Tag: Authority

The Authority of Jesus – Matthew 21:23-27

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The Authority of Jesus

Matthew 21:23-27

The section of Matthew’s Gospel (chapters 21-23) describes the confrontations that Jesus had with the religious leaders of Israel only days before He was betrayed into the hands of evil men and nailed to the cross. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in the midst of a procession which was declaring Him to be King! He arranged the details carefully, so that He would ride into Jerusalem upon a donkey in accordance with the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9. In so doing, Jesus was proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews. Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, who were seeking to make a profit with their religion, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against the false worship in the Jewish religious system. Then, by cursing the fruitless fig tree, Jesus taught His disciples about the false and fruitless profession of religion without faith in Him.

As you can imagine, Jesus’ actions and words in Jerusalem provoked a response from the religious leaders there. They had to respond to Jesus. Would they respond favorably by repenting of their evil deeds and believing in Him? Or would they continue to resist the word of God, refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and seek to destroy Him?

Because we’ve read the rest of the story, we know how it ends—with Jesus wrongly condemned and nailed to a cross. It ended this way not only because it was the Father’s will, but also because of the Jewish leaders’ hatred for Jesus and their unrepentant, unbelieving, evil hearts.

In our text this morning we encounter the Pharisees questioning Jesus, because they didn’t believe in Him. First, we see…

1. The Confrontation: Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned (Matt. 21:23)

Matthew tells us,

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).

They demanded to know first the nature, and then the source, of His authority. And in and of themselves, those were not necessarily inappropriate questions for the chief priests and elders to ask. These religious leaders were, after all, charged with the responsibility of caring for the spiritual condition of their people, and for what happened in the temple.

So, what are “these things” that Jesus has been doing? Oh, just riding into Jerusalem on the donkey as king, receiving the people’s acclamation of Him as Messiah, driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, healing the blind and the lame in the temple, affirming the praises of the children in the temple, and now teaching in the temple courts. Jesus was doing all “these things” in the temple without their endorsement or permission!

They thought they were the ones in charge of the temple. As far as they are concerned, they are the authorities. So, they raise the question to Jesus, in effect asking, “Who’s in charge here?”

But the problem was that the questions were not sincere. The evidence is very plainly there in the text that they already knew the answer they wanted and believed before they asked the questions! Their questions were motivated not by a desire to know the truth, but by a refusal to believe.

And Jesus knew their deceitful hearts. He felt no necessary obligation to respect their demand for an answer. Rather, instead, He made His answer to them ‘conditional’. Before He would answer their hostile questions, they had to answer His questions concerning what they already knew. It wasn’t that Jesus was seeking to avoid answering their questions. Rather, it was to force them to answer the questions themselves, because if they answered His question, they would have the answers to their own.

So we see…

2. The Counter-Question: Jesus Asks about John’s Baptism (Matt. 21:24-26)

Jesus responds to their question with a question of his own. Matthew writes, “But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John–where was it from? From heaven or from men?’ ” (Matt. 21:24-25a).

What a question! What a bind He put them in! They were hoping to embroil Him in controversy before all the people—forcing Him to claim authority to Himself, and then giving them the opportunity to trap Him in an accusation of blasphemy! But now, in front of all those same people, He put them in a knot that they couldn’t even begin to untie themselves from without exposing the hardness of their own unbelieving hearts!

Think with me about John the Baptist for a moment. Jesus said about him, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist …” (Matt. 11:11).

John was the fulfillment of the promise that God made in the last book of the Old Testament; “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me” (Malachi 3:1; see also Matthew 10:11). He was the one that the Lord promised in the Book of Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD . . .‘” (Isaiah 40:3; see also Matthew 3:3).

The people of Jerusalem—along with all Judea and the surrounding regions—had come to John in the wilderness of the Jordan. They all heard his bold message; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2); and many came to him repenting of their sins to be baptized with water (Matt. 3:6, 11).

Everyone knew about John, and as a prophet, people trembled at what he had to say. In fact, his message and his manner were so bold and earthshaking that the talk went around that he might even be the Messiah (John 1:19-20). But he made it clear that he himself was not the Messiah—that his ministry was to identify Someone else as the Messiah. He announced,

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12).

