Tag: Matthew

Sheep Among Wolves

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Sheep Among Wolves

Matthew 10:16-23

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, the promised Messiah-King, has been preaching the kingdom of God, teaching principles of the kingdom, and proving by His miracles how the kingdom was present in Him. The Old Testament expected a day of great reversal when the Davidic Messiah-King would execute justice and righteousness (Jer. 23:5). God would manifest his rule in this broken world and rightly order things. On that day, the blind would receive sight, the deaf would hear, and the lame would leap like a deer (Isa. 35:5-6). The Messiah would shepherd His flock (Micah 5:4). And to this point, Matthew has shown how Jesus not only fulfilled the prophesies of the kingdom, but He also proclaimed the kingdom and demonstrated His kingdom authority by healing the sick, forgiving sin, and delivering the oppressed. The Gospel of Matthew declares: The long-awaited King has come! It’s what we celebrate at Christmas.

Now, in Matthew 10 we see Jesus spreading His kingdom. He starts with a new Twelve from Israel (Matt. 10:1-4). He commissions them to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheep of Israel and empowers them to demonstrate its power by healing the sick and casting out demons. The disciples become an extension of Jesus’ own mission. To embrace their message was to embrace the King himself.

I’m sure they were excited about Jesus’ mission. The long-awaited Messiah-King is here! Who wouldn’t want to follow Jesus? He taught with authority, healed with compassion, and overcame evil by His power. But already, we have seen that not everyone received Jesus and His message. Indeed, many opposed Jesus. The scribes said, “This Man blasphemes!” (Matt. 9:3). The Pharisees objected, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matt. 9:11) and charged, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 9:34). You can feel the opposition rising against Jesus.

Now, in our passage today, Jesus tells His disciples to expect the same treatment. Sharing in Jesus’ kingdom also means sharing in Jesus’ sufferings. We don’t know if the twelve encountered any opposition in their initial mission to Israel, but Jesus’ words in this section really apply to their later mission after Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. And therefore, they apply to His church today as well.

That brings us to Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Nothing could be more frightening to a sheep than to be told, “I am sending you among the wolves.” But that’s precisely what Jesus says here.

Note how Jesus puts it: “Behold, I send you out…” Literally, His words place Himself in the emphatic position. It would be as if He were saying, “Listen to Me. I – even I – send you out . . .”  He did not say, “You are going out on your own” or “I am looking for volunteers.” It was a divine commission. Jesus intentionally sends His disciples out as sheep among wolves. The Good Shepherd Who will soon give His life for the sheep sends them among the wolves. This does not happen by accident. Jesus knows the dangers His disciples will face, yet He sends them anyway. It’s part of His plan. Jesus sends His disciples out that they will live and work and minister in the midst of wolves.

Jesus sends His disciples as sheep. Sheep are proverbially helpless and needy creatures. In Matthew 9:36, Jesus saw the multitudes of people as “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” In Matthew 10:6, Jesus called the people of Israel who were in spiritual need, “the lost sheep of Israel“. The word “sheep” implies helplessness, weakness, vulnerability, being subject to danger, and needing protection, leading, and rescue.[1] Like sheep, our lives depend on the Good Shepherd. We must rely on Him to lead us and protect us.

And just as sheep are known for their helplessness, wolves are known for their viciousness and hostility toward the sheep. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said the false prophets “come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” In Acts 20:29, Paul warned the Ephesians elders against “savage wolves” that would arise from among them and not spare the flock, but speak perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves. In Romans 8, the apostle Paul quotes Psalm 44 to describe the condition of Jesus’ disciples in this world writing, “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36). Sheep in the midst of wolves often get attacked and killed. Many of Jesus’ faithful followers throughout history have already experienced persecution and martyrdom. Many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world endure this kind of persecution even today.

So how do we live on mission for Christ as sheep in the midst of wolves?

In our passage today, four times Jesus describes the opposition His disciples will face and then teaches them how they must respond.[2] The first comes in Matthew 10:16—“I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Then He teaches, “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Second, in Matthew 10:17—“ they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.” Then He teaches, “Do not worry about how or what you should speak.” Third, in Matthew 10:21—” Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” Then He teaches about endurance and fleeing to the next town. The fourth comes in Matthew 10:24-25. But this last one sets up a longer section in Matthew 10:26-31, where Jesus teaches His disciples not to fear. So, we save that for next time.

So, how do we live as sheep in the midst of wolves?

1. Be Wise and Harmless (Matt. 10:16)

Because Jesus sends us out like sheep among wolves, He tells us, “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). Notice that this is given as an imperative—that is, it’s a command to “be” something as a consequence of our situation.

What are we to be? He commands us to be “wise as serpents“. The Greek word “wise” (phronimos) has the idea of being “sharp-minded, thoughtful, or shrewd”. It’s the same word that is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in Genesis 3:1; where it says, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.”

Serpents are “wise” or “cunning” in the sense that they are very crafty, shrewd, and cautious animals. They’re hard to catch because they see you coming and slip away. They are a good picture of “cautious shrewdness”. William Hendrikson explains it as, “insight into the nature of one’s surroundings, both personal and material, circumspection, sanctified common sense, wisdom to do the right thing at the right time and place and in the right manner.”[3] Serpents generally don’t go out looking for trouble. Sheep that are wise as serpents don’t go around taunting the wolves. This doesn’t mean we stay quiet about our faith or always avoid dangerous situations—it just means we are smart about it. As Jesus sends us out to proclaim His name in this world, He warns us to be “wise as serpents”.

But second, along with that warning, He also commands us to be as “harmless as doves“. The word that is used here (akeraios) conveys the idea of being “without mixture of sin, or vice, or deceit”. It conveys the idea of living “blameless” and “innocent” lives. Phil Newton explains that such innocence balances the shrewdness of serpents. On one hand, our Lord calls for proper use of caution, being wise about where to go with the gospel, with whom to speak, how to approach someone, when to withdraw, and when to move on to another place or setting. But someone could get out of balance on that end, and seek to avoid any kind of conflict altogether. “Harmless as doves” reminds us to avoid a self-protective spirit that is really nothing but selfishness, instead to be zealous for the cause before us. Yet, zealousness must not outrun sanctified common sense. Hence, shrewdness and innocence balance us in the work of the gospel.[4]

Christ calls us to both characteristics.[5] Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers to “be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us . . .” (Eph. 5:1-2). Then, later in the same chapter, he writes, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-16). Peter likewise wrote, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Peter 3:15-17).

Christ sends us as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Next, we see that we are to…

2. Be Dependent on the Spirit’s Help (Matt. 10:17-20)

He begins by telling us why we will need such help. He says, “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake . . .” (Matt. 10:17-18a).

Do you see why divine help is needed? Who among us is prepared, in our own power and wisdom, to give a testimony of Christ before hostile councils and kings?

Jesus says “Beware of men.” We are to take heed of men and be on guard against their hostility. But we are not to fear them. Jesus tells us, in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Men will do their worst to followers of Christ. Jesus says they will deliver up His followers to religious councils and will bring them before governors and kings. All these things, as you know, happened to Jesus Himself. He was brought before “the chief priests, the elders, and all the council” (Matthew 26:59); and He was delivered over to Pilate the Roman governor (27:2), to the puppet-king Herod (Luke 23:7), and eventually to be scourged (Matthew 27:26). He lets us know that, just as they did these things to Him, they will do them to us as His followers. But in all of this, He teaches us not to “fear” men – only to “beware” of them.

But in all of it, Jesus affirms a divine purpose. Notice the words “for My sake.” Jesus is not talking about us being dragged before the authorities because we have done something wrong. Rather this is on account of Jesus and our witness for Jesus. He says it will be “as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles” (Matt. 10:18b). Jesus says people will try to stop you from sharing the gospel, but you need to realize that God is using you as a witness to them. In the midst of hostile persecution against the gospel, God is at work advancing the testimony of His own Son through the persecuted!

How can Christians give bold testimony in the face of this kind of hostility? Look at what Jesus says, “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matt. 10:19-20). Jesus says when you get arrested for sharing the gospel, don’t worry, because “the Spirit of your Father” will give to you “what you should speak.” The Holy Spirit will help you “in that hour,” right when you need it. You don’t need to worry, because it won’t be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit speaking through you. You are going to face opposition in sharing the gospel, but God is your heavenly Father, and he will help you in your time of need.

How should we apply this? First of all, I think we should make ourselves ready in the way that the Bible tells us to. Follow the counsel of the apostle Peter when he said, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you . . .” (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, we should do our part to make sure we have set Jesus apart as Lord in our hearts. As one Bible teacher has said, “The real preparation is to have a heart already full.”[6]

And then, if we are brought before the authorities to give an account for the sake of Christ, we will have no need to be anxious or fearful. We can rest confidently upon His promise that, when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will give us the very words that are needed.

So, as sheep in the midst of wolves, be wise and harmless, be dependent on the Holy Spirit’s help, and third…

3. Be Confident in Christ (Matt. 10:21-23)

We need to be confident in Christ because Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:21-22, “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” Jesus tells us that hatred toward us because of Christ will be so intense at times that it will exceed even the bounds of family love. I suspect that some of us have experienced a measure of this kind of pain firsthand. Some of you know what it’s like to have family members turn against you and reject you because you have believed on Jesus Christ and trusted Him as your Savior. You know what it’s like to be misunderstood by those you love.

We should expect such things. Later in this chapter, Jesus warned that He came “to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Matt. 10:35). Our Lord Himself knew what that felt like. Even His own brothers taunted Him and didn’t believe in Him (John 7:3-5).

But Jesus said it may get even worse. Jesus says there will be times when the animosity toward the gospel will be so fierce that it will incur the death penalty to be a follower of Jesus. And at such times, even family members will turn believers over to death! A father will betray his own child to death – if you can imagine such a thing! And a child will turn in his own parents. A brother will deliver up his own brother to death because of Jesus! Even as we speak, some of these things are actually happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ in some parts of the world.

Just before He went to the cross, Jesus told His disciples,

If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. (John 15:18-21).

The hostile world crucified our Master and we now proclaim Him to the world. It should come as no surprise, then, that the world hates us. It hated Him first.

But look at the encouragement that Jesus offers. He says that we will be hated by all for His name’s sake, “But he who endures to the end will be saved.” I take “to the end“, in this context, to even include the idea of facing death but it surely includes all other kinds of suffering short of death. Jesus is not saying that we can somehow “earn” our salvation by our endurance in the faith while under persecution. Rather, He is saying that our endurance – even to the very end – serves as a demonstration of a salvation that is already ours. Christ did not hesitate to call for endurance because He knows what He has placed within the heart of every believer so that we can endure.

I think here of how the persecuted believers to whom Peter wrote kept on looking to the glory that will be revealed in them at Jesus’ coming. He said,

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Enduring through persecution doesn’t save us. It simply demonstrates and refines a saving faith that we already have in Christ by God’s grace. Jesus encourages us—even in the face of intense persecution and betrayal—to endure to the very end. When we do, our faith is proven to be the real thing.

Then in Matthew 10:23, Jesus says, “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.” Jesus gives His disciples permission to flee persecution—if they can. Did you know that much missionary work has been accomplished by God in this world through His people fleeing persecution? In fact, that was how the gospel was first spread from out of the regions of Jerusalem. The Book of Acts tells us that a great persecution arose against the church that was in Jerusalem, “and they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). And then, we’re told, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Matt. 10:4).

We have been studying through the Book of Acts on Wednesday night. Currently, we are following the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. The early missionaries spent much of their time “fleeing” from one place to another, preaching all along the way. Christians are not to be a combative people or to invite persecution. If the people of this world hate the message of Christ, and they threaten us and demand us to leave, we should, if we can, peacefully leave.

But here’s the encouragement. When they force us to flee from one field of service, it is so that we may enter another. This is to the loss of those who persecute us; but to the blessing of those to whom they inadvertently send us. Jesus says, don’t allow your fears, and don’t allow the opposition to distract you from doing what God has called you to do.

