Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 9:18-38 (Click title for audio access)

"Christ's Response To Man" • 7.22.10 • Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- Matthew has been cataloging the miracles of Christ, which were performed in order to give us a preview of what the Kingdom would be like in fulfillment.

- Jesus has demonstrated power over disease, natural and supernatural elements. He has shown his sovereignty over physical and spiritual paralysis.

- These powers attracted followers and fueled skeptics. In the presence of both, Jesus keeps working, rewarding faith and challenging the skeptics.

- In our passage before us, we see people who come to Christ, who have no other choice. They are driven by desperation.

- At the end of this chapter, we will have seen man's reactions to Christ, but more importantly, His response and His challenge to us.

Text

• Matthew 9:18,19 : "While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.' So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples." : Jesus had been speaking to his critics, specifically John's disciples and the Pharisees about the question of fasting when a man in crisis comes.

- The juxtaposition is pretty interesting: Here are some guys who want to talk about fasting when a man in dire straits, desperate for help comes. Our criticisms can be pretty petty.

- It's good to remember that while we would busy ourselves with the finer points of Christianity, just around the corner, there are desperate situations that require Christ!

- This man is no ordinary man. Matthew tells us that he is a ruler, in this case, a synagogue official. You needed just 10 adult men to have a synagogue in town.

- Among them, there was an elected elder that covered all of the administration of the synagogue. This was that man. This man was entrenched deeply in the religion of his day.

- But his religion did not prepare him for this. This man would likely have been opposed to Jesus prior to this day. On this day, he is driven to Christ out of necessity.

- This had just happened, the Greek indicating that it had happened at that very moment.

- His faith requires that Jesus come with him to his home. The Centurion had a faith that said "If you say a word." Sadly, the heathen Centurion had more faith than this synagogue ruler!

- This man, an Israeli and closer in proximity, asks Jesus to come. Jesus arose and followed. - Up to this point, every time in these last two chapters, when a person has come to Christ for healing, He has responded positively, offering to come when asked.

- We need to understand that for two reasons. First, any expression of faith in Christ is sufficient to move Him. Second, Christ wants to meet needs. He is the physician that must help!

- When He moved upon the earth, He wanted to be in the place where desperation could be defeated by His presence. Nothing has changed now. Christ still wants to meet men in their crisis.

• Matthew 9:20,21 : "And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, 'If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.'" : Out of nowhere, this woman commandeers the story!

- Matthew's "suddenly" reminds us that things like this were happening all around Jesus.

- This woman had a hemorhage flow of blood for 12 years. This was devastating in that it secluded her from meaningful fellowship. According to the law, she was ceremonially unclean.

- Jesus came passing by and she got the idea that she just needed to touch Him. In the original language, the sense is that she kept saying this to herself over and over again.

- "If I could just touch His garment." If I could just get near to Him. If I could just make the slightest contact with Him, my life would change.

• Matthew 9:22 : "But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, 'Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.' And the woman was made well from that hour." : This woman meant to do this secretly. She wanted to touch Christ and then move along. But Jesus turned around.

- He was on His way to another miracle. He was busy. That's the way that we think, that's the way that we act. Jesus turned around.

- He looked at her. He wanted her to know that He knew who she was! He wanted her to know that she had not stolen a blessing, but was given a gift!

- I wonder what the synagogue ruler thought about this. Follow his thinking: "I asked Him to come and touch my daughter. She did not ask, but touched Him and she was healed."

- Jesus allowed this man to see this woman's miracle so that his faith in Him would grow!

- He could walk more confidently to his own home with Jesus, having seen His power at work.

- Her faith in Christ had made her well. Her faith reached out to Christ. From that hour, she was made well and it made her a daughter.

- Of all the people that Jesus healed, none were ever given such an endearing name. Her issue had alienated her in a deep way. Jesus heals her and tells her that she is loved!

- I am impressed over and over again with the length of years that people must suffer. Whether it's illness or some other malady, years often pass by before there is relief.

