, Lord," said Paul, "I am t he chief of sinners." V. 2 8, "O woman, great is thy faith," and instead of a crumb, He opened the store house (Gn. 41:56; Mai. 3:10; Ep. 3:8; Phil. 4:19). MORE MIRACLES OF MERC4T Lesson IV. Mk. 7:31-8:10. October 27 The International Committee title our lesson, "Wanderings in Decapolis." But the Lord never wandered. His ways were never aimless," there was no uncertainty in His goings. Imagine Him leading an earnest, weary, multi- tude hither and thither! There was not a poor victim of Satan among the multitudes healed on that return jour- ney to Galilee (Mat. 15:30, 31) upon whom the Lord came unexpectedly. No physician ever went the rounds of his patients, no pastor of his flock, with more timely definiteness. I. A MIRACLE OF HEALING. 1. The Great Physician and Surgeon. (1) Jesus Christ, M. D. That stands not for Doctor of Medicine, but Doer of Miracles; Divine Messiah. "Are all workers of miracles?" (1 Co. 12:29.) No; there is room for the Doctor of Medir- cine. If we can not feed the multitude by miracle, let us use the means God gives wherewith to do it; if we can not
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