Matthew 9 - The Harvest is Plentiful But the Workers are Few!

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What is happening in Matthew 9?

At the end of chapter 9 we see what is called an "inclusio". In Matthew 4:23 it says, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." 

So what does the Matthew 9:35 say?  "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 

Do you see any similarities? Matthew 4-9 chronicled the public ministry of Jesus. At the end of chapter 9, as Jesus looks out over how many lost people there are, he will realizes it is time for a new strategy, which we will see unveiled in chapter 10.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

This is one of the few times where Jesus links a miracle with forgiveness. Jesus came to his own town and some men brought to him a paralyzed man, who was lying on a mat. Jesus saw their faith and said to the man, "your sins are forgiven". It is interesting that he focused on the man's spiritual healing before his physical healing. 

"But Jesus addressed the man’s greater problem. As bad as it is to be paralyzed, it is infinitely worse to be bound and lost in your sin." (Guzik)

Jesus not only wanted to heal the paralyzed man, but his ultimate goal was to show the world that he came to forgive people of their sin. Immediately, the Pharisees realized the implication of what Jesus was saying and called him a "'blasphemer". When Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and walk home, he did. 

The crowd was filled with awe and were amazed at this man with such "authority". Jesus demonstrated the authority he had to heal the man, and the authority to forgive his sin. He had both types of authority because He was the Son of God. I wonder what the teachers of the law were thinking after this? 

The Calling of Matthew

Matthew then records his own calling to be Jesus' disciple. Matthew was a tax collector for the Jews. Tax collectors were despised, because they were often overcharged the people and then lined their pockets with the excess. When Jesus called Matthew, he followed him immediately. Soon after, Jesus was hanging out with Matthew and his friends, who were categorized as "tax collectors and sinners". 

The Pharisees were offended that Jesus was dining with "such sinners", but Jesus put them in their place by saying it is not the healthy who needed a doctor but the sick. The Pharisees thought they were healthy because of how religious they were.  The tax collectors and sinners knew they were sick and were drawn to Jesus because of his love for them. 

Jesus wasn't afraid to rub shoulders with less than savory characters. Sometimes we would prefer to hang out with people who are like us. We feel safer. After all, we don't want to be tempted by those "worldly people". But yet it is in the world where people who are far away from God live. Jesus said he came not to call "the righteous but sinners". 

In reality those who thought they were righteous needed Jesus as much as the so called "sinners", but the problem was they thought they didn't need Jesus. They didn't need a doctor, because they weren't sick. Jesus seemed to have an easier time reaching those who knew they were sinners than those who thought they were righteous. Pride can be just as dangerous as the desires of the flesh. Pride can often be less obvious, but it is just as much a rebellion against God as the sins of the flesh. 

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

For the religious Jews, fasting was a sign of their religiosity. Even John's disciples questioned why Jesus' disciples did not fast. A question I would ask is how did they know they didn't fast. Obviously people made it publicly known when they fasted, which Jesus warned about in Matthew 6. Fasting became like a religious badge of honor, as it can be today.

Pharisees were also known for their practice of fasting (often twice a week, according to Luke 18:12), but they did not do it out of a spirit of humble repentance. They often fasted wanting to impress themselves and others with their spirituality (Matthew 6:16-18). Guzik

But the purpose of fasting is to experience a deeper fellowship with God. When we fast, we deny ourselves of food to be more closely attuned to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn when he was with them."  Jesus was saying the object of their fasting was right in front of them. 

Jesus then refers to the parable of the wineskins when he says, "No one puts new wine in old wineskins". The new wine would cause the old wineskins to burst. Jesus was the new wine, and the Law of the Pharisees was the old wineskin. 

Jesus’ reference to the wineskins was His announcement that the present institutions of Judaism could not and would not contain His new wine. He would form a new institution – the church – that would bring Jew and Gentile together into a completely new body (Ephesians 2:16).

Jesus reminds us that what is old and stagnant often cannot be renewed or reformed. God will often look for new vessels to contain His new work, until those vessels eventually make themselves unusable. This reminds us that the religious establishment of any age is not necessarily pleasing to Jesus. Sometimes it is in direct opposition to, or at least resisting His work. (Guzik)

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

Not all of the religious leaders were opposed to Jesus. In this story the synagogue leader came to Jesus because his daughter was very ill. We see the man's faith, as he says, "Just lay your hand on her and she will become well." Jesus followed the man with his disciples. 

