The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-01-12
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by Study or the Inter
national Sunday school Lesson Appointed for
Jan. %. st. Matt, 10 sI-3I.


Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.l
SUBJEcT: CHRIsT's CURE OF THE DAUGHTER
OF THE SYRo-PHGNICIAN WOMAN.
We now study the 21st miracle performed by
our Savior. He expelled demon from little
girl. 1t is a splendid instance of faith severely
tested. 1t shows the duty of the strong to help
the weak, specially the obligation of parent
to be anxious for child. We have fine ex-
ample of intercessory prayer. The lesson in
wolves, besides miracle parable, to wit, the
parable of the bread and the crumbs-bread for
the Jews and crumbs for the Gentiles in Christ's
time--a strong intimation of ultimate Impair
tiality between Jews and Gentiles
The lesson is located in April, A. ID. %. The
place of the miracle was the coasts of Tyre and
Sidon, according to st. Matthew's account. For
coasts" we have borders" in St Marks re-
port. One should, in addition to ST. Matthew's
account, studiousy read the statements of st.
Mark. (See st. Mark, q: :24-30. SITS Luke and
John fail to mention the case.
Jesus confined himself exclusively to Pales-
tine with two exceptions. From one year of
age to two he was in Egypt to escape the wrath
of Herod. Then his TRANSPORTATION took place
on Mount Hermon, Just outside the northeast
ern boundary of Palestine, on a spur of the
Lebanon Mountains. In our present lesson he
makes the nearest other approach toward leav-
ing Palestine.
There were several reasons at that time
prompting Christ to escape from the more
thickly settled part of Galilee. l. His hour
had not yet come. (St. John, 7: 30; 1871
He would not allow his enemies to precipitate
matters. at that juncture of events several
leading Pharisees from Jerusalem were track
ing his steps with evil intent. (St. Mark, 4: IL
2. Further, after the beheading of st. John
Baptist (St. Mark, 6: 27) the relations between
Christ and Herod became very strained and
Jesus preferred to keep quite in the background.
(St. Mark, 8 45; compare st. Luke, 13: 31.) 3.
The Galileans were becoming impatient, and
wanted Christ to act at once, proclaiming him
self the Messiah and assuming kingly authority.
tSt Mark, s: 49, compared with st. John, 6 15.)
In St Matthew, 1921, we may read, into the
coasts OF the country In which were the cities
of Tyre and Sidon, to wit, Ph9niea. The
woman came from the same borders or coasts
toward which Christ was going, or at which he
was stopping. So "into" st. Matt, Is :21
to wit, eis in Greek, should be translated " to-
ward" 1t can properly bear such rendering
1t would be absurd to say Christ entered into a
certain place, and that woman came out from
the same place to meet him. 1t is not then nee
essary to hold that our Savior left Palestine.
The patient was girl of about IL years Of
age. st. Mark, u: 25 says young daughter"
The same Greek word is used as in St. Mark,
u ~O' tOiiNCASu lAbt1G udu5ubcEy anu pldilcQ
in st. Luke, 8: 42, as meaning girl of IL years
of age.
The mother was " q woman Of Canaan" (V.
22) Canaan was the early name of all the ter
ritory including Palestine and Phnnicia. The
Ph9nicians were branch of the Canaanites.
She was also called Greek. (St Mark, z 20 J
In b. G. 332 Alexander the Great took Tyre
and Sidon, and afterward they were, as to gov
ernment, Greek cities, and the inhabitants in a
sense Greeks. Perhaps the woman could speak
Greek, and thus addressed Christ. She may
have read the Septuageut and thus have known
of the expected Messiah. Possibly she is in the
lesson styled Greek by the usage of the Jews
in calling civilized Gentiles Greeks, (Ro.,
/ Ia, and all unciyilized Gentiles barbarians.
(Ro., L: Ia; COL, 3 H. Syria lay east of Phoe-
nlcla. The peoples lntermingled and inter.
married more or less. If one parent were Phos-
nician and the other Syrian, the child might
be called Syro Phenician. (St. Mark, 7: 26.)
Sidon was one of the oldest cities of the world.
Tyre was colony from it, and so Isaiah, % u,
styles it the daughter of Sidon (Zidon). The
two cities were about 20 miles apart.
1t would seem from the account the woman
did not enter the house. (St. Mark, z pa All
seem in motion. st. Matt, Is %, shows she
was following them. From st. Marks account
! we infer this was after he had been enter
| tanned at said house.
The disorder of the patient was demonianism
Devil (V 22) should be demon, aud with "
| by. She vas vexed, harassed, by demoniac in
| fuence or power. Send her away" (V. 23.)
| This expression implies the Disciples meant
grant her request, that she may keep quiet
| The " lost sheep of the house of Israel" were
| the Jews. They were lost--lost in attaching
| greater Importance to tradition than to the
! Bible; lost as to independency of Government
| lost as to primitive piety lost as becoming
Pharisaic, and many of them infdelic-e g., the
| Saddueees. The Jews were the children. "
| 26) The Gentiles were called dogs The Jew!
called all nations save their own dogs Tb,
Mohammedans now so style all except them
selves
Notice the miracle /. An evil spiritual be
ing had seized on the body of little girl auG
had subjected it to torment. g. Christ, though
at a distance from the girl, indeed perhaps
without ever seeing her then or afterward
drove the demon from her. g. This expulsion
was immediate-before the mother had reached
home. 4. 1t is absurd to say that an "uncleaI
spirit" means q bad disposition. A mother
would not go to Christ and beg Him to do some
thing for her naughty, cross girl; nor would ;
girl have such terrible wrath naturally a
would necessitate her going to bed when th,
paroxysm subsidized nor could such an eyi
mind be remedied at certain set time from
distance, and with no personal manipulation
by the agent of expulsion. 5. We believe thi
was case of actual demoniac possession; tina
demons had the power TO enter human bodies
and tease human minds; that Christ has au
| thoTity over them and can expel them from
the system, and, as omnipotent and omnipres
ent, can do so at any time or distance.
Notice the parable. The master Tor father
Of the household (the word household may in
clude children, dogs, etc., should feed bread Il
his children till they are filled satisfied re
lieved of hunger), and permit dogs to hav
only the crumbs that chance to fall beneath tn
table. Anybody would admit the absurdity O
reversing the plan, giving the dogs bread ant
the children crumbs. If dogs have bread at al
it must be after the children are satisfied. s
much as to the parable literally considered.
Christ as Master at the table, spread wit
miracles had his spiritual children (Jews) re
cliniDg at the table, and Gentiles (dogs) be
meath, ready to snatch morseI miracle tina
might happen to fall. His duty first was to at
tend to the children. In fact he was not t
notice the dogs. If crumbs however, chance
to drop they might pick them up. After th
Jews were satisfied-had been at the table
sufficient length of time to crafty their appe
tite for miracles-then Christ could appropri
ately (KGl0n) feed the Gentiles. He might ex
cusably do this at length, even if the Jews di
not relish the meal, or improve the opportu
nifty by eating. Christ intended to keep th
table ready in particular for the Jews until hi
daoath-then to throw it open to all the world
Jews, proselyted Jews, or Jews in faith or 8
heart, to wit, acceptable followers Of the tru
| religion-believers in the system of salyatio
y aG then tnuuht--pzpra i'm oht