Matthew 15:28

‘GREAT FAITH’

‘O woman, great is thy faith.’

Matthew 15:28

There are many beautiful and striking features in the character and conduct of this Syrophœnician woman. Her motherly care; her energy; her perseverance; her indomitable determination; her humility; her talent; her eloquence; her pleading; but Christ was moved by, and selected, and made honourable selection of only one—her ‘faith.’

I. The value of faith.—The foundation of every religious grace is ‘faith.’ To believe in God, to really trust God, is the sum and substance of a Christian life.

II. The elements of faith.—Note the elements which went to make up this ‘great faith’ of the Syrophœnician woman.

(a) Sorrow. Sorrow seems to have been, if not the cradle, yet certainly the school of this woman’s ‘faith.’

(b) Prayer. She comes and makes her petition—as ‘faith’ always ought to come and make its petition—leaving details with God. She simply tells her sorrow, and pleads nothing else.

(c) Perseverance. The test to which this woman was put was exceedingly severe.

III. The triumph of faith.—Turning the very repulsion into argument, she makes her irresistible plea. The probation is finished; the lesson is learned; and ‘faith’ has triumphed.

Was ever thus set forth such a beautiful ‘faith’ for us to follow, to study, to imitate?

—The Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘There must be many persons you are interested in, friends or children, members of your own families or persons depending upon you, who you know need some spiritual help which you cannot give them—which none but Christ can give them. How many of us feel bitterly anxious in these evil days for children who have to go out into the world with little knowledge of how to avoid the temptations of the devil. What are we to do for them? There is much which we cannot do for them. We cannot ourselves resist their temptations for them. We cannot put our own experience into them. Perhaps we cannot even persuade them to come to Church, or to pray to God, or seek Christ. This poor woman did not bring her daughter to Christ. But this one thing we can do. We can do what this poor woman did. When Christ comes among us we can speak to Him for them as she did for her daughter. There at Christ’s altar, when He comes among us in His especial Presence—when, so to speak, He comes among us straight out of His holy heaven into the Tyre and Sidon of this evil world—there and then we can meet Him, and make our continual and repeated prayer for those who are under the power, and giving way in the temptations, of the Devil.’