And this means that persecution cannot ultimately stop the spread of the gospel. Jesus assures us of this when He says; “For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” His preachers may be forced to flee from one place to another, but the spread of His message will not be prevented. Jesus promises in Matthew 24:14 that, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

We can endure to the end because we are confident in Christ. His mission will succeed. He will proclaim the gospel message through His church to the whole world. And He will come again to rule and reign forever. Be confident in your King. Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth is His. He promised to be with us to the very end of the age. He said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As sheep in the midst of wolves, be wise and harmless, be dependent on the Spirit’s help, and be confident in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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[1] Greg Allen, The ‘Animal’ Commission, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/121105.htm.  

[2] Bret Rogers, As Sheep Among Wolves, https://www.redeemerfortworth.org/sermons/sermon/2023-04-16/as-sheep-among-wolves  

[3] William Hendrikson, New Testament Commentary: Matthew, 46. Quoted by Phil Newton, Endurance to the End, https://web.archive.org/web/20180811085941/http://archive.southwoodsbc.org/sermons/matthew_10.16-23.php.

[4] Phil Newton, Endurance to the End, https://web.archive.org/web/20180811085941/http://archive.southwoodsbc.org/sermons/matthew_10.16-23.php.

[5] Greg Allen, The ‘Animal’ Commission, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/121105.htm.

[6] Alan Hugh M’Neile, The Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1957), p. 140. Quoted by Greg Allen, When They Hand You Over,  https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2006/010806.htm

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Go, Preach

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Go, Preach

Matthew 10:5-15

In this passage, Jesus is talking with the twelve disciples that He has chosen to be His apostles (Matthew 10:1-4). Remember the difference between the two. A disciple is a learner, a student who attaches himself to a teacher to learn. Jesus had many disciples following Him. An apostle is someone that Jesus has chosen from among His disciples and to whom He has given specific authority to be His representatives. The twelve disciples became the twelve apostles when Jesus gave them this authority and sent them out as His representatives. A disciple is simply a student, while an apostle is one sent with authority as Jesus’ representative.[1]

Matthew 10:5-15 are Jesus’ instructions to the Apostles as Jesus sent them out this first time. His instructions are specific to this particular group of men at that particular time. So, we must be careful how we apply these instructions today. Not everything carries over verbatim and applies directly to us the same way it did to the twelve on this first mission.

In Matthew 10:5–16, Jesus tells His disciples: (1) Where they should go (Matt. 10:5-6); (2) What ministry they did (Matt. 10:7-8); (3) How they would be provided for (Matt. 10:9-10); and finally (4) What response they should expect (Matt. 10:11-15).[2]

Let’s look at Jesus’ instructions to the apostles and then we will seek to apply some general principles for today. First Jesus tells them…

1. Where They Should Go (Matt. 10:5-6)

After Jesus called the twelve to be His apostles and endowed them with power and authority, He didn’t command them to go out into the world in general. Rather, He sent them to a very specific field of service. Matthew tells us, “These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6).

Jesus called them “lost sheep”. When I read that, I can’t help thinking of what Jesus had just said at the end of chapter 9. There, we read,

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:35-38).

It can’t be a mere coincidence that just after having expressed great pity on the multitudes who were “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd“, we’re told He then sends out His twelve to minister strictly to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel“. The people of Israel may not have viewed themselves that way; but He – their Shepherd and King – did! The word “lost” carries the idea of perishing or dying. This is not simply an informational mission. This is a rescue mission.[3]

Don’t miss the fact that Jesus told them to go. The verb “sent out” means “ordered to go, appointed as an ambassador, or commissioned for service”. Jesus commissioned them and commanded them. Jesus gives His apostles the mission to go and find His lost sheep. They were not to expect the lost sheep to find their way back themselves. If they could, they wouldn’t be lost. The mission was not to gather a flock of goats but to go find the lost sheep.

Before instructing them where to go, Jesus begins by telling them where NOT to go. The apostles were not to go into any way, or area, belonging to Gentiles or into any city that belonged to Samaritans. Why this restriction? The best explanation is found in Christ’s words to the woman of Samaria, when He said, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). The Jews were the people through whom the whole world was to be blessed (Gen. 12:3). To the Jews were given the covenants, the law, and the promises (Rom. 9:4). From the Jews “according to the flesh, Christ came” (Rom. 9:5).

According to God’s plan, Israel must be offered the kingdom first. John the Baptist came to them and said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). That meant it was imminent and available. Then Jesus Himself came and preached the same (Matt. 4:17). Now Jesus was commanding the disciples to give the Jews that same message. So He limited their first mission to the Jews.

Jesus’ own earthly ministry was limited. He did not travel outside Israel, and His ministry to Gentiles and Samaritans was incidental when compared to His ministry to the Jews. He did not have preaching missions in Gentile territory, and He ministered to Samaritans only as He passed through their land while traveling between the Jewish regions of Judea and Galilee. Jesus did all His public teaching and preaching and most of His miracles among the Jews. To the Canaanite woman from the district of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). The message of the kingdom was to go to the Jews first.

Don Carson reminds us, “Jesus stood at the nexus in salvation history where, as a Jew and the Son of David, He came in fulfillment of His people’s history as their King and Redeemer. Yet His personal claims would offend so many of His own people that He would be rejected by all but a faithful remnant.”[4] The opposition Jesus and His apostles faced from the Jews would surely have multiplied if they focused prematurely on Samaritans and Gentiles. Most of the Jews hated Samaritans and Gentiles. They would have hated Jesus all the more if His ministry focused on these hated groups. “Therefore, Jesus restricted his own ministry primarily (Matt. 15:24), though not exclusively (Matt. 8:1–13; 15:21–39), to Jews. He Himself was sent as their Messiah. The messianic people of God developed out of the Jewish remnant and then expanded to include Gentiles.”[5]

The mission of the church in the Book of Acts follows this same pattern. Jesus told His disciples to be witnesses to Him “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The rest of the book follows this outline. First, they preached Jesus in Jerusalem, then to all Judea, then to Samaria, and finally to the Gentile nations. “To the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16) was always the pattern of the apostle Paul. Whenever he would enter a city in the Gentile world to proclaim the gospel, he would always go first to the local synagogue and proclaim it to his Jewish kinsmen; and it was only after they rejected it that he turned to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 13:46-47; 18:6; 19:9-10; 28:25-28).

Now, the mission of the church today is not limited in the same sense that Jesus limited the apostle’s first mission. The commission that the Lord Jesus has given to us is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The focus may be different, but just like the first disciples, ours is also a rescue mission. There are lost people all over this world who are dying without Christ and need a Savior. They need Jesus, and so we are to go into all the world to preach the gospel.[6]

A second thing to notice about the commission of the twelve is . . .

2. What Ministry They Should Do (Matt. 10:7-8).

Matthew says Jesus told, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 10:7).

They were to be “going” (as a literal translation would have it); and as they went, they were to preach the offer of the kingdom. This was the same message that John the Baptist preached (Matthew 3:2); and it’s the same one that Jesus Himself preached (4:17). And now, they were to preach that message as well. The kingdom of God is God’s active rule over all things. Jesus is the king, and when the king is near, the kingdom is near.[7] The kingdom is about the reign of the King. That is why the proclamation of the kingdom calls for repentance and faith. God has sent His Son, the promised Messiah and rightful King into this world that has rebelled against His reign. Every person born into this fallen world is guilty of sin and deserving of the God’s judgment. But God has provided His Messiah to save His people from their sins by His substitutionary death and resurrection. All those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, God saves to become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and children of God. Christ reigns in their lives and they will reign with Him in the end. This is the gospel we preach.

But notice that ‘preaching’ was not the only thing they were to be doing. He went on to say that, as a part of their ministry, they were to, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matt. 10:8a). These were the actions of Christ, and now the apostles were to do the same as they had received authority from Christ. They did not put on healing crusades or exorcism services. Rather, as they preached the gospel they exercised the authority of Christ over the natural and spiritual realm to show God’s compassion to the people and to confirm the message by these signs.

While we cannot minister in the same miraculous manner as the Apostles did then, there is a principle we do need to follow, and that is to live a life of ministry. They weren’t just to walk around with sandwich-boards and megaphones, screaming on the street-corners in isolation from the needs of people. They were to make sure that their proclamation of the kingdom touched lives in a compassionate and personal way. It was to be accompanied by works of ministry. They were to care for people just as Jesus did.

And notice also that they were to do this with a spirit of generosity and grace – just as Jesus also did. Jesus added this wonderful word of instruction: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8b). You can just imagine how, if someone could heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons, they could charge—and would certainly receive—a high price for such miracles. But Jesus taught them not to have that kind of attitude. They were to remember that they themselves had freely received all that the Lord had given them (and was yet to give them!), and this would be the motivation for freely giving! We too must freely give when we remember that we have freely received. All that you have, your spiritual gifts, your natural talents, and even the things you own, have come because of God’s grace to you. You are not to be stingy in using what you have to serve the Lord by serving others. You are to serve freely.[8]

The lost and hurting people of this world will be more inclined to believe the truth of the gospel when its preachers not only proclaim it to them in Jesus’ name, but actively minister to their needs in Jesus’ power.

A third thing we see about their mission is . . .

3. How They Should Be Provided For (Matt. 10:9-10).

Jesus told them, “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs . . .” (Matt. 10:9-10a).

The word “provide” means to obtain or acquire, to procure a thing for one’s self. This, of course, isn’t to say that they were not to take anything along for the journey. They obviously would need to bring a tunic; they just weren’t to acquire two tunics. They would need to wear sandals; they just weren’t to obtain an extra pair. It was normal for a traveler to carry a walking stick; they just weren’t to procure a staff on which to carry burdens. The gold, silver, and copper all refer to different types of coins. Whatever they had in their money belt would be sufficient—they were not to obtain money along the way. Jesus urges them not to “stock-up” supplies for themselves in their work of proclaiming the kingdom to the Jews.

Why? One reason may be to keep His kingdom workers from becoming overburdened with distracting matters. As Paul says, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). The urgency of the task required them to go immediately and obediently.

But Jesus gives another explanation at the end of Mattew 10:10, “. . . for a worker is worthy of his food“. Now don’t misunderstand. Jesus was not saying they could expect the people to provide for them. Jesus was saying that He would provide for them. They were on mission from God, which means they were working for God, which means God would take care of them. They were to go forth on mission fully trusting God to provide for all their needs. The principle here is that they need to trust the Lord and not worry and fret and try to make provision for every possible circumstance that may come up.[9]

Jesus will later rescind part of these instructions. In Luke 22, on the night before Jesus went to the cross, “… He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.” Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”” (Luke 22:35-36).

Now again, our situation needs to be understood a little bit differently than theirs. Obviously, when it comes to those who serve in the church as preachers and missionaries, God’s people have a duty to support them materially. Paul once wrote to the Corinthian believers and said,

Do you not know that those who minister in the holy things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).

But clearly, when it is to the benefit of the spread of the gospel, there are also times when we are called upon to minister at our own expense. Paul, for example, had a right to expect to be provided for in the work of his apostolic mission but he did not use this right when it would help spread the gospel. He went on to tell the Corinthians,

But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; … That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel (1 Cor. 9:15, 18).

A preacher must not charge people for preaching to them or ministering to them. As your pastor, you do not pay me to preach the gospel. I would preach the gospel whether you paid me or not. You do not pay me to care for your souls. I must shepherd God’s flock because I have been called to this ministry. I must do it whether I am paid or not. No, the way I think about it is this—we do not pay a pastor to do ministry; we pay a pastor so that he will be free to have the time and energy to do ministry. I am grateful for God’s generous provision through this church for me and my family that gives me the time and freedom to serve as your pastor.

James Montgomery Boice draws three principles that should guide our work today: (1) The gospel must be offered without price; (2) God’s people should support God’s ministers; (3) Ministers need to trust God for their support.[10]

Finally, Jesus tells the apostles . . .

4. What Response They Should Expect (Matt. 10:11-15)

Now this point is somewhat related to the previous one. Jesus told His apostles, “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out” (Matt. 10:11).

Travel in those days was dangerous business. And very often, the inns that a traveler might stay at were not places that it would be good for a man or woman of God to be. It would be appropriate for the kingdom preachers to expect to be given lodging during their mission in the home of those who would welcome their message.

They weren’t to just enter town and go to the first home that offered them hospitality, though. Jesus told them to make inquiry as to which household was “worthy”. “Unworthiness” is exhibited elsewhere in the Bible by such things as blaspheming and openly opposing the apostolic preaching of the gospel, rejecting God’s word, and refusing the offer of eternal life (Acts 13:45-46). Therefore, I believe we should understand “worthiness” to be determined by a genuine receptivity to the message the apostles proclaimed, and a genuine faith in the King they announced.

