Matthew 9

Matthew 9:1-13

Chapter 18 “Learn What that Meaneth” “And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 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. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 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.

And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. 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. 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. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 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.” (Matthew 9:1-13) The Gadarenes, resenting the loss of their hogs, were disgusted with the Son of God and urged him to “depart from their coasts.” So he did. He entered into a ship and crossed over the Sea of Galilee, and came into the city of Capernaum. Capernaum is here designated “his own city,” because, at present it was the principle place of his residence and the principle city of his ministry. All that is recorded in this chapter took place in Capernaum. In just the opening verse of this instructive chapter we see a clear display both of our Lord’s justice and of his mercy. Here is his justice. – When the Gadarenes bid him depart from their coasts, he did! Not only did he depart, he departed never to return! The Son of God will not tarry where he is not wanted. In righteous judgment he forsakes those places and those people where he is neglected. Those who become weary of him will not be bothered by him. Here is his mercy. – The Gadarenes who spurned him, by their hardness of heart and unbelief, sent the Savior of the world to Capernaum, where he performed all the mighty works described in this chapter upon chosen sinners for the glory of God. The miracles performed by Christ and the events recorded in this chapter are designed to teach us who Jesus Christ is, and what he came to do. Let me show you five things in Matthew 9:1-13. May God the Holy Spirit be our teacher. I pray that he will take the things of Christ and show them to us. The Man Who is God The first thing clearly demonstrated in this ninth chapter is the fact that the man Christ Jesus is the God of grace, forgiveness, and everlasting salvation. — “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” (Matthew 9:2). Here the Lord Jesus publicly declares himself to be God by absolving the sins of the paralyzed man who lay before him. “They brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed.” — Here is a sick man with caring friends. They could not heal their friend. But they knew he could be healed. So they brought him to the Master in hopes that he would heal him. And he did what they hoped he would do (Mark 2:3). What an encouragement this should be to us to bring sinners to hear the gospel. With regard to the souls of men, the sphere of our ability is the sphere of our responsibility. We cannot save anyone; but we can bring sinners to the place where the gospel is preached and Christ is worshipped, laying them at the Savior’s feet, praying for him to have mercy upon them. Those standing by Lazarus’ tomb could not raise Lazarus from the dead; but they could take the stone away from the tomb. Therefore, the Lord Jesus graciously commanded them to do so, and gave them the privilege of doing so (John 11:39). So it is with us. We cannot perform the miracle of grace. Yet, the Lord commands us to proclaim his grace to poor, needy sinners, and gives us the privilege of being instruments in his hands, by which he calls out his own elect. Faith and Forgiveness “Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” — I find that statement remarkable. God honors faith. When the Lord Jesus saw their faith, the faith of those four friends and of the man who lay before him, he granted forgiveness. Wherever there is faith in Christ, there is assurance of adoption. The Savior called this man “Son.” It is a word that implies sonship. Here, the Master publicly owned this sinner as his own child (Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:1; Romans 8:16-17). Wherever there is assurance of sonship, there is cause for cheer. The Savior said, “Son, be of good cheer.” Even before healing him, before giving any indication that he would heal him, the Savior said, “Be of good cheer!” If I am a child of God I have reason to be of good cheer, no matter what my earthly condition is (Philippians 4:4). Wherever there is faith, there is forgiveness. — “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” All who trust Christ are forgiven of all their sins. And this forgiveness is complete, immutable (Romans 8:10), just (1 John 1:9), and perpetual (1 John 2:1-2). The Lord God will never charge the believing sinner with his sins (Romans 4:8). He who forgives sin is God our Savior. The Jews said, “This man blasphemeth.” And any mere man who pronounces the forgiveness and absolution of sin is a blasphemer. It matters not whether that man is a pope, an imaginary priest, or a Baptist preacher. But this man is God! He forgave the sins of men while on this earth; and he still forgives the sins of men on earth from his lofty throne in heaven. It is not insignificant that the first act by which the Lord Jesus demonstrated his eternal power and Godhead was to pardon this man’s sins. The reasoning of the Scribes, though formed in malice, was well founded. None but God himself can forgive sins. “And,” Robert Hawker wrote, “the Lord Jesus, by the exercise of this authority, and in the cure of the body, which immediately followed, proved that he was God.” The Omniscient God Another demonstration of our Redeemer’s divinity was the fact that he knew their thoughts, and acted upon that knowledge, by telling them what they thought. Again, no one knows the thoughts of a man but God (Jeremiah 17:10. Revelation 2:23). The Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all grace and forgiveness, also demonstrated himself to be the God of perfect and total omniscience, from whom nothing can be hidden. “And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:3-4) This is he of whom David in the Psalms spoke (Psalms 139:1-6). Jesus Christ is the omniscient, all-seeing, all-knowing God (Hebrews 4:12-13). What do you think of in private, when no man sees you? What do you think of in Church, when you are most solemn in appearance? What are you thinking at this moment? The Son of God hears it all perfectly. So strict is his justice that God will judge the very thoughts of men (Romans 2:16). To the unbeliever, the Lord’s omniscience is terrifying. To the believer, the Lord’s omniscience is most comforting (John 21:17). How we ought to thank God for the blood of Christ that “cleanseth us from all sin!” Let us ever pray for grace to reign even over the thoughts of our minds (Psalms 19:14). The Healing “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 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. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” (Matthew 9:5-8) Then, after speaking forgiveness to this man who was “sick of the palsy” and demonstrating that he knew the thoughts of the Pharisees, the Lord Jesus demonstrated his eternal Godhead by healing the man of the palsy. By performing this miracle, the Lord Jesus asserted plainly that he was and is the Messiah (the Christ) by calling himself “the Son of Man.” This was, perhaps, the most common title by which the Jews referred to the Messiah. When John sent his disciples to ask the Master whether he was the Christ who should come, the Lord Jesus referred John’s disciples to those things by which it was unquestionably demonstrated that he was and is the very Son of Man (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 2:2-6). When the Jews attacked him for healing on the sabbath day, our Savior declared that all authority was given to him to execute judgment, because he was the Son of Man. In all the miracles of mercy performed by our great Savior he acted both as our God and our Savior, as the God-man our Mediator, and thereby manifested both who he is and the great mission upon which he came into the world (Matthew 1:21). He who is our Savior is God and man in one person (John 5:17; John 17:2-3; Matthew 26:62-65; Colossians 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 3:16). Take joyful notice of our Savior’s tenderness and compassion, as it is set before us here. Though unasked, he pardoned this man’s sins and healed his body. No one can be surprised that the astonished crowd expressed thankfulness to God. But this is, or should be, surprising to all who read this inspired record that after such a great, public demonstration of divine grace, omniscience, and power there appears to have been no saving faith in those who saw and heard these things. But those who are taught of God understand this, too. Faith in Christ is the gift and operation of God the Holy Spirit.

