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That a woman of Samaria was nevertheless saved and that this woman of Canaan was
nevertheless blessed, does not alter the fact that neither the apostles nor the Lord were, at
that time, "sent" to any other than Israel. This restriction is endorsed by the apostle Paul
in Rom. 15: 8.
The Lord's public ministry was heralded by a great succession of miracles which were
witnessed throughout the land from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judaea to beyond
Jordan. The Divine purpose of these miracles is indicated in the lament of Matt. 11: 20:
"Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done,
because they repented not." It is obvious that the repentance of the people was the prime
object before the Lord in these miracles, and in this they failed. In Matt. 12: the
shadow of rejection deepens: One "greater than the temple", "greater than Jonah",
"greater than Solomon" was in their midst and they knew Him not (Matt. 12: 6, 41, 42).
Here we see the growing rejection of Christ as Prophet (Jonah), Priest (Temple) and
King (Solomon). Then comes parable, mystery, and the quotation of Isa. 6: 9, 10 in
Matt. 13: 14, 15.
The disciples were struck with the new form of teaching which the Lord adopted.
Until then "He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes" but now His
symbolic language was contrasted with His former plainness of speech by both apostles
and people. He had used the symbol of a Shepherd, and the people said: "If Thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10: 24). He had said to the grieving disciples, "Our friend
Lazarus sleepeth", but upon their evident misunderstanding of his words He "said unto
them plainly, Lazarus is dead"* (John 11: 11, 14), and in John 16: 29, the disciples say:
"Now speakest Thou plainly, and speakest no proverb."
(* - This has a bearing upon the absence of the figure "sleep", for death, in the epistles of the mystery.).
The word translated "proverb" here is translated "parable" in John 10: 6, where the
people first ask for plainness of speech. Upon hearing the parable of the Sower, the
Apostles asked the Lord the question: "Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?"
(Matt. 13: 10). The Lord's answer (partly postponed until verse 35, when Matthew
adds his own inspired comment) introduces for the first time in the N.T. the words
(1) Mystery, (2) The foundation of the world, and of (3) Isa. 6: 9, 10. In answer to
the question, the Lord replied:
"Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it is not given . . . . . Therefore speak I to them in parables . . . . . and in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand, etc." (Matt. 13: 11, 13, 14).
and in verses 34 and 35 the added explanation is given:--
"All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable
spake He not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,
saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret
from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 13: 34, 35).