The apostles weren’t to find the nicest house, or the wealthiest family. They were simply to find those who were “worthy” because they favorably received the message. And once they found that worthy household, they were to stay with them the whole time they were in town. They weren’t to go bouncing around from house to house – “trading-up”, as it were.

There is, of course, a principle suggested for us in this; and that is that we be should be ready to practice good Christian hospitality, as lovers of the Savior’s cause, toward those who are serving His cause faithfully. We become a crucial part of the work when we do so. John once praised his friend Gaius by saying,

Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth (3 John 5-8).

Apparently though, Jesus let His apostles know that not everyone who seems “worthy” at first will actually prove to be worthy in the end. So He instructed them, “And when you go into a household, greet it.” (Matt. 10:12). In the Jewish culture, that greeting would be “peace” or “Shalom”. It’s a blessing of peace, prosperity, and overall well-being to those who live there. When we share the gospel with others, we look for people who are receptive to the gospel, and we come with an attitude of and message of peace. He went on to tell them, “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matt. 10:13).

Their blessing of peace was very important; because it truly was “peace” they were proclaiming. Jesus Himself is the Prince of peace! But if the household proved, in the end, to be unreceptive toward the Savior the apostles proclaimed—if in the end, they practiced no genuine faith and repentance—then, the apostles were to view the blessing of peace as returning to them. This may be something similar to the strong words Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:6; “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”

We know, not only from reading the Scriptures but also from hard experience, that many people are very hostile to the message of Jesus Christ. And so, Jesus goes on to tell His apostles, “And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matt. 10:14).

When a Jewish person in Jesus’ day visited a Gentile country, they would shake the dust off their feet upon returning to their land. It was a sign that they did not want to be associated with the Gentiles at all. The apostles were to treat the unbelieving Jews who rejected Christ as Gentiles—outside the covenant people of God. It is, in a sense, a way of giving the kingdom-rejecter what he wants—that is, your complete departure from him. But that departure is, itself, a form of judgment. In Luke 10:11, we’re told that Jesus tells them to say, “The very dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.”

Paul the apostle once did a similar thing to the Jewish people of Corinth. When they opposed his preaching of the gospel in the synagogue and blasphemed against the Savior, he shook his garments and said, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6). It was a way of giving them what they wanted – which, itself, was a severe judgment from God.

Concerning those who so rejected the offer of the kingdom, Jesus added these very hard words: “Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Matt. 10:15). Sodom and Gomorrah, of course, are ancient cities that were legendary for their sin—as every Jewish person would readily agree. And yet, when the kingdom is offered to one of the Jewish people’s own cities, and they coldly reject it, forcing the proclaimers of that message to dust their feet off and move on, then God will judge that city more severely than He will judge Sodom and Gomorrah! Sodom and Gomorrah didn’t hear the message of eternal life; but these other cities did, and rejected it. Shaking of the dust off their feet was a warning of judgment to those who rejected the message. In effect they were saying, “I just shared with you the good news of Jesus Christ, and you rejected Jesus as your Savior. I don’t want to be standing anywhere near you when God’s judgment comes.”

And again, I suggest there’s a lesson in this for us. We are to proclaim our Savior to the world around us, especially during the season in which His birth into this world is celebrated. And yet, we will often find that the message we proclaim is fought against and fiercely opposed. Despite that opposition, we are to faithfully proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ at every opportunity the Lord sets before us. But we cannot force people to accept it. They will either accept it or reject it. And if they reject it, we don’t literally shake the dust off our feet, that was a cultural sign that had meaning for the people of that day. But we do need to tell them, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and you just rejected Him as Savior. Do you have any idea how serious that is?”

Let’s make sure that, when we share the message of Christ, we ourselves are not offensive in the way we do so. But let’s also make very sure that we so clearly and lovingly give the message of the gospel that, if they reject anything, they are rejecting the clear offer of the gospel. Let’s make sure we never accommodate the message or change it in order to avoid offending the people who need to hear it. Let’s make sure we faithfully and truthfully proclaim the Savior.

The harvest remains plentiful. Christ calls for workers to recognize the harvest wherever He has placed us, and to be faithful proclaimers of the good news. Jesus has sent us to proclaim His gospel. How? Have a heart that trusts the Lord. Live a life of ministry and freely give of yourself. Make sure you are giving out the message clearly—preach Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Concentrate on those who are receptive. And give God the glory for it all.

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[1] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15 

[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 171.

[3] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/

[4] 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), 244.

[5] 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), 244.

[6] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/

[7] Ray Fowler, On Mission from God, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/on-mission-from-god/

[8] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15 

[9] Scott Harris, Instructions for Ministry – Matthew 10:5-15, https://www.gracebibleny.org/instructions_for_ministry_matthew_10_5_15 

[10] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 174.

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Lord of the Harvest

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Lord of the Harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

This morning’s passage in Matthew 9 serves as a summary and transition. It concludes the miracle stories that demonstrate Jesus’ authority in Matthew 8 and 9, and it prepares for the sending out of the apostles in Matthew 10.

Remember that after Jesus preached the Sermon on The Mount in Galilee, He went down from the mountain into the region around the city of Capernaum, and performed many astonishing miracles there. He cleansed the leper and healed sick people. He gave sight to the blind and voice to the mute. He raised the dead. He commanded the waves and the wind. And He cast out demons. In all of it, He was proving that He was the Son of God in human flesh; and that, in Him, the Kingdom of God had come in fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures.

In between sets of miracles in these chapters, Matthew presented dialogues that Jesus had with various people about discipleship. The first dialogue was with two would-be disciples and focused on the cost of discipleship. The second dialogue was with the Pharisees and focused on who Jesus calls as disciples, that Jesus calls sinners, not those who think they are righteous. The third dialogue was with some of John the Baptist’s disciples and focused on leaving the old behind, that everything changed when Jesus came.[1]

After all the teaching Jesus had done and all the miracles He performed, in Matthew 9:34, the Pharisees didn’t know what to do with Jesus. They couldn’t deny His miracles. So, they chose instead to say, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” A blasphemous accusation. But Jesus gave the perfect response. He answers His critics by going about all of the cities and villages of Galilee teaching, preaching, and performing even more miracles.

We are going to look at this short passage in three sections. Jesus’ ministry, His compassion, and His call. Because this section serves as a transition from Jesus’ ministry to the ministry of His disciples, it calls us to consider how we will apply what we learn. Jesus ministered to people. What is your ministry? Jesus demonstrated deep compassion. What compassion do you show? Jesus calls disciples to respond to the need. How are you responding?

1. Jesus’ Ministry (Matt. 9:35)

Matthew 9:35 says, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” This summary statement is almost identical to Matthew 4:23. These two summaries bookend this section of Matthew and they highlight the threefold ministry of Jesus: teaching, preaching, and healing. Matthew 5-7 presented the teaching and proclamation of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 8-9 demonstrated Jesus’ healing ministry. Matthew has shown that both Jesus’ authority in teaching and His authority to do miracles could only have come from God Himself.

Matthew 4:23 said that Jesus was going about “in all Galilee,” and now Matthew 9:35 says that Jesus was going about “all the cities and villages.” “Galilee” signifies the general area covered, while “all the cities and villages” demonstrates the scope of Jesus’ ministry. The area of Galilee was about 40 miles wide and 70 miles long. Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, tells us that there were around 200 cities and villages in that region with a total population of about 3 million people. Jesus went where people lived and worked. He didn’t just wait for people to come to Him, He went to them.

And what did Jesus do? Teaching, Proclaiming, and Healing. Notice that Jesus ministered to the whole person. He ministered to the ‘mind’ by teaching them, to the ‘will’ by preaching to them, and to the ‘body’ by healing them.

First, He taught them. We’re told that He was “teaching in their synagogues“. “Teaching” means providing systematic instruction. He taught them in “their synagogues“, which was the place in which the teaching from the scriptures occurred. The Jews came to the synagogue to hear the scripture read and have it explained to them. As a visiting Rabbi, Jesus would probably be invited to teach the scriptures. We see an example of this in Luke 4 when Jesus returned to Nazareth, entered the Synagogue on the Sabbath, stood and read from the prophet Isaiah, then sat down to explain what He read and how it was fulfilled in Him.

What kind of things did Jesus teach? My suspicion is that He taught many of the very same things that He taught in the Sermon on The Mount. There, Jesus explained the scriptures in light of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. By teaching the scripture, Jesus was able to show the people the true spiritual nature of the Kingdom of Heaven and its fulfillment in Him.

The second part of Jesus’ ministry was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. “Preaching” means proclaiming in the manner of a herald. The word “gospel” (euangelion; from which we get the word “evangel”) means “good news”.  And so, Jesus – the King – was preaching the good news of the kingdom. He was telling people that His kingdom has come; and that He was offering it to all who would receive it; and that it was all wrapped up in Him as the promised King! All of this emphasizes the greatness of the theme of Jesus’ preaching. He went out to proclaim it to those who needed to hear this good news; and urged them to respond to it.[2]

Thirdly, Jesus’ ministry involved healing. He was “healing every sickness and every disease among the people”. In other words, He ministered to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people. We have already seen examples of this in the nine specific miracles recorded in Matthew 8-9.  Jesus’ healing ministry was a visible sign that the words Jesus was teaching were truth and the kingdom Jesus was preaching had come.

As we’ve seen, the response to Jesus’ ministry was mixed. Some, like Matthew, believed and followed. Most were amazed at all He did and said, but it made no lasting difference in their lives. And, like the Pharisees, rejected Him openly and spoke against Him. But the responses did not deter Jesus from fulfilling the ministry that God had for Him on earth. He taught in the synagogues, proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom, and healed every kind of disease and sickness throughout all of Galilee. There would be no excuse for these people not to know that the Messiah had come, for He was in their midst.

2. Jesus’ Compassion (Matt. 9:36)

Matthew 9:35 tells us about Jesus’ ministry and Matthew 9:36 tells us about His motivation. “36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” The feelings that arose in Jesus as He saw the people were strong. The word translated here “moved with compassion” is the strongest word available to describe His feeling. The word is actually a reference to His stomach, bowels, and kidneys. We might say it hit Him in the pit of His stomach. It was a “gut-level” compassion.[3] The only times this word is used in the New Testament is with reference to Jesus—either to describe His own attitude toward the needs of people or to describe compassion in one of His parables.[4] That is the way that Jesus felt for the multitudes. A feeling much stronger than just a casual feeling of feeling “sorry for them.” Jesus felt for them, and He felt it physically in the pit of His stomach. He felt so much for them that it hurt and His spirit was not at rest because of what He saw.

Why such a strong feeling? Because, as Jesus describes it, the people were in a desperate condition. Our text describes them as “weary and scattered.” The NASB has “distressed and dispirited.” The ESV says, “harassed and helpless.” It literally means “torn and thrown down.”[5] The first word (esklmenoi) means “being flayed” or “having the skin torn” as might happen to a sheep wandering among the thorns and sharp rocks or having its hide torn by a wild beast. The second word (rhiptō) means to be thrown down prone and helpless,” as would an exhausted sheep or a person who had suffered a mortal wound.

They were “like sheep having no shepherd.” They were entrapped in a system led by the Scribes and Pharisees that had abused the Mosaic Law and left them wounded and wandering. Those who were supposed to be leading them were not leading them to God, for they were instead wolves leading them away from the true and proper worship of God. These sheep had no shepherd, and so had become battered, bruised, confused, and disheartened.

When lacking God-appointed leaders, God’s people in the Old Testament often appear as sheep without a shepherd (Num 27:17; 1 Kings 22:17; 2 Chron 18:16). The shepherds of Israel, their religious and civil rulers, had long neglected the flock entrusted to them by God. Ezekiel 34 depicts God’s sheep as neglected, maimed, and scattered. Nobody seemed to care. The chapter goes on to say that the Lord Himself would seek out His sheep, to care for them and bring them back. The Lord Himself would shepherd the flock. Matthew’s Gospel proclaims that the Shepherd of Israel has come! What God was planning has come to pass in Jesus Christ.[6]

Jesus said in John 10,

7 … “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:7-11).