- Here, in the span of just an hour, Christ reversed years of illness.

- In just the span of a moment, with one decision, our lives can change as well.

• Matthew 9:23-26 : "When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, 'Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.' And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land." : Matthew brings us back to the story of the ruler. It's obvious that the young girl had been sick and near death for some time now.

- This accounts for the flute players and the wailing crowd. Believe it or not, man's traditions had even made it's way into how the people mourned!

- Mourning was a big business in the days of the New Testament. Even if you were poor, you had to hire at least two flute players and a wailing woman!

- Jesus raised this girl from the dead, but to Him it as if she was sleeping. There was no difference to Him. The people, not understanding, ridiculed Christ, that is until the girl arose!

- Jesus raised a girl from the dead, the first of several. Death is a vanquished enemy that Jesus is Lord over. This story became part of Christ's fame. It spread and should keep spreading.

- These stories, even at the time that they happened, became part of local legend.

• Matthew 9:27 : "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, 'Son of David, have mercy on us!'" : Did you just read that without thinking about it? Two blind men followed Him!? I suggest that this is the miracle!

- Obviously, they followed the crowds that followed Christ. They were directed by the crowds or maybe even led by some in the crowds to where Jesus was, which led to Peter's house.

- They cried out, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" The term "Son of David" was a messianic distinction. King David was promised an heir that would rule forever. That heir is Jesus!

- The term "Son of David" was especially popular, as it expressed the hope that the Messiah would overthrow the Roman occupation.

- In all likelihood, they wanted to stir up that sentiment among the crowds because when the Messiah did come, curing blindness was one of His tell-tale signs.

• Matthew 9:28-31 : "And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' They said to Him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith let it be to you.' And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, 'See that no one knows it.' But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country." : These guys were a little too boisterous in their zealous fanaticism. Jesus brings them into the house.

- "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" This is a good question.

- Jesus is asking this to some men with physical blindness who wanted to see. Jesus asks us if we believe that He is able to do the impossible with our children.

- Do you believe He is able to affect change in your marriage? Do you believe that He is able to provide that job?

- The men answered that they believed that Jesus could. They answered perfectly, correctly when they answered "Yes, Lord."

- It's interesting that if He is Lord, then the answer will be "yes." If He is not Lord, your answer will always be based on how you are feeling that particular day.

- When Jesus touched their eyes, He said "According to your faith let it be to you."

- From that point on, their eyes were opened, literally for the first time in their lives! They could see and even when Jesus sternly warned them not to tell, they told anyway!

- Why is it when Jesus tells us not to say anything that we say something and when He says to tell the world, we don't!?

- Jesus told them not to tell because He is not attempting to promote Himself as a healer. He was not wanting to stir up "Messiah Fever."

- His healing was meant to point to His Messianic mission, but that started with a redemptive goal in mind.

- Jesus was on His way to the Cross, a reality that these men were unable to immediately identify with.

• Matthew 9:32-34 : "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!' But the Pharisees said, 'He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.'" : You can almost forgive these guys for spilling the beans, because they went out and got a fellow beggar.

- This latest man to be brought to Jesus was mute and demon possessed. This is an interesting note that Matthew gives to us.

- It was believed by those who practiced exorcism, that a demon could come out once it told you it's name. Consequently, the Rabbis attempted to "trick" the demon into divulging it's name.

- Because this man was mute, that essential first step could not be exercised and he could not therefore be exorcised! That is until Jesus came.

- When the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. It's classic that Matthew says it so matter of factly. This was nothing to Jesus. Nobody else could have helped, but Jesus did.

- Jesus set the table and did things that revealed His absolute dominance over all maladies.

- For all the proof that was before them, the Pharisees, at a loss to explain Jesus, offered an alternate explanation: He can do this because He is working for Satan!

- It will always be the case: When you refuse to believe the simple truth of a matter, you must come up with something outrageous to believe. This is the case with the Pharisees.

- Instead of acknowledging the proof that was right within their line of sight, they sought an alternate "truth". They sought to explain Jesus away.

