Matthew 9 - "Many Hands Make Light Work!"
Enduring Word Commentary (Guzik)
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
The unique aspect of Jesus' healing of the paralytic man was when he exclaimed,"Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
How should we be connecting Jesus' healing this man and then announcing his sins are forgiven?
First, all physical healing in temporary. Any time we are healed, the fact is one day we will die. When Jesus healed, it was usually in response to the faith of those asking him. We have no idea of this man's spiritual condition before Jesus met him, but we are all sinners, so it would apply to all of us. The ultimate healing Jesus could give the man was salvation or deliverance from his sin.
Other Gospels (in Mark 2 and Luke 5) explain how the man was brought to Jesus. Because of the crowds, his friends lowered him down to Jesus through the roof.
The faith of the paralyzed man’s friends did something – they brought this man to Jesus. Yet they only thought of bringing him to Jesus for the healing of his body. They certainly didn’t think that Jesus would forgive His sins.
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.
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
The teachers of the law (Pharisees) did not take time celebrate the man's healing, but instead focused on the fact that Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven. They thought Jesus was using the Lord's name in vain and committing blasphemy. They were murmuring this under their breath but Jesus, who knows all things, knew what they were thinking.
Jesus then revealed why he proclaimed the man's sins were forgiven. He wanted to show that the same authority Jesus used to heal the man, gave him the authority to forgive him of his sins. With this he told the man to pick up his mat and go home, which he did. The crowd got it. They connected the authority for Jesus to heal the man, with the authority to forgive his sins. They connected the two dots.
The Calling of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
As Jesus calls one of his first disciples, it tells us a lot about him. Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most despised professions among the Jewish people. They were seen as collaborators with Rome for whom they collected taxes for. Jesus' call to Matthew is straight to the point, as he merely says, "Follow me!" Matthew got up and left his tax collector's booth to follow Jesus. I am sure there was more to it than that, but it reminds us that the basic call of Jesus is to leave our past behind and follow him. Following Jesus isn't just agreeing with a bunch of theological propositions, it is an intentional change of life and a submission to his plan for our lives, wherever that will lead us.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
These verses give us more insight into Jesus' strategy for evangelism. Jesus not only called Matthew, but he went to his house to meet his friends, which included more tax collectors and other "sinners". Jesus was never afraid to rub shoulders with the outcasts of society. When the Pharisees saw him doing this, they questioned his motives. They asked his disciples why he associated with these types of people.
It reminds us that Jesus did not just come to reach the privileged, or those who were thought of as pure. He came to seek and to save the lost. The Pharisees didn't eat with the tax collectors because they saw themselves as better than them.
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus answered their question by saying, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick". Of course, when someone is physically sick, they usually call a doctor, although some are so stubborn they often refuse to see a doctor until it is too late. Jesus is talking about another kind of sickness called sin. This is a sickness that leads to spiritual death. In Romans 6, Paul says, "the wages of sin is death".
But Jesus, the Great Physician, provided the cure for our sin by dying on the cross. Jesus delivered us from sin, death, the power of the devil. Jesus showed us mercy on the cross. Mercy is getting what we don't deserve. Because Jesus was so rich in mercy, he expects us to be merciful. In fact, Jesus is so big on mercy, he values mercy over sacrifice.
We are fortunate that God calls sinners and not just saintly people. Jesus came to benefit those who understood their inherent need for Him (those who are sick and the poor in spirit of Matthew 5:3). Yet the proud who see no need for Jesus (those who are well) benefit nothing from Jesus. (Guzik)
“This would be distasteful to men who thought they knew everything already.” (Spurgeon)
The Pharisees were so focused on doing things for God and receiving approval for it, that they forget to care for the people God had given them to shepherd.
Jesus Questioned About Fasting
14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Fasting was one of the spiritual disciplines the Pharisees practiced according to the Law of Moses. The purpose of fasting is to abstain from something like eating and drinking, and use that time to spend with or pray to God. Since the purpose of fasting to is encounter God, they needed to not mourn but enjoy Jesus' presence, as He is God.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus uses the analogies of sewing an unshrunk patch on an old garment and putting new wine into old wineskins to point to the fact that the old institutions of Judaism (the Law) could not contain the new wine (the Gospel). Jesus represented the new covenant, which replaced the old covenant.