And just consider how this man John testified of Jesus! Matthew tells us;

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17).

The Gospel of John tells us that the Baptist’s very public testimony of Jesus was this:

 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34).

John’s testimony of Jesus was outstandingly clear. It was very public; and it was immediately verifiable. How very disingenuous, then, for the chief priests and elders to confront Jesus and say, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It wasn’t a sincere question at all. They already knew the answer. But they would not believe what they knew; and instead, they hoped to trap Jesus by His giving an answer to their question.

I suspect that they were dumbstruck. They hadn’t seen this coming. The religious leaders find themselves caught in a dilemma. Matthew tells us,

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” (Matt. 21:25b-26).

Their dilemma was simply this: “How do we answer?” Because this is a lose-lose proposition for them. If they say John’s authority came from God, Jesus will ask them, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if they say John’s authority was just from men, they risk upsetting the people who all hold that John was a prophet.

Notice they aren’t remotely interested in answering the question honestly. Instead, they are carefully weighing the options, testing the winds, running advance straw polls in their minds. They are acting more like politicians here than religious leaders who are supposed to be men of God!

Here’s a lesson for us when we tell people about Jesus. When people confront us with controversial questions about Jesus or the scripture, take the time to discern the heart-attitude of the one doing the asking. Is it an attitude of sincere exploration concerning the truth about Jesus? Or are the questions simply an effort to find yet another excuse for unbelief? We ought to do our best to answer patiently the true seeker. But Jesus’ example teaches us that we ought to expose false motives of those who don’t want the truth.

This brings us to …

3. The Conclusion: Jesus Refused to Answer their Unbelief (Matt. 21:27).

The religious leaders have confronted Jesus; Jesus has countered the religious leaders; it’s time for closing arguments. How do the religious leaders answer Jesus’ question? “So they answered Jesus and said, ‘We do not know.’” (Matt. 21:27). They know that no matter how they answer Jesus, it’s not going to look good for them. They don’t want to affirm John’s ministry, and they don’t want to offend the people, so they take the easy way out: “We don’t know!” What cowards! John the Baptist was the most important religious figure to appear in Israel for centuries. And the religious leaders don’t even have an opinion on him? Here they are ready to judge Jesus when they cannot even pass judgment on John!

What does Jesus say in response to their obfuscation? “And He said to them,’Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’” (Matt. 21:27).

Remember, Jesus had offered them a trade: “I will answer your questions, if you answer mine!” The religious leaders refuse to answer Jesus’ question, and so Jesus refuses to answer theirs. Jesus is more than ready to answer all our questions as long as we are ready to receive his answers. But they didn’t ask in good faith. They didn’t ask in faith at all. They asked out of an unbelieving heart and a challenging spirit. Both their manner and their questions displayed a stubborn refusal to believe either Jesus or John.

It wouldn’t do any good for Jesus to explain His authority because they wouldn’t recognize it anyway. They made it clear that they would not recognize God’s authority when they saw and heard it. They would not submit to God’s authority. So what good would it do for Jesus to say, “God gave me this authority”?

They had already misunderstood the revelation of Scripture, rejected the ministry of John, and accused Jesus of doing things by the power of Satan! They were not open to a clear answer from Jesus–and they were not fit for positions of authority themselves. By questioning Jesus’ authority, they demonstrated their own rebellion against God’s authority.

William Hendriksen applies this, writing,

An important practical lesson is taught here. Christ’s opponents failed to see the truth because they hardened themselves against it. The reason why many people know so little about Jesus and about the joy of living the Christian life is that they refuse to submit themselves to his will. The prayer of everyone should be: “Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God” (Ps. 143:10).

It is a dangerous thing to harden yourself against the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we repeatedly reject the authority of Christ and His word, we will eventually lose the opportunity to repent, believe, and be saved.

So today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. Repent and believe in Jesus. He died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven. He was raised from the dead and gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. Don’t wait another minute. Don’t refuse His love and reject His authority.

 

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The Authority to Restore a Brother

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The Authority to Restore a Brother

Matthew 18:18-20

This Sunday we are looking at just three verses in Matthew 18. They undeniably connect to the verses we considered last week in Matthew 18:15-17 and they anticipate Peter’s question about forgiveness (Matt. 18:21) and Jesus’ answer that follows (Matt. 18:22-35).

