Our passage today from Matthew 21 is the first of three parables that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt while the people declared Him to be the Messiah and King (Matt. 21:8-11). He had purposefully arranged the details carefully to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, thus, proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews (Matt. 21:1-7). Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of those buying and selling there, 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 their hypocrisy and false worship.
Jesus then showed what true faith in God looks like when He healed the blind and lame in the temple and received the praise of children over the objections of the chief priests and scribes (Matt. 21:14-16). Then, He cursed the fig tree as a sign of God’s judgment coming on the Israelites for their lack of fruit and lack of faith.
In Matthew 21:23, the chief priests and elders in the temple pushed back, confronting Jesus in the temple and asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It was an insincere question designed to trap Jesus and accuse Him. But Jesus, knowing their unbelieving hearts, didn’t fall for it. Instead, He turned the tables on them and asked about John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? (Matt. 21:25). Jesus said if they answer His question, He would answer theirs (Matt. 21:24). In fact, if they truly answered Jesus’ question, it would answer their own question because John had testified that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. But they did not want to recognize Jesus’ authority, so they answered, “We do not know” (Matt. 21:27). Therefore, Jesus would not tell these unbelieving leaders the answer to their question either.
Yet Jesus doesn’t simply drop the matter. Instead, He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe.
In Matthew 21, we are following the events of the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He went to the cross. It began in Matthew 21:1-11 with Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey in fulfillment of scripture. Then we saw Jesus go into the temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who were buying and selling, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). The temple off God was full of hypocrisy, extortion, greed, and deceit. What should have been a house of prayer had become a den of robbers.
Jesus then healed the blind and the lame and received the praise of the children. thus fulfilling prophecies about His true Messiahship. He then left the temple and spent the night in Bethany near the Mount of Olives.
In Matthew 21:18, Jesus is returning to the city of Jerusalem. He will go back into the temple (Matt. 21:23) where the religious leaders will question His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). Then Jesus will teach two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46). The first is a man who says he will work and then doesn’t. The second is a group of men who say they will produce fruit from the vineyard and then don’t. The last parable is the climax of the section, illustrating that Christ has been rejected by His own fruitless people, and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear its fruit.
Faith is so vital to the Christian life that Scripture tells us that, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The Bible tells us that salvation is the gift of God through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). Paul writes that in the gospel, “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17). In other words, we are not only saved by faith, we live our whole Christian life from beginning to end “from faith to faith.” From day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, the righteous live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.
In our passage today, Christ told His disciples that, with just a tiny measure of faith, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains and “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).
In Matthew 15, we are in a section of Matthew where Jesus, having given evidence that He is the Son of God, the Messiah-King, and having taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God, He is now training His disciples in kingdom ministry. The lessons Jesus teaches them in these narratives are about faith—faith in Him.
In the story of the feeding of the 5000, Jesus gave them a lesson in trusting Him and depending on Him to work through them (Matt. 14:13-21). Then, we saw Peter who had “little faith,” yet was able to do the impossible–walk on water to be with Jesus (Matt. 14:22-33). We saw the multitudes bringing their sick to Jesus and believing He would heal them (Matt. 14:34-36). Then we saw the flawed faith of the scribes and Pharisees who trusted in their traditions rather than Jesus and the word of God (Matt. 15:1-20).
These are faith lessons, training us to trust Jesus Christ and His word. They are lessons about saving faith and also about serving faith. We must believe in Jesus to enter His kingdom, and we must believe in Jesus to do kingdom ministry. As Paul writes in Romans 1, our salvation is “from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17)—that is, it is by faith from beginning to end.
So, today we get another lesson in faith, but not just any faith—this lesson is about “great faith.”
Today, We come to another familiar story in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus walking on the water. Which would be so utterly amazing to us, had we not heard the story many times over. This episode in the life of Jesus has left its impression on the mind of the world. Still today, we describe someone who is very gifted or successful as “able to walk on water.” But we mean the phrase only metaphorically. No one can literally walk on water. But Jesus did. And the point of the whole episode comes at the end when the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33).
We said last time that this section of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 14-17, focuses on Jesus training His disciples for kingdom ministry. Jesus does many miracles in this section, but these miracles have less to do with proving Himself to the crowds, and far more to do with Jesus teaching the twelve. We saw this last time as Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus wants to do kingdom ministry through His disciples. So He pressed them to the end of themselves and their resources to reveal that kingdom ministry must be done according to His will and in His power.
Now, Jesus gives His disciples another hands-on ministry learning session. This lesson also will bring the twelve to the end of themselves.
In his Gospel, Matthew has been building his case that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Particularly, in Matthew 8 and 9 Matthew shows that Jesus has the authority to do what only God Himself can do—heal the sick, cleanse the leper, control nature, cast out demons, forgive sins, and even raise the dead. Together, these miracles showed that Jesus has power over sin because He systematically reversed the effects of sin.
Not only has Matthew stressed the authority of Jesus over sin and its consequences, but he has also emphasized the various responses to Jesus. Some, like the centurion, the paralytic and his friends, and the hemorrhaging woman, responded in faith, believing Jesus. Matthew himself responded by following Jesus.
But other responses were not so positive. We have the two would-be disciples who could not accept the cost of following Jesus; the Gadarene townspeople who begged Jesus to leave; the scribes who thought Jesus guilty of blasphemy; the Pharisees who thought they were righteous and didn’t understand God’s compassion on sinners; the disciples of John complaining that Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast; and the mourners at Jairus’ house who ridiculed Jesus.
Jesus, as the Gospels present Him, forces everyone who encounters Him to respond in some way.[1] Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” The things that Jesus did and the things that He claimed about Himself are so unique and amazing that they must not be ignored. The response that the Gospel calls for is to believe in Him, follow Him, and worship Him. But not everyone does. Some people marvel at Jesus but come short of believing in Him. And others reject Jesus out of hand. In the end, we must either bow to Jesus, or we will oppose Him. We must either believe in Him, or we will reject Him.
We now come to the last two miracles in this series—giving sight to the blind and causing the mute to speak. Typical of Matthew’s style, the accounts are short and to the point. He demonstrates Jesus’ authority to open the eyes of the blind and cause a demonized mute to speak. Again, these miracles give proof that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And again, these miracles highlight the different responses to Jesus. Some believed and their lives were eternally changed. Others were amazed, but no change seemed to take place in their lives. Still others rejected Jesus and blasphemed Him.
The reason why these responses to Jesus’ miracles are so important is that the power of Jesus to work miracles also proves His power to save from sin. They portray our spiritual condition—we are all unclean, isolated, hopeless, desperate, blind, and even dead in our sins. And they show that to be saved from sin we need the powerful, forgiving, saving grace of God, which is to be found in Jesus Christ alone.[2]
The ways that people responded to Jesus then are the same ways that people respond to the Savior today.
The first response that Matthew highlights for us is[3] …
1. The Blind Men Believe – Matthew 9:27-31
Jesus had just raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and He was going to His house in Capernaum when two blind men became aware that Jesus was passing by, and they started following Him. Matthew 9:27 says, “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”” The text does not say why they were blind. Blindness was a serious problem in the East in that day and could have been caused by disease, exposure to the sun, dust, injury, or a birth condition. The Gospels record that Jesus healed at least six blind men—one of His most common miracles.[4]
As the blind men follow Jesus they are “crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”” (Matt. 9:27). The word for “crying out” means to “croak or cry with a loud voice”[5]. Their request is a simple sentence, but it is full of deep meaning. “Son of David, have mercy on us!” The mercy they seek is for Jesus to cure their blindness. A request for mercy implies that they knew they did not deserve what they were requesting. They are depending on His kindness, not any merit of their own.[6] Since the common understanding in that culture was that something as debilitating as blindness was a judgment of God for sin, they were probably very keenly aware of their unworthiness.
This is the first time anyone in the Gospel calls Jesus “Son of David” (Matt 9:27) and there can be no doubt that the blind men were confessing Jesus as Messiah. “Son of David” was a title for the Messiah (Matt. 1:1; 22:42). The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah, when He came, would be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:12, 16) and an heir to his throne. Matthew has already plainly stated that Jesus is the messianic Son of David in Jesus’ genealogy. In Matthew 1:1, he wrote, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” This title will be used of Jesus seven more times in the Gospel of Matthew.
In Israel, in the time of Jesus, there was an intense Messianic expectation. According to the Old Testament one of the signs of the Messiah is that he would work miracles, including giving sight to the blind. Isaiah 35:5-6 says,
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. (Isa 35:5-6; cf. Isaiah 29:17-19; 42:5-7; Psalm 146:8).