Spiritually dead sinners cannot believe, except God the Holy Spirit give them life and faith in Christ (Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:14; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 27:26; Romans 11:8). Let us never read such passages as this without lifting our hearts in praise and thanksgiving to our great God for his great grace in giving us faith in his darling Son (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29). This man proved himself to be born of God by his unhesitating obedience to his Master’s word. He who was “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23), was like “Abraham our father, justified by works” (James 2:21). That is to say, he proved his faith by his works. Obedience is always the fruit of faith. Believers are men and women who are obedient to Christ. That is the tenor and character of their lives. Irresistible Grace In the calling and conversion of Matthew we are given an illustration of the fact that our Savior’s call is the irresistible, effectual, saving call of almighty, invincible grace (Matthew 9:8-10). “But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. 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. 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.” Matthew’s given name was Levi. But he is called Matthew throughout the New Testament, because he was given by God the Father to the Son. His name means, “gift of God!” He was given to Christ in the covenant of grace before the world began. He is now given to Christ in saving grace (John 6:37-45). And here the Holy Spirit tells us how he received that salvation, which is the gift of God. Matthew was a publican, tax-collector. He was thoroughly absorbed with his good career. He thought of nothing but money, how to get it, how to spend it, and how to get more. Matthew was not seeking the Lord. He appears not even to have any consciousness of need in his soul. There were no preparations that preceded the Savior’s call. Matthew did not first experience deep feelings of guilt, a great time of mourning and repentance, or even acquire great knowledge. The Savior called; and, as the result of the Savior’s call, Matthew followed him. What grace there is here, surprising, omnipotent, free grace! He who said, “I am found of them that sought me not” (Isaiah 65:1), found Matthew, and graciously caused Matthew to find him by the effectual, distinguishing call of his omnipotent mercy. Can you imagine how utterly surprised Matthew was on that day when grace overtook and conquered him? The fact is God’s saving grace is always surprising in the experience of it. Here is the blessed, sovereign, intervention of grace. The Lord Jesus passed by. He saw Matthew. And he called him. That is the way he works yet today. Here is the blessed choice and decision of faith. – “He arose and followed him.” Because he followed Christ, this worthless, useless, hated man became a useful man of indescribable benefit to the souls of men. Effectual grace always produces effects in the lives of saved sinners. Matthew wrote this gospel narrative known the world over. He became a blessing to millions. He left a name never to be forgotten. He was a man used of God for much good to many. As soon as the Savior called, he obeyed. No sooner did the Lord Jesus open his heart to receive him than Matthew opened his house to the Savior; and this publican who obtained mercy from the Lord invited other publicans to come and find mercy also. Christ is all; and there is enough in Christ for all. The Savior’s Mission “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. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 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.” (Matthew 9:10-13) We are here told what the mission and message of Jesus Christ is. He came to save sinners. His message is mercy, grace, and salvation for sinners. He came to show mercy. He came to teach us to show mercy. Let us never forget who we are – Sinners! Let us never forget who Jesus Christ is – The Savior of Sinners! How delightful it is to see our great Redeemer, encircled at Matthew’s table, with publicans and sinners! The grumbling of the Pharisees was exactly what might have been expected then, and expected today. Such is the activity of Pharisees in all ages. But our Lord’s response to their attempted slander is as delightful as it is instructive. The very character of Christ as the Physician of our souls, Robert Hawker wrote, “naturally led him to haunts of sickness for the exercise of his profession.” By quoting Hosea 6:6, when he said, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,” and applying the passage to himself and his great work of saving sinners, our blessed Savior declared himself to be JEHOVAH-ROPHE, “The LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). “Go ye and learn what that meaneth.” — Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Our Lord, having gloriously defended himself from the insinuations of the proud Pharisees, now carries the war into the enemies’ territory. He says to them, ‘Go ye and learn.’” That alone would be galling to men who thought they knew everything already. The Pharisees were a crowd of snobbish, know-it-all, self-righteous religionists. Nothing could have been more offensive to the know-it-all crowd than for the Master to have said, “Go ye, and learn what that meaneth.” Like most, these men never shut up long enough to learn anything, because they presumed that they knew everything. The Lord Jesus told them that they did not even know the meaning of the Scriptures they claimed to believe and defend. They were told to learn the meaning of Hos 6:6. Then, the Lord Jesus told them the meaning. To have mercy upon sinners is a work more pleasing to God than the offering of sacrifices and the performance of religious duties. The Son of God prefers to be merciful himself and prefers for us to be merciful, for religion and religious activity without mercy is but a cloak of hypocrisy. The Lord Jesus came into this world not to be served by the good, but to save the evil. He had come to call to repentance those who needed repentance, and not those who imagine that they are righteous and therefore need no repentance. The Son of God came to save sinners, real sinners. He calls sinners to repentance. “Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Bruised and mangled by the fall. If you tarry ‘til you’re better, You will never come at all. Not the righteous, not the righteous, Sinners Jesus came to call.”

