THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Robert Bobo & David Dycus (Guest Teacher – J.R. Bobo)

Lesson 5 Chapters 8&9

REVIEW & READING ASSIGNMENTS

• Lessons 3,4
• John the Baptist
• Sermon on the Mount

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• Reading for next week
• March 13 – Matt 10

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LESSON OVERVIEW

• Chapters 8&9
• Pick up where Chapter 4 left off (Matt 4:23-25)
• Sermon on the Mount as a parenthetical in between
• Chapter 4 ends with Jesus going throughout all Galilee teaching in synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom …
• Matthew has established Jesus as Messiah (with authority)
• Legal qualification through genealogy
• Prophetic qualification through fulfillment of prophecy(birth, infancy, …
• Divine qualification by the Father’s attestation at His baptism
• Spiritual qualification by His perfect resistance to Satan’s temptation
• ‘Theological’ qualification through teachings and the sermon on the mount
• Now, Chapters 8 & 9 will confirm His deity and authority by demonstrating the power of the King through his deeds

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LESSON OVERVIEW

• Chapters 8&9 \ Context and Perspective
• Chaps. 8,9 capture 10 specific miracles of Jesus that demonstrate his authority over
• Sickness
• World of nature
• The supernatural
• Life and Death
• Disease and Healing (Some Context Thoughts)
• In NT times disease was quite rampant with little or no medical science existing
• Most did not recover or improve though some did due to the condition running it’s course
• Imagine the pain and suffering with little or no remedy (compare to our lives today)
• Sufferers often left permanently affected by scars, deformities, severely handicapped or debilitated
• Plagues often wiped out large portions of villages, cities, or regions
• The list of diseases and ailments is long and life expectancy was short
• Notice Jesus’ healing
• Healed with words, with a touch, sometimes without even seeing the sufferer
• Healed completely and totally, instantaneously not gradually,
• He even raised from the dead
• Spiritual Healing Parallels ?

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• Jesus Cleanses a Leper vs. 1-4
• Crowd was astonished at the teachings on mount and recognized that Jesus taught as one with authority
• Jesus comes down from the mountain following the Sermon about the Kingdom
• The crowds are following him
• The leper had complete faith that Jesus could heal him if only he was willing
• The ‘touch’ demonstrated more than cleansing the leper
• Showed his power and authority beyond the Law of Moses
• Jesus, himself, was not defiled by the contact with the leper
• ‘Immediately his leprosy was cleansed’ - Instantaneous healing
• ‘See that you say nothing to anyone …..’
• Why?
• Mark tells the sequel to the healing in Mark 1:45 where Matthew makes no mention

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• The Faith of a Centurion vs. 5-13
• Involving a Gentile and his servant
• Demonstrates the power to heal over distance
• Not by presence or touch; but by spoken word
• Centurion- a Roman officer with command over 100 men
• Servant – meaning bondservant or slave ( some think someone much closer like a son)
• Jesus marveled at the Centurion’s faith while comparing to that of Israel
• Not a common nor frequent acknowledgement in NT (Matt.15:28 Canaanite Woman)
• Consider the perspective of Gentiles and the potential genuineness of their faith
• ‘sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness’
• Members and leaders of the Jewish nation that reject Jesus as Christ

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law & Many Others vs. 14-17
• Observations on healing Peters’ M-i-L
• Peter was married
• Fever viewed more as a disease rather than symptom due to medical science knowledge
• Jesus touched her hand – quite specific
• Heals a women this time – expanding the nature of those healed
• On-the-spot and complete healing
• Many with Various Illnesses
• Demon possessed all who were sick
• Specific illnesses not mentioned – no limit to Jesus’ power/ability
• Authority over the super-natural world
• OT prophesy fulfillment - reference to Isaiah 53:4

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• Cost of Following Jesus vs. 18-22
• Side-step from healing
• Jesus helps clarify the true meaning of discipleship to two followers/’would-be’ disciples
• The scribe Calls Jesus ‘Teacher’ and desires to be a disciple
• Scribe – a professional scholar of the Law
• Scribe – I will follow wherever
• Jesus – I have no real earthly home (essentially a homeless ministry)
• Other disciple – just let me bury my father first
• Jesus – let the dead bury their own dead
• What do we see about the nature of true discipleship?

