Jesus the Miracle Worker (Part 2)
Notes
Transcript
As we make our way through Matthew’s Gospel, we arrive this week at Matthew 8:23, after Jesus had just confronted an overzealous and apathetic would-be disciples, and after he had performed three other miracles in Matthew 8. The calming of the storm is the fourth miracle recorded by Matthew. Each miracle demonstrates Jesus’ power and lordship. The first three that we saw two weeks ago show Jesus’ lordship over disease; how Jesus masters incurable diseases, such as leprosy (8:1–4). They show how He is the very power of God (8:5–13). Jesus heals all, if they are near death or if they simply have a fever. He heals people one by one and he heals great crowds (8:14–17).
These miracles of Jesus are incredible. When we read about them, we can wonder, “How is this possible?”
Miracles are not meant to be understood, they are meant to be believed.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
A miracle would not be a miracle if it could be explained (Ryle). We can only conclude that after seeing Jesus works these miracles, it’s because He is the very power of God. Thus, He’s able to fully heal.
Jesus the Miracle Worker heals the body… but wait, there’s more: He heals the heart and mind by bearing our disease, grief, and sin and making us his disciples.
1. Jesus the Miracle Worker can calm disaster (Matt. 8:23-27).
1. Jesus the Miracle Worker can calm disaster (Matt. 8:23-27).
23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping. 25 So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”
26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”
Jesus’ authority over winds and waves confirm his identity as the Creator and Ruler over nature.
Immediately the disciples who were with him get the feeling that discipleship does get harder than anyone anticipated.
As a violent storm arises, we see that their boat was in real danger of crashing. And here, Jesus is not just sleepy or tired. He’s exhausted from all of his teaching and healing that he stays asleep while there is a vicious storm, as they’re being swamped by the waves. While Jesus’ humanity is on display in his sleeping here, the disciples need a reminder that thought Jesus may be asleep, God is not asleep, and He is never not working because he is in control of everything.
The disciples yell out in a short outburst, in both hope and despair. They call Jesus “Lord,” and that plead with him, “Save us!”… So, they seem to believe Jesus, the Lord, can deliver them. Yet at the same time, they declare that they are perishing. They believe Jesus can save them, yet they are in panicking. “Oh, Jesus, don’t you care!? Don’t just lay there. Wake up! Do something!” — Maybe you’ve yelled out something similar before?
By the incredible power of his word, he performs these mighty works. And when he does, there is a great calm. My mind thinks back to Exodus 14 when the Lord led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land. When Moses stretched his hand over the sea, the LORD drove the sea back with a powerful wind that turned the sea into dry land. He divided the waters such to where the water was walled up on both sides of them.
The disciples were good Jewish young men. They know this story. They’ve been steeped in the oral history of who God is and all He’s done for his people. Like the true story of Jonah, when those on the ship with him were crying out in distress, “Hey, we’re sinking, about to drown and die. Disaster is at our doorstep. Save us!”
The disciples know that only God is able to direct the wind and waves. It’s safe to say that they may know the Psalms, and in particular Psalm 107:29
He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psalm 107 invites Israel to praise God, “for his steadfast love endures forever!” (107:1 ESV) and because he has redeemed his people from trouble and reunited them (107:2–3). As one scholar has pointed out: The psalm sketches four scenes from life that are both fact and figure: facts about God’s deliverance in times past that are figures or pictures of the way he always delivers. God retrieves wanderers who battle hunger, thirst, and exhaustion (107:4–9). He releases prisoners held in darkness, behind bars, sentenced to grinding labor (107:10–16). God restores the sick, including sick fools, men who brought suffering on themselves (107:17–22). He saves storm-tossed sailors who are in trouble (107:23–30).
Jesus’ disciples marveled because they began to realize that the man in the boat with them was not just a man. God Himself was in the boat with them! That’s the point of the story: Jesus is God. The authority that belongs to God is the authority that belongs to Jesus.
The Bible doesn’t guarantee that there will not be certain “storms” in our life. Your cancer may not disappear, your children may not become more obedient and godly as quick as you’d like, your marriage struggle may not end this week, or even this year. Things at work may just be pretty terrible for a while.
But as a believer, the confidence that you can have is that as you go through terrible moments and seasons in your life, you will never be alone. God himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ has given us, will be with you every step in the midst of the storm.
Jesus Christ is no security against storms, but He is perfect security in storms. He has never promised you an easy passage, only a safe landing.
Anonymous
Have faith in that, church family. Have faith and be confident that no matter what wind and waves crash over you, that God in heaven is actually with you, and you are ultimately safe in His presence, because He has authority over all disaster in this life… Just like the guys on the ship - when you start to lose your mind, remember that you cannot lose your God. He is who Psalm 46:1-3 say He is:
God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas,
though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah
When storms come, do as these disciples did, and cry out to him, knowing that he hears you.
I sure do wonder what Jesus said to the sea when he rebuked it… “Be silent! Be still!” … “Enough!” …“Sit down and shut up!” … My mind wonders, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not important what he said, so much as knowing that his word was the perfect solution to calming the storm.
