Matthew 9:27-38

27 After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them,“Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

32 When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.

34 But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”

35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Comments

Chapter 9 concludes with more social castoffs receiving healing from Jesus. Notice that the blind men and the demon-possessed man were brought into the house where Jesus was staying. They probably had a bite to eat and hung out with Jesus for a while too. Then Jesus got out and went around to the towns and villages around Judea. From what Matthew gives us, it seems safe to assume Jesus kept on hanging out with the riff raff, kept on accepting all the unacceptable people, kept on touching the untouchables with his love, his power, his compassion. Those who held political and/or religious power saw nothing of worth in such people, there was nothing to exploit, nothing to add to their power. Jesus saw a great harvest, a vast sea of hurting people, a place to expend the power he had. Funny how two people can look at the same thing and see something completely different. May we have eyes to see people as Jesus does, as opportunities to serve, not be served.

Matthew 9:14-26

14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. 17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”

19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

Comments

Our passage today begins with the third argument in a row between religious people and Jesus. In last Friday reading, the scribes argued that Jesus did not have the authority to forgive sins and the Pharisees argued that he should not have been hanging out with riff raff. Here John’s disciples take a turn, arguing that Jesus and his followers aren’t very serious about faith because they don’t fast. Jesus leaves room here for fasting as a spiritual discipline, but he undercuts its religious significance. As a religious practice, dietary restrictions are placed on a level with restrictions about who to associate with and whose sins to forgive. They give the appearance of piety, but they do not forward the neighbor-centered ethic Jesus brings. His is a New Way and is quite incompatible with the old way. Or, to put the same thing differently, people who would follow Jesus have to set aside their old religious ways and accept his New Way. They cannot bring along their favorite religious practices that restrict, exclude, and delimit.

The next part of chapter 9 reinforces this teaching by sharing three healing stories where people excluded in the old way are touched, healed, and included by Jesus. We’ll read the third one tomorrow. For today, bear in mind that both the bleeding woman and the dead girl were unclean. Jesus was forbidden by the Law from touching either one of them. He touches them both. He heals them both. He makes both of them whole and clean. This is not unique to Jesus, it is essential to the New Way he begins. His New Way touches those who can’t be touched. His New Way heals those who have been broken. His New Way brings back in those who have been cast out.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Mike Raburn

God speaks to you. Listen. Act on what you hear.

Tag: healing

Red Letter Year: 4/2

Matthew 9:27-38

Red Letter Year: 4/1

Matthew 9:14-26