• Matthew 9:35 : "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." : As we come to the end of this section, Matthew gives to us Christ's method, motive and mandate. First, His method.

- Remember that the Galilee was home to over 200 cities and villages. Everywhere He went, His ministry included three major portions: He taught, He proclaimed and He healed.

- He taught in the Synagogues. This was where church happened for the Jewish people.

- Saturday was when they met and sat to receive instruction from the Word of God, usually through reading and explanation.

- This is a vital part of God's program on the earth. How important is His Word in your life and in mine? How important is it for us to rightly understand what it is that He desires from us?

- Jesus spent time on earth teaching the scriptures, bringing them to light.

- Second, Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom. This is the ministry of evangelism. This happened out in the highways and byways.

- This was the call to those who were outside of the church walls, who were bid to enter the Kingdom through repentance from sin and acceptance of Christ.

- Evangelism is what we all go out of the church to do! It might look like open air preaching or it might be consistent, Christ centered conversation direction.

- Evangelism, sharing our faith, proclaiming Christ is all of our jobs as Christians!

- Finally, Matthew tells us that He healed every sickness and disease. Matthew puts it last because it was subject to the other two facets of Christ's ministry.

- His healings were authenticating measures of His teaching and preaching. His healings were spectacular, but in the end, they were the least in terms of importance.

- Each who were healed, eventually died. Those who were taught and brought into the Kingdom through Christ's Word, were given eternal life!

• Matthew 9:36 : "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." : This moves us into Christ's motive. When He looked upon the multitudes, He saw a vision. He saw sheep who had no shepherd.

- This was a vivid picture in that land, as sheep were defenseless animals in a land of multiple predators. Dogs and wolves were constant outward threats.

- In addition to being defenseless, they were also helpless. Sheep must constantly be brought to good feeding ground and good water, otherwise they will die.

- Without Jesus, they might have written the 23rd Psalm this way:

- "There is no shepherd, I always want. I never rest; I never feed; I am never calm. My soul is ever broken. In this world, I am aimless and without comfort. When I walk in fearful places, I dread every sound, for nobody is there to comfort me. I have no anticipation of good. I have no hope."

- Jesus saw these crowds was "moved with compassion." This is the strongest Greek word for compassion. Literally, He was sick to His stomach with concern for these people.

- They were weary, literally, they had become "faint hearted." They could not take another moment of religious exercise. At the same time, they despaired for lack of health.

- They were scattered, cast aside, left for dead!

- How do you look at the multitudes? What is your opinion of those without Christ? How do they affect you? Jesus was moved with compassion. His compassion moved Him to action.

• Matthew 9:37,38 : "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" : Then He said to His disciples. This is profound. Upon seeing the multitudes, He shared His response with them. He shares it with us.

- His compassion was unlimited, but His body, as a human being, was limited. Aside from this, if they are to be His disciples, they must see the multitudes in the same way that He does.

- He tells them that there is a harvest before them. This is how Jesus wanted them to see the multitudes. They are ripe for the picking! There is opportunity aplenty.

- Everywhere you look, there is someone to bless, someone to heal, someone to touch in the name of Christ, but the laborers are few.

- Let me suggest that this was true then and it remains true now. Christians who take on the responsibility to work in Christ's harvest field are always going to be in the minority.

- So what does Jesus say? Get out there and get to work! Get off your lazy tookuses and start winning people to me! No, He tells us to pray that God will send laborers out.

- Pray. It's God's harvest and it requires God's workers. We cannot pray without thinking, "God, am I the answer to my own prayer?"

˚ "When a man prays for a corn crop, the Lord expects him to say 'amen' with a hoe." Unknown Georgia Bishop

- He is the Lord of the harvest. It's His harvest. It's His work. Pray that He sends laborers out. At the same time, pray that He sends you out! Be willing to be that worker!

Conclusion

- The Lord was ever ready to meet the needs that were presented to Him. He was compassionate, kind, and gentle.

- I would say that these are traits that we could ask to manifest.