The last four verses of Matthew 9 speak volumes. Here’s verse 35.

verse 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages: The key word here is all. Our Lord, the savior of the world, the sinless Son of God, went through every city and every village seeking to save the lost and seeking to make God known. This is a relentless passion and work ethic.

teaching in their synagogues: Synagogues weren’t always friendly places. Formal, orthodox rabbis were offended by Jesus. Jesus was a threat to them. Yet, by the Providence of God Jesus is able to teach there.

proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom: This is the real intent and goal of Jesus. He doesn’t present the gospel, He PROCLAIMS it! It bursts forth from Him. He cannot help it. It wells up and he preaches it with passion and zeal. It is THE message, the main TRUTH of the Bible, and the the GREATEST thing mankind NEEDS.

the gospel: The lost are estranged from God because of sin and rebellion and pride. Christians too need the gospel. We continue to sin. We have no way on our own to be right with God except through the the death and blood of Jesus for our sins. Someone had to die for our sins. Jesus willingly took our place. He died for us. And with that Jesus’ perfect life is credited to us, as if we had lived His perfect life. The Gospel is we can be forgiven because of Jesus and through Jesus.

healing every disease and every affliction: This is the character of God. In the life of Jesus, for the three and half years He walked the earth, he revealed God was good and gracious and helpful to those in need.

Verse 35 shows us God. We see His heart and what matters most to Him. More verses to come on Wednesday.

 

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Some helpful insights about memorizing Scripture

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We are sometimes like the Pharisees. We like to look down our noses at certain people. Jesus goes out of His way to show that no one is below His mercy and fellowship.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples: Jews were commanded to be separate from anything outright sinful. Jesus, revealing the character of God, came to draw outright sinful people to himself.

Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? This is a fair question to ask from a Jewish standpoint.

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick: This is logic and wisdom straight from heaven, straight from God. Sick, sinful, broken people need someone greater than them to be healthy and forgiven. And someone greater needs to seek them out. This is why Jesus came. We are to have the same heart for sinners as Jesus does. To seek and to save the lost.

Go and learn: This is discipleship.

I desire mercy, and not sacrifice: Mercy for sinners not snobbish, self-righteousness.

For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners: The wording of this has a sharp edge. Jesus did not come for people who think they are superior. He came for those who know they are helpless sinners.

Matthew, a despised person in Israel, is someone Jesus seeks. The lost really matter to Jesus.

 

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This is helpful

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Sometimes we feel like an outcast. Sometimes we feel we’ve made mistakes and we can’t get out from under it. And sometimes we walk headlong into sin and we frankly don’t want to stop. Matthew is one these people.

verse 9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Jesus passed on from there: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He came to seek Matthew, a man who is an outcast, but a wealthy and powerful outcast. Jesus has sought us and continues to seek us. Never underestimate this. Today He seeks YOU! Even after we are saved Jesus pursues us to change us to be like Him!

he saw a man called Matthew: His eyes were set on the lost. See Luke 19:10, Ezekiel 34:11; Ezekiel 34:16; Luke 15:4; and Matthew 18:12.

sitting at the tax booth: Matthew, a Jew, was a Roman tax collector. The Romans hired Jews to collect taxes from Jews. This was despised! The Romans were unclean and unwanted; and they overly taxed the Jews. No devout Jew would take this job. Matthew was shunned from Jewish life, Jewish family, and Jewish religious life.

Follow me: No Jewish teacher would seek out Matthew to be a disciple. But this is just what Jesus, a Jewish teacher, DID!! And this is what Jesus DOES for us regardless of our sin or our background. To follow Jesus is to walk away from ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that hinders and distracts is from Jesus.

And he rose and followed him: Matthew walked away from a very wealthy life. But he walked into a MUCH MORE spiritually wealthy, healthy, and whole life with Jesus. Nothing in this world can compare with Jesus. We are blind to this truth until God opens our eyes.

In Jesus are the greatest pleasures and deepest peace. This is what Matthew needed. This is what we all need everyday.

