Matthew 9:27-37 - The Lord needs you

Undoubtedly the many miracles that Jesus did from chapter 8 were all pointing to His authority. We saw how Jesus began by demonstrating it in the healing of the leper, the centurion’s servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law. Then He proceeded to still the storm as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, before delivering the two demoniacs of Gadarenes from the herds of destructive demons within them. When we come to chapter 9 we saw the account of the healing of the paralytic, before The Lord healed the woman with her 12-year menstrual problem. Then we are told that He raised Jairus’ 12 years old daughter from the dead. With all these exploits, it would have been enough to authenticate Jesus’ authority and reveal that He is indeed God’s Messiah. Yet Matthew rounded up in these final 10 verses of Matthew 9, with two more accounts of healing. First in the healing of two blind men and then the healing of a demon-possessed mute man. 

 

The title that the two blind men addressed Jesus in their cries introduces to us another title of the Messiah. He is the “Son of David.” It points us to Jesus’ authority as the Messiah. The healing of these two blind-men shows us a few things. First, it shows faith in Jesus the Messiah as a pre-requisite to one’s healing. Second, it affirms that Jesus was indeed Israel’s long awaited Messiah. Third, it tells us the propensity of human nature. It is truly difficult to refrain from talking about one’s remarkable testimony. Yes, we must certainly share our remarkable story, but we must do so at the appropriate time.

 

The account quickly switched to the deliverance and amazing healing of that demon-possessed mute man. Briefly we are told the miracle was so brilliant that once the demon left him, he began to speak. Such a miracle, we are told, had never been done in Israel before. Hence, the people were in awe of Jesus, the Lord. Once again this miracle was intended to authenticate the authority of Jesus, the Messiah and Lord. Here, we also see the opposition and suspicion of the Pharisees concerning Jesus, the Messiah. They insinuated that what He did was by the authority of the rulers of demons. In other words, they suspected that the authority Jesus shown came from the devil.  Sadly, the skeptic didn’t realize that what Jesus did was far from what they thought about Him. What Jesus’ did stamped from His deep compassion for the people. He wanted to leave a mark of God’s great love for the people. He cares about our needs, our hurts and our pains.

 

Many people are still wandering about as strayed sheep without a meaningful purpose in life. They go about life dispirited and distressed, indicating so obviously how much they need the Lord. But at the same time, they are also oblivious that the Kingdom of God has already arrived, and the movement had begun at Jesus’ coming. So changing from shepherd-sheep imagery, the Lord used farming and agricultural terms, to urge us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into the already ripen field.  As we pray for more harvesters, let’s hear the Lord calling to us personally to answer His hillside prayer. Is He asking you to be one of the harvesters whom He needs to be sent into the already ripen field of the world?