Remember that Matthew 18 is the fourth great teaching discourse of Jesus that Matthew presents. It is all about how the children of God relate to one another in the kingdom of God as it is manifest in the form of the church. We have seen that we must enter the kingdom humbly like a little child (Matt. 18:1-4). We must accept each other in the name of Christ like we would welcome Christ (Matt. 18:5). We must care for and protect one another not causing others to stumble in sin (Matt. 18:6-9) or despising any of His little ones (Matt. 18:10). God greatly values each one of His sheep and seeks those who wander astray—and so should we (Matt. 18:12-14).

Then in Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus taught us how to restore a brother who sins. He showed that each one of us is personally responsible to work toward restoring a brother who sins against us. So, when there is unconfessed, unrepentant sin, Jesus gave us four step process for restoration. Step one is to confront in private (Matt. 18:15). If he listens, you have gained your brother back and the process ends there. If not, step two is to confirm with one or two witnesses (Matt. 18:16). If he doesn’t listen in that setting, then step three is to disclose it to the church (Matt. 18:17). Perhaps the humble, loving, pressure from the whole congregation will win him back. If he doesn’t listen to the church, the final step is to excommunicate the member—treat him like a heathen or tax collector (Matt. 18:17).

All of this, even excommunication, is for the good of the sinning brother. It aims at restoring him to full fellowship with the church. It is also for the good of the church—to protect the purity and holiness of God’s people. One thing is clear in Matthew 18—Jesus cares about the purity and holiness of His church. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). Peter writes in his first epistle, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,” (1 Pet. 1:22). One of the greatest ways we show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ is to insist on the holiness of God’s church—that we all obey the truth of the scriptures through the Holy Spirit.

Now I know that this whole process of church discipline might seem a little intimidating. If you’re like me, you probably have a sense of inadequacy about doing this. You might be thinking, “What right do I have to go to somebody else and confront them about their sin?” After all, I am not perfect or sinless and neither is anyone else. Church discipline, restoring a sinning brother, is never an easy thing to do. Knowing this, Jesus assures us of our authority in the church to do it. What power do we have to deal with sin in the body of Christ? What is our authority? This is what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 18:18-20—the scope and source of our authority.

First, He teaches us the …

1. Scope of Authority: to Bind or Loose (Matt. 18:18)

Notice how Jesus prefaces His teaching, He underscores the seriousness by using the solemn formula, “Assuredly, I say to you . . .” He stresses it again in Matthew 18:19 saying, “Again, [or assuredly][1] I say to you . . .” Jesus is letting His church know what He teaches and demands of His church is based in His own divine, messianic authority.

What is the scope of the authority that Jesus gives to His church? He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18). What does Jesus mean by binding and loosing, and how is heaven involved?

Remember that Jesus already spoke about this in Matthew 16. There, He told Peter that, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). Here, Jesus makes the same proclamation about binding and loosing in nearly the same words, except that Jesus now speaks not in the second person singular (to Peter alone), but in the second person plural (to the whole church).[2] Jesus entrusted the keys of the kingdom to His church. The keys are a symbol of authority—the authority to open and close, lock and unlock, bind and loose. In both places, the syntax of the Greek text means, “whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” In other words, pronouncement on earth that something is “bound” or “loosed” depends upon what heaven has already willed and decreed. It is not that earth gives direction to heaven. Rather, the church binds and looses on the authority of what God has already declared in heaven. Heaven itself endorses the activity of the church when the church acts in accord with the authority of Christ and the truth of God’s word. We are not MAKING our own judgment; we are REVEALING heaven’s judgment.

Jesus administers the reign of His kingdom in His church by the faithful proclamation of true doctrine, and by the faithful discipline of its members. We saw in Matthew 16 that the church uses the keys by preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The church can declare with authority of heaven that all who believe the gospel are loosed from their bondage to sin—their sins are forgiven. And we can declare with that same authority that those who refuse to believe in Christ are still bound in sin—not forgiven.

