Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 15:19-21

"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. And Jesus went out thence, and withdrew into the parts of Tyre and Sidon." — Matthew 15:19-21 (ASV)

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

He did not like the Pharisees well enough to stay among them.

His own word concerning them was, "Let them alone;" and he did very severely let them alone: "Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon."

He must not go into Tyre and Sidon, for his commission for the present was confined to Palestine, the chosen land.

Do not regret this, dear friends. To have extended our Saviour's work over a greater area would not have really increased it; and it was very important that, during the very short active lifetime of our Saviour—a little more than three years—he should confine his operations to a comparatively small district, so as to produce a permanent result there which would afterwards radiate over the whole world.

So our Saviour, who knew what was best for men, confined himself within a very narrow sphere; and, my brethren and sisters, I am not sure that we are always wise when we want a great sphere.

I have myself sometimes envied the man with about five hundred people to watch over, who could see them all, know them all, and enter into sympathy with them all, and so could do his work well. But, with so large a number as I have under my charge, what can one man do? And you, my brethren, may increase the quantity of your acreage, and yet grow no larger crops.

You may think that you will succeed better on a wider scale; but if you do not do so well in the greater field, it might have been wiser to narrow your boundaries rather than to widen them.

However, if our Lord might not go into Tyre and Sidon, he went as near to them as he could: "Jesus departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon." And if you, dear friends, think there is a limit to your sphere of usefulness, always go as near as ever you can to the limit; go up to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.