Matthew Chapter 9
Memory verses
for this week: Isa 53:5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed.
Introduction:
In
last week’s lesson, we studied about Jesus healing the various people
with afflictions. He later proved his claim as being equal with God
when he calmed the storms on the sea, and then casting out the demons
from the men and placing them in the swine.
I. Jesus Heals the
Palsied in Capernaum
Mat 9:1 And he entered into a ship,
and passed over, and came into his own city.
Mat 9:2 And, behold, they brought to
him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their
faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins
be forgiven thee.
When it says he
returned into his own city has reference to Capernaum. Apparently
some friends of the man with the palsy brought him to Christ to be
healed. Jesus says their faith in making this act, and he blessed the
man for it. Our faith must be put to work for others to see that we
are real in our Christianity. If you have no action in your life in
the work of the Lord, God is not glorified.
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath
not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and
I will show thee my faith by my works.
James 2:19 Thou believest that there
is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:21 Was not Abraham our
father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the
altar?
James 2:22 Seest thou how faith
wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James 2:23 And the scripture was
fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by
works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
It says in verse 2
that Jesus forgave the man his sins. Jesus only has the power to
forgive sins.
Mat 9:3 And, behold, certain of the
scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Mat 9:4 And Jesus knowing their
thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
Mat 9:5 For whether is easier, to
say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
Some of the leading
religious leaders, the scribes, heard what Jesus said and said “This
man blasphemeth.” But I am sure they were surprised when Jesus knew
their thoughts and responded to them. Jesus questions them and asks
what is more difficult, to forgive sins or to say to the man with the
palsy to arise and walk. The scribes could claim that there was no
proof that he sins were forgiven, but they would have a hard time
arguing the point if the man arose and walked away. Back then, many
people (mainly the Pharisees) thought that the sickness was the result
of sin.
Mat 9:6 But that ye may know that
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to
the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
house.
Mat 9:7 And he arose, and departed
to his house.
Mat 9:8 But when the multitude saw
it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto
men.
Jesus told them that
he was going to give them a demonstration to prove that he had the
power on earth to forgive sins. He tells the man with the palsy to
arise and take up his bed, and to go to his house. And immediately,
as in all examples in the bible of Christ healing, the healing was
total, complete, and exactly what the man needed. The may walking
away proved that Jesus had the power to forgive sins. You and I
cannot forgive sins—only the Lord Jesus can do that. And since we
cannot forgive sins, we cannot make a man walk. Satan is a deceiver,
and we need to really question the false healers of our day. These
that do these false examples of healing don’t do things the way Christ
did, and they do not have the power to heal. God and God only can
heal, and if someone is healed, it will be God’s Will. We need to
make sure that God receives the glory if someone is healed, not some
false prophet coming in sheep’s clothing. In verse 8 it says the
multitude marvel and glorified God for what they had witnessed. No
one ever had the power that Jesus had.
II. The Call of
Matthew
Mat 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth
from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of
custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed
him.
It says that Matthew
was a tax collector. When Christ came by, he gave him the command to
come and follow. Matthew did not argue, but arose and followed
Christ. God’s command to all who are saved is to follow Him. If we
want to be a disciple, we must learn to crucify self and our flesh,
and live for God and glorify Christ with our lives.
Matthew Henry said
this about Matthew’s call:
We find not that Matthew looked after
Christ, or had any inclination to follow him, though some of his
kindred were already disciples of Christ, but Christ prevented him
with the blessings of his goodness. He is found of those that seek him
not. Christ spoke first; we have not chosen him, but he hath
chosen us. He said, Follow me; and the same divine, almighty
power accompanied this word to convert Matthew, which attended that
word (v. 6), Arise and walk, to cure the man sick of the palsy.
Note, A saving change is wrought in the soul by Christ as the
Author, and his word as the means. His gospel is the
power of God unto salvation, Rom. 1:16. The call was effectual,
for he came at the call; he arose, and followed him
immediately; neither denied, nor deferred his obedience. The power of
divine grace soon answers and overcomes all objections. Neither his
commission for his place, nor his gains by it, could detain him, when
Christ called him. He conferred not with flesh and blood, Gal.
1:15, 16. He quitted his post, and his hopes of preferment in that
way; and, though we find the disciples that were fishers occasionally
fishing again afterwards, we never find Matthew at the receipt of
custom again.
III. Jesus Answers
the Pharisees
Mat 9:10 And it came to pass, as
Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners
came and sat down with him and his disciples.
Mat 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw
it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with
publicans and sinners?
It is interesting that
the publicans and sinners came and sat with Christ and his disciples.
You would have thought it would be the religious people who came to
Jesus, but they did not see their need. Until a man or woman sees
themselves as a sinner, they will never be saved. These self
righteous Pharisees ask the disciples why that Jesus would eat with
publicans and sinners. What a bad attitude to have. I am thankful
that Jesus wants to have something to do with the wicked and the lost,
or I would never have found Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.
Jesus loved me when I was unlovable, and came and died for our sins,
the just dying for the unjust. What love God has for us.
Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that,
he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick.
Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what
that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Christ answered with
an answer that no doubt has both a spiritual and physical
application. He says that the whole man has no need of a doctor, but
the one who is sick. The lost man or woman is the one who needs
Christ to be saved. These Pharisees no doubt thought they were above
sin, but the reality was they were as lost as any of the publicans and
sinners who came to eat with Christ. We all are in need of the Great
Physician to save us. The only righteous ones in God’s eyes are
those who are saved. God can see us as pure through the blood of
Jesus Christ… with his imputed righteousness, certainly not our own.