Matthew 9:14-26

Chapter 19 What A Wonderful Savior! “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 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. 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. 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. 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. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 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. And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.” (Matthew 9:14-26) As I read this passage of Holy Scripture, my heart’s response to this display of our Savior’s wisdom, goodness, and power is, “What a wonderful Savior!” I am certain that Matthew was inspired by God the Holy Spirit to record these events as he did, without any interpretive comment, so that we might see in these things something of the grandeur, greatness, and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The man of whom Matthew speaks, the man who said and did the things described in this passage is God; and this great God-man is our Savior. His name is called “Wonderful,” because everything about him is wonderful. Wonderful in Grace He is a wonderful Savior, indeed, who is longsuffering, patient, gentle, kind and gracious to such sinful disciples as all his disciples are in this world. It is a painful and shameful fact, but it is a fact that all the Lord’s people in this world are sinners still. And being sinners we often behave as such. Nothing more betrays the evil that remains in us than the strife and division that exists among true believers. All too often, throughout the history of God’s church, those who truly are brethren have behaved as though they were enemies! Paul and Barnabas were both faithful servants of God; but they had such a strong division over John Mark that they never worked together again. The conflict was needless; but the division was permanent (Acts 15:36-41). How sad! How painful! How shameful! Yet, that is what happened then; and that is what still happens far too often today. Brethren here are sometimes incapable of living and working together peaceably. That is a fact that reveals much about our fallen nature and depraved hearts, horribly dishonoring to our God, but a fact nonetheless. Blessed God, our Savior, hasten the day when every breach in Zion shall be healed. Until he does, let us strive to avoid strife among God’s saints. Here in Matthew 9:14, the disciples of John the Baptist, who were also the disciples of the Lord Jesus, came to the Lord Jesus with a word of reproof because they presumed that he and his disciples did not fast. – “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?”(Matthew 9:14). While there is much in their behavior that is reprehensible, it must be acknowledged that these disciples of John did behave with integrity. They did not murmur and gossip like the scribes and Pharisees. They had a problem that greatly concerned them; but rather than sitting around in a stew, talking about it, they came directly to the Master with it. One of their number must have said, “Wait a minute brethren. If we’ve got a problem with what appears to be a matter of grave error, there must be some explanation for it. Let’s go talk to the Master.” Much evil could be avoided if men and women would behave like this! Yet, there is much in the conduct of these men that is reprehensible. Like the Pharisees, they proclaimed their own goodness (Proverbs 20:6). They judged their brethren by the yardstick of their own rules. Fasting was one of the customs of the Pharisees, a custom they had accepted as a required display of godliness. Because they did not see the disciples fasting, they presumed that they did not fast. And they appear to have cast a slur upon the Lord Jesus because of the presumed bad conduct of his disciples. However, neither Matthew, Mark, nor Luke indicate that the Lord Jesus was angry or upset with these men. That fact is as instructive as it is comforting. – “For he knoweth our frame: He remembereth that we are dust” (Psalms 103:14). Our God and Savior is he of whom it is written, “He delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). Let us imitate him (Ephesians 4:32 to Ephesians 5:2). We should never presume anything evil concerning God’s saints. We should never presume that we know what goes on in the heart of another. We should never presume that we know what another person’s private life is like. God’s people are his people, not ours. His servants are his servants, not ours. They stand or fall before him. We must not set ourselves up as judges over them (Romans 14:4; Romans 14:14). How thankful we ought to be that our Savior’s grace is immutable, indestructible, and effectual. He who gives no indication of anger toward John’s disciples for their evil presumption is our great God, who will never charge his own with sin (Romans 4:8). Having pardoned us of all our transgressions through the blood of Christ, our God beholds no evil in his people (Jeremiah 50:20). Rather, he beholds us in Christ as perfect, complete, and holy. If he beholds all his people this way, how much more we ought to do so! “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). Wonderful in Identification In Matthew 9:15 the Lord Jesus graciously and tenderly identifies himself with his disciples.