Now, Jesus applies the same language in Matthew 18:18 with respect to church discipline. Based on the authority of Christ and the truth of His word, the church can declare that an unrepentant member is still in bondage to sin and that when a brother listens to correction and repents, he is loosed from that sin. Heaven itself endorses that decision because the church acted on the decree that God has revealed in His word. Jesus has given great authority in the church, and heaven itself ratifies what the church does when it follows Jesus’ commands regarding church discipline.

If you have sinned against your church family, and someone goes to try to restore you, but you don’t listen and repent; then two or three go to you, and you don’t listen; then the whole church pursues your restoration, and you won’t listen, then we can declare on the authority of heaven that you are still bound in your sin. If however, somewhere along the process you listen, your heart is broken over your sin, and you turn from it, we can declare on the authority of heaven that you are loosed from that sin. We have gained you back to fellowship as a brother in Christ. Heaven stands with us. That is the authority of the church in restoring a fallen brother or sister—the authority to bind or loose what heaven has decreed.

Then, in Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus describes the source of that authority—the power behind it.

2. Source of Authority (Matt. 18:19-20)

Where do we get the authority to discipline and restore our brothers and sisters in Christ who have sinned? First, Jesus says we have the …

   A. Promise of the Father (Matt. 18:19)

Jesus says, “Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matt. 18:19). 

Probably most of you have heard this verse used in regard to prayer in a general sense. If you take the verse by itself, apart from the context, that is exactly what it sounds like. In fact, the word translated “ask” is used frequently in the New Testament in the context of prayer. Taking this verse out of its context, many have misused it as a blanket promise that God is bound to answer any request if two Christians agree in prayer. Scripture is rich in prayer promises (Matt. 21:22; John 14:13–14; 15:7–8, 16); but if this passage deals with prayer at all, it is restricted by the context.[3]

What is the context? In this whole chapter Jesus is teaching about relationships in the kingdom of heaven as they are lived out in the church. The immediate context is the binding and loosing judgments of the church when it conducts church discipline. Matthew 18:19 simply restates the truth of Matthew 18:18. Notice the word “anything” in Matthew 18:19. Jesus said, “if two of you agree on earth concerning anything.” The word for any “thing” (πρᾶγμα, pragma) is a term frequently limited to judicial matters.[4] Paul uses the same word in 1 Corinthians 6:1 when he asks, “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?” Thus, we cannot make “anything” refer to any prayer request whatsoever. Jesus is talking about specifically what will happen as the church follows His instructions for disciplining and restoring a sinning brother. This is not a passage teaching that God gives whatever we want. This is a passage revealing that the church has the authority to act on God’s Word.

This verse is not talking in general about small groups of Christians joined in prayer. It is talking very clearly about church discipline. The reason for two agreeing (two or three in Matthew 18:20), goes back to Matthew 18:16 where Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 19:15, “But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’” Two or three are sufficient establish a judicial matter.

When two brothers or sisters in Christ come together in concern over a sinning believer who has wandered away; and when they ask for God’s work in that person’s life, and when they pray for wisdom in dealing with it, and for the protection of the church family and for God’s gracious work in the life of the wandering one, God the Father in heaven hears them and “it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” The Father has a heart for the church—and for that wandering one too. By asking according to the word of Jesus, we are asking something that the Father is already eager to do.[5] And if we ever get to the point where a brother is so in love with his sin that he must be removed—when he turns to us and says, “You don’t have the right to do this, who do you think you are?”—our response is “We are the body of Christ, ‘the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth’ (1 Tom. 3:15), and based on the authority God has given us in His word, we judge that you are removed until you repent and are restored.”

And finally, Jesus expresses the great authority of the church in this process by describing His own personal support and involvement. The source of the church’s authority is the …

   B. Presence of Christ (Matt. 18:20)

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Not only does the Father confirm discipline when it is administered according to His Word, but the Son adds His own divine confirmation.[6] This verse parallels the one before. But here, Jesus takes the place of the Father in being the source of authority. Jesus “implicitly equates himself with God”[7] and promises His authority in the proceedings of the church.