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• Jesus Calms a Storm vs. 23-27
• Jesus demonstrates his power over nature
• The one without a ‘place to lay his head’ can be at home and rest anywhere; even in a tumultuous sea
• Jesus makes note of the disciples’ lack of faith – counter to the recent marvel at another's’ faith
• Very convincing to the disciples that Jesus was no ordinary man

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

• Jesus Heals Men with Demons vs. 28-34
• Jesus demonstrating his power over the supernatural realm
• Two, violent, demon possessed men
• ‘… O son of God’ - the demons know exactly who Jesus was
• ‘... torment us before the time’ - demons were aware of a final judgement to come
• Response was immediate upon Jesus’ spoken word
• The herdsmen fled to the city to tell the story of what had happened

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• Jesus Heals a Paralytic vs. 1-8
• This miracle involved more than healing illness; forgiving sin
• The paralytic was told by Jesus to ‘take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven’
• Notice that Jesus knew their thoughts and asked why they were thinking evil in their hearts
• Jesus asks which is easier to ‘say’ (doesn’t say do)
• ‘Your sins are forgiven’ OR ‘rise and walk’
• Then, so that they would know that he had the authority on earth to forgive sins, he healed the paralytic
• The crowd did give God the glory
• Immediate and complete healing

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• Jesus Calls Matthew vs. 9-13
• Jesus calls on Matthew to follow him while Matthew is in his tax booth
• Remember that Matthew refers to himself as Matthew while other writers typically use the name Levi for him as a tax collector
• Matthew responded at the moment that he was called
• Not likely their first knowledge of each other
• Story then jumps to Jesus and his disciples having a meal with tax collectors and sinners
• Luke 5:29 tells us that the feast was at Levi/Matthew’s own house as he hosted the meal
• Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples (not Jesus) why he (their teacher) would eat with tax collectors and sinners?
• Remember the culture that we have discussed and the closeness that sitting for a meal together carried
• Jesus hears and answers that it is the sick that need a physician, not the well
• “Go learn what this means, …”
• ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ Thoughts? Matt 12:7 Hosea 6:6
• ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’ Thoughts?

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• A Question About Fasting vs. 14-17
• Seems that Jesus and his disciples are feasting and John’s disciples and the Pharisees are fasting
• John’s disciples want to know why
• Could it be the perspective/concept of righteousness is very different?
• Jesus is feasting with tax collectors and sinners
• Pharisees seem to go way beyond the Law (Day of Atonement Fasting) to show their righteousness
• Bridegroom reference seemingly aligning with that of Christ and the Church and the fact that Christ will not be with them in time
• New patch on an old garment
• The gospel and Christianity is not added to Judaism
• It is a completely new and different
• New wine not put in a new wineskin
• Another example of not mixing the old and new
• The new kingdom does not go with the old

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• A Girl Restored to Life & Woman Healed vs. 18-26
• A ruler comes to Jesus asking him to raise his daughter that has died
• We know from Mark and Luke that the ruler was an official of the synagogue named Jairus
• On his way to see the girl, a woman came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his garment
• The woman had been hemorrhaging for 12 years
• Saying to herself, ‘ If only I touch his garment, I will be made well’ (displaying deep faith)
• Jesus turns to her saying ‘Take heart (or have courage), your faith has made you well’
• The woman was made well/whole instantly
• As Jesus gets to the ruler’s house there are signs of a death and prep for a funeral/burial
• Jesus tells the crowd and those preparing for a burial to go away; the girl is not dead, but sleeping
• After the crowd had gone out, Jesus entered and took the girls hand and she arose
• Mark tells us that Peter, James, and John were the only ones that Jesus allowed to witness this
• This demonstrates Jesus’ power and authority over life and death (as the Messiah)

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• Jesus Heals Two Blind Men vs. 27-31
• Points of note
• The two men followed Jesus crying for mercy, even into a house to get to him
• ‘Son of David’ is how they referred to Jesus
• Jesus questions their belief in his ability which points again to the importance of faith
• Jesus heals them by touch; instant and complete healing
• Instructs the men not to tell others abut the incident
• The men spread the news anyway

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak vs. 32-34
• Points of Note
• This the tenth specific miracle in Chaps. 8 & 9
• This man has issues with both the natural and supernatural realms
• The demon was cast out and the man spoke
• Demonstrating the power and authority of Jesus over both realms
• The Pharisees were getting hostile toward Jesus and accused him of using the power of the demons (or black magic) to perform this miracle

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MATTHEW CHAPTER 9

• Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few vs. 35-38

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This will lead into our study of chapter 10, next week.

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