— “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.” Rather than getting into a dispute with these men about a matter of insignificance, our Lord seized the opportunity to identify himself with us in one of the most tender, intimate, and suggestive ways imaginable. He calls himself the Bridegroom. John’s disciples could not have missed the significance of this (John 3:29). It was true that his disciples were not known to fast. Here the Lord Jesus comes to their defense and explains why that was the case. In Bible times marriages were arranged; and the marriage of the Lord Jesus Christ was arranged. The marriage was arranged and the bride was chosen by God the Father in eternal election. The bride chosen is the church of God (Ephesians 5:25-27). The children of the bridechamber, the Friends of the Bridegroom, are God’s servants, all true gospel preachers. In those days of old the center of attention in a wedding was not the bride but the bridegroom; and our Lord Jesus is our Bridegroom! Let him have all the attention and adulation! What the bridegroom is to the bride, the Lord Jesus Christ is to every sinner who trusts him. He loves us with deep, everlasting, unchangeable love. He has taken us into an indissolvable union with himself (Ephesians 4:30). By his death as our Substitute, he paid all our debts with his blood. He supplies all our needs. He sympathizes with us in all our troubles. He bears all our affronts, sins, and horrible thoughts and acts of unfaithfulness to him. With this Bridegroom there is no putting away! And all the glory that he has received from his Father he has given to his bride, the church, the Lamb’s wife (John 17:5; John 17:22; Revelation 19:7). Spurgeon’s explanation of Mat 9:15 is excellent… “He is ‘the Bridegroom’ who came to woo and win his bride, those who followed him were the guests, the Bridegroom’s best men and attendants, it was for them to rejoice while the Bridegroom headed their company, for sorrow is not suitable for wedding-feasts. Our Lord is that Bridegroom of whom Solomon sang in the Song of Songs, and we who enjoy his fellowship are one with him in his joy. Why should we fast while he is near? Can we allow little things to kill our great joy? Can we, in consistency with reason, and in harmony with respect for our Lord, mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with us? But Jesus was to go. He says himself, ‘The Bridegroom shall be taken from them.’ Here first he speaks about his death. Did his disciples note the warning word? When their Beloved was gone, they would have fasting enough. How true was this! Sorrows crowded in upon them when he was gone. It is the same with us. Our Lord is our joy: his presence makes our banquet, his absence is our fast, black and bitter. All Ritualistic fasting is the husk: the reality of fasting is known only to the child of the bridechamber when his Lord is no more with him. This is fasting indeed, as some of us know full well. There is no wedding without a Bridegroom, no delight without Jesus. In his presence is fullness of joy, in his absence is depth of misery. Let but the heart rest in his love and it desireth nothing more. Take away a sense of his love from the soul, and it is dark, empty, and nigh unto death.” Wonderful in Teaching In Matthew 9:16-17 our Lord Jesus shows himself to be a tender Master and teaches us how to deal with young disciples. — “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. 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.” In the family of God there are “little children,” “young men,” and “fathers” (1 John 2:12-14). Little children are not to be dealt with as young men, or fathers, but as little children. Sometimes those who should be fathers are still just little children, and must be dealt with as such (Hebrews 5:12-14). Just as a seamstress would never put a new piece of cloth into and old pair of trousers to patch them, so we must not expect from babes the maturity of fathers and must not put them in the place of fathers. If we do, we are sure to regret it. Just as a winemaker would never put new wine in an old bottle, lest it burst, so we must not impose upon young converts the rigid discipline we ought to impose upon ourselves, lest we do them great harm.

