Marvel - Matthew 9:32-34

Series Intro

If you have your Bibles, please open them to Matt 9:32.

Tonight we will finish the final miracle recorded in Matt 8-9.

And as you open your Bibles, I would remind you that Matthew has structured these miracles in a very intentional way, that hopefully you are familiar with by now.

But if you don’t remember, I will remind you that there area nine miracles in these chapters…

And they are broken into three sections each of which contain three miracle stories

By the end of the first block of miracles - Jesus is recognized as a healer

but in the second block of miracles - there is increasing confusion as to who Jesus truly is, as he steps away from the crowds who simply see Jesus as a healer

And tonight as we finish the third block of miracles, we see just how far some people are from recognizing who Jesus is.

Let’s read God’s word to see what he has to show us… so if you would, please stand for the reading of Scripture.

Matthew 9:32–34 ESV

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

Let’s pray

Sermon Intro

Try the recall for a moment the last time you have been in aww of something… or the last time something has caused you to marvel and be amazed...

There are somethings, that are just so vast, and so big, that upon seeing them, we are lefts astounded and speechless.

Now many take it for granted since you we are live in the PNW, but the ocean is one of those things that always makes me to marvel… Understand though, that I am from Montana… I grew up land locked north, south east and west from me, so I’m not use to seeing the ocean all my life… so every time I see the ocean, I am left amazed by the power of the waves and the the vast size of the ocean that surpasses my own vision of sight.

I remember when I first saw the ocean, I was astonished. Because it was unlike anything that I had ever seen.

I had a very similar experience the first time I flew over the Grand Canyon…

though I have never seen it up close in person, flying over the grand canyon leaves me amazed at the vast size and scope the geography of the land…

but we need not even leave our backyard in order to be astounded… Simply go out into your backyard on a clear starry night and be amazed at the size and scope of space… it’s huge!

When you try to conceptualize the size of the earth, to that of the sun… and then you begin counting the stars considering the fact that each star is of its own magnitude that can be compared to our sun… you should be left simply marveling and amazed.

Well such aww and wonder was the experience of the crowds upon seeing the many mighty works of Jesus. And though we see one final miracle in tonight’s text, these three verses also serves as a summary to all nine miracles that are recorded in this section of Matthew.

Matthew 9:32–33 ESV

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

Note those final words…

never was anything like this seen in Israel

Here’s the first thing I want us to see:

1. Jesus’ works are unmatched to any other person.

Jesus’ works are unlike that of any other that came before him… or after him…

In all of Israel, Jesus stands in a class of his own…

In fact, we are meant to recognize that Jesus’ authority is quite unlike the scribes and the pharisees … for when Jesus speaks, all of creation obeys.

This sentiment echos what came at the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon on the mount:

Matthew 7:28–29 ESV

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus teaching had this authority, because when Jesus spoke, God spoke…

But his authority was not just limited in what he said in his teaching, but Jesus authority is such that even when he commands sickness, storms, and satan’s demons, they all obey!

This idea is illustrated by John when he describes Jesus’ coming to the world:

John 1:5 ESV

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Have you ever noticed this? That when you turn lights on in a room, darkness ceases to exist?

We understand that when light shines in a dark room… darkness does not extinguish the light. Rather, light takes over the darkness!

So too, when Jesus came into the world, he came to shine in the darkness… by overcoming sin and death… and when he did, there was no amount of darkness that could overcome his light

This illustration of darkness and light, demonstrates the kind of authority Jesus has over everything

You see, unlike Jesus…

Kings and kingdoms can be destroyed by greater armies...

yes even the great Roman a empire, as powerful as it was, it came to an end

Captains of a ship can have their own crew mutiny/rebel against them

Even a powerful president can be impeached when their authority is brought into question…

But… 1. Jesus authority and works and are unmatched to any other person in such a way, that Jesus’ willing something causes it to happen…

Understand what I mean… I want COVID to go away… that is what I desire… but simply desiring it does not make it happen.

But this is not so with God. For if it was his will for Covid to be extinguished, it would be gone just like that.

