Teaching, proclaiming and healing

Matthew 9:18-38 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples. ²⁰ And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; ²¹ for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” ²² But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.”At once the woman was made well. ²³ When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴ He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶ This news spread throughout all that land.

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” ²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land. ³² As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. ³³ After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

³⁵ Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. ³⁶ Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Today’s text once again dispels the false notion or narrative that Jesus preferred the company of sinners and avoided the church and religious people. The text begins with Jesus responding to the request of synagogue official.      …a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.    Jesus did not rebuke this religious leader, rather He responded to his faith. Two of the other accounts of healing, the woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years who was healed by touching Jesus cloak and the two blind men were beneficiaries of Jesus response to the synagogue leader and his daughter. Their encounters with Jesus, their divine appointments with Jehova Rapha, the Lord who heals, only happened because Jesus responded to the religious leader. Additionally the text says:   Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.

Regarding the healing, the raising of the little girl from death, the text says:   This news spread throughout all that land.    Regarding the healing of the blind men, the text says:   But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.      Regarding the restoration of speech to the mute man the text says:   the crowds were amazed, and were saying,  “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”     Yet while miracles, signs, wonders and healing were indeed part of Jesus ministry, that was not His primary focus or purpose. The text says:   Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.     Jesus primary focus was to proclaim the gospel, to teach the truth from and about scripture, God’s word and His will. The text ends saying:    Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”     The plentiful harvest Jesus speaks of is not the masses of people in need of physical healing. Rather, it is the many souls to be brought into the kingdom of heaven, through the proclaiming of the gospel.

Just as the healing of the woman and the blind men were a by-product of the healing of the synagogue leader’s daughter, so too are the miracles, the signs, wonders and healings a by-product of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Just as it was Jesus focus and purpose to preach the gospel and the miraculous followed, so too is that to be our purpose today. We are not to focus on the signs and wonders, we are to proclaim the gospel. Jesus says we are to be His witnesses. In Mark 16:15-18 He says:     “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”      Verse 20 verifies the result: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

If we will be faithful to the Lords commission, if we will continue the work that He did, proclaiming the gospel, teaching everywhere we go, the promise of the Lord will also be fulfilled. The miraculous power of the kingdom of heaven will be our evidence. The Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will confirm our word, His word; with signs, with wonders, with miracles and healing.  The harvest of souls for the kingdom is the focus of the Lord’s work. If we will make that our purpose, we will again see His power.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the gospel, the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that it is actually within us. Thank You that by the power of the cross and the resurrection we have been restored to Your image and likeness. May I be faithful to be Your witness, to proclaim the gospel, to be a worker in Your harvest. Then may the power of the kingdom of heaven accompany and confirm Your word. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.