We must not impose upon men what they are not able to bear. We must never neglect the doctrines of the gospel. We must not fail to teach the ordinances of the gospel. We must take care to train young believers in the way of Christ. But we must be patient with the Lord’s little children. They are usually more harsh and hasty in their judgments than they will be in time, more strict and unbending in their thoughts of others than they will be when they have more experience in grace, more highly opinionated than they will be when they know more, more susceptible to error than they will be when they have been made to know their own weakness, and more rash and erratic in their behavior than they will be when they have been through heavy trials (2 Timothy 2:24-25). These parabolic statements given by our Savior also demonstrate the folly of man in substituting anything and everything for a real work of grace and true godliness. Throughout history, in every part of the world, it is ever the trait of fallen man to attempt to gain favor with God by doing something. In his proud self-righteousness man will readily fast, give alms, attend church, perform disciplined religious duties, reform his life, and make great sacrifices in the hope of attaining salvation by his own works. He sews the new cloth of religion into the old garment of nature, and puts the new wine of religion into the old bottle of nature. But, seeking righteousness by their own works, they will not submit to and trust Christ for the whole of their acceptance with God. That makes their religion both foolish and harmful.

The old creature is only dressed up in a new form; but no transformation has taken place, there has been no regeneration, no work of grace in the soul. Robert Hawker wrote… “Jesus makes use of two beautiful similitudes to shew the folly of it. The new cloth put into the old garment; and the new wine into old bottles neither of which can receive into union what is altogether the reverse of themselves. The strength of the new cloth will only tend to rend the old; and the old dried skins of bottles must burst if new fermenting wine is put into them. In like manner, the new robe of Jesus’ righteousness cannot be joined to patch up our filthy rags, neither can the new wine of the Gospel be received into the old, unrenewed skin of nature. But when the Holy Ghost hath by regeneration made all things new, and Christ’s righteousness is received as the new robe of salvation; and the blood of Christ as the wine that maketh glad the heart of man; both then are preserved and blessed.” Wonderful in Salvation In Matthew 9:18-26 our blessed Redeemer show himself wonderful in the salvation he performs by two great miracles of grace. “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. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 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. And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.” Matthew shows us two examples of the Lord honoring faith. He blends these two great miracles together by the direction of God the Holy Spirit, because the one runs into the other, and both serve mutually to illustrate the glory of Christ and the omnipotence of his saving grace. Try to picture the scene drawn for us by the pen of the inspired writer. First we see a man whose daughter is dead, asking the Lord Jesus to come, lay his hand on his dead child, and restore her life. To this great request, which exemplified great faith, the Lord Jesus readily complied and started to go with the man. Can you imagine the hope and joyful anticipation that must have flooded that father’s heart as the Son of God was going to raise his darling child to life? But as he was going, a woman with an issue of blood interrupted the procession, touching the Lord Jesus with a hand of faith. When she touched him, the procession came to a halt. The Lord Jesus paused to cure that poor woman, honoring and commending her faith. Mark adds a little color that Matthew omits. He tells us that, while the Lord Jesus was speaking to this woman, “there came certain from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou the master?” Luke tells us the same thing (Mark 5:35; Luke 8:49). What a trial that must have been to the man’s faith! He must have thought to himself, “Now it is too late. My daughter is dead.” Had he such fears, they were ill-founded. He who had begun his good work would finish it.