Jesus had great compassion on them in their helpless state. This is why He traveled throughout their cities and villages ministering to them—teaching them the truth of the Scriptures, proclaiming to them the good news of the kingdom of God, and healing them from every sickness and disease. The kingdom of God was at hand, the Messiah was present to redeem them from their sins.

If today, it is you who feel like the multitudes in Matthew 9, “weary and scattered,” torn and thrown down by sin and false religion, then to you, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28). Come to Jesus. He is full of compassion. He sees your wretched condition. He feels your pain. He is able to save you from sin and all its consequences because He is the Lord, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. He gave up His life on the cross and took it up again in His resurrection. His death atoned for sin, and His resurrection conquered death—once for all. Repent and believe in Him today. He will set you free and give you life, eternal life.

And for those of us who have been saved, what does this verse say to us? It speaks to us about how we see people and feel about their condition. What do you feel when you see people trapped in sin? What goes through your mind when you see people suffering from the immorality of our society? Is your heart full of self-righteousness and condemnation like the Pharisees? Or is it full of compassion like Jesus? Jesus was moved with compassion and if we are His, so should we. Jesus did not see helpless sinners as the enemy and neither should we. We should see them as helpless sheep who need the Good Shepherd.

People need the Savior. They need the Lord Jesus, which leads us to the third and final section of this passage:

3. Jesus’ Call (Matt. 9:37-38)

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matt. 9:37-38).

Jesus wanted His disciples to see the needs of the multitudes. They were sheep without a shepherd, and they needed to be led and guided. Shifting the metaphor from flock to field, Jesus now envisions a vast crop of ripe grain in need of harvesters.[7] There was a plentiful harvest, and there were few workers to bring it in. Jesus wants the disciples to recognize the need for workers.

Why does Jesus talk about a harvest? John MacArthur points out that in the Old Testament, the harvest is a picture of judgment.[8] Isaiah prophesies about judgments saying, gra“It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, And reaps the heads with his arm; It shall be as he who gathers heads of in … In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.” (Isa. 17:5, 11). And the prophet Joel says, “12 Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow–For their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:12-14). In Matthew 3, John the Baptist used this same picture to speak of Christ, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matt. 3:12). In Matthew 13, Jesus uses this picture of judgment in the parable of the wheat and the tares, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ …Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.” (Matt. 13:40 NKJV).”

So MacArthur says that Jesus sees the final judgment and calls laborers because the time is short, the need is great, and the consequences are eternal. “He preached to them and He healed them, because of His compassion, their condition, and the ultimate consummation.”[9]

This is no time to be idle. If we love Jesus and His kingdom’s cause, we should all be gripped with a sense of the urgency of the work that lies before us. As we see people around us every day, every one of these people is headed for judgment. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians,

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men … (2 Cor. 5:10-11).

But at the same time, passages like John 4:35-36 support the idea of the harvest being souls. “35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.”

Jesus sees the field white for harvest. It’s so ripe that the laborers must move quickly to harvest it. And yet, the laborers are too few. And what Jesus wants for these poor, lost, needy people is laborers who will go out and labor in the field! The harvest is plentiful. Even in a day such as ours, a day of secularism that seeks to push Jesus’ kingdom agenda off onto the sidelines as “irrelevant”, even now, the harvest is plentiful. The potential for the cause of Jesus’ kingdom is great. The problem is never that the work ceases to be a relevant work. The problem is always that the workers are too few! If we would have Jesus’ compassion for the lost and needy people around us, then we would want what He wants for them – laborers![10]

We see a lost and dying world that is entrapped in sin and the people in it are bruised and battered by sin and its effects. They are confused and lost without hope. The majority of them will die in that condition, but there are some who are responding to God’s call and workers are needed to lead them to Jesus Christ. That’s why Jesus said, “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matt. 9:38).

You might have expected Jesus to say, “So then; get out there into the field and start harvesting!” But that is not what He says. Instead, He calls us to pray. He says, “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” This suggests the great scope of the work—the harvest field is great. Multiple thousands of people die every day without ever hearing about Christ. That is unacceptable. And you and I can make a difference. We can pray. We must pray. We must pray for our missionaries. We must pray for the nations. We must pray for God to send more workers into the world to spread the gospel.

Each of us is limited and can only touch so many lives. But Jesus wants us to be concerned with everyone—the whole field. So, when there are areas we cannot be personally involved in, yet see the need, we can still be involved by asking the Lord to send others. Most of our missions praying is directly along those lines. We pray for countries and people that need to be taught the Word of God and hear the gospel, and as we do God sends His workers there. We pray for His workers to go into the harvest.

In the original language, Jesus calls us to pray that laborers will be “cast out” or “thrown out” into the harvest. And this suggests to us a sense of urgency in the work. So we must pray because it is Lord’s work and it must be done in His way and in His timing and not ours. No one is fit to do the Lord’s work until they have sought Him first.

The opportunities are vast, for the harvest is plentiful, but to be used by the Lord you have to first see the need and have the compassion of Christ for sinners. Second, beseech the Lord for workers to meet those needs, and then third, do whatever the Lord wants you to do.

The Lord’s call to us is to pray with faith and trust in Him, to pray that workers will be sent out into the harvest. But then, you probably know what will happen if you begin to faithfully pray that the Lord would send workers out into His harvest. It might not be too long before your commitment to pray that prayer has changed you and has even prepared you for the harvest work that God has uniquely called you to! You too might soon hear His call to go!

As we look upon the lost and needy people of this world, may we go to them as Jesus went, serve them as Jesus served, see them as Jesus saw, feel toward them as Jesus felt, know about them what Jesus knew, want for them what Jesus wanted, and then pray for them as Jesus commanded.

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[1] Ray Fowler, Praying for More Workers. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/praying-for-more-workers/

[2] Greg Allen, The Compassionate Shepherd. https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/111305.htm

[3] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 166.

[4] Greg Allen, ibid.

[5] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 166.

[6] Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 128.

[7] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 167.

[8] John MacArthur, The Harvest and the Laborers. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2269

[9] MacArthur, ibid.

[10] Allen, ibid.

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Opened Eyes and Closed Hearts

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Opened Eyes and Closed Hearts

Matthew 9:27-34

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, “29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ 30 And 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.

————————————————————————-

[1] Greg Allen, No ‘Neutrality’ About Jesus! https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/110505.htm

[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 158.

[3] Scott Harris, Three Responses to Jesus – Matthew 9:27-34. https://www.gracebibleny.org/three-responses-to-jesus-matthew-927-34. I adapted Harris’ outline and drew from some of his points.

[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 36.

[5] Larry Pierce, The Outline of Biblical Usage. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2896/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[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.

[10] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 36.

[11] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 380.

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Jesus’ Authority Over Death

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Jesus’ Authority Over Death

Matthew 9:18-26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First, we see…

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

In the previous passage in Matthew (Matt. 8:14-17), Jesus had been speaking to the disciples of John the Baptist. And Matthew tells us that, while He spoke these things to them, His conversation with them was interrupted. A “ruler” came to Him in a state of great urgency: “While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’” (Matt. 9:18).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Old Fasting and New Feasting

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Old Fasting and New Feasting

Matthew 9:14-17

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus’ person and ministry in contrast to the scribes and the Pharisaic Judaism of His day.[1] Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was full of contrasts between the traditional teaching of the scribes and what Jesus taught. Theirs was a religion of external conformity and ritual. Jesus demanded an internal righteousness free from hypocrisy. At the end of the Sermon, Matthew records, “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matt. 7:28-29).

Not only was Jesus’ teaching different from others, but what He did was different also. In Matthew 8 and 9, we see Jesus demonstrating His authority by His miraculous signs. Matthew has shown that Jesus has power over sickness and disease, over nature, evil spirits, and sins. Both by His teaching and His miracles, Matthew has shown that Jesus is very different from what people had known or expected. And the more Jesus says and does, the more that contrast surfaces. And the more obvious that contrast becomes, the greater the opposition to Jesus grows.

When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic, they accused Him of blasphemy. When Jesus feasted with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees complained that He associated with the wrong kind of people. They were scandalized by what Jesus said and did. Jesus replied, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matt. 9:12). The Pharisees thought they were well, that they were righteous. But Jesus diagnosed their malady when He told them to go and learn what the scripture means when God says, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” (Matt. 9:13). They knew religious formality, but they were strangers to mercy which is the very heart of God.

Today we see another discipleship dialogue in Matthew 9:14-17 that further explores this contrast between religious formality and a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Today’s passage begins with a question about fasting, specifically, why don’t Jesus’ disciples fast? And although Jesus’ answer includes fasting, Jesus uses this particular question to teach us a much broader truth: that everything changed when Jesus came.[2]

1. The Question: Why don’t your disciples fast? (Matt. 9:14)

Jesus and His disciples had just come from the feast in Matthew’s house; and this seems to have occurred on a day when the disciples of John, and the Pharisees likewise, thought they ought to fast (Mark 2:18). Here they were all fasting, and the disciples of Jesus were feasting![3]

Look at the question in Matthew 9:14: “Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”” It might seem surprising to see the disciples of John on the same side as the Pharisees in criticizing Jesus. Why do I say that? Clearly, John was no favorite of the Pharisees, for he had sternly castigated the Pharisees calling them a ” Brood of vipers!” (Matt. 3:7), commanding them to ” bear fruits worthy of repentance,” (Matt. 3:8), and not to think they were safe from judgment because they had Abraham as their physical father (Matt. 3:9).

Remember from Matthew 4:12, that John the Baptist had been put in prison. But there were still many who considered themselves disciples of John and continued in his teachings. Unlike the Pharisees who usually questioned Jesus to accuse Him, theirs seems to be a legitimate question. Yet it also reveals their lack of understanding of the person and work of Jesus. Even though John’s ministry prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry, and they both preached “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17), John’s ministry was in some ways quite different from that of Jesus. John lived an austere lifestyle out in the wilderness, subsisting on “locusts and wild honey” (Matt. 3:4). Jesus Himself alludes to that difference in Matthew 11, declaring, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” (Matt. 11:18-19).

This contrast is behind their question about fasting. We talked about what the bible teaches about fasting when we studied how Jesus instructed His disciples to fast in Matthew 6. Recall that the Law of Moses only commanded one regular fast: on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29, 31; Lev 23:26–32; Nu 29:7–11). But people also fasted as an expression of sorrow, mourning, and grieving either for a loss in your life or for repentance of sin. It was usually associated with prayer and sometimes the whole nation would fast and pray together.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ time made fasting a formal ritual. Many of them fasted twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, like clockwork. They considered this to be a religious act of outward piety, and they often went to great lengths to make sure that other people knew they were fasting. Jesus taught His disciples not to fast “like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting” (Matt. 6:16). Instead He said, “when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting” (Matt. 6:17-18). Jesus’ disciples were not fasting in this passage, but even if they did fast, no one should have even noticed. Jesus taught that fasting is not a formal ritual or mechanical routine to follow merely on fixed days. Fasting is a response of a heart that is humbled, grieving, and repentant. Fasting is not a means by which to get God’s attention, fasting is evidence that God has your attention.[4]

Here we find that John the Baptist’s followers practiced fasting, too. Remember that John preached a message of repentance in preparation for the coming of Christ. Fasting would be a natural expression of repentance for their sins in preparation for Christ.

And so here we have two different groups, each fasting for different reasons, but they both had something in common. They were fasting, while Jesus’ disciples were not. And John’s disciples wanted to know why.

That’s the question, now…

2. The Answer: Jesus’ coming calls for celebration (Matt. 9:15)

As He often did, Jesus answered their question with a question in order to make a point. Look Matthew 9:15, “And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”” (Matt. 9:15).

The answer to Jesus’ rhetorical question is obvious. The friends (or literally sons of the bridegroom) can’t mourn when the groom is with them. A wedding is a time of feasting and joy. It’s a time of celebration. It’s a time to gather family and friends. It’s a time to fill yourselves with food and wine. It’s a time for music and dancing. Fasting is a time for sorrow and self-denial. There is a time to fast and a time to feast, and the wedding celebration is a time to feast. It wouldn’t make any sense to fast and mourn while the bridegroom is right there. It would be totally inappropriate.

