Departing to Tyre and Sidon - Matthew 15:21

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “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 unwashed hands defiles not a man”, and in chapter fifteen and verse twenty-one of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus, “departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon” where we read:

Then Jesus went from there, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

The verse reads, “Then Jesus went from there, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “then Jesus” which means “at that time and moment Jesus whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “went” or “left and departed” “from there” which means “away and separate from the land of Gennesaret”. Matthew shared how Jesus left the land of Gennesaret where He gave His last lesson concerning being made clean in the heart.

The verse continues, “... and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.” Matthew added the words, “and departed” which means “and left, withdrew and retired aside” “into the coasts” or “toward the coastlands” “of Tyre” which means “belonging to Tyre which means a rock and was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean which was very ancient, large, splendid, flourishing in commerce and powerful by land and sea” “and Sidon” or “and Sidon which means hunting and was an ancient and wealthy city of Phoenicia which was on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea and less than 20 miles (30 km) north of Tyre”. Matthew shared how Jesus traveled to the “coastal shores” of “Tyre and Sidon”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus did not stay in certain places for long periods of time. He was in “Capernaum , Gennesaret and other cities” before leaving for “Tyre and Sidon”. This speaks to the desire for God to reach people in various places rather than just in one spot. God loves “the world”, and people throughout the earth may receive His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and everyone needs Jesus to “save” them from their “sinful ways”. God sent Him to die for the “sins” of the whole world, and those who are wise shall receive His “free gift” of “salvation” regardless of where they are located upon the earth.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus, “a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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