When God rebukes the storm, it dies down… God rules the elements. Consider the Psalmist’s words from Psalm 104:1-4
My soul, bless the Lord! Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy,
laying the beams of his palace on the waters above, making the clouds his chariot, walking on the wings of the wind,
and making the winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
I just love how beautifully descriptive the Bible is and who God is… God walks on the wings of the wind and the clouds are his chariot. How majestic and awesome is our God! I just love the Bible… Jesus is God in the flesh. He is the only One who can work like God and display the exact wonders of God - because He’s God! He is the Miracle Worker who can calm disaster, and second...
2. Jesus the Miracle Worker can cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-34).
2. Jesus the Miracle Worker can cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-34).
When he had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding.
“If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”
“Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.
Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed.
At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
Jesus has authority over his disciples, disease, disaster, and even demons.
In a way, this story simply expands familiar themes. We have one more miracle. Every miracle teaches certain lessons about Jesus: He is the mighty Lord, the Master of nature, the loving and compassionate Savior. The miracles display Jesus’ power over and over. He cures leprosy, paralysis, and blindness. He commands the winds and the waves and they obey. Now we see Jesus’ mastery over evil, the realm of demons, including demons who took control over two men. But they are deathly afraid of the Son of God.
It is quite remarkable that these demons hate everything about Jesus, yet they are powerless to do anything apart from his permission.
As David Platt says, “Satan can do nothing in this world, and nothing in your life, apart from the sovereign permission of God. Satan is a lion, but he is a lion on a leash. And God holds the leash. Demons do not have all authority; Jesus does.”
First Peter 5:8 says:
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
He is prowling around like a roaring like and looking for anyone he can devour. But, if you are in Christ, if you are a saved, born-again believer then just know that the devil cannot devour you. He can growl, claw, scratch, bite, rough you up. But he cannot devour you… The devil won’t go down without a fight, but rest assured, he will go down.
Also, as a side-note: You cannot be possessed if you are a Christian. It’s just not possible. Can sin seek to control you? Absolutely. Temptations and sins may abound in the life of the believer as they seek to resist them. But, you cannot be possessed by a demon and simultaneously be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
We have a very real enemy who wants to blind us to the things of God, blind us to what the Word of God says, blind us to the importance of the local church. But, according to Paul in Ephesians 1, God in heaven wants to open our eyes and give us spiritual sight. This is why Paul prayed the Ephesian church’s hearts would be flooded with light so that they could understand the confident hope he has given to those he has called… Believers are his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. May we understand the incredible greatness of God’s power - the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him at God’s right hand.
These demons in this episode from Matthew 8 know who Jesus is, and they’re scared out of their minds. Remember James 2:19 ?
You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.
It sounds crazy to say, but it feels like the demons more quickly believe the divinity of Jesus than the disciples do. Unlike the devil and his demons and those without Christ - We are safe and secure in the eyes of Jesus.
We, as followers of Christ, are the most secure people in the world, and our security is not based on how good our job is, how stable our economy is, or who our next president is. We are secure simply because we are in the hands of the One who has all authority in the whole world, and because this One with all authority loves us and cares for us. God is committed to providing for us in the midst of struggles with sin, demons, natural disasters, and various diseases.
I realize that we can come to this story and also tend to think, “Well, I’m glad that demonic activity ceased to exist in the first century. Whew! Close one!”
But, that thinking would be erroneous.
The story is so strange that we may be inclined to think such events only occur long ago and far away, perhaps in sin-darkened nations such as Haiti or Nepal or Zaire.
Even in Scripture itself, there is some reason to believe that demon possession is not very common. There is just one case of demon possession in the Old Testament (Saul, in 1 Samuel 16). After the Gospels it becomes rare again (only Acts 16:16–18). It seems, then, that when Christ came to claim his kingdom, the kingdom of Satan rose up to resist, so there was a great upsurge of evil.
Still, sane, credible pastors have encountered cases of demon possession in America. Missionaries report demonic activity in lands that give themselves over to the worship of evil spirits. In their reports, the demons may act much as these do: they attempt to erase the identity of their victim, they drive the victim to self-destructive behavior, and they rise up to confront men of God who enter their presence.
But, again, take heart, Christian - you cannot be controlled by the devil. You can’t!
However, we still wage war against sin and the forces of evil in this world. Even in America, people can give themselves to evil. New Orleans is known for their wicked behavior. Las Vegas is known as “Sin City.” In larger states like California, New York, and Texas, the darkness of sin stains those densely populated areas. West Virginia has been a place riddled with drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and domestic crimes. The former county we used to live in was at one point the number one county in America - per capita - in Hepatitis C cases.
This dark world needs the light of the world - that is you, Church - Jesus, the light of the world lives in you and He calls you the light of the world. Darkness once defined our life, but now that we are light, we must walk as children of the light, bearing the fruit of light, which is goodness, righteousness and truth (Eph. 5:8-10). As children of light, we must trust in the authority of Jesus, as we submit to his authority, knowing that he can not only calm disaster and cast out demons...
3. Jesus the Miracle Worker can cure sin (Matt. 9:1-8).
3. Jesus the Miracle Worker can cure sin (Matt. 9:1-8).
So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.