Again, although it’s a biblical truth, Jesus isn’t speaking simply of the fact that whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there. Personally, I am confident that He is “there” when it’s only me! Jesus is present with any legitimate meeting of His people, whatever its size, and there is no need to mishandle Scripture to prove it. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, indwells every believer (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13; 2 Tim. 1:14; 1 John 3:24). Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus’ being “with” His people, as underscored at the beginning of the Gospel by citing the prophecy from Isaiah that Jesus should be called “Immanuel” (“God with us”; Matt. 1:23), and at the very end of the Gospel when Jesus promises, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

But here, Jesus is specifically speaking about the process and authority of church discipline. As soon as the proper process of accountability, confrontation, and discipline begins, Jesus is present, and God the Father is working through the interactions that take place. Even in the private, one-on-one confrontation, two believers are present in Jesus’ name, and the result will be that God will confirm and empower the actions that are taken in conformity with His Word.[8]

To gather “in [His] name” means to be in union with Jesus, in community with your brothers and sisters in the church, and under His authority. Spurgeon comments, “The presence of Jesus is the fixed center of the assembly, the warrant for its coming together, and the power with which it acts.”[9] Jesus said, “I am there in the midst of them.”

And we can draw great comfort from this. The process Jesus is calling us to follow in disciplining and restoring fallen believers is a hard one. It is filled with pitfalls and dangers, and our own spirits are anguished in executing it. But He is there with us in it. He will help us, guiding us in making the right judgments, leading us to make sure that we have the attitude of humility in our hearts, and directing us to have His own purpose in the matter, that is, the winning of that wandering brother or sister.[10]

Jesus calls us humbly, loving to pursue our brothers and sisters according to His instructions and in His authority.

Let me challenge you with two applications of this passage today:

  1. Consider your relationship to Christ and His Church. Attending a church does not make you a member of Christ’s church. You must be united with Christ to be in union with His church. How do you come to Christ? Just as Jesus said in the beginning of this chapter—you come humbly, like a little child, trusting only in the righteousness of Christ and His sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins. All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in this way are in Christ, united with Him in His death and resurrection. Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20). Maybe you need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Do it today.
    And when we are joined with Christ this way, we are joined to one another in Christ. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:4-6). If you are in Christ, your place is in His body, the church. Maybe Christ is calling you to membership in this church. Do it today.
  2. Seek to restore holiness. Jesus has saved us and called us together to be His holy bride (Eph. 5:27). If you have sinned, repent and confess that to the Lord. If you have offended another person in your sin, seek to make it right. If someone has sinned against you, humbly, lovingly call them to repent and be reconciled. If you see a brother or sister going astray, seek them in the love and grace of Christ.

This is what it means to be the church. When we live in love toward one another pursuing holiness, Christ is with us.

 

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[1] The NKJV footnotes says, “NU-Text and M-Text read Again, assuredly, I say.”

[2] Jacob Gerber, Gaining Back Your Brother, https://jacobgerber.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Matthew-18-15-20.pdf  

[3] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 403.

[4] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 281.

[5] Greg Allen, The ‘Immune’ System, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/102107.htm

[6] John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew, Moody Publishers, Chicago. P. 138.

[7] Craig Blomberg, ibid.

[8] Charles Swindoll, quoted on https://www.bibleoutlines.com/matthew-1815-20-confronting-sin-in-the-believing-community/.

[9] Charles Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-18-commentary-spurgeon

[10] Allen, ibid.

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Jesus’ Authority Over Death

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Jesus’ Authority Over Death

Matthew 9:18-26

Recall that in Matthew 8-9, we are in the section of the Gospel where Matthew presents a series of miracles from Jesus that demonstrate His power and authority as the Messiah-King. We saw Jesus cleanse a leper with a touch, heal the paralyzed servant of a centurion with a word, and heal Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Then we saw Jesus calm the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee, cast evil spirits out of two demonized men, and forgive the sins of a paralytic and heal him. Matthew selected these specific stories to show that Jesus came not just to heal people of their physical diseases but to cure people of their sins. In Matthew 8:17, he revealed what he was actually writing about when he quoted Isaiah 53:4 from that great prophecy about the substitutionary sacrifice of the Savior for our sins, “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”[1]

This emphasis on spiritual healing from sin also explains the discipleship dialogues that Matthew inserts between each group of three miracles. In the first, we met would-be disciples who said they wanted to follow Jesus but who were concerned about other things and therefore did not follow. They did not follow Jesus for healing, so they remained in their sins. The second passage was the calling of Matthew himself and Jesus’ statement that He had come not to call the righteous but sinners. Like the paralytic in the preceding story, Matthew was healed, but he was healed of sin. He showed it immediately by seeking to introduce other sinners to the Savior.

