The Gospel According to
Matthew 9
38 verses≈ 6 min5 peopleBSB
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In this chapter
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat.
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Jesus
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Some scribes
On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”
Jesus
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.
Matthew 9:2
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...”
When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Which is easier?
Whiteboard
Anyone can say ‘your sins are forgiven,’ and no one can check. So Jesus does the thing everyone can see. A paralyzed man walking home proves the thing no one can see: the Son of Man has “authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Jesus Calls Matthew
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples.
Pharisees & scribes
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
Matthew 9:13
Reflect
Go and learn
Jesus sent the Pharisees back to their Bibles: “go and learn what this means.” They knew the words, but they had missed God’s heart. Who is the person you would least like to share a meal with? What would mercy toward them look like this week?
Questions about Fasting
Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
The Healing Touch of Jesus
Take courage, daughter
Matthew 9:22
When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
Jesus
“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.”
And they laughed at Him.
After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
And the news about this spread throughout that region.
Question
Quick question
On the way to the house of a synagogue leader whose daughter had just died, someone reached out from the crowd behind Jesus.
How long had the woman who touched His cloak been suffering?
Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him.
Jesus
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked.
Two blind men
“Yes, Lord,” they answered.
Jesus
Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus
Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”
But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.
As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak.
The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
The Lord of the Harvest
Stylised map · locations approximate
Where it happened
All the towns and villages
From the lakeshore towns to the hill villages, Jesus went through “all the towns and villages” of Galilee, “teaching in their synagogues” and healing.
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.
When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
0:19
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Pray
Lord of the harvest
Jesus did not ask His disciples to measure the field. He asked them to pray: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” Pray that now, naming the people and places on your heart. And be ready: the ones Jesus asks to pray here are the ones He sends out next.
You’ve experienced
Matthew 9
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A verse to carry with you
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.
Matthew 9:37–38
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