So, what was Jesus saying by all this? Jesus is saying that He is the bridegroom! He is the one that Israel has been waiting for all these years. So yes, it made sense to fast before, when they were waiting for Him and preparing for His coming, but now that Jesus has come, everything changes! The bridegroom is here! This is a time to rejoice!

In the Old Testament, the imagery of the bridegroom or husband was used of God in relation to Israel. In Isaiah 62:5, the Lord says, “For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” In Hosea, the Lord says, “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.” (Hos. 2:19-20). In the New Testament, the imagery of the bridegroom and bride it is used of Jesus in relation to the church (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7; 21:2).

John the Baptist himself pointed to Jesus as the bridegroom. In John 3 he says,

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:28-30).

John rejoiced as a friend of the bridegroom. His disciples should have followed his example and turned to follow Jesus. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. Matthew shows that Jesus is the bridegroom who is “with them” (Matt. 9:15). He is Emmanuel, God with Us (Matt. 1:23). This was not a time for fasting because the bridegroom was present. How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? And the answer is: they cannot, so long as they have Him with them.

That’s why Jesus goes on to say in the rest of Matthew 9:15, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Jesus is speaking here of His death. When Jesus says that the bridegroom will be “taken away from them,” he uses the same word found in Isaiah 53:8 which also speaks of Jesus’ death: “By oppression and judgment He was taken away.” (Isaiah 53:8 NASB) The disciples are rejoicing in His presence now, but the day will come when He is taken from them, and then they will mourn His absence. Then they will fast.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples,

16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” … 20 “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” (John 16:16, 20).

Jesus is speaking about the period between His death and His resurrection, then, indeed, they shall fast, and no one will need to tell them to do so.[5] Does fasting apply to us today? We know that Jesus is with us today through the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, but we still long for His appearing. And so, fasting may be appropriate as an expression of our longing and desire. But our fasting is different than the fasting of the followers of John and the Pharisees. We no longer fast in mourning, waiting for the Savior to come. We fast in anticipation, waiting for our Savior to return.

Everything changed when Jesus came. The Old Testament laws no longer applied in the same way. The Jewish ceremonies and sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ’s death on the cross. All the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. And now the Messiah had come! You can’t just keep on living as if Jesus never came. Let there be joy!

Let me ask you. Is your life characterized by joy because Jesus is with you?

3. The Illustrations: The old is incompatible with the new (Matt. 9:16-17)

Jesus says, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:16-17).

Jesus uses two matching illustrations here to make the same point: the old is incompatible with the new.

A. The illustration of the unshrunk cloth (Matt. 9:16)

First, he uses the illustration of the unshrunk cloth. Most of our clothing today comes preshrunk, but it was different back in Jesus’ time. Most of the garments were made of wool or linen which tend to shrink when they get wet. So, if you had an older garment that had been washed multiple times, it would already have shrunk as far as it was going to shrink. If you got a hole in that garment, and you sewed a patch of unshrunk cloth over the hole, the patch will shrink. And when it does, it will tear away from the unshrunk cloth and make an even bigger hole in the garment. What is Jesus saying here? The old is incompatible with the new. No one would sew a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. It wouldn’t make sense. Lenski comments, “To preserve the old by attaching a little of the new is worse than useless. Discard the old entirely and accept the new completely. Not a new patch but a new robe.”[6]

Jesus did not come to just patch up Pharisaical Judaism. He did not come just to reform their formal religion. He did not come to fix the Old Covenant. He came to inaugurate the New Covenant.

What Jesus brings is new. And it is incompatible with the old. Jesus did not come to just patch up the self-righteous religion of the Pharisees. He did not come to patch up the fasting of John’s disciples. Likewise, Jesus did not come to just patch up your old life. He did not come to reform your religious practices. Jesus came to give you new life, a new birth, to make you a new creation.  

B. The illustration of the wineskins (Matt. 9:17).

The second illustration has to do with wineskins. Here Jesus is talking about the goatskin containers that people used to hold water or wine in those days. When these wineskins were new, they were flexible and still had the ability to stretch. So, if you had a new wineskin, and you filled it with new wine that was still fermenting and still expanding, no problem. You could fill it right up, and the skin would expand right along with the wine. But you can only stretch goatskin so far. As the skins got older and all stretched out, they became more brittle. So if you took an old wineskin and filled it with new wine, as the wine expanded it would burst the wineskin and you would lose both the skin and the wine as well.

This illustration makes a similar point to the first. The old is incompatible with the new. As God said through the prophet Jeremiah:

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah– 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

God said, “the days are coming … when I will make a new covenant.” Jesus is saying, “The time has come.” God’s new covenant is a covenant He made through His Son, Jesus. It is a new covenant in Jesus’ blood. Jesus died for our sins on the cross, and everyone who puts their faith in Him will be saved.

And the new is incompatible with the old. The book of Hebrews says the old covenant is “obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13). In fact, the whole book of Hebrews explains how everything has changed now that Jesus has come. And not only how everything has changed but how everything has changed for the better, that Jesus and His new covenant is better. That is its major theme. And it is also the theme of these two parables or illustrations. The old is incompatible with the new. It’s time to leave the old behind.

Jesus finishes by saying, “But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17b).

Reformation of Pharisaical Judaism would not work. Jesus had the authority to forgive sin based on mercy and grace. That could not be contained by the self-righteous works system of Pharisaical Judaism. A new container had to be developed to hold Jesus’ teaching about the regenerated heart of a forgiven sinner.[7]

They would have to let go of their old covenant. They would have to leave their old traditions. They would have to follow Christ alone.

When Jesus comes, everything changes. This is true both historically and personally. Historically, we no longer approach God through the feasts and sacrifices of the Old Testament. All of that was fulfilled when Jesus came. Now we approach God only through his Son. That’s historically.

But then personally, when Jesus comes into your life, everything also changes. First, there is the change that only God can bring. No amount of self-effort, self-change, or self-reformation will make your life adequate to accommodate Christ. God must bring a change in you first. That’s why Jesus said, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7) You must become a new person. And that happens when you put your faith and trust in Jesus as your Savior. The Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You cannot come to Christ and keep living the same life you lived before Christ. A true Christian cannot be satisfied with the empty ritualism of man-centered religion. He must have the life of Christ. A sinner can be reasonably happy in his or her sin. But a true believer will never be happy in their sin. As a Christian sin will only make you miserable. The good news is that God doesn’t leave you in your sin, because the old is incompatible with the new. And so, Christ will change your life.

In closing, let me ask you this morning. Are there ways that you think or things in your life that are incompatible with Christ? Are you resisting Christ and resisting the changes He is trying to bring in your life? Resisting Christ is like that patch of unshrunk cloth tearing at the patterns of your old life. When you become a Christian, you can’t hold on to your old practices and sinful habits without doing serious damage to your life.

Jesus wants to lead you into new ways of living. He wants you to grow in your faith and in your knowledge of God. He wants you to know the joy of Christian fellowship and service. He wants to fill your life with His goodness and love. Trying to restrain Christ in your life is like the old wineskins bursting from the fullness of the new wine. We need to let Jesus do His work in us through the Holy Spirit to make us new vessels for His glory. Will you let Christ change you today?

————————————————————-

[1] Richard Caldwell, Why the Difference? Notes from the sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEwSOKizwiw. I adapted ideas for this introduction from Caldwell’s notes.

[2] Ray Fowler, Leaving the Old Behind. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/leaving-the-old-behind/  

[3] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 367.

[4] Rory Mosley, Jesus Vs. Sinners – part 2 (Matthew 9:14-17). https://fbcspur.org/jesus-vs-sinners-part-2-matthew-914-17/  

[5] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 368.

[6] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 369.

[7] Scott L. Harris, He Came For Sinners – Matthew 9:9-17. https://www.gracebibleny.org/he_came_for_sinners_matthew_9_9_17  

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Jesus Came for Sinners

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Jesus Came for Sinners

Matthew 9:9-13

In our verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Matthew, we have seen that Matthew’s theme is that Jesus is the promised Messiah-King. In every narrative, every teaching of Jesus Matthew is continually stressing that point. In Matthew 8 and 9, we find that Matthew has carefully selected events in the life of Jesus without much concern for the chronological sequence of the stories. Instead, we find that Matthew is carefully building a case that Jesus demonstrates authority in areas that only God has authority, thereby demonstrating that Jesus must in fact be God in human flesh. These different areas of authority build in significance.

In Matthew 8, we saw Jesus healing a leper with a touch, a paralyzed boy with just a command without even seeing him, and Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Matthew then tells us that Jesus was healing every disease brought to Him and casting out demons as well. Jesus has authority over sickness and disease. Then Jesus demonstrated authority over nature itself by stopping the wind and calming the sea with a simple command. Next, Matthew showed that Jesus has power over the supernatural when He cast out a legion of demons from two men. Jesus has authority over sickness, disease, nature, and the supernatural. And then last week, we saw that Jesus has the authority to forgive sin. This power is of the greatest significance because sin is the root of all mankind’s problems, and more than anything else, people need their sins forgiven.

Recall that after Matthew showed the first three miracles of healing in Matthew 8, he presented Jesus’ dialogues with two would-be disciples where Jesus explained the cost of following Him. Now, after the second set of three miracles, Matthew again narrates two dialogues with Jesus focusing on discipleship. We will look at the first of these today and the second next Sunday. Today’s passage is also the second of three controversy stories that open up Matthew 9. Last time, some scribes thought Jesus was blaspheming when He forgave sins. In this week’s passage, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of eating with tax collectors and sinners.

There is also a similar theme between last week’s passage and our one today. Last week’s passage (Matthew 9:1-8) was about Jesus’ power to forgive sin. Today’s passage (Matthew 9:9-13) is about Jesus calling sinners. Let’s look at these verses in three sections today: 1) Jesus called sinners (Matt. 9:9); 2) Jesus associated with sinners (Matt. 9:10-11); and 3) Jesus came to heal sinners (Matt. 9:12-13).[1]

1. Jesus Called Sinners (Matt. 9:9)

Matthew gives us the setting in verse 9: “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.” Matthew places this story right after Jesus proved something very important. He had proven that He had the authority to forgive sins. And right after Jesus demonstrated His authority to forgive sin, what does Matthew show Jesus does next? He demonstrates His mission by calling sinners to follow Him.

Matthew doesn’t tell us how much time passed, but that Jesus “passed on from there,” in Capernaum, His home base. Mark informs us that Jesus “went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.” (Mark 2:13). Then, returning from the lake, Jesus passed by Matthew’s tax booth (Mark 2:14).

This story is especially significant because Matthew is the writer of this Gospel account. Many people in the Bible had two names. And so, when Mark and Luke wrote of his ministry as an apostle, they called him “Matthew”, but when they told the story of his being called while a tax collector, they chose to refer to him by his lesser-known name “Levi” (Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32). Maybe they chose to do this out of respect for his apostolic ministry and from a desire to protect his ministry from the scandal of his dubious past. But Matthew himself had no such hesitancy. In telling his own story of his sordid past, he calls himself “Matthew”. In fact, even when he included his name in the list of apostles in Matthew 10:3, he identified himself with his sin calling himself, “Matthew the tax collector“.[2]

A tax collector, in Jesus’ day, was a Jewish man who collected taxes from his own Jewish kinsmen on behalf of the Gentile Roman government. He made his living by collecting not only the required revenue appointed by the Roman government but by also collecting a percentage above that required amount as his own cut.

Most Jews considered a tax collector a traitor to his own people. He was a sell-out to an occupying Gentile government. And he was doubly despised by his fellow Jews; because he not only collected taxes from his own people for the Roman occupiers, but also because collection of that tax was characterized by greed, extortion, deceit, bullying, and oppression. There was no such thing as an honest tax collector in that system. Other Jews considered tax collectors to be the worst of sinners in the same category as harlots, drunkards, and thieves. A tax collector was not permitted to serve as a witness in a court of law. Any money that came from him was to be considered “defiled”.