He had started to the ruler’s house to heal his daughter who was dying. And he would go on to the place to raise his daughter from the dead. Our increasing need is not a hindrance to Christ’s power and grace, but only a better background upon which he will display his grace and power. In the healing of this woman we are given a tremendous, instructive picture. Mark and Luke, in their more detailed accounts of this event, inform us that she had been in this sorrowful condition of weakness and uncleanness for twelve long years, and that she had spent all her living on physicians of no value, hoping to obtain a cure. Yet, she was no better, but only grew worse. How anxious sinners are to make any sacrifice, try any religious medicine, and submit to the tortures of religious rehabilitation at the hands of quake religious physicians! All the while their condition just gets worse. Until the sin sick soul comes to Christ, there is no hope.

All the attempted cures of religious experience and religious works are vanity. But as soon as the sinner in desperate need comes to the Savior in faith, his malady is gone! Truly this daughter of Abraham was a woman of remarkable faith. Her faith honored the Lord Jesus; and the Lord Jesus honored her faith. He said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Obviously, it was Christ who made her whole, not her faith. Yet, it was her faith in Christ that fetched his healing power to her body and to her soul. So, while we admire her faith, let us admire and honor him who gave her faith. As Spurgeon put it, “Thus he put the crown upon the head of her faith, because her faith had already set the crown on his head.” Though she did not know it at the time, the Lord Jesus had given her this lively faith, just as he gave her the blessing of grace she needed. “And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Immediately, the Lord Jesus went on to the ruler of the synagogue’s house. His darling daughter was now dead. By all human reason, all hope was gone. But that was not the case. He who is the Resurrection and the Life had come to give life to a dead child; and she must live again. With the ease of omnipotence, “he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.” By his omnipotent grace “the dead are raised up” (Matthew 11:5) still. With the ease of omnipotent, irresistible grace, he still raises up those who are dead in trespasses and in sins. With that same ease of omnipotent grace, he is able to raise up and revive our languishing souls; and he will (Hosea 6:1-3). Faith honors God and God honors faith. The Lord Jesus honored the ruler’s strong faith by doing what he desired. And he honored the woman’s, perhaps, weaker faith, doing for her what she desired. It is not the measure of our faith, but the Object of our faith that saves us. Without question, the Man who performed these wonders of mercy is the omnipotent God. All power is his (Matthew 28:18-20; John 17:2). He who is God our Savior has power over all flesh (John 17:2), all events (Romans 8:28), and Satan too (Revelation 20:1-3). — “He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death” (Psalms 68:20). Let his fame go abroad into all the earth!

Matthew 9:27-38

Chapter 20 “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 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. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 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. 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. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:27-38) In the passage before us two blind men and one who was possessed by an evil spirit and could not speak were healed by the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of his touch. The two blind men who were healed came to the Lord Jesus seeking mercy. These two men, who had been companions in misery, were about to be made companions in mercy. The things written in these verses of Scripture are here recorded by divine inspiration to teach us about the mercy, grace, and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ and about our responsibilities before him. Notice what Matthew tells us about these men. They were blind. All men are spiritually blind. They were earnest. They meant business. They were determined to give the Son of God no rest until he gave them rest. They followed the Savior through the streets and on into the house, crying for mercy.

They believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. They believed him to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David. They acknowledged and confessed him as “Lord.” And they believed he was able to give them their sight. They believed him! They believed him to be both omnipotent and merciful. They sought the right thing — Mercy!

