The Merciful, Powerful Son of David

Introduction

As we continue our study of the book of Matthew, we are reminded yet again that one of Matthew’s primary themes is the royalty of Jesus. He is the rightful heir to the throne of David. Remember how this book starts: Matthew 1:1 “An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”

The phrase “Son of David” is used of Jesus seven times in Matthew’s gospel, four of which are pleas for mercy from broken sinners, and one of which is a declaration of his power and authority as he enters Jerusalem.

In our text this morning, we find both the mercy of Jesus and the power of Jesus beautifully displayed.

The Merciful Son of David (vv.27-30)

As I mentioned, the term “Son of David” is associated with pleas for mercy four times in this gospel account. Before we can truly appreciate his mercy, we need to unpack what the term “Son of David” means.

Understanding the Title “Son of David” (v.27)

The title refers to the covenant made with David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. We will walk through each phrase of the covenant to see how it not only applies to Solomon, but is ultimately about Jesus.

“…I was raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body…” (In Matthew Ch. 1, a genealogy is given to prove Jesus is a descendant of David.)

“…He is the one who will build a house for me…” (Jesus said of the temple that he would destroy it and raise it in 3 days, speaking of his resurrected body. He also calls the Church his body and the temple.)

“…and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (Jesus reigns as the rightful king of the world at the Father’s right hand.)

“…I will be his father and he will be my son…” (Both eternal generation, and his role as messiah-king begun at the Baptism of Jesus)

“…when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals…” (Jesus never sinned himself, but he did bear the sin of His people on the cross and the punishment of our sin was placed upon him through the wicked Romans.)

“…But my faithful love will never leave him…” (This implies a continuation after the discipline. If the discipline means crucifixion, then the Father’s love never leaving him implies the resurrection.)

By being given the title “Son of David”, Jesus is being recognized as the rightful king of Israel, the messiah-king who would defeat the enemies of God’s people and establish peace on earth.

God’s Mercy on Those Who Plead for It (vv.27-29)

I. Jesus mercifully heals the blind men in his own sovereign timing.

The blind men follow Jesus on the road while crying out to him, but he doesn’t speak with them until he gets to his lodging.

This teaches us at least two things:

First, if we are to be heard and healed, God must condescend to us. We can plead and cry out all we want, but if He doesn’t decide to hear us and heal us, nothing of the sort will happen. This is not say that God ever ignores a sinner crying out to him, but it is to say that crying out to him does not earn any response from God. The response must come from God’s merciful heart.

Second, that just because God may seem silent to our pleas for help and mercy, does not mean he is indifferent to our suffering. Rather, he may plan to respond at a later time that may be more favorable to His plan. The blind men must have wondered why the Son of David was ignoring them on the road, but of course, he did in fact speak to them eventually when he found fit to do so at his lodging.

So do not grow weary in pleading for mercy and help. The Lord will help you in his own timing, though he may want to take you through a silent desert or dark valley first.

2. God will never turn away someone who comes to him in faith.

Another truth we learn from the healing of these blind men is that Jesus never turns away those who come to Him in faith for mercy. Listen to this beautiful verse:

John 6:37 CSB

Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

Hear this! If you come to Jesus in simple faith, He will never cast you out.

Much anxiety has been produced in the heart of deep-thinking Christians asking whether or not God has chosen them for salvation. While it is true that God chooses to save some and pass over others based on His own purpose of grace, this falls in the category of the “secret things of God”. We cannot fully know the secret providence of God. We can only know what He has revealed to us.

This is an imperfect analogy, but take it for what it’s worth:

When thinking of God’s providence and human freewill or responsibility, consider a play or a novel. The director or author casts the characters, writes the story, and decides the end from the beginning. While this is true, the characters in the story are not privy to what is going on backstage or in the author’s mind. They just know what has been put in front of them. There isn’t much use for them to spend all their time wondering what the author or director is going to decide next. Rather, they must simply focus on what they are supposed to do right now. In a similar way, we must not pry too much into the secret plans of God. Rather, we must focus on what has been revealed to us and commanded of us. We must believe and obey. We must beg God for mercy and trust He will be merciful. For whoever comes to Him, he will never cast out.

Remember, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. It is our responsibility to make the decision to be humble before God. It is so wonderfully simple, it should put our anxious minds at ease. Hear him say it again: “The one who comes to me I will never cast out!”

If your heart retorts against this, saying you are too great a sinner to receive mercy, hear this parable from our Lord:

Luke 18:9–14 CSB

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So come to the Son of God, the Son of David, in humble faith, and he will show mercy upon you and exalt you.

The Powerful Son of David (vv.32-33)

Even The Demons Obey Him (vv.32-33)

We now turn from the mercy of the Son of David to his power and authority.

Though the powers of darkness are great and terrifying to us, they themselves are even more terrified of our Lord Jesus. They cower in fear at the sound of His voice, for they know it is his voice that made them and His voice that will destroy them.