Someone has once said, “The church is the only fellowship in the world where the one requirement for membership is the unworthiness of the candidate.”1 The Holy Spirit has chosen to include this story in the Bible because it has great lessons to teach us about how merciful and loving our wonderful Savior is to those sinners that the world despises the most and considers the most unworthy.[3]

Where was Matthew when Jesus called him? He was “sitting at the tax office” (Matt. 9:9). Jesus didn’t wait until after Matthew changed his life and left the tax booth to call him. That’s the way that Jesus calls sinners—He calls them while they are still sinners. In fact, Paul writes in Romans 5, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8). Do you know that that’s why our Savior Himself said He came? Jesus said about another tax collector, Zacchaeus, ” for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus doesn’t sit around and wait for the lost to come to Him, He seeks them and saves them.

Look at Jesus’ call to Matthew: “… And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” Matthew doesn’t tell us how much he knew about Jesus before He called him to follow. As we already saw, Jesus had done outstanding miracles in Capernaum and had regularly taught the word of God there. Surely Matthew knew all this. Still, it must have come as a shock to both Matthew and all those who were there that day that Jesus not only talked with him, but called him to be a disciple. “Follow Me” is the same call to discipleship that Jesus gave to the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, in Matthew 4:19.  

How does Matthew respond? “… So he arose and followed Him” (Matt. 9:9). He left the tax collector’s booth. There was no going back for Matthew. The Gospel of Luke tells us he “left all” to follow Jesus (Luke 5:28). He left a cushy job that made him wealthy. He left his life of sin and stealing. He left all this and more to follow Jesus.

Listen, Jesus calls you as you are, but He doesn’t leave you as you are. He calls you while you are still in your sin, but He also calls you out of your sin. He calls you to follow Him, to be His disciple, to walk as He walked, and to live as He lived. This is the Christian life—following Jesus.

So first, Jesus calls sinners, and second,

2. Jesus Associates with Sinners (Matt. 9:10-11)

Matthew left his wicked profession behind, rose up, and followed Jesus. And next, he tells us, “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples” (Matt. 9:10). When Mark tells this story, he lets us know that this was Matthew’s own house that Jesus went to. It must have been a very large house, considering that “many tax collectors and sinners” came and joined Jesus and His disciples at the meal. And Luke tells us even more – letting us know that Matthew was putting on a great feast in Jesus’ honor (Luke 5:29).

Matthew had found the Savior; and I believe he wanted to have a bunch of his former friends over to meet Jesus and be introduced to the Savior too! When one hopeless and needy sinner discovers the mercy of the Savior, he wants to share that mercy with other hopeless and needy sinners!

It’s important to understand what Matthew means by the word ‘sinners’ here. He’s not saying that some people are sinners and some people are not. The Bible is clear that we are all sinners. But the Jewish people used this word for those people whom they felt were the very worst of sinners –tax collectors, thieves, drunkards, and prostitutes. They called them ‘sinners,’ because they felt that those sins were so much worse than their own sins.

Now some people read  passages like this one and use them to excuse sin. They say this passage shows that Jesus doesn’t care how you live. He accepts you as you are, and fellowships with you—sin and all. And then they say we also should accept people just as they are, without saying anything about their sin. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did? But we already saw from Matthew 9:9 that Jesus calls you as you are but he doesn’t leave you as you are. And Jesus will say that He came to bring sinners to repentance, not just to leave them in their sin.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about not associating with people who professed to be believers but were continuing to live immoral lives. He tells them: “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (1 Cor. 5:9-10). We shouldn’t be surprised when unbelievers are living immoral lives. They’re not believers! But true Christians are not to continue to live immoral lives.

Jesus shows us that we don’t avoid sinners who need Christ. Jesus didn’t avoid lost sinners, and neither should we.

Why did sinful people seem to flock to Jesus? For one thing, He loved them. He never condoned their sin, but they knew that He loved them. They knew they needed forgiveness. They knew that Jesus could forgive their sins. I believe they felt that Jesus looked past what they were right then, and saw them for what He had come to save them to be in glory.

Now, contrast this with the attitude of the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of the day. From the outside, no one looked more righteous than a Pharisee. One thing I can assure you is that the tax collectors and sinners weren’t flocking to the homes of the Pharisees! The name Pharisee itself comes from a Hebrew word that means to separate. They separated themselves from any who were not as religious as they were. The Pharisees did their best to avoid ‘sinners’. In fact, one of their sayings was this: “Keep far from an evil neighbor and do not associate with the wicked.” (Aboth 1:7).[4] These Pharisees objected to Jesus’ disciples having dinner with such riff-raff. Matthew 9:11 tells us, “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” The way their question is phrased suggests that they viewed this as Jesus’ habit.[5] The Pharisees are probably a little jealous that instead of choosing to dine with them, Jesus chose to dine with the tax collectors and sinners.

Notice that the Pharisees don’t complain to Jesus directly but to His disciples. They don’t seem interested in getting an answer, they just want to undermine Jesus with His disciples. They call Jesus “your Teacher”. The title “teacher” meant much more than just someone who passes knowledge and information on to students. It referred to someone who also taught by example! Jesus once told His disciples, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am;” and then He told them, “. . . I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13, 15). The Pharisees were complaining to Jesus’ disciples that their “Teacher” was setting an unspeakable example to them – eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners!

Jesus did set an example for His followers. Jesus’ close association with sinners is meant to be our example to follow. We are to love the poor, needy, despised sinners of this world so much that we welcome them into our presence so that they’ll know that they are loved. How else will they come to know Christ and follow Him?

We have seen that Jesus called sinners, He associated with sinners, and thirdly,

3. Jesus Came for Sinners (Matt. 9:12-13)

Matthew 9:12-13 says, “When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ criticism with three brief, striking statements, each of which highlights the fact that Jesus came for sinners.

First of all, Jesus tells them: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matt. 9:12).

Could you imagine going to a doctor and complaining to him, “Listen, Doc. I don’t care too much for the kind of people you associate with. You always seem to be around sick people!” What a ridiculous statement! Who else would you expect a doctor to be associated with? In the same way, who else would you expect the Savior of sinners to be associated with than sinners who need to be saved? Jesus is saying, “Who else would you have me go to?”

If you think you are well, you probably are not going to seek help from a doctor. Medicine is for the sick, not the healthy. How many of you would go to a doctor and say, “Doc, I feel really healthy. Please give me a full course of chemotherapy.” Of course, you wouldn’t say that unless you knew you had cancer and it was the only treatment that would cure you! Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, “You don’t think you are sick, so you won’t come to me for healing. These ‘sinners’ know they are sick, and so I go to them.”

Jesus invites us to see Him as our spiritual physician. He does not set up an office and wait for people to come to Him. He makes house calls. Indeed, sometimes He walks up to people in the street and says, “I know you are sick; I have come to heal you.”[6]

Second, Jesus communicated from the scriptures that it was God’s purpose to be merciful to sinners. He quoted the words of God to them from the Old Testament prophecy of Hosea 6:6. He said (Matt. 9:13), “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’“.

Despite all their study of the scriptures, the Pharisees had obviously failed to ever understand God’s message. God’s message is all about redemption, not destruction. Even when you read those difficult passages of God’s judgment in the Old Testament, God gives them because He is calling men to repentance so that they won’t be ultimately judged. God is a God of great compassion, great mercy. And yet the Pharisees didn’t get that at all.

By quoting this verse, Jesus wasn’t saying that God did not require a sacrifice for sin. Clearly, the Old Testament teaches that He does. In fact, those sacrifices required by the law of Moses pictured for us the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In His mercy, God gave the sacrifice of His own Son for sinners. In quoting this verse, Jesus is teaching that the sacrifice was all about mercy!

God doesn’t want mercy instead of sacrifice and obedience. Rather He wants mercy along with sacrifice and obedience. Jesus is saying that because God is merciful towards us, we also ought to be merciful to others.

And finally, Jesus communicates that He came for sinners by giving a clear affirmation of His own mission. He says plainly, “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt. 9:13). Jesus is not saying that the Pharisees were “righteous”, but that they saw themselves as “righteous”. Those who don’t see themselves as needy sinners have no interest in a Savior. They’re like the false believers in the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:17, saying of themselves, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing“, not knowing that, in reality, they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked“.

The Pharisees completely misunderstood Jesus’ mission. They thought that they were already righteous, so they didn’t need a Savior. They thought the Messiah would come to reward them for their righteousness, not call them to repent of their sinfulness. “Jesus did not come to this earth to write ‘A+’ on the moral report cards of all the good boys and girls. He came to call sinners, to invite the bad boys and girls to His gospel feast.”[7]

It wasn’t for the righteous that Christ relinquished His glory and stepped out of heaven. It wasn’t for the righteous that Christ suffered the temptation of Satan. It wasn’t for the righteous that Christ endured the hostility of man. It wasn’t for the righteous that Christ submitted to death on the cross. The righteous didn’t need it.

Christ came for sinners. Christ suffered for sinners. Christ endured for sinners. Christ died for sinners. Paul wrote, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Tim. 1:15).

This is good news for us because the Bible tells us there is no one righteous. We read in Romans 3: “There is none righteous, no, not one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10,23). We all have sinned. We all fall short of God’s glory. But praise God! Jesus came for sinners. The only qualification you need for Jesus to call you is that you are a sinner. Jesus came to call sinners because there is no one else to call.[8]

Jesus called sinners; He associated with sinners; and He came to save sinners.

What can we take to heart from this passage today?

Jesus can save anyone. It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve sinned against God or failed other people in your life. You do not need to get your life together before coming to Jesus. Jesus calls sinners, so if you’re a sinner, you qualify. The one who knows he is the worst sinner is the very best candidate for salvation.

You must acknowledge your sinfulness. Jesus did not come to call the righteous or those who think they are righteous. You must confess your sin to God. You must know that God is a holy God and you are condemned as a sinner. If you think for one minute that you are able to make yourself look good before God through good works or religious rituals, you are badly mistaken. No one looked better on the outside than a Pharisee, and Jesus condemned their self-righteousness. Jesus saves sinners but He rejects the self-righteous.

Finally, this passage has something to say to those who are followers of Jesus. We should be merciful to sinners, even as God was merciful to us. All of us are just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. Jesus saved you not so that you would think you are better than others, but so that you would be merciful to others in their sin and point them to Christ who can save them from their sin.

 

[1] Ray Fowler, Calling Sinners. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/calling-sinners/. I adapted Fowler’s outline and drew from some of his points in developing this sermon.

[2] Greg Allen, The Teacher of Mercy. https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/100205.htm#f1

[3] Allen, ibid.

[4] Quoted by Ray Fowler, ibid.

[5] 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), 381.

[6] Daniel M. Doriani, ibid, 386.

[7] Daniel M. Doriani, ibid.

[8] Daniel M. Doriani, ibid, 387.

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Authority to Forgive Sins

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Authority to Forgive Sins

Matthew 9:1-8

 

 

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.”

 

———————————————–

 

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 146.

[2] John MacArthur, Jesus’ Power Over Sin, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2262/jesus-power-over-sin

[3] Allen Ross, 12. The Authority To Forgive Sins (Matthew 9:1-8). https://bible.org/seriespage/12-authority-forgive-sins-matthew-91-8#P35_10367

[4] Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 122.

[5] Bruce Hurt, Matthew 9 Commentary. https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-9-commentary#9:2

[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 34–35.

[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.

[8] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 9:4b–5.

[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.

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Power over the Demons

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Power over the Demons

Matthew 8:28-34

We are studying Matthew 8-9, where the Gospel writer displays the authority and power of Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus has authority like none other. His authority and power are not at all like other religious teachers (Matt. 7:29). In Matthew 8, we have seen that Jesus performed three healing miracles, showing His power over disease. Last time, we looked at Jesus’ calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, showing His power over nature. Today, we will look at Jesus’ power over the supernatural, specifically Jesus’ power over evil spirits or demons. In Matthew 4, we saw how Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Twice already Matthew has mentioned that Jesus cast spirits out of those who were demon-possessed (Matt. 4:24; 8:16). Now in Matthew 8:28-34 we see a specific occasion when Jesus did this, casting demons out of two men in the area of Gadara.

All three of the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—record this event after Jesus stilled the storm on the sea and they arrived on the other side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39). Matthew’s account shows two men, while Mark and Luke only mention the more prominent of the two. Matthew’s account is also shorter. He does not refer to the demons saying their name is “Legion,” or to the desire of the liberated man to follow Jesus.[1] Matthew calls this place on the other side of the sea “the country of the Gadarenes” (Matt. 8:28, NASB). Mark calls it “the region of the Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1) and some later manuscripts call it “Gergesenes”. It is all the same place.