They cried, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.” All who seek for God to deal with them on the basis of what they deserve shall have what they deserve – everlasting ruin. But all who seek mercy shall obtain mercy (Jeremiah 29:13-14). They obtained the thing they desired. “Their eyes were opened.” The two blind men came seeking the Lord; but the poor demon-possessed man who could not speak was brought to the Master (Matthew 9:32). Notice the word “behold.” This is a striking case. This man was not himself. A demon had taken possession of him. He does not cry for help. He does not come to Christ. But someone cared enough for his wretched soul to bring him to Christ. Let us do the same. Some will come to the house of God because God creates in them a need to be in the place of worship. But multitudes will never come until gracious souls go out and bring them into the house of mercy. The Experience of Grace The experience of grace is vividly portrayed in these three men. The examples are set before us, one immediately following the other, to teach us that the experience of grace is as varied and diverse as the recipients of grace. All three of these men needed mercy. All three obtained mercy. All three obtained mercy through Christ the Mediator. But they did not obtain it the same way. Mercy came to the blind men only after they actively, earnestly sought it. But mercy came to the dumb, demon-possessed soul by such immediate power that he never even thought about it before he had obtained it. Salvation is the same wherever it is found. It is the same in the experience of all who are saved. Every true child of God has experienced the same salvation. All are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But we do not all experience grace the same way. Paul’s experience was not the same as Lydia’s. Both experienced the same grace, but not the same way. The experience of grace is not always the same. Our needs are the same, the grace is the same, and the results are the same; but the experience is not the same. Yet, all who are saved have a “common salvation” (Jude 1:3). We have a common Savior. We are born into a common family. We have a common Father, a common hope, a common blessedness, and a common inheritance. We must never try to put God in a box of our own making, imagining that he must work in the way we think. As “the wind bloweth where it listeth” (John 3:8), the God of all grace works as he will. And we must never attempt to determine the validity of one person’s experience of grace by comparing it with our own or another’s. A Gift and A Responsibility Faith is frequently found where it is least expected by us. Who would have thought two blind men, or that poor demon-possessed wretch would have believed on Christ? The multitudes marvel, but believed not (Matthew 9:33). The Pharisees blasphemed (Matthew 9:34). But these three needy souls believed and obtained mercy. The two blind men could not have seen the miracles the Lord Jesus had performed. They were blind. But having heard the common reports of Christ, they believed him. And believing him, the eyes of their understanding were enlightened. It is written, “Faith cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:17). The Word of God teaches us, with unmistakable clarity, that faith is the gift of God. Faith in Christ is not something we muster up in ourselves by the exercise of our freewill. Faith is something God the Holy Spirit gives to and produces in chosen, redeemed, called sinners (John 1:12-13; Romans 9:16; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:12). It is a gift which God sovereignly gives to some and withholds from others (John 10:25-26). It is a gift that God works in sinners by the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:17). And the object of God-given, saving faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures also tell us that faith in Christ is the commandment of God (1 John 3:23) Being God’s commandment to us, it is the responsibility of all who hear the gospel to believe on his Son. Many appear to be incapable of seeing that both these facts are true. When we assert that faith is God’s gift and God’s operation we are denounced by some as hardshells and hyper-calvinists. When we declare that it is the responsibility of sinners to trust Christ we are denounced by others as Arminians and freewillers, teachers off “duty faith,” and accused of teaching that faith is a work of man. I will leave it to others to beat the winds they blow. The Word of God is crystal clear. If any sinner believes God and is saved by his grace, it is because God gives him faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). If any abide under the wrath of God, it is because they do not believe on the Son of God (John 3:36). Another thing clearly set before us in these miracles performed by our Savior is the fact that there is a direct correlation between our faith and God’s work. Our Lord asked the blind men, “Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched him. Their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:28-29). Spurgeon wrote, “He touched them with his hand; but they must also touch him with their faith…If we do not in very truth trust our Lord, we shall die in our sins.” How thankful we are that it is not always true, but frequently the measure of our mercies is our faith, or our lack of faith in our God (Isaiah 48:18-19; Mark 6:5-6; John 11:40).

