I will not keep you long this evening. It is not because I have other things on my agenda for later, and it’s not because of the business meeting. We need not be long because there is only one major point to be made from this text. And even then most eight-year-olds can read these three verses and understand these simple words. However there are some things hiding under those words which are just a little bit interesting.
First, let’s consider the simple events.
The Lord Jesus and His disciples spent a delightful time on the Mediterranean Coast. It was up and out of Israel – in the region of the former Phoenician communities of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre and Sidon, if you will remember were thriving city-states during the days of David – they were very old. Their merchants were the first to traverse the Mediterranean, and they had established colonies on several distant shores, including the Aegean Sea, and perhaps even Britain. Sidon was twenty miles north of Tyre. Both cities had been overcome by Nebuchadnezar, the Egyptians, the Greeks and finally the Romans. As part of the Roman Empire in Christ’s day, there was a great deal of traffic between Israel and Tyre, so it was not unusual to see Jews in the area. But I wonder if any of the disciples had ever been there or had seen the Mediterranean Sea before?. I think that it was quite probable that they did have a wonderful short, restful stay at Club Med.
But eventually, probably too soon for some of them, they returned to Galilee. They went from the big western sea to the much smaller eastern Sea of Tiberias. And Jesus, “went up into a mountain, and sat down.” Why did our Lord sit? All that we can do is speculate. It might have been because He was tired. It might have been in order to begin classes with His disciples once again. Or it might have been in expectation of the crowds which were to come. Sitting was the usual posture for a teacher in those days. And if He was sitting on a predetermined, prominent spot, He could have easily been heard by a very large crowd of people. I took note that the words “great multitude” are found no less than fourteen times in the Gospels. The Lord was often faced with huge crowds which came to see Him for one reason or another.
On this occasion, it appears that many, if not most of the people, came with friends or loved-ones who needed the Lord’s miraculous healing. “And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:” Notice once again that the scripture doesn’t say that “He TRIED to heal them.” It doesn’t say that “He healed MOST of them.” Do I have any right to assume that Christ healed every single one of those people? Doesn’t the next verse suggest that they were ALL healed? There were occasions, as at Bethesda, when the Lord was selective, not touching everyone in need. But while still in these days of His great popularity, He healed them all.
There is something curious here for you trivia fans; something which probably doesn’t mean much of anything. But notice again that the verse says, “And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame,” and so on, “and CAST them down at Jesus’ feet.” Being a little curious about “CAST them down” – I looked it up. That Greek word is used in a verse to which I referred this morning – Matthew 9:36 – “But when (Christ) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus’ visitors on the mountain “scattered” their sick friends and relatives at Jesus’ feet. More dramatically, after Jesus’ crucifixion, Judas, “cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” The word comes up twice in Luke’s account of Paul’s ship-wreck on Malta. “And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.” “Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.” In Luke 4:35 we read, “And Jesus rebuked (the demon), saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.” Then finally in Luke 17:2 Christ warns about offending people with our sins – “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” As I say, it may be nothing, but it seems that people may have been hurrying up to Christ, and almost throwing their loved ones down at Jesus’ feet. Were they that desperate? Were they fearful of the Lord?
In whatever fashion it was done, the Lord was probably more gracious and kind than the people were themselves. “He healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” When the people saw yet more of the Lord’s gracious miracles “they gave glory to God.” The words “they glorified” is the Greek “doxazo” (dox-ad’-zo). Would it surprise you to know that the word is used 54 times in our Bibles? Its root word “doxa” – “glory” is used three times as often. The people magnified, honored and extolled the God of Israel. This brings us to our one point of application for the evening.
“And they glorified the God of Israel.”
This coming Tuesday at about 3:45 everyone is invited to the Stewarts to hear and watch the debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye on the subject of creation. It should be very interesting, and I’m sure that “Bill Nye the Science Guy” has no idea what he has gotten himself into. I hope that he has his shoes tied tightly, because very likely he will have his socks blown off.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I am not trying in any way to put this debate into anything but the best possible light. I am all for it. From what I know about the creationist Ken Ham, I would say that the man is a true child of God. I would say that given the right forum, he would happily testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He would probably say that he has been saved by the blood of the Crucified One. And most likely during this upcoming debate, he will declare that Christ, the Son of God, is the Creator. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that Bro. Ham fails to point out that Christ is the Creator. Let’s say that his arguments are nearly perfect, and he proves that this universe has a Creator. Let’s say that he declares that Jehovah created all things in six days, six to ten thousand years ago. If a thousand former evolutionists become convinced that God created all things, but they are not convinced that Jesus Christ is God, and that they need Him as their Saviour, has there been any real eternal good accomplished? Again, please don’t misunderstand me in this. For those former evolutionists this debate could be a huge step in the right direction. To realize that a Creator is necessary to explain the existence of the Universe is very important. But if they never take the next few steps, and they never hear about their lost condition and their need of the Saviour…. If they never learn that Jesus is the Lamb of God – what they learn about creation will have been for naught at least as their souls are concerned.
The Jews of Matthew 15 were absolutely right in “glorifying the God of Israel.” But their praise of Jehovah may not have contained sufficient praise or respect for the Son of God. There could have been two hundred people that day who walked away with warm thoughts towards the God of their fathers, but who still died in their sins and are in Hell even as we speak. It may have happened in Matthew 15, and it could also take place this coming Tuesday.
I am just using Tuesday’s debate as an illustration, and there could be a hundred other similar illustrations. For example, I could use this very message this evening. You may walk out of here knowing all about casting these sick people down, and all about “doxazo,” but if you don’t know Christ as your Saviour, then you know nothing really worth knowing. One of my great fears is that in the detailed teaching of God’s word, we have some people who walk away knowing those details without having come to grips with their sinfulness and their need of the Saviour.
Were there any like that among the “great multitude” that day on one of the slopes overlooking the Sea of Galilee? If I had to guess, I’d say that there were probably a great many, even among the healed, who went away lost. Are there any among us, who are willing to praise God, but who are not in repentance trusting Christ? Can there be anything more sad than that?