In our modern western culture, there are many who doubt the existence of demons or that they could control a man. This passage presents just the opposite: demons are real and sometimes they can control the actions of people. The Scriptures present varying degrees of demonic influence and/or control. Demons are spirits but they can manifest their activity in the physical world. The word here is literally “demonized.” Demons cannot “possess” a person in the sense of “own,” but they can influence, and to the degree they influence, they control. Demon possession is rare, if it ever occurs, in the Old Testament and there are very few examples of it after the Gospel accounts. It seems that when Christ came in the time of His incarnation, the kingdom of Satan rose up to resist, so there was a great upsurge of evil and demonization.[2]

The scripture doesn’t say how these men came to be demonized. However, the scripture does indicate a connection between sin, idolatry, and demon activity. Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 106:37, and 1 Corinthians 10:18-21 all point out that demons are the power behind false religions and idolatry. Paul warns in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 about demonic influence in the church itself through false teachers who pay attention to “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Demons can also influence to cause both mental and physical harm. In Matthew 17:15-18 we find a boy often harmed himself by falling into the fire or the water. Matthew says the men in our text this morning were “extremely violent” (Matt. 8:28), and Mark reports that one of them was constantly screaming and cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5). In Matthew 12:22 there is a man who was made both dumb and blind by a demon. In Luke 13:11,12 there is a woman who was physically deformed by a “spirit.” I do not believe all disease and mental illness is caused by demonic activity, but in these cases, the demonic activity presented itself this way.[3]

Demons can sometimes manifest themselves supernaturally through humans. In Acts 16, Paul cast a “spirit of divination” out of a girl who pestered him for many days. In Acts 19 we are told of a demonized man who overpowered seven Jewish exorcists leaving them bruised, battered, and naked. Mark reports that one of the men in our story today “had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him” (Mark 5:4). Demons are real, they are powerful, they are dangerous, but as we shall see, they are no match for the authority and power of Jesus.

We are going to look at this miracle in three parts this morning. First, we will look at Matthew 8:28-29 where Jesus confronts two demonized men. Then we will look at verses Matthew 8:30-32 where Jesus overpowers the demons, casting them out of the men. And then finally we will look at verses Matthew 8:33-34 where we see the reaction of the people of that area and learn that men are still deceived by evil in the world today.[4]

1. Jesus confronts Evil Spirits (Matthew 8:28-29)

So, first of all, we see Jesus confronts the demonized men. Look at Matthew 8:28-29. “28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?””

When Jesus and his disciples arrive at the other of the lake, they are confronted by these two demon-possessed men. There are a number of things we learn from Jesus’ confrontation of evil in these verses. Notice first, that they are coming from the tombs. These men were literally living in death. Can you imagine a worse place to live than in the tombs of the dead? What a picture of the effects of evil in a life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” The devil certainly has done that here.

Evil has made a wreck of these two men’s lives. The devil has stolen them from their homes and families. He has stolen their peace and their sanity. He has driven them to violence. He has cut them off from the community and doomed them to isolation among the dead.

This is Satan’s strategy. This is what the world would look like if Satan had complete charge instead of God.

Secondly, notice that these demons know that Jesus is the Son of God. When the two demonized men come up to Jesus and his disciples, the demons scream at Jesus, “What business do You have with us, Son of God?” (Matt. 8:29). We know from Matthew 1 that Jesus truly is the Son of God, born of the virgin. But Jesus usually referred to Himself as the Son of Man, an explicit reference to His humanity and a veiled reference to His deity. But the demons immediately acknowledged Jesus as more than just a man. He is the Son of God.

Ironically, just before this, the disciples were in the boat with Jesus after He calmed the storm asking, “What kind of a man is this?” “While the men in the boat are doubting what manner of man this is, that even the winds and the sea obey him, the demons come to tell them.” (Theophylact, cited in Broadus).[5] The demons know the answer. What the disciples debated, the demons proclaim. James writes in James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” The demons believe there is one God. They knew Jesus was the Son of God. But they were still evil. They believe in God, they know Jesus, but they do not love Him or worship Him. They hate Him and oppose Him.

The third thing we learn is that the demons know there is a judgment day and Jesus is the judge. After the demons address Jesus as the Son of God, they shout at him: “Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29). There will be a time for the devil and all the demonic hosts to be tortured and rejected forever. Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (cf. Jude 6). They recognized that Jesus is the one Who will discharge that judicial function at the appointed time. That Jesus was confronting their activity before the appointed time shows that Jesus’ casting out of demons was a sign that the kingdom was dawning and that Jesus is the King and the Judge (cf. Mt 12:28).[6]

The demons know why Jesus is here. 1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” That’s why Jesus came to earth. He came save us by destroying the work of Satan. As Jesus approached the time of His death on the cross, He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (John 12:31). Paul writes that at the cross, Jesus “…disarmed principalities and powers” and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2:15).

“Because the King of the future age arrived in the first century, His kingdom also invaded this world in a way hidden to people but recognized by the evil one and his forces. The demons here, believing they are free to torment people until the final day and expecting eternal torment in the day of judgment, recognize that their judge has just shown up, before the appointed time.” God’s ultimate intervention is yet to come, but this does not prevent us from depending on His power over the evil one in the present.[7]

That’s what we learn from Jesus’ confrontation with evil in these verses. Satan comes to steal and destroy. The devils know that Jesus is the Son of God who will judge. And they know their time is short.

2. Jesus overpowers evil (Matthew 8:30-32)

Next, we move from Jesus confronting evil spirits to Jesus them. Look at Matthew 8:30-32:

30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. (Matt. 8:30-32).

These verses teach us several things about Jesus’ power over evil. First, devils have no power over Christ. Did you notice how the demons are literally begging Jesus in this passage? They don’t even put up a fight, because they know they are no match for Christ.

Remember in the Old Testament when Satan approached God about Job? Satan couldn’t do anything to Job without first asking permission from God. Satan has a lot of power in this world, but he has no power except that which God allows him. And he certainly has no power over Christ. Jesus told his disciples in John 14 right before going to the cross: “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.” (John 14:30-31). Jesus went to the cross not because Satan had any power over Christ, but because Jesus loves the Father and does exactly what the Father commands Him. The cross was God’s idea, not Satan’s. In the contest between Jesus and Satan, there is no contest. Satan has no power over Christ.

Secondly, devils must obey Jesus’ commands. The demons begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. And as soon as Jesus said, “Go!” they went. They had no choice in the matter. Jesus just says the word and they go.

People sometimes wonder why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs. They think, “That wasn’t very nice to those poor pigs. Somebody call PETA!” Well, remember those pigs were going to get slaughtered and eaten anyway! Someone said this was the first case of “deviled ham”. So why did Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs? I believe it was meant as a visual demonstration of His power. Mark tells us there were about two thousand pigs in the herd (Mark 5:13). The death of all these pigs shows it is true what Mark and Luke both report the demonized man said when Jesus asked his name, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30). A Roman legion was at least 5000 men. There was a great number of demons that were driven out of these men. It’s one thing to drive out one demon but to drive out thousands of demons with a simple command is an amazing display of power. Make no mistake—Jesus defeated an army of demons from hell. Evil is no match for Jesus.

What do we learn from this section on Jesus overpowering evil? Devils have no power over Christ. They must obey Jesus’ commands. And their doom is sure. Isn’t it becoming obvious that Jesus is the Messiah-King? You would think all would run to Him and believe in Him. But not all do because…

3. Men are still deceived by evil (Matt. 8:33-34)

We have seen Jesus, confronting evil in the demonized men. We have seen Jesus, overpowering evil in casting out the demons and sending them into the swine to their death. And now the last two verses of this passage teach us that men are still deceived by evil. Look at Matthew 8:33-34:

33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. (Matt. 8:33-34).

So, those who had been tending the pigs ran off and told the town what happened, and especially what happened to the demon-possessed men. The whole town came out to meet Jesus, but instead of welcoming Him and embracing Him with faith, they asked Him to leave. Satan may no longer possess the two men of the tombs, but he continues to deceive the whole town about Jesus. And just as the demons “begged” Jesus to send them into the pigs, so the people from the town “begged” Jesus to leave their region.

Jesus had just cast thousands of demons out of these two men and restored them to their right minds. And yet the people were so upset about losing the pigs and so fearful of Jesus’ power, that they wanted Him to leave. Surely everyone in that town knew Jesus had demonstrated who He was.

 D.A. Carson writes: “the loss of the herd became a way of exposing the real values of the people in the vicinity. They preferred pigs to persons, swine to the Savior.”[8] Frank Stagg comments, “Matthew’s interest is in the overcoming of the demons and the failure of the townsmen to accept a salvation which had drawn near, choosing to live in the tyranny of fear rather than in the freedom of faith.”[9]

Especially for those of us who know Christ, it baffles us why they wanted Him to leave. But honestly, it makes me wonder why people reject Him today too. When we see who Jesus is, and what He desires for our lives, I can’t figure out why instead of pleading with men to come to the Savior, we don’t have a line of people waiting to get in. Why don’t people just flock to Jesus?

There is really only one explanation. The Bible teaches us that Satan’s future doom is sure, but in the present, the whole world is under Satan’s control. We read in 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” The devil continues to deceive people about Jesus. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 about those who are perishing, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Cor. 4:4).

It is obvious that the people from the town were also under the influence of the evil one. They were just as much controlled by their sin and blinded to the truth. They asked Jesus to leave, and He left. We don’t know that He ever returned. Be careful what you ask, especially when you ask Jesus to leave you alone. If you make anything in your life more important than Jesus, you are being deceived by Satan and living in the oppression of fear.

Satan still works to deceive in this world, but Jesus has come and given us understanding. We heard 1 John 5:19 a minute ago which said that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. Now listen to the next verse: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20).

Yes, Satan still deceives, but Jesus has come and has given us understanding. He reveals the truth so we may know Him who is true. He opens the eyes of those who have been blinded by the god of this age so that they may see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Mark tells us that after Jesus cast out the legion of demons, “the man who had been demon-possessed” was with Jesus “sitting down, clothed and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15). And Mark says that he begged Jesus that he might go with Him (Mark 5:18). The demonized men went away from their encounter with Jesus saved; the others chose to remain lost in their sin.

The point is clear. There is no doubt who Jesus is. He is the Christ, the Son of God. There is no doubt what Jesus can do. He destroys the works of the wicked one. He sets free those oppressed by evil.  

If you have never given your life to Jesus let me ask you, “Why?” If you have never publicly confessed Him, “Why?” If you have never obeyed in baptism, “Why?” Your rejection of Christ is just as baffling as the rejection of this town.  

So, this morning let me ask you to do what these would not. Open your eyes to see that Jesus is the One who can save you. And instead of asking Him to leave, why don’t you ask to go with Him. Surrender your life to Christ. He has power over demons, the devil, and all evil. He offered Himself on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. He defeated all evil at the cross. He rose from the grave and lives today to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. He is the Savior of the world. Would you trust Him as your Savior today?

———————————————————-

[1] 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), 217.

[2] 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), 357.

[3] Scott L. Harris, Jesus’ Authority Over The Supernatural – Matthew 8:28-34. https://www.gracebibleny.org/jesus_authority_over_the_supernatural_matthew_8_28_34  

[4] Ray Fowler, Power over Satan. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/power-over-satan/. I adapted Fowler’s outline and drew from some of his points.

[5] 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), 218.

[6] 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), 218.

[7] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 8:29.

[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), 219.

[9] Frank Stagg, “Matthew,” in Matthew–Mark, ed. Clifton J. Allen, Broadman Bible Commentary (Broadman Press, 1969), 128.

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Will You Follow Jesus?

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Will You Follow Jesus?

Matthew 8:18-22

What does it look like to be a follower of Jesus? Is it enough for a person just to say they follow Jesus, or would you expect something more from someone who says they follow Christ?[1]

Sadly, many of us can identify with the sadness, the concern, of having a loved one who has made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but it seems as though their lives have not significantly changed since then. Maybe it’s a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, or a spouse. You know that their life does not match their claim to be a follower of Jesus. It pains me that we have seen some people come to this church, make a profession of faith in Christ, we baptize them, and then never see them again.

