Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2.pdf

<strong>Commentary</strong> on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2
no reply to her, and his disciples approaching 26. (For the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician
implored him, saying, Send her away; for she by birth,) and implored him to cast the devil out
crieth after us. 24. But he answering said, I am of her daughter. 27. And Jesus said to her, Allow
not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of the children to be first satisfied; for it is not
Israel. 25. And she came and worshipped him, seemly to take the children’s bread, and throw it
saying, Lord, help me. 26. But he answering said, to the dogs. 28. But she replied and said to him,
It is not seemly to take the children’s bread, and Certainly, O Lord; for even the dogs 415 under the
throw it to the dogs. 27. But she said, Certainly, table eat of the children’s crumbs. 29. And he
O Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall said to her, On account of that saying go away,
from the table of their masters. 28. Then Jesus the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30. And
answering said to her, O woman, great is thy when she had gone to her own house, she found
faith; be it to thee as thou desirest. And her
daughter was cured from that time. 414
that the devil had gone out, and her daughter
lying on the bed.
In this miracle we are informed in what manner the grace of Christ began to flow to the Gentiles;
for, though the full time was not yet come when Christ would make himself known to the whole
world, yet he intended to give some early manifestations of the common mercy which was at length
offered indiscriminately to Jews and Gentiles after his resurrection. A remarkable picture of faith
is presented to us in the woman of Canaan, for the purpose of instructing us by means of comparison,
that the Jews were justly deprived of the promised redemption, since their impiety was so shameful.
The woman, whom Matthew describes as of Canaan, is said by Mark to have been a Greek,
and a Syrophenician by birth But there is no contradiction here; for we know that it was the prevailing
custom among the Jews to call all foreign nations Greeks, and hence that contrast between Greeks
and Jews, which occurs so frequently in the writings of Paul. As she was a native of the territories
of Tyre and Sidon, we need not wonder that she is called a Syrophenician; for that country was
called Syria, and formed part of Phenicia. The Jews disdainfully gave the name of Canaanites to
all the inhabitants of that district; and it is probable that the majority of them were descended from
the tribes of Canaan, who when banished from their native country, fled to a sort of retreat in the
neighborhood. Both agree in this point, that the woman was a native of a heathen nation, that she
had not been instructed in the doctrine of the law, and that she came of her own accord to Christ,
humbly to entreat his aid.
Mark 7:24. He wished that no man should know it. We must attend to this circumstance, which
is mentioned by Mark, that when Christ came to that place, he did not erect his banner, but
endeavored to remain concealed for a time, in that obscure situation, like a private individual. Mark
415 “Car les chiens mangent, ou, mais aussi les chiens mangent;” — “for the dogs eat, or, but even the dogs eat.”
414 “Et des ce mesme instant sa fille fut guairie;” — “and from that very instant her daughter was cured.”
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John Calvin