Two Stories of Jesus' Amazing Authority - Matthew 9:18-26
The two stories of the raising of a dead child and the healing of a chronically sick woman are wrapped together into one story. In both cases the healing was miraculous. The key is faith, which is defined as believing and trusting in Jesus as the authoritative Son of God on the earth.
The Healing of Two Blind Men - Matthew 9:27-31
Following the miraculous raising of a dead girl and healing of the hemorrhaging woman (Matt. 9:18-26), Jesus performed the miracle of healing two blind men. Once again, their faith in Jesus' authority was key (Matt. 9:28-29). Again, the result of this healing was that Jesus' fame becomes well-known through the region (Matt. 9:26, 30-31).
The demon had been driven out – Matthew 9:33
When the
demon had been driven
out. Jesus' authority is the constant theme throughout the stories of chapters 8–9 and here Jesus is shown to have authority even over supernatural powers, once again resulting in the amazement of the crowds who recognized something new was happening (Matt. 9:33).
Ruler of the demons – Matthew 9:34
By the
ruler of the
demons. Opposition to Jesus was starting to increase. The Pharisees have already accused Jesus of blasphemy (Matt. 9:3). They could not deny his amazing power over sickness and supernatural beings so they tried to explain his authority as being demonic instead of from God. They will say this again in chapter 12 and Jesus will show that their logic is flawed — Satan would not destroy his own demonic work (12:24-29). Therefore, Jesus' work was happening through the power of the Spirit and is evidence that the kingdom of God has come (Matt. 12:28). They were the ones who were actually blaspheming (Matt. 12:31-32).
The Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew 9:35-38
These verses are parallel to Matt. 4:23-25 and sum up Jesus' ministry as the "gospel of the kingdom" which includes preaching and teaching (chapters 5–7) and healing and disciple-making based on Jesus' authority (chapters 8–9). There is an added element too — Jesus' compassion for people (Matt. 9:36) and the need for disciples to join with Jesus in the labor of his ministry.
Sheep without a shepherd – Matthew 9:36
Like
sheep without a
shepherd. Shepherd imagery is important in the Bible. God himself is a shepherd for his people (Ps. 23:1, 78:52, 80:1, 100:3; Isa. 40:11; Ezek. 34:31). Jesus himself is described as the shepherd of God's people (Matt. 2:6; John 10:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:17), and his disciples are later called to serve as faithful shepherds over the church (Acts 20:28-29; 1 Pet. 5:2-4). This is in contrast with the indictment that the prophets make against leaders who are false or unfaithful shepherds (Jer. 23:1; Ezek. 34:3-10; Zech. 11:1-16).
The Missionary Discourse - Matthew 10:1-42
Matthew 10 is the second of five major blocks of teaching in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5–7; 10; 13; 18; 23–25). In this block Matthew has gathered together teachings that center around what it means for Jesus' disciples to be a witness in the world. The main message is that as salt and light in the world (Matt. 5:13-16) they will experience two different responses – reception by some and rejection and persecution by others. This was Jesus' own experience and so his disciples should expect the same.
Gave them authority – Matthew 10:1
Gave them authority. Jesus saw the multitude of people who need the healing and restoration that comes from the gospel (Matt. 9:37-38) and so he commissioned his disciples to join him in the work of the gospel of the kingdom. To do so, he gave them authority over demons and disease, the same authority he has been exercising (Matt. 8:28-34).
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