 

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Go see this movie

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Jesus is the smartest man who ever lived. The story in Matthew 9:1-9 is one example of this.

verse 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

verse 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

verse 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

This man is blaspheming: In their eyes, Jesus is blaspheming. Only God can forgive sins. With good or bad intentions/beliefs this is how they see it.

Why do you think evil in your hearts: If these men had previous encounters with Jesus, especially if they have seen miracles, it is easy to to why Jesus would call them out for for their evil thoughts. Jesus could be addressing their motives and their pride. There can be a self-righteous pleasure in confronting others.

For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’: Jesus will do something visual and logical with their evil hearts. It’s one thing to say something immeasurable (Your sins are forgiven). It’s another thing to perform a miracle and reveal your power and authority (Rise and walk). He will perform the miracle in verse 6 and 7.

This is one of many examples of Jesus confounding religious leaders. They will persist though, but in the end they will give up. See Matthew 22:41-46

 

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This is long, but it is good

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Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We see this in the first story of Matthew 9.

verse 1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

verse 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

his own city: Capernaum. The four major towns in Jesus life are Bethlehem (his birth), Nazareth (where he grew up), Capernaum (where he did many miracles and taught and drew in disciples), and Jerusalem (where he taught, did miracles, was arrested, tried, crucified, buried and resurrected).

when Jesus saw their faith: It’s helpful to read the version of this story in Mark 2:1-12. This is the story where the men take off part of the roof to lower the paralytic through. It is the faith of all of them that Jesus commends and responds to. And it is because of of their faith that the paralytic is forgiven his sins and healed.

Take heart: One the surface, Jesus’ encouragement here could be the fact of the paralysis and maybe the audacity/trepidation of coming through the roof. Down deeper, though, this might be something sweeter and deeper if he struggled with faith and confidence and discouragement.

my son: In this same chapter Jesus refers to a very broken and unclean woman as daughter. Jesus’ tenderness should sink in for all of us. We are included in these terms.

your sins are forgiven: They seek healing. Jesus will do that second. First, he declares the man’s sins are forgiven, which is far more important. Our sins must, must, must be dealt with.

Ailments are often thought to be connected to sin. People think of them as punishments. There is some truth in this, but not always. Job and Paul suffered ailments and they were not connected to sin.

This man is made completely right with God on the basis of his faith. This is how grace works. Jesus initiates the forgiveness before it is asked for. This is seen all through the Bible. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. John 3:16

Again, our sins must, must, must be dealt with. Confess, confess, confess. Repent, repent, repent.

 

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This is a good movie to see. The topic is wrenching, but their courage and commitment is more important.

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Matthew 9 has a different tone to it. It’s still largely about miracles, but in the first two Jesus is confronted by the Scribes and Pharisees. Then John the Baptist disciples have a question.

The miracles all have a deep sense of need and in each we see Jesus’ heart for people.

The last miracle involves a man possessed by a demon and another confrontation with a Pharisee. There are comparisons with the demon possession story in Matthew 8.

In the middle of all this is the great story of Matthew, hated tax collector, becoming a disciple. Jesus cares little about past reputations.

The last paragraph is a big window in Jesus’ heart.

It’s a GOOD chapter!

 

If you read Romans last month. This month we’ll be reading 1 & 2 Corinthians. That’s 29 chapters in 31 days.

 

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A little about Ellen G. White and Seventh Day Adventism

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What Jesus did for them, he can do for us!

verse 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

verse 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men: An eye witness would have spoken of the change in the men, the words of Jesus and the demons, and the events with pigs. Matthew writes that the locals emphasized the change in the men. In human terms and spiritual terms, this makes sense. People changing gets our attention. People changing because the power of another man especially get our attention.

The herdsmen saw the goodness and power and glory of Jesus. This changes people. This changes us!

the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region: Why? Why would they ask Jesus to leave? It’s generally understood they are focusing on the death of the pigs and what they means to them financially. If this is true, they are missing the very thing the need most, the goodness and power and glory of Jesus.

They, and like us too often, miss the most important thing. Their values are upside down. Their loves are disordered. Things of earth mean too much to them.