There are no records of any blind person being healed in the Old Testament. And so, when you have two blind men following Jesus calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” that is a clear indication they believed that Jesus was the Messiah. These men did not just believe that Jesus was a miracle worker or one of the prophets. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah Himself. These men may have been physically blind, but they really “saw” better than many others.[7]
Although it seems that Jesus initially did not respond to their cries, they continued to follow Him all the way into the house. Matthew 9:28 says, “And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.” They were persistent. Why did Jesus delay instead of healing the men in public as He had other people? It would appear from what is said later in this text that Jesus wanted to minimize public attention that He was the Messiah. He waited to heal them in private.
Once the blind men are in the house, “Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’” (Matt. 9:28). At this point we should think it was obvious what they believed. They had already demonstrated their faith in Jesus by the fact that they were following Him and crying out to Him for mercy. Yet, Jesus asks about their faith anyway. Jesus tests their faith, giving them the opportunity to verbally confess their belief that Jesus had the power to heal them. They say, “Yes, Lord.” Although the term “Lord” was often used out of simple respect, similar to our use of the term, “sir,” it is obvious that they called Jesus, “Lord,” in recognition of His Lordship as Son of David, the Messiah. They believed in Jesus as the Christ.
Matthew 9:29 recounts Jesus’ response, “29Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ 30And their eyes were opened.” This has been a common theme throughout this section on miracles. Jesus responds to faith – the faith of the leper, the faith of the centurion, the faith of the paralytic, the faith of the ruler, the faith of the woman with bleeding. And notice that it is not just faith in God but faith in Jesus specifically. Jesus doesn’t ask them, “Do you believe that I can ask God and He will heal you?” No, he asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“According to your faith” does not mean “in proportion to your faith” (as in, so much faith, so much sight).[8] Faith does not merit Jesus’ favor. Rather, faith claims His favor.[9] Faith is simply the open hand that receives the unmerited gift of God’s mercy and grace.
Jesus didn’t always require faith from people in order to heal them. Jesus’ power is not dependent on our faith. When Jesus asks about the faith of those whom He will heal, He does it because He wants not only to heal them physically but to save them spiritually. Salvation is always by God’s grace and received by faith in Jesus Christ. These men picture salvation.
After opening their eyes, Jesus instructs them. Matthew 9:30 says, “And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.”” This was certainly not a command that they should keep hidden the fact that they could see, for that would have been impossible and nonsensical. It would be very obvious to all that knew them that something radical had occurred since they could now see. Jesus’ charge is related to the same reason He delayed His response to their cry for mercy. Jesus did not want people to be proclaiming that He was Messiah prematurely. The religious leaders were already growing in opposition to Him, and it was not yet time to aggravate that.
Though the command was strong and clear, the two previously blind men were not able to keep quiet – Matthew 9:31, “But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.” This was disobedience and therefore wrong, yet it was disobedience born out of overwhelming joy.
Unlike these formerly blind men, all believers today have been charged by the Lord to proclaim Him to others. Yet how many of us are so eager to spread the news about Jesus to everyone? There is nothing greater to talk about than the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He is and all that He has done, and our joy in Him should overwhelm us so that we cannot contain our praise.
The response of the blind men was to believe in Jesus. But not everyone responds this way. Next, we see…
2. The Multitude Marvels – Matthew 9:32-33
Here we find the second and more common response to Jesus’ ministry. It comes from the crowd after Jesus performs another miracle. Matthew 9:32 describes the scene, “As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.”
There are many things that can cause an inability to speak, but the cause in this case is clearly stated. The man is demonized. While there is a difference between sicknesses and demonic workings (Matt. 10:8), the demons do have the power to cause physical afflictions. In this case, the demon made the man mute.[10] We might wonder why Matthew includes the healing of a demon-possessed man at this point, especially since he already showed the power of Jesus over the demonic when He cast demons out of the two Gadarene demoniacs (Matt. 8:28–34). The point that Matthew makes here is not just the miracle, but the response to the miracle.
Matthew 9:33 says, “And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.” Simply and effortlessly, Jesus cast out the demon, released the man from bondage to evil, and the man immediately regained his ability to speak. Those who have been set free by Jesus, speak for Jesus, which is exactly what Jesus commissions His disciples to do in Matthew 10.
But the focus of the story is not so much the response of the healed man as the response of the crowd: “And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”” (Matt. 9:33). Here, Matthew summarizes the general effect produced upon the people. This is how the multitudes responded, not just to this miracle, but to all that Jesus had done. The people are speaking of all that they have witnessed and heard from other witnesses. In the entire history of Israel, nothing has ever appeared that compares to all that Jesus has just done.[11]
Did the multitudes believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Did they come to Him for salvation? Did they follow Him as disciples? Not most of them. They marveled, but their amazement did not turn into personal faith in Jesus. Several times Jesus rebukes the crowd for seeking the miracles and not Him. For example, after Jesus fed the 5000, He says in John 6:26, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” They followed Jesus for the free food and the entertainment of the miracles. Free stuff and entertainment can attract a crowd but don’t expect that to produce faith in Christ. That only happens as the Holy Spirit works to convict people of their sin and need for a Savior through the faithful proclamation of God’s word.
Many people today believe that Jesus was a good person and they marvel at what He said and did. Yet they do not believe Him to be the Messiah. They reject the fact that He is God in human flesh Who has come to save mankind from their sins by being a substitutionary sin offering. They marvel at Jesus’ teachings and His life, but they do not want to follow Him. They pick and choose which of Jesus’ teachings they like. They throw out the rest of the truth about Jesus to justify their sin. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Luke 11:23). The multitude marveled. They were amazed, but that was all.
Then we come to the third response to Jesus:
3. The Pharisees Blaspheme Jesus – Matthew 9:34
The third response to Jesus’ ministry is by those who are openly against Him as seen in Matthew 9:34, “But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”” Given all that Jesus had done, it should have been clear who Jesus was—especially to the Pharisees, who were so learned in the prophetic scriptures. And yet, when someone brought a man to Jesus who couldn’t speak because of a demon that was afflicting Him – and when Jesus cast the demon out, and the man began to speak – the Pharisees refused to believe.
Since they could not refute what had happened, they denied the means by which it occurred. They couldn’t deny the miracles, but they could still deny Christ. The Pharisees charged that Jesus was in league with Satan whom they call “the ruler of the demons.” They proclaimed the good that Jesus performed to be from evil. Later, in Matthew 12, Jesus will elaborate further on this attitude, and He will relate it to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, a sin that will not be forgiven.
Some people have so hardened their hearts towards God that they want nothing to do with God or Christ. They may even blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing Christ’s power to Satan rather than God. They have crossed a line of no return with God where they can no longer be forgiven.
The committed unbeliever will not believe regardless of any facts or reason no matter how obvious and convincing. You cannot debate someone into the kingdom simply because a person who is dedicated to darkness refuses to see the light regardless of the intensity of the light. The only hope of such a person is that their spiritual blindness would be lifted, they would see their sinfulness, repent, and turn to Jesus. Otherwise, they are doomed for all eternity in their sin.
How can we tell when this has happened to someone? We can’t. We don’t know people’s hearts, and so we can’t know for sure when someone has completely rejected Christ. Our mission continues to be to pray for them to come to Christ and proclaim the gospel of Christ because only God knows when someone has truly crossed that line.
There are three responses to Jesus and only one leads to eternal life. The two blind men exemplify salvation. They knew their need and believed Jesus could rescue them. They cried out for His mercy and received it by faith.
The opposite response is the open criticism and rejection of the Pharisees. They condemned themselves in their unbelief.
The crowds were amazed, but their hearts were not turned. If their amazement does not turn to faith in Jesus Christ, they remain just as condemned in unbelief as those who reject and blaspheme Christ.
Matthew has shown us the great authority and power of Jesus Christ in all these miracles. Each of them shows us who Jesus is and how He can save us from sin. How will you respond to Jesus today? I urge you. Believe in Jesus Christ—that He is the Messiah, the King, the Son of God. Believe that He died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven and you could be justified, made right with God in Christ. Turn from your sin and yourself. Turn to Christ.
[6] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 9:27–29.
[7] 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), 233.
[8] 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), 233.
[9] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 403.
All three synoptic gospels record this event that we have in Matthew 9:1-8. As Matthew does with some other events, he shortens the account, leaving out several of the details that Mark and Luke include. Matthew, instead, focuses on the central point that Jesus has the authority and power to forgive sins.[1] There is nothing more needed in our lives than forgiveness.