We must never blame on God’s sovereignty that which is the result of our own shameful unbelief. I often wonder what God might do, if we simply believed him. Inexcusable Disobedience “And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country” (Matthew 9:30-31). The Lord Jesus commanded these men not to tell anyone what he had done for them. We are not told why he did this. It is obvious that our Master was not like the self-serving, glory seeking preachers of our day. He did not seek and did not want worldly fame. And he who is God our Savior is under no obligation to give us the reasons for that which he does or commands us to do. Our Savior’s language was clear and emphatic. In fact, it was a stern command. But they disregarded his command. He left them no option: he demanded complete silence on their part. Such disregard for the word of our God is utterly inexcusable. I am sure these men convinced themselves that their disobedience was really what the Master wanted them to do; but they were dead wrong. We are never doing right if we disobey Christ. Even if the results turn out to be advantageous, disobedience is not to be excused. – “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). In all things it is our responsibility to submit to and obey the revealed will of God. I have no doubt that these men did not disobey the Savior contemptuously. They were, I am sure, filled with gratitude and joy, and desired to give him glory for the wondrous work of mercy he had performed for them and in them. Their love for Christ was the thing that moved them to speak forth his praise. But our affections, emotions, and thoughts are not to be our guide, or the rule of our behavior. Our only guide, our only rule is and must be the revealed will of God our Savior. And his Word is his revealed will. Omnipotent Mercy When the Lord Jesus cast the devil out of the man in Matthew 9:32-33, “The Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.” Then, we read in Matthew 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.” That was our Savior’s answer to their blasphemous slander. He simply ignored them and went on doing what he was sent of the Father to do. We would be wise to follow his example. Nothing is ever gained, and much lost, by answering the slanderous accusations of men. We see in the miracles that are described in this passage that none are beyond the reach of Christ’s omnipotent mercy. We must never despair of anyone’s salvation, merely because he lives in unfavorable circumstances. Grace is stronger than circumstances! We must never despair of any because they are blind, or because they are under the yoke of Satan, or because they obstinately refuse to come to Christ. Our Lord’s arm is not shortened that it cannot save. His omnipotent arm of mercy can both break the power of Satan and break the power of man’s obstinate rebellion (Psalms 110:3). Matthew tells us that the Lord Jesus healed “every sickness and every disease.” None were too loathsome for him to touch. None were too far gone for him to cure. The Son of God is indeed “The Great Physician.” All physical healing is his work. We use medicine, doctors, and hospitals, just as we look both ways before crossing a busy street. But we look to our God for life and health. The healing of our souls is altogether his work, too. As we read the succession of miracles performed by our Savior in this chapter, remembering that all the maladies and woes of Adam’s fallen race are the result of sin, we ought to be moved to adore and praise him who came into this world to “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” How thankful we ought to be for our all-glorious Christ who came here to destroy the works of the devil! He is the Balm of Gilead. He is the Sun of Righteousness who has risen with healing in his wings. “With his stripes we are healed.” There is no disease of soul he cannot, or will not completely cure (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Moved with Compassion Matthew 9:36 shows us that the Lord Jesus is a Savior full of compassion for needy souls. — “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”(Matthew 9:36). I cannot imagine why anyone would feel obliged to try to make this say less than it does. We have here a great display of our Savior’s great compassion. We ought to rejoice in it and pray for grace to emulate his compassion. When our Savior saw the lost multitudes before him, he was overcome by sympathy. What he saw with his eyes affected his heart. His whole being was stirred by the sight of perishing souls. “He was moved with compassion on them!” What are our thoughts when we see the lost multitudes around us? Multitudes are seen on every side, Muslims and Jews, Papists and Protestants, intellectuals and scoffers, who are spiritually blind, ignorant, unconverted, lost, and perishing! They are as sheep without a shepherd, unfed, unfolded, unguarded. What will become of them? Do you feel their destitution? Do you long to see their destitution relieved? These are serious questions; and they ought to be honestly answered. Those who are unmoved by perishing souls do not have “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Great Harvest “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). — There is a great harvest of souls to be gathered by grace for which we are responsible. The harvest of souls to be gathered out of all the earth is a great multitude, which no man can number. They are God’s elect, Christ redeemed ones; and they must and shall be gathered. The Lord of the harvest is the triune God. He owns the field and controls it. The plants to be gathered are his; and the laborers are his. Our Savior here calls faithful gospel preachers “laborers” because the faithful performance of their work involves arduous labor. God’s servants labor in the Word and in the doctrine, labor in prayer and the study of Holy Scripture, devoting themselves to the work as workmen that need not be ashamed, for the glory of Christ and the salvation and edification of God’s elect. But such laborers, men who are willing to spend and be spent for Christ, are in every place and generation few. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” — None but God himself can send them forth. Man-made preachers are not just useless; they are in the way. Only God can, by the power and grace of his Spirit, gift a man for the work of the gospel ministry, incline his heart to the work, and enable him to perform it faithfully. Yet, it is the responsibility of every believer to make God’s harvest a matter of prayer and personal concern. Our Savior says to his disciples, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” You may not be called and gifted of God to perform the work of a pastor, evangelist, or missionary; but there are many things you can and should do. You can give generously to support the preaching of the gospel. You can bring people to hear the gospel preached. You can distribute tapes and literature proclaiming the gospel. And you can pray. Pray for those God has sent forth as laborers in his vineyard. Pray that he will raise up and send forth others. And pray that he will give his church a time of reaping. Our Lord Jesus asked the blind men, and I put the question to myself and to you, — “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” Do we believe that he is able to heal the blind, free the possessed, and gather in his lost ones scattered through all the earth? This much I know – If we believe him, we will act accordingly.