A Deeper Look at Matthew:  An End-Times Bible Study
 
 
Matthew 9
 
            Beginning here, Jesus gets into another ship and comes to His own city of Nazareth.  In verse 2 we learn they bring a man who has some kind of paralysis and he is lying on a bed.  Jesus tells the man to be of good cheer and tells him that his sins are forgiven.
            The scribes in verse 3, upon hearing what Jesus says to the man, are probably fuming with outrage and anger.  They probably tell themselves, "We are The spiritual authority around here...who is this Guy to tell this man that his sins are forgiven?"  You see, these scribes are obviously not children of God, because, if they were, they would be delighted to hear the Son of God forgiving the paralyzed man of his sins.
            Jesus then asks these scribes why they are thinking evil in their hearts.  He asks them which is easier to say "Thy sins are forgiven thee?" or to say, "Arise and walk?"  Jesus then puts them on notice that the Son of man, as he refers to Himself, has power on earth to forgive sins.  He then heals the man and commands him to take up his bed and go to his house.
            Why does Jesus refer to Himself as the "Son of man," and what does this mean?  I am not sure but I can tell you that the term "son of man" is used 105 times in the KJV Old Testament and 84 times in the New Testament.  In the book of Ezekiel, this term is used 94 times where God is speaking to Ezekiel and referring to him as such.  I still do not know why Jesus would refer to himself as the Son of man when He is really the Son of God.  Especially since Jesus has no earthly father in the strict sense of the word (Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived.)
            So Jesus departs to His house and the multitudes marvel and glorify God that, as 9:8b says, "had given such power unto men."
            So, as Jesus is walking, He sees Matthew sitting at his tax collector office and tells Matthew to follow Him.  So, what does Matthew do?  He gets up and follows Jesus.  In verse 10, Jesus is eating at Matthew's house and there are many other tax collectors and "sinners" sitting with Him and His disciples.
            In 9:11, the Pharisees take note of the type of people Jesus is communing with and they ask Jesus' disciples why their Master is eating with tax collectors and sinners.  Remember, these Pharisees believed that they, themselves, were spiritually perfect as Jesus showed later on in Luke 18:11-12.  There, it says, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess."  They had, what you might call, a "holier than thou" attitude and they really did think they were the epitome of spiritual perfection.
            So, Jesus responds to the Pharisees that the whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (9:12).  He goes on to say that He "will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
            You see, these Pharisees were all about sacrifice and not mercy.  These Pharisees believed one must keep every jot and tittle of the law or God is going to make them PAY WITHOUT MERCY.  But this is precisely why God sent His Son, Jesus - because we simply cannot keep the whole law - we are all sinners.  By accepting Jesus as Savior, God will have mercy on us and God wants to have mercy on us.  We just need to repent and follow Jesus.  But these Pharisees believe not in mercy but in the sacrifice of animals to pay for their sins, according to Old Testament law.  This is why the Pharisees reject Jesus - He stands for the opposite of what they stand for.  God will have mercy on us - we just need to repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
            After this, John the Baptist's disciples come up to Jesus and ask Him why them and the Pharisees fast often but His disciples do not.  Jesus replies and says, "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and they shall fast."  As long as Jesus, our Bridegroom, is with us we need to be filled with joy and we will be filled with joy.  It is only when Jesus is not around that we are depressed.
            Some people might wonder why we fast.  Well, we fast, as David says in Psalm 35:13, to humble our soul.  He also says in Psalm 69:10 that we also chasten our soul with fasting.  When we fast, we realize just how much we rely on our God.  You go hungry when you fast and you suffer.  You realize that, without food, you die.  The bottom line is that, when you fast, you suffer.
            Jesus teaches us in 9:17-18 that we do not put new cloth on an old garment nor do we put new wine in old bottles, lest they be destroyed.  We put new wine in new bottles so that both are preserved.  I am not sure why Jesus says these things but He certainly had a reason!
            In Matthew 18 Jesus is approached by a certain ruler who worships Jesus.  We cannot assume this person was saved, however.  Philippians 2:10 says, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"  So, just because someone bows to Jesus, does not mean that this person is heaven-bound because even Satan will have to bow to Him.