Mat 9:14 Then came to him the
disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but
thy disciples fast not?
Mat 9:15 And Jesus said unto them,
Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom
is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be
taken from them, and then shall they fast.
The disciples of John
(probably Andrew and Philip) come and ask a question to Christ. They
wanted to know why they and John had fasted (like the Pharisees), but
the disciples of Christ did not. Jesus answers them with an answer
of love (unlike the rebuke he gave the Pharisees), and says that the
time would come when they would need to fast. This would be after
Jesus died and the church will be waiting for the bridegroom to come.
IV. Parable of the
Garment and Bottles
Mat 9:16 No man putteth a piece of
new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up
taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine
into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out,
and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and
both are preserved.
Christ is basically
teaching here that grace and the law simply do not mix. The old
dispensation of the law was being replaced by a newer and greater
dispensation… the dispensation of the New Testament known as the
dispensation of Grace. (and the church age.) Christ tells them that
you can’t take the living truth of the gospel and put it into the
ordinances of the law. The new wine goes into new bottles.
I liked what J. Vernon McGee said about these
verses.
Our
Lord is saying this: The old covenant, the old dispensation of law,
was ending, and He had not come to project it or to continue under
that dispensation. Actually, He had come to provide a new garment, and
that new garment was the robe of righteousness which He gives to those
who do nothing more than to trust Him.
The “bottles” were the
wineskins of that day. They were fashioned of animal skin. You can see
that when new wine would be put into a new wineskin, it would expand.
But an old wineskin had reached the place of maximum expansion; when
it was filled with new wine, it would naturally burst open and the
wine would be lost.
Our Lord is saying this, “I haven’t come to
sew patches on an old garment. I have come to present a new garment,
something which is altogether new.” This was very radical. John summed
it up in his Gospel when he said, “For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
[i]
V. Jesus Heals the
Woman with Issue of Blood and Raises the Young Girl from the Dead
Mat 9:18 While he spake these things
unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him,
saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon
her, and she shall live.
Mat 9:19 And Jesus arose, and
followed him, and so did his disciples.
Mat 9:20 And, behold, a woman, which
was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and
touched the hem of his garment:
Mat 9:21 For she said within
herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
Mat 9:22 But Jesus turned him about,
and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith
hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
The ruler that comes
to Christ has great faith. He says that if Christ will come and lay
his hand on his dead daughter, that she will live again. The truth
was that Jesus didn’t even have to touch the girl.. he could have
spoke the word like he did with Lazarus and brought her back. But he
goes with the man and responds to his plea. As he journeys to this
man’s house, a woman who had a blood problem since her youth comes
believing that if she could just touch the hem of Christ’s garment,
she would be healed. Jesus turns to her and seeing her faith,
healed the woman of her disease. It wasn’t the touch of the garment
that healed her, but the faith she showed in Christ. That is the way
it is in salvation… we can show emotion or great works for the Lord,
but only our faith and repentance is what saves us. And both are
gifts of God.
Mat 9:23 And when Jesus came into
the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a
noise,
Mat 9:24 He said unto them, Give
place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to
scorn.
Mat 9:25 But when the people were
put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
Mat 9:26 And the fame hereof went
abroad into all that land.
It appears that the
people were preparing for a funeral. When Jesus told them that the
maid was not dead but sleeping, it says they laughed him to scorn.
They knew she was dead, and no talk was going to change that. But
Jesus has power over death and the grave, and he took her by the hand
and she was brought back to life. What they said did not deter Christ
in his service to God. When others make little of us or have
negative things to say about us, sometimes it affects us and we don’t
serve the Lord the way we should.
VI. Blind Men
Healed and a Demon Cast Out
Mat 9:27 And when Jesus departed
thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of
David, have mercy on us.
Mat 9:28 And when he was come into
the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them,
Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
Mat 9:29 Then touched he their eyes,
saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
Mat 9:30 And their eyes were opened;
and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
Mat 9:31 But they, when they were
departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
The blind men came to
Christ crying out for mercy. He questions them and asks if they truly
believe that He can heal their eyes. They said , “Yea Lord.” He
tells them that according to their faith, be it unto you. How much
faith do we have? Do we pray half heartedly or do we bring the power
of heaven down to earth when we pray.
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them,
Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth
not out but by prayer and fasting.
Mat 9:32 As they went out, behold,
they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
Mat 9:33 And when the devil was cast
out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was
never so seen in Israel.
Mat 9:34 But the Pharisees said, He
casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
It says they brought a
dumb man to Christ who was possesses of a devil, and when Christ
removed the devil, the dumb spake. But many of the religious people
did not believe. The Pharisees said “He casteth out devils through
the prince of the devils.” But Jesus did not… he did things as God,
who has power over all the universe.
Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees
heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their
thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself
shall not stand:
Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out
Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom
stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast
out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they
shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils
by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all
the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people.
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the
multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they
fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his
disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord
of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Jesus was constantly about doing the Heavenly Father’s business. He
taught in the synagogues, preached the Gospel, and healed those that
were sick. He truly cared, and said that the people were like sheep
without a shepherd. And he told them that the harvest is plenteous,
and there is a great need for laborers in the field. God help us all
to be better witnesses for Jesus and to try and reach the lost each
opportunity that we have. Our time is running out, and we need to
reach all we can while there is still daylight left.
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Prov
4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day.
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Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Each act spreads, and many will be
blessed.
[i]J.
Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible
commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System,
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.