In today’s passage, Jesus demonstrates His authority over death. The Bible teaches that death is a consequence of sin. Paul writes in Romans 5,

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned– 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (Rom. 5:12-14).

Death entered the world of men through sin. And it spread to all mankind. One man said: “Despite all our medical advances and great steps in technology death remains our nation’s number one killer.”[2] Death is our enemy (1 Cor. 15:26). But the only way to solve the problem of death is to solve the problem of sin. And that is what makes Jesus Christ so wonderful. He is called Jesus, “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21). Scripture clearly declares that Christ came to defeat sin and ultimately death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says about Jesus:

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

When Christ returns and we are raised to live with Him in the new heaven and new earth, there will be no more death (Rev. 21:1-4). And to prove the reality of that promise, Jesus displayed His power over death while on earth. No, He didn’t stop everyone from dying or even raise everyone from the dead. The time of His full redemption is yet to be fully realized until His return. But while He was on earth, Jesus unequivocally proved Himself to be the Messiah by overcoming sin and death.

And that is why Matthew includes this episode here. This is a story within a story. Both of these stories involve females – one a young girl (Mark says she was about 12), and the other a grown woman (who had been sick for 12 years, Matt. 9:20). In the account, both of them are called “daughter”, a word of family affection. The man tells Jesus, “My daughter has just died“; and Jesus tells the woman – who was much older – “Be of good cheer, daughter . . .”

Both stories involved sickness; and both of the sufferers were, so to speak, at the end of their ropes. Mark tells us that, when the man first came to Jesus, He said, “My little daughter lies at the point of death” (Mark 5:23). And similarly, Mark also tells us that this woman “had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:25). Although both stories involve severe suffering, they also give us examples of deep faith. The situation for both changed as a result of Jesus’ touch.

Let’s look a little closer at the two stories in this passage. In Matthew 9:18-19 we have the request of the ruler for Jesus to come to heal his daughter. In Matthew 9:20-22 we have the healing of the woman along the way. Then in Matthew 9:23-26 we have the raising of the little girl. In Mark and Luke, who also record this episode, the delay to heal the woman is used to show that during that time the girl died. Matthew condenses the account to stress Jesus’ authority over death.

First, we see…

1. The Ruler’s Desperate Request (Matthew 9:18-19)[3]

In the previous passage in Matthew (Matt. 8:14-17), Jesus had been speaking to the disciples of John the Baptist. And Matthew tells us that, while He spoke these things to them, His conversation with them was interrupted. A “ruler” came to Him in a state of great urgency: “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.’” (Matt. 9:18).

Who was this ruler? Matthew does give us his name but the other Gospel writers tell us that his name was Jairus and that he was a very important and very respected man. He was “a ruler of the synagogue” of that region (Luke 8:41; Mark 5:22). The synagogue was the place where the Jewish people gathered for worship and religious instruction. And “the ruler of the synagogue” was the man who had been chosen by the elders of the synagogue to oversee its operations and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with tradition. The ruler supervised the worship services and oversaw the work of the other elders, which included teaching, adjudicating disputes, and other such leadership duties.

But notice how he comes—not with an air of superiority or worthiness—he comes in humility and self-denial. Matthew says “he came and worshiped Him ” (Matt. 9:18). In fact, Luke tells us that he “fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house” (Luke 8:41). He kneels before Jesus, not necessarily an act of worship in those days, but certainly a posture of reverence and respect. For this ruler of the synagogue to bow down to Jesus and pay homage to Him in this way was a tremendous testimony to what he believed about Jesus.

What was it that Jairus wanted so desperately from Jesus? He was pleading earnestly with Jesus to come to his home and lay His hand on his young daughter. He said, “My daughter has just died” – or as it can more literally be translated, “My daughter has just come to the end (of her life)”. Mark and Luke both say that she was at the point of death but Matthew gets to the point that the girl is dead. His request is “but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live” (Matt. 9:18).