            So, Jesus follows this ruler and as He is following this person, a woman comes up behind Jesus and touches the hem of His garment.  Now, this takes faith.  This woman had so much faith that she KNEW that she did not even need to say anything to Jesus to receive healing.  She knew if she just touched Jesus' clothing, that that would be enough for her to receive healing.  And that is 100 percent faith.  In fact, this woman went beyond believing into knowing.  This woman knew that Jesus could heal her.
            So Jesus turns around when the woman touches Him and tells her that her faith has made her whole.
            Finally, Jesus makes it to the ruler's house and the people are making noise because the young lady is dead.  Here, Jesus says something interesting; He says, "The maid is not dead, but sleepeth."  So the people start laughing to the point of scorn.  Death is not something that Jesus has no control over.  He is able to raise a dead person to life just as easily as we can wake up a sleeping person.
            So Jesus simply takes the young lady by the hand and she is once again alive.  All praise to Jesus!
            Jesus departs and in 9:27 two blind men follow Him and cry out saying, "Thou son of David, have mercy on us."  Jesus then comes to the house (which house?) and Jesus tests their faith by asking them if they believe He can heal him.
            And that's what Jesus looks for.  Faith is everything.  The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 - "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  Jesus asks an important question in Luke 18:8b: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"  I tell you, not much at all.  I mean, those people raptured out before the great tribulation have faith but those numbers will likely be small in comparison to the number of people on the earth.
            What do people put their faith in these days?  They put faith in money.  They believe that money will answer all of their problems.  They don't turn to God when they have a problem.  They desperately await their next paycheck or Social Security check.  This is what people believe will solve all of their problems.  Money is not bad but it needs to have its place below God.  But people today have a cold indifference to God.  They just don't care about God.  Today, many people are neither cold or hot as it says in Revelation 3:16.  These people, as it goes on to say in Revelation 3:17, are rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing and they do not know that they are wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.  This is the way you are when money is your God.  Faith in money really is a great delusion.  Don't you see that when the precious spirit of God is not part of your life, you are going to hell?  1 John 4:13 says that when have His Spirit, we know we abide in Him.
            So, note what Jesus says in Revelation 3:17.  These Laodicean people put money first, not God.  And when God is not a part of your life, you go to hell.  Note what is said in 3:17 - these people are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."  Are you not all these things when you are in hell?  You are certainly wretched and miserable because of the excruciating pain caused by the constant torture.  You are poor in hell, too - you literally own nothing!  You are spiritually blind in hell, too, because you never embraced the Truth that would have set you free, as Jesus says in John 8:32.  You simply are blind to the truth.  Finally, you are naked in hell, too.  Note what is said in Job 26:6 - "Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering."  This is the way it is when you put faith in money instead of faith in Jesus.  So, when Jesus returns to earth, this is what He is going to find, a lot of faith in money and not a lot of faith in Him.
            But let's go back to Matthew 9:28 - Jesus checks their faith and they are believing.  Jesus heals them and says in 9:29, "According to your faith be it unto you."  They are healed and Jesus charges them not to tell anybody.  But, when the men depart, they disobey and "spread abroad his (Jesus') fame."
            So, Jesus goes out and they bring Jesus a dumb man who is possessed with a devil.  Jesus casts out the devil and the man can speak.  The Pharisees, probably out of bitter envy over the sheer power of Jesus, say that Jesus is casting out the devils by the prince of the devils.  But, let's stop for a second.  To the Pharisees, Jesus is the enemy.  The Pharisees are the hypocritical religious leaders who think they are going to heaven when they are not.  They are not filled with the precious Spirit of God, and Jesus is God.  The Pharisees are wolves in sheep's clothing while Jesus is the King of the sheep.  The Pharisees are full of hate and envy while Jesus is full of love.
            So, Jesus begins going from town to town, teaching the people and preaching the gospel and healing their sicknesses and diseases.  9:36 says Jesus was moved with compassion for them "because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."  He says to the disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
            Truly, there is a world dying out there that needs to hear the gospel of Jesus that can save them.  What we need is people who are willing to go out there and share Jesus with them.  So many people are blind to the truth and they just need someone to point them in the right direction.  The calling goes out to all who have made Jesus the Lord of their life.  There is POWER in the name of Jesus and people need to hear that Name.  Salvation is found in no other Name - only in the Name of Jesus.