Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 as we continue our study through the Word of God. And if you remember from our last study in Matthew chapter 8, we are in a portion of Scripture that deals with the power of Jesus over all kinds of sickness, diseases, possessions, nature and even death itself.
In Matthew chapter 8 we saw 5 miracles that Jesus performed. First the leper was cleansed from this incurable disease. Next we saw the centurion’s young servant healed from a paralyzing disease that brought him to the point of death. Next we see Peter’s mother-in-law healed of a fever, probably malaria. Then, as a storm hits the Sea of Galilee and their tiny ship was tossed, they thought they were dead, but Jesus calmed the waters. Lastly, we looked at the two demon-possessed men who were delivered by Jesus from this possession.
This evening, as we look at Matthew chapter 9, we are going to see 5 more miracles of Jesus. First a paralytic is healed. Then we will see a woman who has been bleeding, female problems, for 12 years, and Jesus heals her. Next the daughter of Jairus is raised from the dead. Then two blind men are healed. And, lastly, we will see a mute, demon-possessed man healed and delivered. You see, in these chapters we see Jesus authenticating His ministry by the works He is doing. What the Old Testament prophets spoke of are being manifested in the life of Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world
Now chapter 9 is born out of what has taken place in chapter 8, where Jesus delivers these two men from their demon-possession, casts these demons, some 2,000 into the swine, and they in turn run off the slope into the Sea of Galilee, killing themselves! And the response of the people is given to us in Matthew 8:33-34, where we read "Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region."
The people were not interested in the healing of these men, the freeing of the bondage they were in. All they were interested in was their possessions, that just drowned in the Sea of Galilee, their commerce, their money that now was floating by! So they ask Jesus to move on, to leave them alone, to get out of town, and not before sundown, but now! This was not just a few radicals, but the whole town came out and wanted Jesus to leave. Why? As I said last Thursday, He exposed their illegal pig business and He was taking their possessions away. Thus, Matthew chapter 9 opens up with how Jesus responded to their requests. So let’s begin reading in Matthew chapter 9, starting in verse 1, and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSE 1
1. Jesus heads back to Capernaum. Why? Because the people of the area of the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave, and so He did. Jesus will not stay where He is not welcomed. And if you go to the area of the Gadarenes today, it is desolate and so too are those lives who have rejected Jesus, asking Him to move on, to get out of their way!
VERSES 2-7
1. This man’s disease progressed to the point where he is paralyzed, he can’t move, so his friends bring him to Jesus. And Mark tells us the place where Jesus was teaching was so packed with people, that they climbed up to the roof and made a hole in the roof, letting their friend down right in front of Jesus. What determination on their part, what faith.
2. Now they came to have their friend healed and Jesus says "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you." And I can hear these guys, "No, wait! He can’t walk. He’s dying. Heal him!" But before they could say anything, the religious leaders are upset because only God can forgive sins, thus, they saw this as blaspheme! Obviously they did not see Jesus as God.
3. So Jesus asks them a simple question about which is easier, to forgive sins or to heal, make the man walk? And, of course, from a purely physical and human perspective, it is easier to say your sins are forgiven for how could you disprove it? On the other hand, if you said you could heal him and he still was laying there, unable to move, remaining in that paralyzed state, there would be physical evidence that you were a fraud or you couldn’t do it, you couldn’t heal!
4. So Jesus heals this man showing that He is God and thus, He also has the power to forgive sins. Paul, in Colossians 2:13-14 tells us this very thing, "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." You see, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins! Jesus has forgiven us of all our sins, they have been covered by His blood, and thus, when He speaks on this, He can speak with authority because He is the authority!
5. Before we leave this section, let me ask you this. Are you willing to go to that extreme, as these men did, to bring your friend to Jesus? All the obstacles that were before them preventing them from getting to Jesus, they walked over and laid their friend right before the loving arms of Jesus. Won’t you do the same?!
VERSE 8
1. Notice the response to all that Jesus did, the Father was glorified! It is as Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 as we let our light shine in this dark world, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
VERSE 9
1. Notice the humility of Matthew here. He is the writer of this book and yet, this is all he says of himself and later on that he threw a party for Jesus. Now, most if not all of us would pen a few extra words in there, making us look good. Something like, "Now as Jesus passed by He saw Joe praying, as he usually did, 3 hours a day, and then he did his Bible reading, and helped the poor. And Jesus said to Joe, "Follow me!" And as Joe finished his prayer, he followed Jesus, sacrificing his fortune 500 company, his family, all to follow Jesus. He is a man of God!" Remember the Gong Show, I think at this point I would be GONGED!
