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Matthew 9:1-34 Homiletics

We pick up in Matthew 9, after the deviled ham debacle.  Jesus gets into a boat and crosses over to His own town.  When He arrives, men bring a paralyzed man to Him on a mat to be healed.  Jesus saw THEIR faith and told the paralyzed man to take heart and that his sins were forgiven.  This was met with mixed responses.  The teachers of the law – some translations call them scribes – thought to themselves that Jesus was blaspheming.  Jesus knew their thoughts and addressed them and asked why they were entertaining evil thoughts in their hearts.  I wonder if any of them were brought closer to belief in Jesus as Messiah because He knew their thoughts.  I am also interested in the idea of entertaining a thought in my heart…  Yes, our thoughts can corrupt our heart, and our heart can corrupt our thoughts.  Anyway, Jesus explains that He wants them to know that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins.  Yes, Jesus has the authority to forgive sins!  In contrast, the crowd sees this and is awed.  This leads them to praise God!  Which response would you have had?

Jesus moves on and sees Matthew in his tax collector’s booth.  He calls Matthew to follow Him.  Matthew got up and followed.  And hosted a dinner party for Jesus and the disciples to meet his tax collector and sinner friends.  Matthew began introducing people to Jesus right away!  He walked away from a lucrative job when Jesus called him.  I imagine he suffered some form of persecution from the other disciples because tax collectors worked for the Romans (and themselves) and were considered traitors to their own people.  What are you having a difficult time leaving behind to follow Jesus?  Are you amazed that He called YOU?

The Pharisees criticized Jesus by asking the disciples why they were eating with tax collectors and sinners.  They thought pretty highly of themselves.  They obviously placed themselves above others to make those judgments.  Jesus answered by saying it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy.  He also tells them to go learn what the Scripture means when it states, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  As the religious leaders, shouldn’t they already know what this meant?

Enter John’s disciples who ask Jesus about why His disciples don’t fast when they (John’s disciples) and the Pharisees fast often.  Jesus explains that the time is coming when the bridegroom will be taken away and then His disciples will fast.  Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament, not abolish it.  He also came to do a new thing.  Are you open to new things Christ wants to do in you?  Your ministry?  Your church?  Your family?

Now, enter a synagogue ruler.  According to the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, his name is Jairus.  His young daughter has died and he is asking Jesus to come lay His hands on her so she will live.  Jesus begins the trip with this man when a woman touches the edge of His cloak.  She has been bleeding for 12 years!  If only she could touch the edge of Jesus’ cloak…healing!  He stopped and told her to take heart, her faith healed her.  I can’t imagine her joy!  Even before entering the synagogue ruler’s house, the mourning is evident: noisy crowd, dirge pipes.  Jesus sends the crowd away, stating that the girl is asleep, not dead.  When they leave, He touches her hand and she sits up.  Yes, Jesus can raise the dead!  One thing I love about these interactions can only be learned by reading the account in Mark 5.  It’s a lesson on perspective.  In Mark’s narrative, we learn that the girl is 12 years old.  Too short for life to be over.  Yet, the woman has been bleeding for 12 years.  Too long to be suffering.  Same amount of time, two different perspectives.

Moving on…Jesus encounters two blind men who beg the Son of David for mercy.  Jesus asks if they believe He is able, and restores their sight when they respond affirmatively.  He tells them not to tell anyone, but they spread the word about Him.  As they are exiting, a demon-possessed man who cannot speak is brought in.  Jesus drives out the demon and the man can speak.  Huh…a mute demon…  Another split reaction: the crowd is amazed and the Pharisees say, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”  How has Jesus amazed you lately?  How can you help clear up confusion in the people you know who are mistaken about Jesus?