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 came to introduce something new, not to patch up something old. This is what salvation is all about. In doing this, Jesus doesn’t destroy the old (the law), but He fulfills it, just as an acorn is fulfilled when it grows into an oak tree. There is a sense in which the acorn is gone, but its purpose is fulfilled in greatness. (Guzik)
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
As we have said, Jesus used many different kinds of methods and means to heal people. In this case, a synagoge ruler had asked Jesus to heal his daughter. Despite the pushback from the other Jewish leaders, this leader believed in Jesus. He had so much faith in Jesus he said, "If you come and put your hand on her, she will live!"
Meanwhile, in route, Jesus met a women subject to bleeding for many years. A woman who was bleeding was considered "unclean", so for her to approach a rabbi would have been a great risk. But she grabbed the back of his cloak thinking, "If I only touch his cloak I will be healed." Jesus recognized her faith and she was healed instantly.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
When Jesus went to the leader's house, the people tried to "shoo" him away, though he told them the girl was not dead just asleep. They also laughed at him. But as soon as the crowd dispersed, he took the girl by the hand and she got up. The crowd was outside, but the news got them quickly and news about Jesus spread all around that region.
Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Two blind men followed him. How they did that I am not sure? But they were close enough to call out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." There are two things they got right. First, the man came to Jesus asking for mercy. He had heard Jesus was merciful, and now he asked for that mercy personally. Second, he recognized Jesus by his covenant name, "Son of David". Any observant Jew knew this was a title for the Messiah. One of the Old Testament promises was that the Messiah would come through the house and line of David. This is called the "royal covenant".
Jesus asked them a familiar question, "Do you believe I am able to do this?" They answered "Yes Lord!"
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
When Jesus saw their faith he laid hands on their eyes and their sight was restored. Jesus' healing also meant restoration to God's image from which we were made. At this point since the news about Jesus was spreading so rapidly, he asked them not to tell anyone about it. But as they say, "They could not keep their mouths shut!" In a good way!
When you are shown the mercy of God and are healed it is pretty hard not to share about who did it for you. At the heart of spreading the Good News about Jesus is that it has to be Good News for you first! That's why they call it a "testimony". You are testifying about what Jesus did for you! No body can argue with you and say, "That did not happen to you!".
32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
You can see Jesus healed people of many things on many occasions. He even delievered people from demons. We often wonder if demons are real, or are they just something Hollywood invented? But all throughout Jesus' ministry and his apostles after him, we see the reality of demonic power and authority. In this case the demon had taken away the man's voice, but Jesus restored it. The people were amazed that even the demons had to obey Jesus.
Of course, the Pharisees would do just about anything to make sure Jesus did not get any credit. They gave a very lame excuse, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives demons out!" That simply makes no sense. Why would the prince of demons drive out one of his workers. This would defeat the whole purpose.
The Workers Are Few
35 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. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:35 is a good synopsis of Jesus' ministry. Jesus' ministry revolved generally around three things: teaching in the synagogue, preaching the good news of the kingdom in public, and healing every disease and sickness. Jesus taught the Jews, preached to the Jews and the Gentiles, and healed everyone. All of these activities pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah.
Jesus never sought to bring attention to himself. His only mission was to glorify His Father in heaven and fulfill the role He was given as the Son of God, and Savior of the World.
We see the heart of Jesus when he looked out on the crowds, he saw them as harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He saw how lost they were, just as he sees when we looks out into the world today. Jesus realizes he is going to need a lot of help, if he was going to reach all of these people to show them God's kingdom and love. This is the reason why he called his followers to help him to do the work.
When Jesus saw the multitudes, he looked at the 12 and said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!"
The same is true today. There are still millions if not billions of people who do not know the Shepherd. They do not know Jesus and are headed for a Christ-less eternity. As my grandpa used to say, "Many hands make light work."
As a pastor for many years, I realize that one of the most important things I can do besides teach and preach is to equip others to do ministry and reach lost people.
Will you join me by going into the harvest field, as we plant seeds of the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to bring the seeds to fruition.
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