2. Now Matthew was a tax collector. And like today, they were not liked, they were hated. You see, by the nature of their position, they were loyal to Rome, collecting taxes for Rome, and thus, the Jews hated them. You see, they could tax people above and beyond what Rome wanted, it was perfectly legal and supported by Rome, and that extra money was their profit, which opened the door for all kinds of unjust practices. "The noted Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim reports that a Jewish publicani was barred from the synagogue and was forbidden to have any religious or social contact with his fellow Jews. He was ranked with the unclean animals, which a devout Jew would not so much as touch. He was in the class of swine, and because he was held to be a traitor and a congenital liar, he was ranked with robbers and murderers and was forbidden to give testimony in any Jewish court." And Jesus says to this man who was ostracized by society, "Follow Me" and he does! And what happens when a person encounters Jesus? Look at the next verse!
VERSE 10
1. He throws a party for Jesus and he invites all his friends, which were not the movers and shakers of society, or the religious leaders, but other tax collectors, sinners, the scum of society, you and me would be on that list! How can you not want to celebrate Jesus, tell others of Him when you know the joy He has brought into your life and the consequences for those that don’t know Him!
VERSE 11
1. In that society when you ate with someone you became one with them. Thus, these religious people were going nuts that Jesus would eat with tax collectors and sinners, associating Himself with the wrong crowd. And they found fault in that. How sad! May we never become so self-righteous that we don’t want to sit down with people because the only way you are going to be able to share the love of Jesus with a person is first you must show that person you love them and care for them. And that is hard, it is impossible to do if you are avoiding them because you are better than they are! You’re not! And Jesus is going to nail them for their self-righteous, holier than thou attitude!
VERSES 12-13
1. How many of you, when you are 100% healthy, a Charles Atlas person, calls for his doctor for a emergency examine? It is hard to get people to go to the doctor when they are sick, let alone when they are healthy, that is impossible! The point being is these religious people saw themselves as healthy, in need of nothing, and thus, Jesus goes to those who are in need, who see themselves sick in sin. Now, these religious leaders did not see themselves as sick, but they were dying in sin and yet refused to be healed by Jesus!
2. Now Jesus gives them a little homework out of Hosea 6:6, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." He tells them to go and learn what that means! You see, mercy, forgiveness is more important than all the empty rituals they were doing, all the burnt offerings they could offer. It is not about some religious observance but a heart of compassion! A heart of forgiveness! A heart of mercy towards others! Which they did not have and Jesus nails these religious leaders for their empty faith!
VERSE 14
1. The disciples of John were upset because they were fasting twice a week, because of Jewish tradition and not because God commanded them to. In fact, God only had one fast per year, on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, (Leviticus 16:29, 31). And the disciples of Jesus were eating, and drinking, having a good time. You see, religious tradition had the disciples of John bound up and they needed to be released!
2. People today get upset because we like to laugh, have fun in the Lord, just enjoy the joy of the Lord, and because of their religious tradition, they can’t. Let it go or listen to what will happen in verses 16 and 17. Before we get there, let’s look at verse 15.
VERSE 15
1. During the Jewish wedding celebration the party would last 7 days with eating, music, dancing, a real celebration. And Jesus is saying that He, being the Bridegroom, as long as He is there, it is not a time of mourning, but there is coming a day when He will be taken, speaking of His death, and then they will fast and mourn.
VERSES 16-17
1. An old system is hard to change, the traditions of man make it hard, brittle and very difficult for God to do a new work. You know what I am talking about. "It was good enough for my great, great grandfather, and it is good enough for me!" mentality, where nothing ever changes, and God hasn’t moved in years! And they didn’t want Him to! Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, which went beyond their tradition, and they could not get beyond it. Let me give you one sad example. There was this woman who came to a denominational church and her dress, here clothes were not neat, clean, but she had on some old jeans and a shirt. The elders and ushers let it go the first Sunday but the next week as she returned the elders told her that unless she changed her clothes, put on a dress, she would not be allowed to come into the church anymore. In tears the woman cried out, "These are the only clothes I have!" And, tragically, she never came back. They let tradition keep a person from God! Be very careful.
2. Back in the late 1960's and 1970's the Jesus Movement, the Calvary Chapel Movement was needed, God was doing a new work, pouring new wine into new wineskins for the old were hard and brittle. And out of it we saw all kinds of people come to love the Lord, His Word, with new music, new songs that came from the heart. Now the warning is this, don’t put God in a box, doing things as they were done back in the 1960's or 1970's. Be open to the move of God’s Spirit and what He wants to do here in Manitowoc. Let God give our worship people new songs for us to focus on Him by. Otherwise what will happen is we will become dead, dead in our orthodoxy, brittle and hard wineskins that God will have to go outside and raise up someone else to work through. You see, God does not reform the old system, but He begins something new. Thus, stay fresh, yielding to His Spirit, and you won’t become hard and brittle!
VERSES 18–19
1. Mark tells us that this man’s name was Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, probably in Capernaum. He came to Jesus because his 12-year-old daughter was sick, and now she has died. He was a leader in the synagogue, why didn’t he go there? Because dead tradition won’t bring life to anyone! Dead orthodoxy doesn’t even keep you awake. He saw no hope in that religious system, so he broke away, fully understanding the consequences of his decision, but also realizing if he didn’t, the situation would remain hopeless. So he goes to Jesus, the giver and the one who sustains life! And as they begin their journey to the house of Jairus, we read in verse 20...
