Matthew 15:29-39; Psalm 113

Matthew 15:29-39; Psalm 113
In this section (beginning in v. 21) we see Jesus' compassion for Gentile people. Remember that Matthew wrote primarily to the Jews, and this was a new concept for them. In v. 21ff, Jesus healed the demon-possessed girl whose mother had come to Jesus. Today we see Jesus healing the sick and handicapped: "the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel." v. 30

Then in v. 32ff, Jesus shows compassion for the hungry in the feeding of the 4000. This is a different, though similar, incident from the feeding of the 5000 which we saw in Matthew 16. It's interesting to note that the disciples seem to have forgotten the earlier miracle! Or maybe they thought that Jesus would not perform such a miracle for mere Gentiles. Who knows? But in any case, as before, they wanted to send the hungry people away, but Jesus would not. He again took what He had, gave thanks, multiplied it, gave plenty to everyone, and then took up seven baskets of leftovers!

By example, Jesus shows us that the Gospel, though it came to the Jew first, is for all people, all races and ethnic groups, from all nations. Praise the Lord!  "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

Psalm 113
This is another beautiful psalm of praise!

• Whom shall we praise? The Lord, of course, but it's interesting to note that the name of the Lord is mentioned three times in the first 3 verses.
• When shall we praise the name of the Lord? "now and forevermore" and from morning til night. I love v. 3 in the King James Version, "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised."
• How exalted is the Lord? "He is over all the nations, his glory above the heavens." v. 4 He is enthroned on high; He stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth! Of course, this is poetic human language to describe a God who is exalted beyond our imagination!
• Does He care about mere humans? Yes, He raises the poor and needy, and He blesses barren women with children and families! vv. 7-9

For our meditation: "Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised." Psalm 113:2-3