"Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me" (vs25).
Calling upon the name of the Lord, we shall be saved. This woman is unworthy of help, but recognizing her sinful condition doesn’t keep her from Christ. She BELIEVES the Lord’s GOODNESS, in spite of her sins, and we’re saved the SAME way.
1. We are devil possessed because we deserve to be so – “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matt 15:22). We are sinners who rebelled against God and lost all right to His love and favor. We are POSSESSED of Satan, because we are children of the devil, estranged from God, and enemies by nature. We DESERVE to die in sin. The crime is committed, the judgment is set. Only the Lord Jesus can SAVE the sinner, but only ACKNOWLEDGED sinners shall be saved, “for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” (Rom 10:12).
We call on the name of the Lord, as we realize His right to save us, though we have no merit.
2. The disciples are NOT as merciful as God, not as holy, not as good, and not to be a cause of discouragement – “But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she cries after us” (Matt 15:23). No one who should be saved will allow the evil of His saints to keep them from Christ. Sinners don’t let sinners keep them from the Savior by saying, “Lord, I would have come, but THEIR sins”. It is OUR sins that DRIVE us to Christ, and nothing holds us back, if we are sinners with hope in God.
3. Submission is God’s way, “Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not good to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to the dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matt 15:25-27). When the word rebukes us, we admit it, “Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice, says the Lord” (Jer 3:13). When sin is revealed, we confess. When God unfolds Himself, we bow.
Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, recognizing His right to save, shall be saved. Your blemishes, though now acknowledged, will only bring you to Christ and ENDEAR you to Him, as you trust His SALVATION, in spite of your horribleness and sin, “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is your faith” (vs28)!
4. We are saved by Christ, healed by Him, given what we need, and made WHOLE by God’s dear Son – “O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (Matt 15:28). We are not absolutely whole until we get to heaven, but we are WHOLE down here, being saved, pardoned, justified, and filled with the Spirit. We walk with God by the gospel; we live.