Here are some major passages showing how demons obey and fear Jesus.

Mark 1:39 CSB

He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Luke 4:40–41 CSB

When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them. Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Matthew 8:28–32 CSB

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.

James 2:19 CSB

You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.

If we can distil a few truths from these passages, it is the demons know who Jesus is. They knew him from the beginning because it was He who made them. They recognized His authority and knew He was the eternal Son of God. They feared Him who was able to cast them into torment.

While we ought not treat spiritual darkness lightly, we also must not fear it. For we have the Spirit of Christ. We do not have a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound judgement. We are the temple of God; He dwells in us.

This brings us to our final point found in the Pharisees response in Matthew 9:34 “But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.””

A Binding and a Conquering (v.34)

In a similar situation, a few chapters later, Jesus is driving out demons again and the Pharisees offer the same accusation. Listen to what it says:

Matthew 12:24–29 CSB

When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

The Binding of Satan and the Victory of Jesus

This passage that was just read has an vitally important parable: the binding of the strong man. The context helps us understand who the characters in this parable are meant to symbolize.

The context here is Jesus having the authority to cast out demons by the Spirit of God, which indicates that the promised future kingdom of God has arrived in the person and work of Jesus. However, the pharisees accuse Jesus that his power to cast out demons is actually coming from Satan. Jesus responds that it is illogical to think that way, because if that were the case, the casting out demons would be friendly-fire. If he were on the same team of Satan, he would be casting demons into people, not out of them.

Therefore, when we look at the parable, we see that this world is the house, Satan is the strong man, and Jesus is the one who tied up the strong man and plundered all of his possessions.

The Main Theme of the Bible

In the very begging of the universe, God made all things in 6 days. On the 6th day, he made humanity. We were made in the image of the one true God, given dominion over all the earth. However, when we fell away from God in the garden and chose to obey the serpent, everything under man’s dominion was cursed. The serpent, through fallen men, usurped man’s dominion and reeked havock on the earth. Conflict between the followers of God and the followers of satan followed suit and is truly at the root of all conflicts between good and evil.

But a promise was made in the garden: a promise that the serpent would be destroyed by the seed of the woman.

Genesis 3:15 CSB

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

This seed would be traced through the righteous patriarchs, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, and ultimately to Jesus, the Son of Adam, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God.

His mission would be to destroy the serpent, plunder his possessions, and win the entire world back for Himself.

This is why the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is important on this very point. Listen to how the serpent tempts Jesus:

Matthew 4:8–11 CSB

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

Why would the serpent tempt Jesus by offering him the nations if he would but fall down and worship him? Because Jesus came for the nations. He came to win them for himself from the serpent. And while God could have easily obliterated the serpent with a mere word, our Triune God decided the destroy him the hard way, fair and square, by the Son becoming a a human, the second Adam, and crushing the skull of the serpent the way the first Adam should have.

But when will the serpent be cast out? Will it be in our future or has it already happened? Listen to the words of Jesus:

John 12:31–33 CSB

Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate what kind of death he was about to die.

In other words, the crucifixion of Jesus 2,000 years ago was when the serpent was cast out. But what does that mean exactly? Well, it certainly doesn’t mean the serpent and his demons are completely inactive in the world. We know this not only from experience, but also from New Testament writings recording events that occurred after the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord. Most famously, Peter mentions the serpent in his first epistle:

1 Peter 5:8 CSB

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

What are we to make of the binding and banishment of the serpent at Jesus’ 1st coming? If it doesn’t mean total inactivity, what does it mean? This is where the book of Revelation comes in handy. It specifically mentions the binding of Satan and what it entails:

Revelation 20:1–3 CSB

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.

In other words, the binding of Satan specifically has to do with restricting Satan from whole-sale deceiving the nations.

Again, we see the theme of “nations”. This is why Jesus came: to win the nations. Look at this prophecy about Jesus:

Daniel 7:13–14 CSB

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.

Notice that the Son of Man comes with the clouds and approaches the Ancient of Days. Then the Ancient of Days gives him authority of all the nations forever.

This passage is directly fulfilled at the ascension of our Lord when He gives us the great commission:

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Conclusion

This is the central theme of the Bible: The Triune God redeeming the fallen nations and creation for Himself, to the praise of His glory.

This is our mission as well, just as we read in Matthew 28, we are to make disciples from every nation, baptizing them and teaching them the law and gospel of Christ. Are your priorities lined up with this? Are you focused on the worship of God and that your children, family, friends and enemies might worship His as well?

Or maybe you have never called out to Jesus for mercy before. Now is the time. See that this life is so much bigger than you; that God’s mission is far greater than yours; that His mercy far surpasses your sin. Call out to Him for mercy; come to Him in faith, and He will receive you and never cast you out.