Think about this faith in Jesus. He said, “. . . but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live” (Matt. 9:18). Where would he have gotten such an idea? Where would such a conviction have come from? I believe that he got it from hearing that Jesus had mercifully healed others with just a touch of His hand. Perhaps Jairus heard of how Jesus had reached out His hand and touched the leper and he was immediately cleansed (Matt. 8:3). Or maybe he heard about the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with a very high fever; and of how Jesus “touched her hand, and the fever left her” (Matt. 8:15). He was convinced that if Jesus would come and lay his hand on his dying daughter, she too would live.

And look at the great mercy of our Savior! He never turns away anyone who comes to Him with such faith. Matthew tells us, “So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples” (Matt. 9:19).

So, Jesus goes with the man to save his daughter and to meet this great need. But as so often happens in life, one story goes on while another is beginning. In God’s providence, those two stories intersect for His glory. We have seen the ruler’s desperate request. Secondly, we see . . .

2. The Woman’s Desperate Reach (Matt. 9:20-22).

Matthew 9:20 says, “And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.” (Matt. 9:20).

The woman also was in a desperate situation. She had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. Medically, we understand this would have made her anemic—physically drained and susceptible to disease. From Mark, we learn that her illness also took a toll on her financially. He says she “had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” (Mark. 5:26). She just got both sicker and poorer. Some of you have felt that hopeless desperation when you’ve tried to find answers to what was wrong but the doctors couldn’t help. It’s a horribly frustrating and scary situation to be in.

And what’s more, this woman’s illness took a toll on her in other ways. We’re not told what the nature of her flow of blood was. If it was the kind of bleeding described in Leviticus 15:19-27, then she would have been considered ceremonially unclean by her people. Anyone that she touched would have been considered unclean until evening. Everything that she laid on or sat on would be considered defiled. She would have been unable to participate in the cultural and religious life of her people.

Jesus was touchable even by the most untouchable. That was true then, and it is true today! If you feel like an outcast, like your presence or touch would even defile others, then run to Jesus and touch Him and be healed forever! As long as you have the breath of life it is never too late to run and touch Jesus!

Both she and Jairus had come to the end of their rope. They had no one else to turn to but Jesus. She also had likely heard about Jesus and how He had touched and healed sick people. Matthew says this about her faith in Jesus: “For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well’” (Matt. 9:21). Perhaps she didn’t dare to think of touching Jesus Himself, or of asking Him to touch her. But she felt sure that, if she could just touch the hem of His garment, it would be enough. And so, driven as she was by her faith in Jesus’ power to heal, she crept up from behind and reached out and touched the hem of His garment as He passed by.

Mark reports that there was a large crowd of people pressing in on Jesus from all sides as He walked that road. No one else noticed her touch Jesus. But Jesus knows the difference between a press and a touch. This was a touch that came from faith and He always notices those who have faith in Him.

Matthew tells us simply that Jesus “turned around” and saw her. But Mark tells us more. He says that, as soon as the woman touched Him,

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowed and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth (Mark 5:29-33).

Look at how tenderly and lovingly Jesus speaks to this frightened and trembling woman whom He had just healed. He says, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” (Matt. 9:22).

First, He tells her “be of good cheer“; which certainly speaks to the fact that she was without hope, desperate, and very much afraid. In fact, the word He used may even include the idea of calling her to confidence and courage – that she was no longer an outcast among her people; and that her uncleanness had been taken from her. Then, He calls her “daughter“; a term of endearment that implies she also is a daughter of the kingdom. And He told her, “your faith has made you well.” She may have thought her healing had something to do with touching His garment, but He lets her know that it was really a result of her seeking Him in faith. The “touch” was just an expression of her faith in Jesus and it was He Himself that healed her.

Matthew tells us simply, “And the woman was made well from that hour.” (Matt. 9:22). When Jesus healed it was instantaneous and complete. And before we depart from this woman, let me make just one more observation. The words that Jesus used can literally be translated, “Be of good courage, daughter; your faith has SAVED you.” The word He used can also mean “to save”. In fact, He used the tense of the verb that refers to a completed act. Remember, Matthew is showing us that not only can Jesus heal a dying woman, He can save a lost soul.

Jesus’ words to this poor woman then are words of gospel encouragement. They are words that every sinner who truly comes to the end of herself or himself, and who reaches out to Jesus in faith can take to heart: “Be of good courage; your faith has saved you.”