John MacArthur correctly states that,
“the most distinctive thing that Christianity has to proclaim is the reality that sin can be forgiven. That is the heart and the very lifeblood of the Christian message. Although the Christian faith has many values, many virtues, and has a myriad of endless applications, the most essential message that God ever gave to man is that man, a sinner, can know the fullness of forgiveness for sin. That is the heart of the message of Christianity.”[2]
That is the message of Matthew 9:1-8. The structure of the passage follows a clear pattern. Jesus meets a paralytic and speaks to him; the scribes react by speaking to themselves; Jesus replies to their thoughts; and then Jesus speaks again to the paralytic, healing him. I have divided it into three sections: Jesus’ declaration of forgiveness, His defense of His authority, and His demonstration of forgiveness.[3]
1. Jesus declares forgiveness of sins (Matthew 9:1-2)
Matthew closes the last story and begins this one by telling us, “So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.” Jesus had been in the region of the Gadarenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. On the way over to that side, Jesus had calmed the storm on the sea (Matt. 8:23-27), which taught us that Jesus has authority over the natural realm. He rebuked the wind and the waves, and they obeyed Him. While Jesus was on the shore of the Gadarenes, He cast demons out of two demonized men (Matt. 8:28-32), which taught us that Jesus also has authority over the supernatural realm. He commands even the evil spirits, and they must obey Him. Jesus exercises divine authority.
Now, as Jesus enters the boat once again to cross over the Sea of Galilee and comes to Capernaum, “His own city”, Matthew shows that Jesus exercises divine authority in yet another area, the forgiveness of sins.[4] The other Gospels give us the details of the setting. According to Mark, Jesus was in a house (perhaps Peter’s house) in Capernaum (Mark 2:1). There, Jesus was teaching (Luke 5:17), speaking the word to them (Mark 2:2). So many were gathered in the house and outside it, that there was no more room, not even by the door (Mark 2:2).
Matthew 9:2 says, “Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.” Mark informs us that the “they” was four men (Mark 2:3), and that “when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” (Mark 2:4). With the words “Then behold,” Matthew captures the surprise that must have overcome those in the house listening to Jesus teach when these men dug through the roof and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus.
But Jesus does not seem concerned about the roof—what He notices is their faith. Matthew says, “When Jesus saw their faith…”—that is, the faith of the paralytic and his friends who brought him to Jesus. These were not just faithful friends, they were friends who were full of faith—faith in Jesus. They had the strong conviction that Jesus could heal their friend. Jesus perceived the faith of the paralytic and his friends.
How did Jesus respond to their faith? He spoke to the man saying, “Son, be of good cheer …” (Matt. 9:2). Jesus calls him “Son” which is the Greek teknon, a word which speaks not only of Jesus’ authority (as of a parent to a child) but especially of His tenderness towards the paralyzed man.[5] Jesus wants this young man to be encouraged, not afraid or distressed. When you’re paralyzed and lying on a mat and you’ve been brought to a healer, and he tells you to be of good cheer, you know that something good is coming. And you would probably expect that something good to be a healing.
Then Jesus said something that no one expected. He confidently and tenderly said to this poor, helpless, paralyzed man, “… your sins are forgiven you.” To forgive means to let go, send away, or remove. Forgiveness is not just diminishing the guilt of sin but removing it completely.
During Jesus’ day, it was common thought, that if you had a sickness or a disease, you had a double problem—sickness and sin. Even as far back as the Book of Job, it is obvious that people equated suffering with sinfulness. Job’s friends thought he was suffering because of some secret sin. They didn’t believe that the righteous would suffer. Eliphaz told Job, “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same.” (Job 4:7-8). Eliphaz thought that pain and wounds were a direct punishment for a person’s sin. This mindset had carried into the New Testament. In John 9 Jesus’ disciples question Him about a man born blind saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Later, Jesus healed the blind man, and the Pharisees got angry, because he defended Jesus. So, they say to the formerly blind man (John 9:34), “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.
Does that mean the man was paralyzed because he had sinned? In Matthew 8, we saw in our lesson about the leper that sickness and sin are connected in this world, but not always directly. Sickness or disease is a general result of sin in the world. That’s why we see a connection between healing and forgiveness in such passages as Psalm 103: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103:2-3). Matthew showed a connection between healing and forgiveness in Matthew 8:17 when he quoted Isaiah 53:4, “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” We saw that sickness or disease are a general result of living in a sinful world, but we cannot necessarily blame a specific sickness or disease on a specific sin. Jesus provides for healing through His atonement, but not always in this life. Jesus’ healings were a foretaste of the ultimate healing that believers will have in the day of resurrection.
Was the man’s physical condition the result of his sin? We do not know. But we do know that Jesus dealt with the sin problem first, for this is always the greatest need.[6] Jesus knew what this man needed most. From this very passage, we see that Jesus knows the thoughts of those around Him—He knew what the scribes were thinking (Matt. 9:4). And I’m sure He also knew the thoughts of the paralyzed man. Deep down in his soul, forgiveness of sins was what he needed most of all. And Jesus declared his sins forgiven.
Forgiveness of sins is the greatest need for every person. In a lot of ways, this poor man’s physical condition is a picture of our spiritual condition. We are helpless. We can’t heal ourselves. We are completely at the mercy of God who alone can forgive our sins. Paul describes our sin-sick condition in Romans 5:6: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” The term “without strength” means feeble, helpless, or powerless. The whole reason Christ died for our sins is because we were powerless to save ourselves.
No one but Jesus and the man on the bed himself could have known what happened in his heart when he heard Jesus speak those words and the burden of his debt to God rolled away! I’m sure that had something to do with Jesus’ words, “Son, be of good cheer . . .” Jesus encouraged this man that his fears were gone because his sins were forgiven. I love the way that Keith Getty writes about Christ redeeming us from our sin in the hymn “In Christ Alone”:
No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breathe, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘Til He returns, or calls me home, here in the power of Christ, I’ll stand.
This is what Matthew is showing us. Jesus performed the miracle of forgiveness of sins and the man’s guilt and fear were removed.
But next, we see that not everyone was cheerful about this. In fact, Jesus’ words sent some people through the roof in the other direction! So, next, we see that . . .
2. Jesus defends His authority to forgive sins (Matthew 9:3-5)
Matthew tells us (Matt. 9:3), “And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemes!” The Gospel of Mark explains their concern when it has them saying, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
Think about who it was that said this. In his Gospel, Luke tells us who these critics were, writing, “Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.” (Luke 5:17). These were men who came from all over the region to investigate Jesus. They were scribes, teachers of the law of God in the Old Testament scriptures. They were reasoning within themselves that no one but God can forgive the sins that are committed against God. It would be blasphemous for a mere man to presume to do what God alone had the right to do. Therefore, they conclude that what Jesus said was horribly blasphemous!
They were correct in thinking that only God could forgive sin. On this, the scripture is clear. In Isaiah 43:25, the Lord God says, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” And again in Isaiah 44:22, “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” It is against God that men commit sin (Psalm 51:4). We can only forgive people for what they have done against us. We cannot forgive people for what they have done against others, and we certainly cannot forgive people for what they have done against God. Only God can forgive sin. They had this right.
Their error was in their belief that Jesus was a mere man. It was the discernment of the Scribes that was lacking. The Son of God incarnate was in front of them, and they couldn’t see Him. Jesus had been proving over and over that He was not just a mere man. His works had been testifying that He had authority to heal diseases and infirmities. He had authority over the wind and the waves. Even the evil spirits obeyed His command, crying out and calling Him “Son of God”. His whole life, as we’ve been studying it together from Matthew, has been showing that Jesus was not just a mere man, but is the Son of God in human flesh.
So, Jesus sets out to defend His authority to forgive sin. Notice again, that Jesus knows their thoughts (Matt. 9:4), “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts…” Jesus had seen the faith of the paralytic and his friends, now He saw the thoughts of these scribes. And notice how Jesus characterized their thoughts. He said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” They thought that their thoughts of Him were reasonable. But He said that they were “evil” thoughts. They were thoughts of sinful unbelief. He had been showing them who He was, but they still wouldn’t believe. This was the beginning of the religious leaders’ opposition to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Next, in Matthew 9 we will see them grumble that Jesus associates with sinners (Matt. 9:11) and later they say, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Matt. 9:34). What they were thinking was untrue, unbelieving, and blind to what was being revealed before their eyes.[7] Either Jesus was a blasphemer assuming to Himself the right to forgive sin, or He was God. But they refused to entertain that possibility for a moment, even though no other man had ever spoken as He spoke or performed miracles as He did.[8] It was not Jesus who blasphemed, it was the scribes who blasphemed by having evil thoughts toward the Son of God.