 

(The Homiletics below led to the thoughts above)

 

Content (not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line):

1.J boat crossed own town;men brought paralyzed man, J saw their faith:tk heart, son, sins 4gvn(9:1-2)

2.some tol 2selves:this fellow blaspheming;knowing thoughts,J:why entertain evil thoughts hearts(9:3-4)

3.which easier say, sins 4gvn or get up/walk(9:5)

4.want u know SoM authority 4gv sins:get up,tk mat,go hm;man got up/went;crowd awe,praisd G(9:6-8)

 

5.J went on, saw Matthew tax coll booth:Follow me, Matt got up, followed(9:9)

6.dinner Matt’s, tax coll/sinners ate w/Him,disc;Phar askd disc: why tchr eat w/tax coll/sinners(9:10-11)

7.J:healthy need dr, sick;go learn what means desire mercy,sacrifice, cm call rteous, but sinners(9:12-13)

8.Jn’s disc askd:how we/Phar fast often,ur disc fast(9:14)

9.J:how guest mourn while bridegroom with,time cm bridegrm tkn, then fast(9:15)

10.no1 sews patch unshrunk cloth old garment, patch pull, making tear worse(9:16)

11.neither pour new wine old skins, burst, new wine, new skins, both preserved(9:17)

 

12.synagogue ldr knelt:my dtr just died,cm, put hand, she live:J went,disc(9:18-19)

13.woman bleeding 12y touched edge cloak;said to self:if only touch cloak, healed(9:20-21)

14.J turned:tk heart dtr, ur faith healed u;wm healed that moment(9:22)

15.J entered syn ldr hs, noisy crowd,ppl play pipes;go away, girl dead, asleep, they laughed(9:23-24)

16.after crowd put outside, took girl hand, she got up;news spread through region(9:25-26)

17.J went on,2 blind men:hv mercy SoDavid;He indoors, blind men came:u believe I able? Y, L(9:27-28)

18.he touched eyes:accord 2 faith let it be done;sight restored, J warned sternly:see no1 knows(9:29-30)

19.they spread news abt Him;while they going, man demon-poss, talk brought 2 J(9:31-32)

20.when demon drvn out, man spoke, crowd amazed;Phar:by prince demons He drv demons(9:33-34)

 

Divisions (run-on sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each Division – a truth about God, a truth about man, a truth about God’s relationship to man; a sin to avoid, promise to trust, example to follow, command to obey, truth to believe):

1.Jesus forgives the sins of a paralyzed man and the crowd is filled with awe and praised God (9:1-8)

Principle:  Jesus knows our thoughts and hearts, responds to our faith and wants us to know His authority.

2.Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him, tells the Pharisees He came to call sinners and answers John’s disciples about fasting, using examples of cloth patches, wine and wineskins (9:9-17)

Principle:  Jesus’ ways are unconventional.

3.Jesus gives life to the dead daughter of a synagogue leader, heals a bleeding woman, two blind men and a demon-possessed mute, amazing the people and causing the Pharisees to say, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.” (9:18-34)

Principle:  Jesus is THE life-giver.

 

Subject Sentence (10-word sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture):

Jesus forgives sins, calls Matthew, heals dead, bleeding, blind, demon-possessed.

 

Aim (“To Cause My Audience To…” Know, See, Learn, Understand, etc.):

TCMATK Jesus has authority over life, death, sin, the natural and supernatural.

 

Application (not yes or no question.  Meant to bring about heart change):

1.What is Jesus doing in your life right now that is filling you with awe and praise for Him?  What thoughts or sins do you need to release to Jesus’ authority?

2.How has Jesus surprised you with how He has called, loved and used you?  What new thing are you willing to have Him do in and through you?

3.Where is Jesus breathing life into a dead part of you?  What healing has Jesus brought to your life?  How has Jesus amazed you lately?  Who in your life has misunderstandings about Jesus, and how will you help them clear up their confusion?

 

The Big Idea (author’s main purpose in writing; the one thing all the other things in the passage is about; if you couldn’t talk about it, you would still understand the passage is trying to convey this):

Jesus is the supreme authority over everything.

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