Let’s return again to these three verses and consider what else we might see of Jesus’ authority…

Matthew 9:32–34 ESV

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

Put on your thinking caps, for I’m going to ask you to use just a little bit of common sense:

What has Jesus just done?

cast out a demon

What are they accusing Jesus of?

working by the power of the prince of demons… Satan

Now just think for a moment…

Do you think Jesus is casting out demons, because the prince of demons has given him power to do so?

First of all… such logic is simply absurd

If God is all powerful… as he truly is

why then wold Satan be working against himself by casting out his own demons?

I mean really… Satan is going to need all the help he can get if he wishes to oppose God

It’s with this in mind that Jesus says in the parallel account to this story in Mark:

Mark 3:25–26 ESV

25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.

Again, when darkness, enters darkness… does it create light?

Or when a basketball player scores against their own team, do they advance the efforts of their own team?

And if they keep on scoring against their team, do you suppose the coach is going to keep them in the game?

So then what should we make of this accusation of the Pharisees when they accuse Jesus of working with Satan to cast out demons?

Well first of all, it’s illogical

Well second, and of greater concern, they are guilty of blasphemy against Jesus and Holy Spirit, for they are blind and unable to recognize where Jesus’ authority comes from…

So let us recognize that which the pharisees have failed to see:

2. Jesus’ works oppose the works of Satan.

This does not take rocket science to recognize… In fact even the youngest child can understand this.

When Jesus is casting out demons, it must be clear that he does so not because he is working for Satan, rather Jesus is casting out demons because he opposes Satan.

Jesus has already taught us this very principle back in the sermon on the mount when it comes to using discernment about false teachers:

Matthew 7:17 ESV

17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

So let us consider the fruit of Jesus’ works…

in all that he has done, has he delivered and saved people’s lives? Or has he brought harm and destruction to them?

Or in other words, has Jesus produced good or bad fruit?

Well of course it is good fruit, for people are being delivered from satan and from death

But what is the outcome of Satan’s work?

It is death… and that is it…

for Satan’s works always lead to death

So calculate this then… What should we know of Jesus based on the fruit that he is producing in the lives of people? We should recognize that he is from God and not from Satan! This is what Nicodemus recognized when he came to Jesus;

John 3:2 ESV

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

and it’s recognized again by a man Jesus healed from his blindness… referring to the work Jesus has done, the blind man says this:

John 9:31–33 ESV

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

Listen, Jesus is from God, and we need nothing more than his works in order to recognize this…

This is why when John the baptist was losing confidence in Jesus identity as the messiah, Jesus reassures him of his identity by pointing to his works:

Matthew 11:2–6 ESV

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

But note the contrast of those who do take offence at Jesus when they have seen his works… here the Pharisees have accused Jesus for being with sinners and tax collectors… they have been offended for not fasting… and all of this is happening in Jesus’ hometown… Capernaum. So listen to Jesus rebuke to them:

Matthew 11:23–24 ESV

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Jesus says, Sodom would have repented from their sins and remained if they saw the works of Jesus… but the Pharisees, though they see Jesus’ works, they do not believe, nor do they recognize that Jesus is from God…

And though the Pharisees claim to have sight, and though they think that they recognize the source of Jesus’ authority… we should know better as to just how blind they really are

John 9:39–41 ESV

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

So then… let us ask ourselves… are we blind?

Or do we see?

How can we know if we have vision, or whether we lack such sight?

Do those who have vision need to be able to explain the deep mysteries of God?

Must they understand that which most people don’t get?

Is that what is requires to have such sight?

No. Rather what is needed to have spiritual sight is quite simple:

3. Jesus’ works are not intended to be fully explained, rather they are intended to cause us to marvel at Jesus.

This is the difference between what the crowds do, and what the Pharisees do:

Matthew 9:33–34 ESV

33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

In v 33 The crowds simply marvel at Jesus works, while in v 34 the Pharisees are working to explain how it is that Jesus is able to do these works

The Pharisees who know the OT Scriptures are left trying to come us with an explanation as to why Jesus is able to do what he is able to do.... and notice how far they are from hitting the mark…

Even the demons recognized earlier that Jesus was the Son of God… but the Pharisees think that Jesus works with Satan...