Jesus turned to those who had evil thoughts about Him and said, “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” (Matt. 9:5). Jesus may have paused for a moment to let that question sink in. Notice He doesn’t ask them which is easier to do, rather, which is easier to say. Both of them are equally impossible for men to do.
But which is easier to say? To be honest, it’s a very easy thing to simply ‘say’ the words, “Your sins are forgiven you.” Anyone in this room could say those words. But there would be no way for others to know if we actually could forgive sins. We can’t look into someone’s heart and mind to see if they are forgiven. No one would be able to tell if the debt of sin had been removed. Even if the person felt relief from the feeling of guilt, who is to say that the real guilt of their sin against God was removed? Who could prove that the sin debt they owed God had been canceled? To say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” would be a very easy thing to say but a very hard thing for others to verify.
But if someone were to tell the man to get up and walk away; now, that’s not such an easy thing to say because it could be immediately proven whether or not it was true. All that would need to happen to prove it would be that he got up and walked home! To order him to get up, then, is not such an easy thing to say because none of us can make it happen. It is humanly impossible.
Now think about what we’ve seen so far. We’ve seen that Jesus has forgiven sins and that the scribes challenged His authority to forgive sin. This leads us to our third point; that . . .
3. Jesus demonstrates His authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6-8)
So, Jesus and the teachers of the law are at a standstill. How do we know if Jesus actually forgave this man’s sins? How could anyone know? There is nothing visible about forgiveness. It is an act that takes place in the spiritual realm. Anyone can say, “Your sins are forgiven.” But how do you know if they really have the authority to forgive?
So how do we know? Jesus demonstrated His authority to forgive by healing the paralytic. Look at what Jesus does. He speaks to the doubting scribes and says (Matt. 9:6), “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” This is the second time in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man. The first time was back in Matthew 8:20. Remember we learned then that the Son of Man not only refers to Jesus’ humanity but also His deity. It is the title given to the divine figure in Daniel 7 who is given an eternal kingdom and who is worshipped by all. Jesus began his ministry preaching that the kingdom of God was near, and He demonstrated that He was bringing the kingdom through His miracles.
The word, “power” in Matthew 9:6 (ἐξουσια, exousia) may mean either the ability and strength one has or the authority one holds. Jesus is claiming both. He has the ability to forgive sin and the authority to forgive sin. Then, turning to the man on the bed, “He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’”
When Jesus commands the paralytic to rise, in front of everyone, salvation hangs in the balance. If the man rises, Jesus is Lord and has the power to forgive sins. If not, Jesus is a blasphemer and deserves the full punishment of the law.[9] Matthew doesn’t leave us in suspense. He tells us (Matt. 9:7), “And he arose and departed to his house.“
What does this mean? Jesus has the authority to forgive sins! He offered unmistakable proof that He forgives sin. Jesus is Lord. He is Immanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). This is why He was given the name Jesus, “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21).
What that means for us, is that when we come to Jesus in true repentance and faith, then we can be confident that our sins are indeed forgiven. Paul writes in Colossians 2, “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.” (Col. 2:13-14). And in Ephesians 1:7 he writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, He has canceled our debt. He has removed our condemnation. All our sin was nailed to the cross as Jesus died. He has the power and authority to forgive.
And notice the reaction of the people who saw this. Matthew tells us (Matt. 9:8), “Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” The word that Matthew uses to describe their reaction isn’t one that simply describes a mild amazement at what occurred. It’s one that means that they were “terrified” or “frightened”. They became afraid just as the disciples in the boat were afraid when He commanded the winds and the sea and just as the people of the Gergesenes were afraid when He commanded the evil spirits to be cast out of the two men. The people who saw the paralyzed man get up were moved with a sense of holy fear because they knew that they were in the presence of One who possessed divine authority, and who exercised the right to do what only God can do—to forgive sins.
And they also glorified God. But you’ll notice that their reaction still came up somewhat short. They glorified God for giving such power “to men“. It may be that they had a reverential fear of what they saw in Jesus but they still seemed to think of Him as a great man among men. They didn’t yet understand, it would seem, that He forgave sins committed against God because He was, in fact, the Son of God in human flesh.
Those of us who know the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the World—we should worship Him, giving glory to God. Worship Him for the forgiveness He provides through His death and resurrection. We couldn’t earn forgiveness. We couldn’t afford to pay our sin debt. We didn’t deserve to be forgiven. We could never perfectly live up to it. But praise be to Jesus—He has given it to us and we will never be without it.
Those of us who are in Christ have not only been forgiven, we have also been given the privilege of announcing Christ’s forgiveness to others. The Risen Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23). As His church, we proclaim to all who repent and believe in Jesus that their sins are forgiven through His blood shed on the cross.
This morning, let me offer this forgiveness of sins to you. The Son of God became a man in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). He lived a perfectly sinless life (Heb. 4:15). He then was crucified for sins He did not commit (1 Pet. 3:18). And His blood became an acceptable offering to God on behalf of all who will trust in Christ (Heb. 9:12). God raised Him from the dead for your justification (Rom. 4:25). He lives today at the right hand of the Father in Heaven to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:25). If you will repent of your sin, and believe in Jesus Christ, He will forgive you of all your sin and make you righteous before God (Acts 2:28; 3:19). God’s Spirit is calling you to embrace Jesus Christ as the Son of God who alone can forgive you of your sins. If you have not done that, do it today. Do it now. Who knows but this may be the last time you will hear the gospel?
This morning, before we come to the Lord’s Table, let me also say that if you have turned from your sin, and trusted in Christ, there is no reason for you to live in fear or guilt anymore. We “have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 2:1-2). “For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus says to you what He said to the paralytic, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
[7] 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), 222.
[9] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 373.
Today, as we come to another healing miracle of Jesus in Matthew 8, I want you to notice how Matthew carefully links Jesus’ miracles to the coming of the kingdom. Right before Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” (Matt. 4:23). Matthew repeats this statement at the end of the series of miracles that starts in Matthew 8 (Matt. 9:35). By bracketing Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry with these words, Matthew invites us to see the connection between Jesus’ teachings and His miracles. Both proclaim that Christ is king. His words and His works both bear His authority.[1]
Last time, we saw Jesus’ authority as He cleansed a leper with His word and His touch and we were reminded that Jesus’ power over sin is just as great as His power over leprosy. Jesus is willing and able to cleanse the unclean. Today, we see Jesus’ authority to heal a centurion’s servant. Both the leper and the centurion were outsiders from the traditional Jewish society and religion. The unclean leper was outside the camp; the Gentile centurion was outside the covenant. What grace and compassion! that the Lord responded to both.[2]
This miracle takes place in Capernaum, a town on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Being fishermen, some of Jesus’ disciples lived and worked in Capernaum. Jesus adopted Capernaum as His new hometown and the center of His ministry in Galilee. It was a trading city that stood at a crossroads, so it was logical for the Romans to have a tax station there and to support it with a garrison of imperial troops.
The leader of the garrison would be a centurion, literally, “commander of a hundred”. Centurions commanded the basic fighting units of the Roman army. The most talented soldiers rose from the ranks to become centurions. They were the backbone of the army, maintained discipline, and gave orders.[3]
By the way, did you know that every centurion in the New Testament is mentioned favorably? And what’s more, they are often involved in important events in the Bible’s story. It was a centurion who stood by the cross as Jesus died and confessed, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54). A centurion confirmed Jesus’ death to Pilate (Mark 15:44-45). The Lord sent Peter to Caesarea to preach the gospel to the Gentile, Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment (Acts 10:1). And centurions were often involved in key events in the ministry of the apostle Paul (Acts 21:32; 22:25; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:43; 28:16). They play a crucial role they in the New Testament.
Matthew doesn’t tell us any details about this centurion, but Luke does in his account of this same miracle (Luke 7:1-10). In Matthew, it appears as if the centurion spoke directly to the Lord; and as if the Lord spoke directly to him. But in Luke’s account, the centurion never appeared to Jesus at all. Rather, it was the Jewish elders who came on his behalf to Jesus and pleaded that He heal the servant. And when Jesus was on His way, Luke tells us that friends of the centurion stopped Him and suggested that He not even come under the roof of the centurion’s home. Even though the centurion, according to Luke, says that he didn’t feel worthy to come to Jesus (Luke 7:7), the Jews tell Jesus that he is deserving “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” (Luke 7:5). Clearly God was already at work in this centurion’s heart.
The differences between the accounts in Matthew and Luke do not mean they conflict with each other, they simply emphasize different details of the story. Luke is probably more literal at this point and Matthew more dramatic.[4] Luke wrote primarily to Gentiles, and perhaps he wanted to emphasize the respect the Jews had for this Gentile centurion who believed. Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish people and wanted to show that even a Gentile would be honored if He had faith in Christ.
