Compassion in Action - Matthew 9:35 - 10:4
Unrecognized Authority: Matt 8-10 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 59 viewsJesus ministry was fueled by his compassion, and it's that same compassion that is to motivate the mission of the church today.
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Transcript
if you have your Bibles please open them to Matt 9.35...
and as you do let me set the scene for today’s text.
In our series, we have been looking at the authority of Jesus over all creation. Specifically, we have been looking at Jesus’ authority as it was demonstrated through many miracles, and hopefully by now you picked up that seeing these miracles didn’t automatically produce faith in the hearts of all those who Jesus encountered. In fact many didn’t recognize Jesus at all.
And so, dispersed in these miracles Jesus expounded on what it meant to follow him, as well as why he came into the world. So far, we have seen of these discourses on discipleship.
Remember, from the top of Matt 8, Jesus did three miracles, and then Jesus taught on discipleship…
and again, Jesus did three more miracles, and then he taught again on discipleship when he called Matthew…
after that, Jesus did three more miracles, which brings us to tonight’s text, where Jesus gave his greater discourse on discipleship. In fact, all of Matt 10 is Jesus teaching to his disciples. And this teaching will take us into January and will be the conclusion of our time in Matthew for now…
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Let’s pray.
In just a moment, I want you all to break into small groups of three of four. And you’ll have a minute to discuss amongst yourselves to try to come with an answer to a few questions.
So here is my first question:
If you could pick one word to describe Christmas, what would that word be?
If you could pick one word to describe the year 2020 what would that word be?
If you could pick one word to describe Jesus’ ministry what would that word be?
I asked this question, because in tonight’s text, Matthew provides us with a summery of Jesus teaching and healing ministry and he has a word that sums up…
I’ll tell you what that word is in a moment, but before I tell you what that word is, let’s start at the top of our text:
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Now, just a few things to note:
In the nine miracles that we have been looking at in Matt 8-9, Jesus has primarily been in Capernaum. With the exception of Jesus calming the storm, and casting the demons into the heard of pigs, Jesus has been in just this one town doing a great deal of miracles…
But Matthew has already shown us that there were a great deal of miracles that Jesus did in Capernaum that were not recorded in detail by Matthew in these two chapters… Recall that after Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law, Matthew recorded this:
16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
so there are a great deal of miracles that took place outside of what was recorded in these two chapters…
But Matthew gives us another clue that Jesus did far more than what he did in Capernaum.
Go back again to 9:35
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Matt tells us that Jesus went throughout all the Cities and villages proclaiming and healing
But just how many cities would this have been?
According to a Jewish historian who lived who wrote shortly after the Jesus’ earthy ministry, he recorded that there were 204 cities and villages in Galilee, each with no fewer than fifteen thousand people living in them…
If we do the math, that total number of people living in Galilee at the time would calculate to be over three million people.
Now, the accuracy of that number isn’t important, but what I want us to recognize, is the great size and scope of all that Jesus did
What Matthew is conveying here in this verse is just how vast the ministry of Jesus was when he was on the earth…
John tells us more of the vastness of Jesus’ ministry… John concludes his gospel saying:
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Such was the size and scope of Jesus earthly ministry…
But even though we don’t know all the works that Jesus did, we do have a summary of what his ministry looked like. Matthew summarizes Jesus ministry in this same verse:
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
What did Jesus ministry include?
Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom
and healing every disease and every affliction
In fact there is something really neat about this verse.... what is neat, is this isn’t the first time Matthew wrote these words!
Back at the end chapter 4, Matt wrote:
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
And this after these verses, we find the sermon on the mount in chapters 5-7, where we have an example of Jesus message about the gospel of the kingdom…
and after the sermon on the mount we find Jesus healing ministry in chapters 8-9… as he himself was ushering in the very kingdom that he was announcing.
So in the sermon on the mount, and in Jesus’ many healings, we have a little snapshot that gives us an idea of all that Jesus did throughout Galilee…
What’s the point of all this though?
Well we are supposed to get an idea of the size and scope of Jesus ministry… it was more than ambitious…
So we need to understand something… when people work hard, they do this because they are motivated by something correct?
If you want to get good scholarships for college… it’ll motivate you to study and work hard!
If you want to have a good carrier that will pay the bills that you will also enjoy someday, it’ll motivate you to study and work hard!
