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James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:14

Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.Let them alone - that is the admonition of Christ with reference to the worldly wise, socially prominent, sophisticated, unscrupulous, hypocritical religious leaders. The apostles would have been able to do the Pharisees no good, and there was a grave possibility the Pharisees would do the apostles harm by damaging their faith. The child of God today should heed the same admonition with reference... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:15

And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable.The illustration of the blind leading the blind is here called by Peter a parable, but it would probably be as well named a proverb, short indeed, but full of meaning. The overwhelmingly significant fact about the blind leading the blind is that BOTH the leader and the led are blind, the success of blind leaders in every generation depending entirely upon the degree of blindness in their followers. Only the blind will follow the... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:16

And he said, Are ye also even yet without understanding? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.Behold in this a ray... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:21

And Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon.Jesus made a long, circuitous route, passing up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, thence eastward through Decapolis, and cross-country to the sources of the Jordan river. Ancient opponents of the faith were sometimes critical of Christ for avoiding an open confrontation with Herod at this time. Celsus in 170 A.D. charged the Lord with cowardice. The unfairness of this is seen in... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:22

And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from the borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon.Even the remotest parts of ancient Palestine knew of the wondrous power of Jesus, as witnessed by the prayer of this woman of a strange and distant city. Also, the proper designation of Jesus as the Messiah in the term "thou Son of David" was also known to her; and her use of the expression shows how widely the conviction... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:23

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.The true understanding of this entire difficult incident depends upon understanding the antecedent attitude of the apostles. THEY, not Jesus, were the ones who had no feeling for this woman of another race. They detested this foreigner and sharply requested Jesus to get rid of her. They knew of Jesus' great power and of the thousands he had healed, yet they did not want her to... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:24

But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.This reply doubtless pleased the Twelve. The rabbis often called the Gentiles dogs; and Christ's word at that moment seemed to them to be grounded in the traditional attitude of the Jews of that era. The interview, however, was destined to take an unexpected turn. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:25

But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord help me.One cannot contemplate the thought of this poor, distraught woman, pleading for the life of her child, without a catch in the throat, even yet. How could the disciples have been so heartless as not to intercede in her behalf at that instant? Jesus had not refused; he had only said he was sent to Israel; could not Israel have allowed one gracious act to one of another race, especially one who at that moment was kneeling or prostrated before... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:26

And he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.Still keeping attention upon the Twelve, note what they must have thought of such a reply as this. Yes, Jesus really told her, in the bluntest manner possible, that she was a Gentile dog, unworthy of a crumb from the children's (Israel's) table. That surely will do it, must have been the thought of the Twelve; "but then the earthquake happened!" read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 15:27

But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.Christ, at that very moment, was a fugitive from his own race and nation; and the wondrous faith and humility of that foreign woman of Canaan thus brought into sharpest focus the contrast with the bigots in Jerusalem who, even then, were planning to murder the Lord. There is a play on words in the woman's reply. Christ used the word "dogs"; but the woman came back with another word (also translated... read more

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