The situation with this centurion was that he had a very important and precious servant who became dreadfully sick. When Luke tells us this story, he refers to the young man as a “servant” using the Greek word doulos, meaning slave (Luke 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 10). But the word that Matthew uses to describe this “servant” is pais and it basically means “child” or “boy”. Perhaps, he was a young servant that the centurion had come to love like a son. Luke tells us that his servant “was dear to him” (Luke 7:2).
The servant had become paralyzed and it was apparently a particularly desperate situation because, as Matthew tells us, he was “dreadfully tormented” (Matt. 8:6). And as Doctor Luke tells us, the boy was “ready to die” (Luke 7:2). And this is, perhaps, another indication of how God had already been working in the heart of this centurion. He clearly loved and cared deeply for this “boy” who was his “servant”. He was willing to go out of his way to save his beloved servant’s life. Although it is the servant who needs healing, the emphasis in the story is Jesus’ interaction with the centurion.
Matthew wants us to appreciate the faith of this Roman centurion, and to see his great faith that amazed our Lord. His amazing faith stands out because it was placed confidently and completely in Jesus’ authority as the Son of God.[5]
So, the first thing that I would like you to notice about this centurion’s amazing faith in Jesus is that it is,
1. A Faith in Jesus’ Authority (Matt. 8:5-7).
Matthew emphasizes the centurion’s faith in Jesus’ authority. Matthew 8:5 says, “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him.” The centurion sought Jesus out and came to Him. He does not come commanding Jesus or demanding Jesus to come. Instead, the centurion seeks Jesus out on behalf of his sick servant, “pleading with Him.” The word “pleading” (parakaleo) means literally to call alongside, to call someone to oneself, to “call upon” in such a way as to urgently request or entreat or beg. The centurion was appealing to Jesus in supplication, begging Him, asking Him earnestly. I believe he did this not just because of the urgent need, but because he recognized Jesus’ superior authority.
Then notice what he calls Jesus (Matt. 8:6), “saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He calls him “Lord”. In fact, he calls Him this twice in this passage—here in Matthew 8:6 and again in Matthew 8:8. I hope you can appreciate what a significant thing that is for a Roman centurion to say to a Jew! The Greek word is kurios, it is a term of respect that can be translated as “Sir”, “Master”, or “Lord”. It’s remarkable enough that a Roman centurion would have called a Jew “Sir” or “Master”. But keep in mind what this centurion is hoping Jesus will do—heal his poor paralyzed servant. Is that something you would expect a mere man to be able to do? Clearly, this centurion recognized Jesus’ authority as more than just a great rabbi. He saw Jesus as One who had the power to heal a paralytic (Matt. 4:24). Even though the centurion may not have fully grasped Who Jesus was yet, he was definitely recognizing His divine authority referring to Him as Lord.
Then notice also the way that he presented the need. He simply said, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He simply presented the situation to the Lord and left it at that. He didn’t even ask for Jesus to heal the servant. Perhaps he had a hard time daring to think that the Jewish Messiah would give the time of day to a Roman commander; and he could only hope that, if he presented the need to Jesus, our Lord might condescend to do something for the servant.
The centurion recognized the superior authority of Jesus who could heal his servant. And what a marvel of Jesus’ grace that He said, “I will come and heal him.” In the original language, Jesus speaks emphatically; “I – even I, coming, will heal him.” Jesus shows no hesitation to go to the house of a Gentile. And Jesus shows complete assurance. He did not say, “I’ll come and see what I can do.” He said, “I will come and heal him.”[6]
So the centurion had a faith in Jesus’ authority. We see it in the way he approached Jesus. He came; not called for. He pleaded, not demanded. He addressed Him as “Lord”. And he simply stated the facts and left it to the Lord to choose what to do.
A second thing we should notice about the centurion’s amazing faith in the Lord Jesus is that it was . . .
2. A Humble Faith (Matt. 87-8a).
When Jesus condescended to go to the centurion’s house, the centurion sought to stop Him. Matthew 8:8 — “The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’“
Not only did the centurion recognize Jesus’ superiority over him, he also recognized his own inferiority before Jesus. He says, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.”
There was a tradition in Judaism taught by the rabbis that a Jew would become ceremonially defiled if he were to enter the home of a Gentile. We can see this tradition hinted at during Jesus’ trial. The Jews led Jesus into the Roman Praetorium to stand before the Roman governor Pilate; but they themselves wouldn’t go in, “lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). In Acts 10, as Peter goes to the house of the centurion Cornelius, he says, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation” (Acts 10:28; also Acts 11:3). This was not commanded in the Old Testament law, but it was strictly followed by most Jews.
So, when the centurion sought to dissuade Jesus from coming into his house he may have been thinking of that tradition. But I think there is more to it than that. The man repeats the title “Lord.” He emphatically positions the word “my” in the Greek sentence to emphasize his subordination.[7]
The word “unworthy” here means “sufficient, enough”. It is the same word used in Matthew 3:11 when John the Baptist says about Jesus, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” The centurion stresses his unworthiness in the face of Jesus’ divine authority. He knows Jesus owes him nothing, yet He has the power to give Him everything. He knows he is not enough, but Jesus is more than enough. He is asking for a blessing that first belongs to God’s people, not to him.[8]
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit are those who know and confess their need for God. To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy before God, your complete lack of spiritual resources, and your complete dependency on God.
And that’s what the centurion does here. That’s what the man with leprosy did. Neither the leper nor the centurion considered themselves worthy. Neither of them presumed upon Jesus to do what they asked.
The truth is none of us are worthy. No one has a claim on God to help them. Jesus is not here to do our will. We are here to do God’s will.
These are important parts of a faith that is distinguished in the sight of the Lord. But there’s one more aspect of it that, I believe, caught the Lord’s attention the most. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus “marveled” at the man’s faith. We see this in the fact that the man’s faith in Jesus was . . .
3. A Faith in the Word of Christ (Matt. 8:8b-13).
The centurion felt unworthy of having Jesus come to his house to heal the servant. But he had such a faith in the authority of Jesus that he didn’t see that as a problem. He said to Him (Matt. 8b-9), “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
This centurion is a Roman officer. He knows how authority works. He says that he himself is a man under authority, and he himself is an authority over others. As one in command, he simply spoke a word, and what he said was done. He was used to giving orders, and he knew that when the command was given, it must be obeyed.
As a Roman soldier, he knew that all military authority ultimately rested in the Roman Emperor. The centurion’s own authority was derived from the emperor’s authority. When he gave a command, people obeyed him; because to not do so would be the same as refusing to obey the emperor!
But in making this statement, the centurion also recognized that Jesus is One who possessed an authority greater than even the emperor! Here was a Man who clearly had authority over diseases, illnesses, and leprosy. Here was a man who was vested a power and authority like no other man.
And so, this centurion recognized that as a subordinate authority, his own mere command got results, how much more, then, would this be true of Jesus who possessed ultimate authority! If all the centurion had to do was simply speak the word and it was done, how much more can Jesus simply speak a word and heal his servant! D. A. Carson comments, “This analogy, though not perfect, reveals an astonishing faith that recognizes that Jesus needed neither ritual, magic, nor any other help; his authority was God’s authority, and His word was effective because it was God’s word.”[9]
This was enough to cause the Son of God to marvel! Did you know that the New Testament records only two times for us that Jesus “marveled”? One was at the amazing faith of this centurion. And the other was at the remarkable lack of faith of His own townspeople in Nazareth. Mark 6:5-6 tells us, “Now He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Jesus is astonished by faith in those who shouldn’t have it and by the lack of faith in those who should.
When Jesus heard this expression of the faith that the centurion had in Him, a faith so great that he trusted Jesus to simply say the word and his servant would be healed, the Lord turned to those who followed and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” This centurion’s faith in Him was greater than any faith He had ever seen, even from among His own people. The implication is that Jesus had again and again found great faith “in Israel,” among the Jews who had been prepared for His coming. But this Gentile’s faith was greater still.[10]
The greatness of his faith did not rest in the mere fact that he believed Jesus could heal from a distance but in the degree to which he had penetrated the secret of Jesus’ authority.[11] He understood that Jesus spoke with God’s authority.
This Gentile’s amazing faith leads Jesus to utter a prophecy concerning the hosts of future Gentile believers who will come to his kingdom.[12] Jesus says (Matt. 8:11), “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” The Old Testament often prophesied that the Gentiles would come to God. Indeed, from the beginning, God told Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3). Isaiah predicted a feast for all people when God would remove the shroud that covered the nations. He would remove the darkness and disgrace that covered the earth:
… The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees.