Meanwhile on their way, Jesus encountered a woman who was bleeding for 12 years, a very serious illness. I'm sure she had gone to many people for healing and made every attempt to find a cure. She too had much faith as she exclaimed, "If I just touch the hem of his robe, I will be healed."  Jesus saw her faith and told because of her faith she would be healed. Instantly she was healed. 

When Jesus reached the synagogue ruler's house there was quite a commotion including people playing "pipes". 

"These were probably paid mourners, who in the custom of the day offered an ostentatious display of mourning for a price, and not out of sincere sorrow. When we notice how quickly they moved from wailing to ridiculing Jesus, it showed their lack of sincerity." Guzik

Jesus got rid of the crowd remarking that the girl was not dead but only asleep, at which they laughed at him.  When he got in to see the girl, he took her hand, and she got up. Of course word got back to the noisy crowd, and the story spread like wildfire. 

Jesus didn’t raise every dead child He encountered, but Jesus did so here in a simple act of mercy and compassion to the grieving father. In addition, Jesus must have hated death and its cause, and enjoyed the opportunity to hand death a small defeat before He would defeat it altogether at the cross and the empty tomb. Guzik

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

People continued to follow Jesus wherever he went. The two blind men somehow knew Jesus was near them when they cried out, "Have mercy on us Son of David". By calling him the "Son of David", they were making a Messianic reference, as the Messiah was prophesied to come from the house and line of David. 

It was not easy for these blind men to follow Jesus, but they did. They had to ask others where Jesus was going, and they had to listen to every sound that might guide them. Yet they were determined to follow Him to the best of their ability. (Guzik)

Jesus asked them if they believed he could heal them. They said they did, and he healed them according to their faith. You can see how important faith was to Jesus. At some level in all of these instances of healing the people Jesus healed demonstrated faith in Him. Jesus warned them not to tell others, but they went and told everyone about what Jesus had done for them anyways. 

There was also a demon possessed man, who had lost his speech because of the demon's power over him. Jesus drove out the demon and the man began to speak. The crowd was amazed, and yet the prideful Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons (Satan). This is illogical because why would Satan want to work against his own minions. 

In the Jewish understanding of demon possession, this man could not be helped. This was because most rabbis of that day thought that the essential first step in exorcism was to compel or trick the demon into telling you its name. The name was then thought of as a handle by which the demon could then be removed. (Guzik)

The Workers Are Few

In verse 9:35 we get to the end of the "inclusio". Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

This is a good summary of Jesus' public ministry. He taught about the kingdom of God, preached about how God's kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven, and then demonstrated the power of the kingdom by healing every disease and sickness. Note Jesus deeds authenticated his preaching and teaching. 

It is the same today. Not only do we need to preach and teach about how God's kingdom coming through Jesus. We also need to have faith to show what God's kingdom through praying for healing and casting out demons. Some people say this was only for Jesus to do and not us. But then how would you explain when Jesus says in John 14:12,

"You will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father."  

As much as Jesus had done in his public ministry, when he saw the crowds, he realized they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. It grieved him that in his humanity, he could only physically reach so many people. Then he said his famous words, 

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out his workers into the harvest field." 

This is a verse often used as an motivation for churches to send out missionaries. Of course, it is good to send missionaries to places where people have not yet heard the gospel, but the harvest is plentiful right where we live right now. When Jesus looks at our communities, he sees once again the sheep are harassed and helpless. They are still like sheep without a shepherd. 

The workers are still few today. I think every one of us as Christians has been called to go out into the harvest fields. When you look at the world, do you see people the way Jesus did? Do you see how people are harassed and helpless. You don't have to look very hard to see it. May you and I be the workers that Jesus sends out into the harvest field to continue the work Jesus gave to his disciples until Jesus returns. 

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!

What Coming Next in Matthew 10?

Jesus begins the next stage of his mission to spread the Good News of the Kingdom by equipping his disciples to go out and do the VERY things he had been doing. How exciting for them and for us today!