We have seen the ruler’s desperate request, the woman’s desperate reach, and finally we see …

3. The Dead Girl Raised (Matt. 9:23-26).

Matthew returns to the story of the ruler and his dead daughter in Matthew 9:23 with Jesus coming to Jairus’ house, “When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing” Obviously, the family and others had been anticipating this girl’s death. Already, the mourners were there. In that culture, families hired professional mourners to assist in their grieving for the dead. Often it included the discordant playing of flutes and loud, mournful wailing. Even a poor family would have a few such mourners. In this case, with the family of the synagogue ruler, it was a large and noisy crowd of mourners. Bruce comments, “Mourning, like everything else, had been reduced to a system.”[4] The end result was a cacophony of confusion.[5]

And when Jesus saw this, He did something remarkable. Matthew tells us, “He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping”” (Matt. 9:24). Now clearly, the girl was dead. But Jesus said she was NOT dead – that she was only sleeping. Jesus said that she was “sleeping” because that’s how our Savior sees the death of those He is about to raise. Do you remember when He was going to raise His friend Lazarus from the dead in John 11? He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” (John 11:11). His disciples misunderstood. They said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” And Jesus had to explain to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14)—then, He went to the tomb to raise him. In essence, Jesus redefined death as a temporary state, just as natural sleep is temporary. Jesus’ point was that death is not permanent (see  Matt. 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13–15; 5:10; 2 Peter 3:4).

The crowd’s attitude towards Jesus is the exact opposite of the ruler’s. The ruler was respectful and believing. The crowd is disrespectful and disbelieving. Matthew says, “And they ridiculed Him.” (Matt. 9:24). The word that Matthew used literally meant that they ‘laughed Jesus down’. They mocked Him and derided Him. They switched from mournful wailing and weeping to insulting laughter and scorn. And isn’t this always the response of unbelief to the Savior’s power? How many in our world scorn and deride our Lord Jesus Christ and those who believe in Him?

It’s a good thing that the people in the crowd weren’t the ones asking Jesus to raise this girl from the dead. Their attitude precluded the miracle. They were both disrespectful to Jesus and disbelieving.

But they weren’t laughing for long. And they weren’t mourning for long either. First of all, Jesus takes charge of the situation. He puts them out of the house. Matthew 9:25 says, “But when the crowd was put outside…”  The word that is used suggests that He cast them out with a little bit of force. Jesus does not let them witness the miracle He is about to perform. He doesn’t put on shows for unbelievers.

And then, Matthew tells us what happened in very simple terms; “… He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.” Matthew says it as if it took no effort for Him to do it at all. All it took was a touch from His hand, and her life was restored to her. So in the case of the woman with hemorrhage for 12 years, she reached out to touch Him. Now with this young girl who had died after 12 years, He reaches out and touches her.

Matthew then tells us, “And the report of this went out into all that land” (Matt. 9:26).

So; here are two stories that have been deliberately woven together into one for us. Matthew wants us to see Jesus’ authority and power over death. And once again, this all has to do with Jesus bringing the kingdom of God when He came. It all has to do with Jesus saving us from sin and all its consequences—including the final enemy: death. Jesus has the power over death because Jesus has power over sin. Jesus conquered death because Jesus conquered sin. He Himself was raised from the dead on the third day because on the cross He died for the forgiveness of sins.

There is no doubt that Jesus is Lord. He is Christ. He is the King. He is the living one who was dead and is now alive forevermore and holds the keys of Hades and death (Rev. 1:18). He is the only Savior. And if you want your sins forgiven, then do what the synagogue ruler did and bow before Him. If you want your sins forgiven, then do what the woman did and reach out to Him. Repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He always responds to faith.

 

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 154.

[2] Rory Mosley, Jesus – VS – Death. https://fbcspur.org/jesus-vs-death-matthew-9/

[3] Greg Allen, Wonders Along the Way. https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/101605.htm. I drew from some of Allen’s points in developing this sermon.  

[4] F. F. Bruce, Quoted by Bruce Hurt, Matthew 9 Commentary, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-9-commentary#9:23

[5] John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew. Moody Publishers, Chicago.

 

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