… And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations..…
And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isa. 25:6–9; cf. 43:5; 56:3–8; Ps. 107:3)[13]
Jesus says that a multitude of Gentiles, those who would come from “east” and “west”, who will have the privilege of feasting in heavenly glory in His kingdom. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs to whom the promises of Israel were given.
Isn’t this a description of what God has done for us through faith in Christ? Paul wrote; “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13).
But Jesus then goes on to say (Matt. 8:12), “But the sons of the kingdom” Who are these? Jesus means the Jewish people, those who expected salvation based on their descent from Abraham (Matt. 3:9). The Jews thought that Gentiles were children of Gehinnom, who could not possibly share in the feast with the Messiah. They thought only Jews were children of the kingdom. What does Jesus say about them? “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is a horrible picture of the judgment of hell: “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s an expression that Jesus frequently used to describe that destiny (cf. Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:20; Luke 13:28). In order to describe the unusually intense nature of eternal suffering, He uses the definite article: “THE weeping, and THE gnashing of teeth.” It will be sorrow and anguish like no other!
Those are harsh words, but Jesus speaks them to us because He loves us. True love is willing to say harsh things to us, so that we can be warned in advance, and not suffer eternal loss.
Jesus has seen amazing faith in this centurion—and it is this kind of faith that is found in those who are in the kingdom of heaven. It is saving faith. The New Testament makes it clear that it is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves, not simply being a Jew in the line of Abraham or trying to follow the Old Testament law. Paul writes in Romans 4,
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. … Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom. 4:13, 16).
And again in Romans 9, Paul writes,
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Rom. 9:30-33).
In Galatians 3, Paul writes,
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29).
What is Jesus saying here? You are saved by faith, not by your bloodline, your family heritage, law-keeping, or religious works. The children of Abraham are those who believe. Those who feast in the kingdom of heaven have faith like this centurion. Faith alone saves.
In response to the centurion’s faith, Jesus said to him, “Go your way; and as you have believed so let it be done for you ” – that is as if to say, “. . . as you have believed Me to have the authority from My Father over all things; and as you have trusted that I can simply speak the word, and your servant will be healed – it will be done” And we’re told, “And his servant was healed that same hour.”
Here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, a Roman centurion teaches us how to believe in the authority of Jesus. He teaches us to have a faith in Him that recognizes His authority, that is humble before His person, and that trusts in His word. This centurion demonstrates the saving faith of those in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His power and His word. May God help us to have the faith in Jesus of this believing centurion!
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[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 323.
[3] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 324.
[4] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.
[7] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.
[8] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 326.
[9] 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), 201–202.
[11] 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), 202.
[13] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 329.
In our verse-by-verse study of Genesis we are currently following the faith life of Abraham (or Abram). Remember the journey that Abram has traveled as come to Genesis 13. The Lord’s call to Abram came as a command to “Get out” of his country (Ur of the Chaldeans) and from his father’s household (which he left in Haran) to a land God would show him—the land of Canaan (Gen 12:1, 5). The Lord’s call to Abram included great promises from God: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). These blessings came with an obligation: “And you shall be a blessing.” Abram was to be a channel of God’s blessing to others. The Lord then gives three more promises along with this obligation: “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God called and blessed Abram for the purpose of blessing all the families of the earth. That is God’s plan for the whole world.
Abram displayed exemplary obedience and made some remarkable sacrifices in obeying God’s call. By faith Abram heard God’s word; by faith he acted on God’s command; by faith he lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise; and by faith he worshiped the Lord God in the midst of a hostile pagan world.
Then his faith was tested by the hardship of famine. Instead of seeking counsel from God, he fled to Egypt where his decisions of expediency and his half-truths exposed himself and his wife Sarai to great peril. However, God was faithful and graciously rescued Sarai and Abram. Abram returned to the land of Canaan, back to the altar where he called on the name of the Lord. The Lord restored Abram to fellowship and worship. Genesis 13 begins and ends with worship. It opens with Abram returning to the altar at Bethel; it closes with Abram building an altar at Hebron. In this chapter, “Abram’s knee remained bent to God” (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis, 198).
Now Abram’s faith is going to be tested again. But this time the test comes from prosperity, not scarcity. Abram’s great wealth will bring conflict between him and his nephew Lot. How will Abram and Lot respond? Will they walk by sight or will they walk by faith? Decisions have consequences. Abram and Lot make different decisions that will set the course for their future walk with God.
Listen to our text, Genesis 13:
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are–northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” 18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.
The question that our text brings today is: Are you going to live your life walking by faith in the promises of God or walking by sight?
In our text today, the time for Lot and Abram to separate had come. In their parting we find a contrast between these two men in their motives and actions. One walks by faith, the other by sight. The story begins with…
1. Conflict between Abram and Lot (Gen 13:5-7)
We read in Genesis 13:2 that “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Remember that when Abram was in Egypt, Pharoah had treated him well for Sarai’s sake and “He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels” (Gen. 12:16). Now we learn that “Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents” (Gen. 13:5).
Lot had been traveling with Abram since they left Ur many years before. Now their companionship is about to be tested. “Lot had piggy-backed on Abram’s wealth so that both men were rich” (Hughes, 199). Great wealth can often be a source of great contention in families. Here we see both Abram and lot blessed by the Lord with an abundance of possessions, but far from solving all of their problems, it led to strife in their relationship.
Where did we ever get the idea that wealth will solve our problems? The truth is that “wealth does not always solve problems; sometimes it causes them.” (Parunak). We need to pay serious attention to the biblical warnings about wealth. As Jesus watched the rich young ruler walk away, he said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). Paul writes to Timothy, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Lot will illustrate that principle as we follow his story in the coming chapters.
There is a clear progression in this story. First, both Lot and Abram have increased wealth (Gen. 13:2, 5-6). Their increased wealth lead to increased strife because there simply wasn’t enough land for each of them, “Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock” (Gen. 13:6-7).
Each man’s herdsmen sought water and the best pasture for the animals of their master. This competition inevitably led to conflict between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. Like a range war in the old Western movies – who is going to have the rights to the precious and scarce pasture land and water?
This problem is further complicated because as Moses reminds us, “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land” (Gen. 13:7). Remember that none of the land of Canaan as yet belonged to either Abram or Lot. When Abram and Lot separate in this chapter, they part paths; they do not divide real estate. They are both living in a land which is occupied by the Canaanites and Perrizites. Abram and Lot not only had to share pasture between themselves, but they were at the mercy of those who had prior claim to the land.
The increased strife led to increased responsibility for choices. Lot wasn’t just deciding for himself. His family and many servants and their families would be affected by his decision. The increased responsibility for choices led to either increased wickedness (in Lot’s case, choosing Sodom) or increased blessing (in Abram’s case, choosing Canaan).
2. The choices of Abram and Lot
A. Abram chose generosity – Walking by Faith (Gen. 13:8-9)
“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’”
Abram took the initiative in resolving the conflict. Abram had a right to choose whatever land he wanted and let Lot take the leftovers. He was the older, the chief of the clan. God had promised the land to Abram, not to Lot. But Abram graciously yielded his rights and trusted God to give him his portion. What mattered to Abram was, “We are brethren.” He valued his relationship with Lot over his right to choose the best land.
So much strife could be avoided in the family and in the church if we would put a premium on our relationships, set aside our rights, and let the Lord take care of us. The next time you are about to quarrel with someone (and quarrelling is a choice we make!), stop and think about whether the quarrel is rooted in godly principle or in selfishness. Paul instructed the Romans, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19). Abram acted as a peace maker.
But this is a unity that can only be maintained by separation – interesting
This Abram is very different from the Abram who, when going down to Egypt, acted according to human cunning as he attempted to manipulate and control the situation by his own strength. Here Abram is found walking by faith. He knows the promises of God. He is not afraid, therefore, to humbly and self sacrificially give Lot first pick of the land. He simply trusted that LORD would keep His promises. The land would belong to his descendants. How this would come about, he did not know. Here he is found walking by faith and not by sight.
Abram is exhibiting godly qualities that will be like his ultimate seed and heir, the Lord Jesus Christ, who did nothing out of selfish ambition, but esteemed others before Himself; who did not look out only for His own interests, but also for the interests of others; who did not grasp for what was rightfully His, but humbled Himself in obedience to His Father (Philippians 2:3-8).
Walking by faith, Abram chose generosity. Contrast that with …
B. Lot chose selfishness – Walking by Sight (Gen. 13:10-13)
“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.”