We are studying a section of Matthew’s Gospel that highlights Jesus’ authority and power. Matthew is showing that Jesus is the Messiah-King who has all divine authority. Matthew 5-7 presented Jesus’ authoritative teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Now, Matthew 8-9 presents Jesus’ authoritative deeds as seen through His miracles. In these two chapters, Matthew pulls together nine specific miracles of Jesus and summarizes many more. In these accounts, we see Christ’s authority over disease, demons, nature, and even death.

Remember that Jesus has already performed three significant healing miracles in Matthew 8. He has touched and cleansed a man with leprosy (Matt. 8:1-4). He has healed the servant of a centurion by just speaking the word from a distance (Matt. 8:5-13). He has instantly and completely healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a debilitating fever (Matt. 8:14-15). Then we saw Jesus cast out evil spirits from the demon-possessed and heal all who came to Him (Matt. 8:16). All this, Matthew shows, was a fulfillment of scripture that Jesus came to bear our sins in His atoning death on the cross according to Isaiah 53.

Interspersed between each group of three miracles, Matthew presents four dialogues that focus on discipleship. So, we see that Jesus has authority over people, particularly those who would be His disciples. Jesus has the authority to call people to follow Him. And Jesus has the right to evaluate the people who claim they want to follow Him.[2] Therefore, if you are going to follow Jesus, it must be on his terms rather than your own.[3]

The Setting

Matthew not only wants you to know that Jesus is the Messiah-King, he also wants you to know what to do with that truth—how to respond to Jesus. And that is the focus of our text today in Matthew 8:18-22. Matthew 8:18 sets the stage: “And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.”

As a result of His authoritative teaching and His authoritative healings, vast multitudes of people surrounded Jesus. Some of these people were seeking to be Jesus’ followers, to be His disciples. If it had been His desire to amass as many followers as He could, then Jesus could have just stayed where He was, in Capernaum of Galilee, where multitudes of eager followers were coming to Him. When Matthew tells us that Jesus “saw great multitudes,” it suggests a careful, reflective kind of look. He saw the crowd, evaluated what He saw, and then gave orders to depart to the other side of the lake.

Why, at a time of such great popularity, would Jesus leave the multitudes who wanted to be with Him?

It may be, as some have suggested, that He was simply very tired; and the limitations of humanity demanded that He get away from the crowds and rest. We’re told in the next passage, in verse 24, that He fell asleep in the boat. But I think there is more to it than that. Jesus is not simply looking for crowds who will follow Him around. He is looking for disciples who will follow His commands. The crowds are there because of Jesus’ miracles. They are more interested in what Jesus can do for them than what Jesus requires of them.[4] So, Jesus was leaving. His departure put those who would be His disciples into the position of making difficult choices; and thus, of proving their own faithfulness to Him by their actions.

And here in Matthew 8:18-22, we find two potential followers, two men who respond to Jesus. But the significance of the story is not in these two men themselves (in fact, Matthew tells us little about them, not even whether they in fact ultimately joined Jesus or not). Instead, the emphasis is on Jesus’ remarkable responses to these potential disciples. As Jesus evaluated them, the first person was too quick to promise and the second was too slow to perform. Jesus responds to them exposing the obstacles that each had to being a true disciple. Jesus told the first that following Him meant homelessness. He told the second that following Him came before loyalty even to the closest members of his family.[5] Jesus expresses the uncompromising authority of the demands that He makes on His followers.[6]

In the first man, we see that …

1. Following Jesus comes before personal comfort (Matt. 8:19-20)

Matthew 8:19 says, “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’” A scribe was a man who was an expert in the Jewish scriptures, a teacher of the law of Moses. REmember that Jesus mentioned scribes in His Sermon on the Mount when He said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20). Most Jews thought of the scribes as righteous men. Jesus said to enter God’s kingdom you must have a righteousness greater than the scribes. Theirs was an external self-righteousness of rules and rituals. Jesus demanded an internal righteousness from the heart. Then, also remember that when Jesus finished teaching the Sermon on the Mount, he comments that Jesus “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matt. 7:29). So, although the Jews may have thought highly of the scribes, Jesus was not so enamored by them. In fact, later in Matthew, Jesus says about them, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” (Matt. 23:2-3).

We don’t know if this particular scribe was like the rest of them that Jesus spoke against. Perhaps he was different. After all, he came to Jesus. He called Him “Teacher”. While we know Jesus is much more than a teacher, this scribe is showing an astounding measure of respect to Jesus. And he expressed an enthusiastic desire to follow Jesus, saying, “I will follow You wherever You go.”

How did Jesus respond to this scribe who seemed so eager to follow Him? Jesus did not seem to be very impressed with this man’s offer at all. In fact, what He said to the scribe seemed designed to discourage him from going on any further with Him (Matt. 8:20), “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Think about what Jesus was telling the scribe. Even the humble creatures of nature, the foxes and the birds, have places to lay their head at night. But Jesus, “the Son of Man“, had no such creaturely comforts. He didn’t have a place to lay His head at night. As far as we know, Jesus had very few possessions—no home of His own. When he was arrested and crucified, He had nothing but the clothes on His back. Jesus would increasingly be rejected by His own people and ultimately delivered up to be killed.

Jesus said this to the scribe to bring him to a crisis point in his following. Perhaps that is why Jesus here introduces the title by which He most often would refer to Himself: “the Son of Man“. This title occurs eighty-one times in the Gospels always on the lips of Jesus or on the lips of those who are quoting Jesus.[7] In Matthew Jesus uses “the Son of Man” to teach that He has authority on earth to forgive sin (Matt. 9:6), to affirm His full deity (Matt. 16:13–17), that He would ransom His people from their sins (Matt. 20:28), that He would die on the cross and rise from the dead on the third day (Matt. 17:22–23; 20:18–19), and that He will return one day in judgment (Matt. 24:27–31).[8]

What does the title “Son of Man” mean? On the surface, it simply means “a man,” or “the nature of a man”. Psalm 8:4, uses it this way when it asks, “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” But this title implies more than just Jesus’ human nature. Jesus uses “the Son of Man” to emphasize His humanity while at the same time revealing His deity. Jesus is fully human, but He is also fully divine. He left His heavenly home and came to Earth where He no longer had a home.

As a scribe, this potential follower would have been very familiar with the passages in the Scriptures that spoke of the Messiah. He should have thought about what it says in Daniel 7:13-14 about the Messiah; where Daniel writes,

I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).

This scribe should have realized that the Man standing before Him is “the Son of Man” spoken of in Daniel, that He was the Messiah to whom all the kingdoms of this world are destined to be given. The glories of the coming Kingdom are found in Jesus. Hadn’t Jesus been preaching the kingdom and teaching about the kingdom and performing the miraculous signs of the kingdom? Was this man thinking, “Teacher, I know the glorious Kingdom that You are destined to receive! And so, I will follow You wherever You go”?

But Jesus put the brakes on this scribe’s enthusiasm. He told the scribe that He, the Son of Man, didn’t even yet have a place to lay His head, He was letting the man know that before the riches of the Kingdom would be realized, the sufferings and trials of the cross would have to be experienced. As Jesus says elsewhere:

For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first, He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (Luke 17:24-25; also Matt. 24:27-28).

The scribe was looking at Jesus as the fast track to the glories of the Kingdom. But Jesus was letting the man know that his immediate worldly expectations of comfort and exaltation would not be fulfilled by following Jesus. The glories would come, but the suffering and the cross come first.

This man had unrealistic expectations of what would happen if he followed Jesus. He likely expected that he would soon receive an exalted position, a glorious palace, and the comforts and treasures of the kingdom of heaven. But Jesus was letting him know that following Him would not lead to the worldly things that He expected.[9]

Why would Jesus discourage this man like this? Once again Jesus is not looking for a crowd to follow him around. He is looking for disciples who will follow His commands and ultimately who will follow Him to the cross. Jesus is Lord, not a celebrity. Jesus put the will of His Father above earthly comfort. He was an obedient servant even to the point of suffering and death on the cross. Jesus put His mission to save you above His own comfort. Will you put Him before yours?

Then we come to the second potential follower of Jesus where we learn that …

2. Following Jesus comes before personal relationships (Matt. 8:21-22)

Matthew tells us,

Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father” (Matt. 8:21).

Commentators disagree over what this man’s comment meant. It may mean, as it appears, that his father had just died and that he needed to go and attend to his burial. But the Jews in that day usually buried a dead body the same day that they died. There was no embalming or waiting. Others have suggested that his father was sick and was in the process of dying and that he needed to stay home and attend to him. Others suggest that it was a reference, not only to care for the man’s father but also to the estate that needed to be settled and the inheritance would be his when his father died and was buried, whenever that time would come.

On the surface, this seems like a valid excuse, to attend to the needs of his father. But Jesus would not accept the man’s excuse. Jesus said something that, on the surface, seems harsh and insensitive:

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt. 8:22).

But consider some of the details. For one thing, the man was called “another of His disciples“. He had already made the commitment to follow. Unlike the scribe, he called Jesus, “Lord”, not just “Teacher”. Second, Jesus’ command to “Follow Me” is a present tense command, meaning, “Keep following Me”. Jesus confronted this disciple with the fact that He was about to leave. The man wanted to stop following Jesus for a while in order to attend to his father. And third, the man used a keyword that pointed out the whole nature of his problem. The word was “first“: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” The man had already begun to follow but was about to stop following because he had a greater priority than following Jesus at the moment.

This man was putting something other than Jesus first in his life. He was putting personal relationships before Christ. There’s a disconnect when you say to Jesus, “Lord, first …” You don’t call Jesus “Lord” and then put your agenda before his.

Jesus’ answer suggests that other people could have attended to the man’s father, whatever the concerns of his father might have been. And Jesus may have been indicating the spiritual state of this man’s family—they were spiritually dead, not believers. The gospel of Luke adds an additional command that Jesus gave here: “Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:60). In other words, don’t be like the spiritually dead who hold back from following Jesus. Instead, as one who is spiritually alive, go forth and share the gospel with those who are spiritually dead so that they might receive life and follow Christ who is the giver of life.

Finally, I can’t help noticing that Matthew doesn’t tell us what happened to either of these men. Did they get on the boat or walk away? We’re not told if they responded by turning back in discouragement or if either one repented and became devoted followers from then on. Their stories are left open-ended. We’re left to wonder what they did with Jesus’ high call for total devotion, just as it now waits to be seen what we will do with it!

The first man was eager to follow but Jesus cautioned him to consider the cost. He wanted to jump in too quickly. The second man was too slow to follow Jesus because earthly matters took priority in his life. Matthew included enough of the story so that you and I would know what Jesus required of His followers. What matters today is your response and mine.

And so; what kind of a follower are you right now? Have you been thinking that all that was required to become one of His followers was that you simply profess faith in Him? Have you been thinking that to be one of His followers, you could just say “I will follow” but not do it? Have you put personal comfort or personal relationships before obedience to Christ?

Some of you here today are like the scribe or that disciple. You profess to love Jesus. You would like to follow him, but you are hesitant about all the sacrifices that following Him might mean in your lifestyle. You want to follow, but first, you need to take care of business, or you do not want to risk your relationships with your family and friends. It is time to get off the fence. You know that Jesus wants more. He must be Lord.

Do not let the things of this world, or family pressures keep you away from following Jesus. His authority is real. He is Lord. He is God in human flesh who has the power and authority to forgive your sin and give you eternal life. Repent of your sin, believe that He died for your sins and was raised for your justification. Confess Him as Lord and follow Him wherever He leads, even though it means a cross. Jesus has commanded us to follow Him—don’t miss the boat!

 

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[1] Ray Fowler, The Cost of Following Jesus. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/the-cost-of-following-jesus/

[2] Richard Caldwell, Discouraging Superficial Discipleship | Matthew 8:18-22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bThulptuX3Q&t=1237s&ab_channel=FoundersBaptist

[3] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 130.

[4] Fowler, The Cost of Following Jesus. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/the-cost-of-following-jesus/.

[5] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 130.

[6] R. T. France, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Volume 1. Inter-Varsity Press, England 1985. Quoted on https://www.bibleoutlines.com/matthew-818-22-the-demands-of-discipleship/

[7] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 135.

[8] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 135.

[9] Greg Allen, It Costs to Follow! https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/082105.htm

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