MATTHEW 9
JESUS HEALS THE SICK + GIVES SIGHT TO THE BLIND
While Jesus is teaching, a few men carry their paralyzed friend to see Jesus for healing. The men firmly believe in the healing power of Jesus and are desperate to get near Him. Jesus sees the faith of the men and tells the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven.
The Pharisees and religious leaders question Jesus’ authority to forgive sins, an act that can only be done by God. Jesus tells the paralyzed man to stand up and walk home. Suddenly, the man is able to stand and praises God for his miraculous healing.
Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector (and later, the Gospel writer), to become a disciple. Culturally, being a tax collector was not a desirable career and often seen as dishonorable. Jesus enjoys a meal with tax collectors, sinners, and disciples together.
The Pharisees question Jesus, asking why He would eat and socialize with sinners. Jesus responds by saying that He came to call the sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Jesus instructs the Pharisees that God desires mercy and understanding over sacrifice, quoting Hosea 6:6.
The Pharisees ask Jesus why His followers do not fast like the other religious people, instead they feast and drink. Jesus explains that His presence with His disciples is a time of joy and celebration, not fasting.
While Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, a ruler comes and kneels before Jesus, begging for healing for his daughter. The man believes that if Jesus lays His hands on her, she will be restored to life. Along the way to heal the man’s daughter, Jesus encounters a woman who has been suffering for twelve years from hemorrhaging blood. The woman believes that because Jesus is so powerful, she would be healed if she could only touch the fringe of His clothing. The fringe she refers to is likely the tassels that Jewish people wore on their clothing as a sign of remembrance towards God’s commands (Numbers 15, Deuteronomy 22). Jesus sees the woman’s hand, acknowledges her incredible faith in Jesus, and instantly makes her well.
When Jesus arrives at the home of the ruler, there is a crowd outside of the house making a great commotion. Jesus tells them to leave, claiming that the girl is no longer dead, but instead is sleeping. Upon Jesus saying this, the crowd laughs in disbelief. Jesus enters the home, takes the girl by the hand, and she arises!
Jesus continues to heal, giving sight to two blind men and speech to a man who was mute. He wants to contain His influence, protecting the time of His eventual arrest and crucifixion. Jesus asks those He heals to remain discrete, but His fame continues to spread. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being influenced by demonic powers instead of God’s authority.
After seeing the large crowds, Jesus has compassion on the people. He encourages His disciples to continue spreading the news of the gospel, saying that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few.