What value system did Lot use to make his life-changing decision? Lot, instead of walking by faith in the promises of God, seems to have been driven by a lust for prosperity. When Abram gave Lot the first pick of the land we are told that “Lot lifted his eyes and saw”. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with looking with your eyes. But the whole narrative suggests that Lot made his choice, not in light of the promises of God, and not out of concern to remain closely allied with Abram, the man blessed by the Lord, but based upon worldly appearances.
The images Moses uses to describe Lot’s choice sound an ominous note. “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” It looked like the garden of the Lord, that is, the garden of Eden. Although that garden was perfect and bountiful, it was there that Eve lifted her eyes and saw that the forbidden tree was pleasing to the eye. The Jordan valley looked good, but it was filled with dangerous temptation.
Lot also saw that the plain of Jordan was “like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” It reminded Lot of Egypt where they had just traveled to escape the famine in Canaan. But again, Egypt had not only been a prosperous place, it had also been a dangerous place.
Note Genesis 13:11, “Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.” East again sounds ominous. It reminds us of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden, of Cain’s moving eastward to Nod from the presence of the Lord, and of men moving east to the plain of Shinar where they built the tower of Babel. Moses stresses the danger of Lot’s choice by reminding us that the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because, “… the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD” (Gen. 13:13). Lot had considered very carefully the economic factors of his decision, but he totally neglected the spiritual dimensions.
Again, there was nothing particularly evil about Lot moving away from Abram for the sake of their livestock and for the sake of their peace. But the story about Lot is concerning. It gives the impression that Lot was walking, not by faith, but by sight — that he was being driven by his lust for worldly things, not by faithfulness to God.
So their two different choices led to two different destinations. “Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom” (Gen. 13:12).
“The decisions reached by Abram and Lot are the same as those which confront every Christian. We must decide whether to trust in the sovereignty of God or in our own schemes and devices. We must determine whether to trust in the ‘uncertainty of riches’ or in the God Who ‘richly supplies us’ (I Timothy 6:17). We must decide whether to invest in the ‘passing pleasures of sin’ or the future ‘reward’ which is promised by God (Hebrews 11:25-26).”
By faith, Abram had already renounced everything visible and opted for the unseen promises of God. So he had no need, as Lot did, to choose by sight. There is a deliberate contrast between verses 10 and 14. In verse 10, Lot lifted up his eyes and chose the land which looked the best to him. He took off for the good life and left Abram literally in the dust, in dusty Canaan, where there had just been a severe famine. But there, the Lord speaks to Abram again.
3. The promise of faith and the response of worship (Gen. 13:14-18).
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are–northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
The Lord reminded Abram of His promises and expanded on them. He tells him to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. All the land he can see will be his. Both men lifted up their eyes to look, but Lot looked with natural eyes only. Abram, by the grace of God, looked with eyes of faith.
This is now the second time that the promises originally made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 have been repeated. The promise is still the same, but here the Lord is more specific. He tells Abram that all this land he sees will be his and his descendants’ “forever.” Abram had already been told that he would become a great nation, but here the LORD said, “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth.” This was quite a promise for the Lord to make to an old man with no children married to a wife who was barren. But Abram lived by faith in the promises of God. He lived by the word of God.
“Lot chose by sight and ended up spiritually and financially bankrupt. He escaped Sodom with the clothes on his back and fades out living in a cave. The things he saw and got didn’t bring him the lasting happiness he expected. Abram chose by faith, not by sight, and ended up spiritually and financially blessed, seeing and possessing by faith the whole land of Canaan, although he died owning only a burial plot. Lot lived for greed and came up empty. Abram lived for God and came up full.” (Cole).
The Lord Jesus taught us not to seek after the things of this world. He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). Paul wrote,
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)
After getting assurance of God’s promises from the Lord, Genesis 13:18 says, “Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.” We see again the two things that marked Abram’s life of obedient faith, the tent and the altar: Abram the pilgrim, just passing through; and, Abram the worshiper, bearing witness to a pagan world.
We tend to think about salvation as a one-time faith decision to forsake sin and follow Christ. There is a sense in which that is true. We must repent of our sin and believe on the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to save us. Faith recognizes our sinfulness and trusts in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary for eternal security.
But hadn’t Lot done that? Hadn’t he left his family and friends in Ur to go with Abram to the promised land? In the New Testament Peter writes that Lot was righteous. He was justified by faith. Lot’s problem, like many Christians today, was in following through, walking step by step in dependence upon the Lord, saying no to the things of this world based on faith in the promises of God. Steven Cole writes,
Someone has said that we tend to think of commitment to Christ like laying a $1,000 bill on the table: “Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.” But the reality is that God sends most of us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there, in small deeds of faithfulness and obedience. But it’s right there, in those little 25 cent choices, that our lives take their direction.
This is walking by faith. It is not just a once-upon-a-time faith, it is an every-day-living faith. It is a faith that: seeks the kingdom of God over the temporary kingdoms of man; priorities relationships over rights; desires godliness over greed; values fellowship with God over friendship with the world; and, lives by faith in God’s promises over the immediate pleasure of compromise. Because if you have God and His promises, you have everything. So seek Him first, and everything else is yours.
Today we will take up again our verse-by-verse study of Genesis. We have begun to examine the life of the great patriarch of the faith, Abraham (or Abram as he was originally named). In our previous studies I pointed out that many have well said that Genesis 12:1-3, is the center point in the history of the biblical promises. Everything that leads up to Genesis 12:1-3, is in preparation for it. Everything that comes after in the Bible is in fulfillment of it. This is the beginning of God’s covenant with Abraham of which we will learn more details in the coming chapters.
The Lord God called Abram with a command saying, “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Along with this command the Lord gave Abram certain promises: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you; And make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). These promises were outstanding blessings for Abram, but they were not to be kept for himself alone. These blessings also carried with them an obligation, “… And you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Abram is to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac, of God’s blessing. The Lord called Abram for a purpose, saying to him “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).This is at the very heart of what God has planned for the world. The Lord promised to bless all the people of the earth through Abram.
Abram came from a pagan background, but by faith he obeyed the Lord’s call. In Genesis 12:4-9 we saw the obedience of faith in the life of Abram. By faith Abram heard God’s word; by faith he acted on God’s command; by faith he lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise; and by faith he worshiped the Lord God in the midst of a hostile pagan world.
We pick up Abram’s story in Genesis 12:10-13:4:
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, “She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
This text brings up some interesting questions. How can a 65-year-old woman be considered so beautiful? How can a righteous man like Abraham lower himself to deception in claiming that Sarah is his sister? Why does a similar wife-sister account occur three times in the book of Genesis? Why does Pharoah let Abram leave with all his possessions? And most importantly, what should we be learning from this passage?
So far in Genesis 12, the Lord has appeared to Abraham and promised him blessing, land, and offspring. But now two problems present themselves: (1) famine forces Abraham to move his family to Egypt and (2) Sarah’s beauty causes her to be abducted into Pharaoh’s harem. From a human perspective it appears that God’s promises are hanging by a thread.
But shining through the whole story is God’s faithfulness. Even though Abram’s faith faltered, God was faithful. A recurring theme begins here and runs throughout Genesis (and really the whole Bible), where God’s promise to Abram (Gen. 12:1-3) is threatened by circumstances or sin. But in every case, God providentially works through circumstances and even overrules man’s failure to bring about His sovereign purpose, to show us that God’s promises and purpose do not depend on fickle man, but on the faithful God (see John Sailhamer, Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Zondervan], 2:116, quoted by Steven Cole).
There are some obvious parallels between this incident in Abram’s life and the nation Israel to whom Moses was writing. Both Abram and the nation Israel went down to Egypt because of a famine in the land (Gen. 12:10; 47:13, 27). Abram feared that he would be killed and Sarai would be spared (Gen. 12:12); in Moses’ day, Pharaoh ordered the male babies killed and the females spared (Exo. 1:22). God sent plagues on Pharaoh to deliver both Abram and Israel (Gen. 12:17; Exod. 7:14-11:10). Abram received many possessions from the Egyptians (Gen. 12:16); Israel took spoil from the Egyptians during the Exodus (Exod. 12:35-36). God delivered both Abram and the nation Israel, and they journeyed north toward the Negev (Gen. 12:19, 13:1; Exod. 15, Num. 13:17, 22). (Alan Ross, The Bible Knowledge Commentary [Victor Books, 1985], 2:49.)
The experience of Abram and Sarai was typical. It established a pattern that would be repeated throughout the history of redemption. Therefore, the event had a prophetic quality about it. And the message for future generations was clear: the Lord God is able to keep His promises. He is able to preserve His people as they sojourn in foreign places. He is the sovereign king, not only over Abram and Israel, but over all the nations of the earth. Surely the Lord would be faithful to bring about the promises He made to Abram at the start.