Just then some men brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”
At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!”
Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?
For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
So he got up and went home.
When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and gave glory to God, who had given such authority to men.
Jesus knows that this person’s greatest need is not for him to get up from his mat and experience a physical transformation - though he does grant him that. He meets his greatest need by giving him a spiritual transformation by forgiving his sins. The greatest problem that we will experience in our life is not any sort of physical limitation, but rather, a spiritual disconnect from God because of our sins. This climaxes in our death, something that we all experience, because the payment for our sins is death. However, the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
We get to experience this eternal life on one thing alone: our faith in Him! That’s what Jesus recognized in this paralytic here, and it’s what prompted Jesus to assure him that his sins were forgiven. Jesus saw their faith - the one laying and the ones carrying - and it is that personal/individual faith that is needed to receive Jesus’s healing and forgiveness. The same is true for us today. What saves us from hell, and puts us into a right relationship with God, is our faith in Jesus.
Surely there is no greater comfort under Heaven than a sense of sin forgiven and of reconciliation to God by the death of His Son!
The Secret Of Happiness, Volume 56, Sermon #3227 - Matthew 9:2
Charles Spurgeon
Remember Ephesians 2 when Paul said that God saved believers by his grace when you believed - when you had faith in him. And you cannot take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We see this on display when, after the crowds had experienced everything that just transpired, what did they do? … Awestruck, they gave glory to God! Whether it’s when we see miracles take place or when we experience forgiven sins in our life, the only proper response is to give glory to God. We cannot be self-absorbed when it comes to spiritual matters.
Now, when Jesus declares that he’s forgiven this person’s sins, the scribes huddle up and claim that Jesus is blaspheming. These scribes were the guardians of the Jewish galaxy, if you will. They guarded Jewish traditions stringently, and were skilled copyists and interpreters of the Old Testament. They considered Jesus’s pronouncement of forgiveness to be blasphemous since only God can forgive sins. But Jesus asserted this divine right, and performed these signs and wonders to prove that he was indeed God in the flesh. Unfortunately, these scribes knew the Scriptures, but they didn’t know the Messiah that was prophesied in the Scriptures.
Remember John 1? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… Jesus was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did received him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name… John said, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Look back at verse 6 in Matthew 9. “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — Jesus associated his authority to forgive sins with his identity as the Son of Man (see note at 8:18–20). The “Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite self-designation, using it 28 times in Matthew’s Gospel account. That title is drawn from Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is described as a future ruler of heavenly origin who would reign over a universal and eternal kingdom.
I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.
He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
Who is this Son of Man? Jesus doesn’t hesitate to identify himself with the Son of Man. And Jesus was given this glorious kingdom after his death, resurrection, and ascension. The full realization of this kingdom will occur at the second coming of Christ that he spoke of in Matthew 24. In the meantime, here stands Jesus ready and willing to forgive sins that separate us from God.
Although first-century Jews did not associate forgiveness of sin with Messiah, Isaiah 53 showed that Messiah would offer the sacrifice that accomplished atonement for sin. Matthew alludes to this in Mt 8:17, from the text that we looked at last week.
so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.
In one sense Jesus was able to heal physical illnesses because his impending sacrificial death purchased spiritual atonement from sin. All sickness is ultimately a consequence of Adam’s sinful choice. Jesus could remove these consequences because he would bear the full penalty for sin on the cross. Matthew’s application of Isaiah 53 shows that he understood Jesus’s death as an act of substitution, an atonement in which Jesus was “pierced because of our rebellion” and bore punishment “for the iniquity of us all” (Is 53:5–6).
For the third week in a row, I will make no apologies for pointing us to Jesus perfectly fulfilling Isaiah 53:4-6.
Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.
Church, I know that you’re going to forget most of what I say from this pulpit, but I want you to remember the things I continually bring up again and again and again. So, I want us to confidently know that Jesus is everything that was promised and prophesied. He’s the Suffering Servant, who, as Jesus says in his own words in Matthew 20:28 , he’s “the Son of Man who did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
When Jesus was calling his disciples not to squabble with each other and to be humble, he points to his own humility, by explaining that the ultimate expression of humility was his own soon-to-come sacrificial death that serves as a ransom for believers. His life for ours.
Jesus has all authority over sin and can cure sin, since he forgives sin.
This miracle story in Matthew 9 shows us that Jesus’s authority over sin gets at our root problem, which is sin.
Only God is able to calm the wind and the waves. Only God is able to command disease. Only God can forgive sins. So, since Jesus does all these things, we conclude that Jesus is God. In other words, the King is here. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. And he is inviting everyone to become citizens of his kingdom.
You’ve been invited into his kingdom by believing in Jesus… if you’ve not yet trusted Jesus and placed your faith in Him, then today is the day of your salvation. Trust in Jesus, and he will make all things right between you and God. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how much of a dirtbag you’ve been in the past, no matter how much of an utter fool you are now - God is gracious toward you and through Jesus, He will wipe your sins away when you humbly come to him in faith, believing in him, and confessing your sins to him.