Matthew Chapter 9
Just as Jesus ministry is exploding on the scene this is when the opposition by the Jewish religious leaders begins. They were not ready to see that the Messiah was amongst them. They thought Him to be just another Rabbi, but one that was going outside the lines. Nowhere in their studies had they come across what to do about someone who has power to heal diseases. And they certainly did not know what to do with someone who said that He could forgive the sins of the people, only God (Yahweh) could do that. There was a whole process of bringing a sacrificial lamb to the temple to have one’s sins forgiven. So, they called Jesus a blasphemer.
Let's Reflect
1. Matthew gives the details of the accounts of Jesus’ ministry a little differently than Mark and Luke. In this account of the paralytic being brought by his friends to Jesus for healing, Matthew does not retell the part about the friends letting the paralytic down through the roof to Jesus. Jesus first forgave the paralytic man’s sins. This does not mean we should draw an association between the man’s sins and the fact that he was paralyzed. His friends had hoped that Jesus would heal him, they never imagined that Jesus would reach into the heart of the paralytic and forgive all of his sins. The paralyzed man was most likely depressed. How did Jesus first speak to the man?
2. This miracle upset the scribes and shook up the crowds. The people were literally afraid to see the power of God. The people glorified God for what they had just witnessed. By what authority did Jesus claim His power?
3. It is somewhat humorous how Matthew recounts his own call to discipleship. How did He refer to Himself, what title did he call himself?
4. A Rabbi associating with a tax collector was unheard of. Jesus told the Pharisees to go and learn what the verse “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” meant. Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6. The problem in Hosea’s day was that their heart attitude was not right. Jesus was telling these men to go and learn their own scriptures. Jesus was found by the Pharisees doing what with Matthew a tax collector?
5. In verses 18-26 Jesus performed a miracle that would be talked about all over the region, what miracle did He perform? To the people all around this little girl there was nothing left to do but to prepare for a funeral. Jesus saw this differently because He had power to change the situation. What did He say of the little girl?
6. What other miracle happened while on His way to perform the previous miracle?
7. Matthew recounts the healing of two blind men. We notice that Jesus gave the men strict instructions not to do what? Did they follow His instructions?
8. Another account is told of Jesus healing a man possessed by a demon. What did the Pharisees accuse Jesus of that was ridiculous?
9. In the last verses of this chapter, we suddenly realize that not all of the stories of Jesus were written down in scripture. Why did Jesus perform so many miracles?
Devotionals