In Genesis 12:10-16 we see the famine and Abram’s faltering faith; in Genesis 12:17-20 we see the Lord’s faithfulness in delivering Abram and Sarai; and, in Genesis 13:1-4, We see Abram’s return to the land of Canaan and to faith in the Lord’s purpose.
1. Famine and Fear (Gen. 12:10-16)
After being told of Abram’s faith and obedience in Genesis 12:4-9, in Genesis 12:10 we read, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.” This declaration concerning a famine in the land is intended to suprise the reader. The Lord had just promised to bless Abram and to give him this land. And the reader probably assumed that God would always bless Abram — that life would be always easy for him — and that he wouldimmediately fulfill his promises to him concerning the possession of the land. But the words, “now there was a famine in the land” make it clear that this is not so. Though Abram was ultimately blessed of God, that did not mean he would be spared from the trials and tribulations of this life. And although Abram’s descendants would ultimately inherit the land, that did not mean he would possess it immediately.
Again, the experience of Abram is typical for all of God’s people who live in this world. Those of us who belong to God through faith in Christ are truly blessed, but this does not mean that we will live without trouble. The scriptures speak plainly concerning the difficulties that those who are blessed in Christ Jesus will experience in this world. Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In Acts 14 after Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel and made many disciples on their first missionary journey, they returned to the churches they had started, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Peter wrote: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12–13).
There is no question about whether we will face trouble and trials in this world. The question is, “How will you respond in your trial?” Abram’s response does not seem to be from faith, but from fear.
I’m not sure if we should criticize Abram for going down to Egypt. The word, “dwell” is the Hebrew verb gûr (גּוּר) meaning to “sojourn, be a stranger.” Perhaps he went down to Egypt trusting that the Lord world also provide an opportunity for him to return to the land that the Lord had promised to him. But on the other hand, it is a bit unsettling to learn that Abram was willing to so quickly leave the land promised to him and to sojourn in Egypt as a foreigner.
What I am sure of is that Abram acted out of fear by telling a half-truth concerning his relationship to Sarai, in order to deceive the Egyptians. Genesis 12:11-13:
11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
Abram was afraid that because his wife was very beautiful the Egyptians would kill him in order to take her as one of their wives.It is never good to live your life being driven by fear. We are to walk by faith, not by fear. But Abram was afraid, and his faith was weak. So, Abram concocted a plan to tell the Egyptians that Sarai was his sister. According to Genesis 20:12, this was a half truth, for Sarai was his half sister. But it was also a lie, for she was in fact his wife.
Now, there was probably a method to Abram’s madness. In that culture brothers had a lot power, especially if the parents were no longer around. They were the ones to give their sisters away in marriage. And perhaps Abram reasoned that if Sarai was to be noticed and pursued, he, as her brother, would be able to delay or even refuse to give her up, and in so doing both he and she would be protected from harm. He probably even reasoned to himself that in this way he would be helping the plan of God along. After all, what good would the promises of God be concerning a great nation being produced through him if he was dead!
What Abram probably didn’t expect is that Sarai would be noticed by Pharaoh himself. Abram’s scheme backfired when Pharaoh took an interest in Sarai. You don’t stall or bargain when Pharaoh wants your sister in his harem. The Pharaoh will get his way. And that is what happened. Sarai was noticed by Pharaoh, and she was taken into the his harem. Genesis 12:14-15:
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
There is no indication that Pharaoh violated Sarai. God protected her from adultery. But she was separated from Abram, living in Pharaoh’s harem, awaiting the wedding day. The scheme nearly cost Abram his wife, and with her, the promised blessing of God to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation.
Some of us might wonder how Sarai could have been so good looking, since she was about 65 years old here, and yet at 90 she was considered old (compare Gen. 17:17 with 12:4). Kidner sees the key to this quandary in the patriarchal life-span which is about double our own (Kidner, Genesis, p. 117). Abram lived to 175, Sarah to 127. Sarai here would be comparable to our thirties, and thus could still be considered beautiful by the Egyptians. By 90 she would be comparable to our late forties, thus past her childbearing years, although still attractive. In chapter 20, when Abimelech wants to marry Sarah, there is no mention of her beauty. He may have wanted her for the favorable alliance with the prosperous Abraham. Of course, this is speculation, and we don’t know for sure. But we do know that both Abraham and the Egyptians saw her as beautiful.
So Abram faced the trial of a famine that led him to act on his own, without seeking God. This got him into another situation where he stooped to deception to protect himself. That got him, and especially Sarai, into deeper trouble. Oh, part of the plan worked. In Genesis 12:16 we read of Phaorah that, “He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” Abram got what he wanted, well, partially anyway. But it cost him dearly.
But let’s not just talk about Abram’s fear and weak faith. What about you? Have you ever done something similar to what Abram did? Did you act from fear rather than from faith when tough times came? We all face things like famine when the journey gets tough and you can’t see the way out. Did you stoop to telling half-truths? Did you salve your conscience by saying something like, “I’m making more money than ever before. Isn’t that an indication of God’s blessing?” No—material blessings are not always an indicator of righteousness with God.
Instead, when we face trials we ought to ask ourselves, “Am I trusting God in this situation?” “In what ways am I being tempted to live to according to the world rather than in obedience to the commands of Christ?” “Am I responding from faith or from fear?”
2. God is Faithful (Gen. 12:17-20).
Despite Abram’s fear and faithlessness, God is faithful to keep His promises. Genesis 12:17 says, “But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” How many times do we read in the scriptures, “But the LORD” or “But God …” The Lord stepped in. God intervened by striking Pharaoh and his household with some sort of unspecified plagues.
Somehow the Egyptians figured out that things started going badly from the Pharoah took Sarai into his harem. And somehow Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. Genesis 12:18-19, “And Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, “She is my sister”? I might have taken her as my wife.’” Pharaoh is angry. He blames Abraham for not telling him the essential truth—that Sarah is Abram’s wife—rather than just his sister. Because Pharaoh senses that he is being judged for taking Sarah, he doesn’t punish either Abraham or Sarah, but instead sends them out of Egypt to fend for themselves in what may be a still-famished land saying, “Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” Pharaoh’s command to Abram to take his wife and go (Gen. 12:19) echoes God’s call to Abram to go forth from his country (Gen. 12:1). God uses a pagan king’s rebuke to get Abram back to the promised land.
It’s always embarrassing for a believer to be rightly corrected by an unbeliever. It’s tough to bear witness in those situations! Remember Jonah, fleeing from the Lord on the ship headed for Tarshish? When the storm arose, they cast lots to figure out whose fault it was. The lot fell on Jonah. They ask him about himself and he has to tell them that he’s a Hebrew, who fears the Lord God who made the heaven and the sea and the dry land. And he tells them that he is fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Even though they’re pagans, they answer, “How could you do this?” (Jonah 1:8-10). They could see Jonah’s inconsistency. So here Pharaoh calls Abram to account and Abram doesn’t say a word in reply.
Genesis 12:20 concludes, “So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.” The incident shows God’s faithfulness in spite of Abram’s fear and faithlessness. God is sovereign and will keep His promises—in spite of us, if need be. The Lord has made a covenant with Abraham and will allow nothing to prevent its fulfillment. The Apostle Paul summed it up well in this saying, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Moses included this incident here to show Israel that just as God had delivered Abram from Egypt in spite of his weakness, so He had delivered Israel in spite of her weakness. It didn’t depend on their faith, but on God’s faithfulness.
God’s grace will preserve us in spite of our failures. But that should never be a reason for us to think, “I got off easy the last time, so I can do it again.” If we do that, we are courting God’s severe discipline (Gal. 6:7). In this case, God’s faithfulness and grace led Abram back.
3. Abram Returns (Gen. 13:1-4).
1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Gen. 13:1-4).
Abram headed back to Bethel, “to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, … to the place of the altar which he had made there at first.” Abram returns to where he started in the land with the Lord. Remember in our last lesson from Genesis 12:4-9 we learned that two things marked Abram’s life of obedient faith: the tent and the altar. The tent showed Abram to be a pilgrim, one just passing through on the way to another destination. The altar showed Abram to be a worshiper of the living God. So Abram returns to his life of faith, to Bethel (“the house of God”), “And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
Do you need to return to your first walk with God? Was there a time when you loved the Lord more than you do now? We show our love for the Lord by our obedience. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). The Lord Jesus says to the church at Ephesus because they had left their first love, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5). Remember, repent, return. Go back to the beginning place with the Lord; go back to the cross. Bow there and remember the great price the Lord paid for your forgiveness. Call on His name. If you have strayed from the Lord, if you are living by fear rather than by faith, He invites you to come back to the cross and be restored to fellowship with Him.