The Pharisees, who wish to explain Jesus power, fail to simply marvel at the simple impossibility that lies before them. That is that God stands before them in the form of a man…

But on the other hand, look at the crowds and what they do: It says they marveled…

Marvel is an interesting word…

But many of are likely familiar with it

When we hear the word Marvel - most of us probably think of superheroes…

And consider this for a moment… why do you suppose the Marvel comics came up this this name… marvel? Most likely because the comics captured the imagination of those who would read it…

And stories of superheroes needed no explanation… for they were not intended to be fully explained… they are superheroes… with super powers, many of whom aren’t even from earth… what more is there to be explained than this?

So in a similar way, and in a far greater way… we are intended to marvel at Jesus.

I heard a pitiful sermon on Genesis 1… which is about God creating all that there is… and in the sermon, the preacher opened up by saying how he wasn’t smart enough to explain how God created the world… but more do we need other than the opening few word words of the Bible in order to understand how everything was created?

In the beginning God created...

This is all the explanation that is needed in order to understand the mysteries of God’s ability to create

We don’t need to know:

quantum physics,

molecular biology

nor do we need to be able to give some explanation of Pangea and whether it is true or false

(and if you don’t know what those things are don’t even worry about it because they are insignificant and unimportant)

The point is this: if you do not first understand that in the beginning God created… then you know nothing

We understand how the world was created by God, simply because God said it, and we believe what God said because we are people of faith.

Hebrews 11:3 ESV

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

There are even many, who wish to know the “advanced things of the faith” while spending very little time with Jesus… But the Scriptures speak to such people:

2 Timothy 3:7 ESV

7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

Listen, there are many doctrines that we might learn… and they are good to learn…

Some of them, we call them the doctrines of grace or calvinism

and sometimes these doctrines can get really confuse us…

We begin asking questions like: What is predestination… what are the implications of God choosing some for salvation and not others.

And while a great deal can be said of these questions there is a fundamental question that is far more important for us to ask, and that is this:

Do you recognize who Jesus is?

Because if you don’t, then the rest of these questions are barely relevant to you… For apart from recognizing Jesus, you will not be saved…

If you don’t recognize Jesus, every other doctrine crumble into pieces and be throughly insignificant ...

Surely the Pharisees had good doctrine correct?

They believed in the one true God of the Scriptures

They believed that the Scriptures themselves were from God

But they did not believe that Jesus was from God.

Some might ask… how can I know that I am among the elect?

Have you ever asked that question?

Here’s how you know:

Do you recognize who Jesus is?

Because if you do… then you are among the elect.

For if you recognize Jesus, they you will obey him

If you recognize who Jesus is, then you will love him…

If you recognize who Jesus is, you will depend on him when you sin

if you recognize who Jesus is, then you will be confident in your status as a child of God who has been adopted into the family of God

IF you recognize Jesus, then YOU ARE AMONG THOSE WHO ARE CHOSEN BY GOD

Listen carefully: apart from God’s election, you would not recognize Jesus.

This is what Paul writes about in 1 Cor 2…

After talking about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Corinthians Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 2:8–10 ESV

8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Oh that we all would see Jesus and recognize him… and the only way this is possible is by the Spirit of God

But recognizing Jesus, does not mean that we know all that there is to know about God…

Spurgeon said, that we can no more fully comprehend God than a gnat is able to drink all the waters that fill the ocean.

But, do you recognize and know that Jesus is God? And that he came to save you from your sins?

Then do this:Marvel at his grace, that he would come to save you from your sins.

as we look into the stars, take a moment to marvel… not simply by the vast measure of creation, but marvel at the vast power of the God who’s authority is over all creation, marvel that God of creation loves you… and marvel that he died so that you would have life.

Let’s pray.

Psalm 8:3–4 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?