VERSES 20-21
1. This woman who had this issue of blood for 12 years was considered unclean and thus, for those 12 years no one could come in contact with her, touch here, embrace her. She spent all of her resources seeking medical attention without success. How lonely, how depressing, how hopeless! And all that is left is Jesus, but to get to Him she would have to go through the crowd, and if anyone found out, she would be in trouble for anyone she touched would be unclean. But she was willing to risk it all to touch Jesus! Again, what faith!
2. What about you? Do you feel the touch of God in your life? Maybe, like this woman, you need to press through the crowd of unbelief, of activities, of entertainment, of just plain old busyness, and reach out and touch Him, grab a hold of the hem of His garment believing as you touch Him, He will help you! Make the effort!
VERSE 22
1. Maybe her theology wasn’t correct, but she stepped forward in faith to touch Jesus, and Jesus healed her! I wonder how many people are walking around in this lonely, isolated, depressing condition and yet refuse to reach out and touch Jesus? That is our only solution, for in Jesus there is healing for our souls!
2. Do you think at this point Jairus is getting a little anxious, "Come on Jesus, I was here first. Let’s get going!" And Jesus is in no hurry for His timing is prefect!
VERSES 23-24
1. As they get to the house of Jairus, the professional mourners were wailing and the flute players were playing out their tune for the dead. And Jesus tells them to stop, let Him pass by, for she is not dead, but only asleep! Well, that did not sit will with these professionals, and they laughed at Him and mocked Him, and because of that they were going to miss out on what God was going to do. Don’t mock or laugh at the promises of God, believe them by faith and you will see the power of God move the mountains in your life.
VERSES 25-26
1. The crowd is put out and as Jesus touches this young girl and calls her to rise, she does! And what a witness of the power of God over death, and as news spread of what Jesus did, raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead, more and more came to see Him and be touched by Him.
VERSE 27
1. Interestingly enough, these two men were blind and yet they had better vision to see than those who could see clearly. You see, they call Jesus the "Son of David" which was a Messianic term! They saw Jesus as the Messiah!
VERSES 28-31
1. They were blind but now they see and it is hard not to tell everyone what God has done. They trusted in the promises of God and God healed them. Now, please understand that not all will be physically healed but all who come to Jesus asking Him to be Lord and Savior of their life, He will heal spiritually. Faith teachers go to the extreme, but it is all up to the sovereignty of God. For if all were to be healed, there would be no sickness, no death, and if it does happen, then it is because it is a lack of faith on your part. That is ridiculous, for we even see these faith teachers getting sick and dying. And as you study these 10 miracles of Jesus found in Matthew chapters 8 and 9, sometimes it is the faith of the person, sometimes it is someone else’s faith. May we learn to trust God and ask for His will, and not our will to be done.
VERSES 32-34
1. As Jesus healed and delivered this mute and demon-possessed man, the old wineskins, the Pharisees, couldn’t handle it. They also couldn’t deny what Jesus was doing, the evidence was there for all to see. So what do they do? They say that the ruler of demons cast out this demon. How foolish. Why would Satan destroy his own work? He wouldn’t! But, since they couldn’t accept this was of God, they came to the only other conclusion, it was of the ruler of demons! We see this hypocritical attitude in the church today, that if a work is done and it doesn’t fit their own theology, it must be of Satan! Again, old wineskins unable to be part of and refusing to recognize a work of God. May we be careful and not become brittle, hard, that God can’t use us.
VERSE 35
1. A day in the life of Jesus is packed with ministry, touching peoples lives. And that should be true in our own walk, that our lives are packed with ministry, service unto the Lord, touching people with the love of Jesus. I don’t want to be board, but busy serving the Lord, touching people!
VERSE 36
1. Do you see the compassion that Jesus had for people! We joke around today and say things like "Ministry is easy if it wasn’t for the people!" The reality is, it is all about them, reaching out to them, having compassion on them, pointing them to the true Shepherd, Jesus. You see, back then, like today, many are not finding in their religious system what their hearts are looking for, but hey will find it in Jesus! I have talked with people that have been going to a certain church or denomination for a number of years and they tell me they are not growing, they are board, and the only reason they stay there is because they have been going there for years or their family goes their. Wrong! Don’t put your loyalty in a church or organization where you are not getting fed, where you are not growing, but in Jesus, and see where He would have you to go!
VERSES 37-38
1. The harvest today is plentiful and my prayer is that God would use us to bring in the harvest of souls and He would raise up more laborers for the work! To bring in the harvest you had to go out into the fields, it wasn’t done from a Lazy-Boy chair or within the walls of a church. It is as Jesus sais in Matthew 28:19-20, the Great Commission, "‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen." May we go, may we be like Isaiah for in Isaiah 6:8 we are told, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’" May we echo the words of Isaiah, "Here am I Lord! Send me!"