This story is incomprehensible to us. We cannot wrap our minds around being confronted with two demon possessed men. We can only imagine their transformation through the love and grace and power of Jesus. Here’s the point. Jesus changes people, even demon possessed people. If He can do that for them, he can change whatever is broken or evil or sinful in our life.

 

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If your reading the book of Romans

A good link even if you have not read the book

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Anything to do with evil is reckless, fearful, dangerous, and unnerving. Let us never take sin or evil lightly.

verse 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.

verse 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

verse 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

Now a herd of many pigs: This is the twist in the story. What becomes of the pigs reveals both the power of Jesus and the evil nature of the demons.

the demons begged him: This is helpful and insightful about how the demons, the devil too, see Jesus. They are beggars. They are powerless before Him.

If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs: The demons know the power of Jesus to cast them where he wishes. This should be helpful. Evil is always on a leash. Demons in pigs is a mystery.

And he said to them, “Go.” Everything is at the command and will and purposes of God.

the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters: This is part of the mystery of demons in pigs. Where the demons went next is unknown. This not their final judgement.

This is one of the best stories in the Bible to humble us about dabbling in sin and evil. If we were eye-witnesses to this, we would shaken. It would leave a needed and lasting impression on us.

 

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A short article about AI and Christians

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The final story in Matthew 8 involves demons. It is probably the strongest story in the chapter. In our day and time it is incomprehensible.

verse 28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.

verse 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

so fierce that no one could pass that way: There are three ways to see this story. One is the plight of the men. The horror they have had to live with. Second is the reality and power and aggressiveness of evil. Third is how Jesus handles everything. In other words… 1. The devil does attack us. 2. The devil is beyond our understanding and fear of wickedness. 3. Jesus is always in control.

The possession was SO fierce NO ONE could pass that way. Let that sink in. It’s not passive. The possession was aggressive and deadly.

What have you to do with us, O Son of God? They know who Jesus is, which means they know His power.

Have you come here to torment us before the time? They knew their future.

First, see how horrifying evil is. Sin is evil. Let’s not see ANY sin apart from the evil that it is. Second, see the power and goodness of Jesus. He is in control. He is always in control.

 

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This is the famous and helpful story about forgetting who loves us.

verse 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

verse 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

verse 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”

behold, there arose a great storm on the sea: Why did God subject the disciples to this storm? He didn’t have to. First, Christians, even the twelve apostles, do not get a free pass in life. Everyone, without exception, suffers. Second, God has his purposes in everything. Third, God is always at work to mature us, to see him, to need him, to have our hearts true to him, to test us, and many, many more ways He is at work.

the boat was being swamped by the waves: Things go from bad to worse. They will sometimes go from bad to worse in our life too. No free passes.

they went and woke him: Verse 25 is a full of human realities. It is also famously short (like many similar verses) on all that is going on. They wake Jesus feeling terror. Jesus sleeping is significant. Jesus knows stress (read of the times Jesus is confronted, accused, anguishing in prayer, weeping, beaten, crucified, etc.), yet he is asleep at this moment. Huh?

Nature is at His control, yet he chooses not to control it. Not yet, at least. Nature is presently out of control (in one sense, but not on another sense, for nature is always on a leash held by God) and that is okay with Jesus at this specific moment. Jesus is okay with the storm. He is at peace with it.

What if the disciples had decided to let things play out? That is the million dollar question! Answer: they would have been okay.

Save us, Lord; we are perishing: Are they? Or are they failing to interpret their situation in light of The Creator and The Sustainer in their midst.

Was it wrong to wake him? No. It was wrong to presume their were perishing. Are their words understandable. Oh, yes! But they were not acting or thinking or feeling or talking in relation to who they were with, who had chosen them, who holds all things in his hands, who has BIG plans for them.

What would have been a better words? Perhaps, “Help us, Lord!” This expresses their need (which God always wants to hear!) and it stops there, trusting that Jesus in His providence and in His purposes will respond. They are to live by faith, not by sight or their feelings.

This is tough stuff!!

 

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If your reading the book of Romans

This article is helpful

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