But what was it that motivated Jesus to do all that he did?
Well… we have seen in weeks past that Jesus came to forgive sinners… remember when he healed the paralytic that was lowered into the roof
In fact, Jesus came for these sinners specifically… remember what Jesus said when he was eating with sinners and tax collectors:
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is what Jesus came to do… but why did he come to do it?
Matthew tells us why Jesus did all that he did:
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus came for the sick sinners, because he had compassion…
1. Jesus’ mission to save sinners is motivated by his compassion for sinners.
1. Jesus’ mission to save sinners is motivated by his compassion for sinners.
This is the word that Matthew used to encapsulate all of Jesus miracles… for this is what motivated Jesus to do all that he did
Now there are a great many words that can and even should be used to describe Jesus… But when Matthew summarizes the ministry of Jesus, he describes the compassion of Jesus. And I would hope if we were to describe Jesus, we wouldn’t forget to describe Jesus as one who is marked by compassion…
If you were to describe Jesus to your non-Christian friend… (expound)
In fact, as we have been looking at all the miracles of Jesus over the past few months… I hope one of the things you walk away with is an understanding, and knowledge of the compassion of Jesus! And not just a knowledge that exists in your mind… but what that you know and experience.
If we don’t recognize the compassion of Jesus, then read again all that he has done for those who were sick…
when the leper came to Jesus asking if Jesus was willing to heal him… Jesus surely was willing to heal… and surely he did this because he had compassion
When a Centurion with great authority recognizes the greater authority of Jesus who could help his sick servant, Jesus was moved by compassion and healed the servant…
When friends take a paralytic to Jesus for help, again Jesus is more than willing to help the man, because Jesus is marked by compassion.
And when a father of a dying child comes to Jesus for help, Jesus didn’t tell him to move along. Rather Jesus, who was marked by compassion was willing to help…
And on the way to help this helpless father, when another helpless woman who was sick touched Jesus’ robe, he stopped there in his tracks to pay attention and heal the woman, because Jesus had compassion for her…
Matthew wants us to recognize the great compassion of our savior! And when people recognize the compassion of Jesus, it is no wonder that they are filled with such love for Jesus…
We know this to be true in this world, that when there is a person who gives us special attention, and care… we are drawn to them.
So too I want us to see is Jesus the special care and compassion he has for us… … I want us all to recognize the care that he has for his children… and as we recognize this of Jesus, may we too be drawn to him with such great joy in him and love for him! For Jesus cares for you. And he has compassion for those who are harassed and helpless…
His love for you is greater than a mothers love for her baby…
Jesus’ compassion for his sheep is even greater than the compassion of a dad who’s child is sick…
But let’s see what else motivated Jesus’ compassion:
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
The crowds were like sheep without a shepherd…
the reality is this: Israel did have a shepherd:
The word shepherd is a figurative language that was to describe the leaders of Israel. For much like sheep need shepherds to lead and guide them,, to feed them, and to protect them from danger, so too did the people of God need such a leader…
Take for example Num 27:17-18
When Moses was looking for a new leader to guid Israel he said:
17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
Israel’s leaders were to lead them in righteousness…
But the problem was that Israel’s leaders failed to shepherd his people:
Such a problem was recorded by the prophet Ezekiel
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
The leaders of Israel, were supposed to care for the people of God, and when they wandered from God (or when they sinned), they were to go after the sheep and bring them back… The shepherds were to care for the sheep and they were supposed to have compassion for the sheep
but what have Israel’s shepherds done?
What have the leaders done in Israel since we have began studying Matthew?
Well remember, they criticize Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors… So they aren’t actually seeking the lost sheep are they?
and most recently, they have even accused Jesus of working under the power of Satan…
So instead of pointing God’s flock to Jesus, they are hindering people from coming to him…
And so, Jesus came to be Israel’s shepherd, that Israel’s leaders failed to be:
Jesus said it this way:
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Jesus compassion for his people is so great that he came to heal, to forgive, and ultimately to die so that we could have life…
1. Jesus’ mission to save sinners is motivated by his compassion for sinners.
1. Jesus’ mission to save sinners is motivated by his compassion for sinners.
Let’s continue in tonight’s text:
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Here Jesus changes metaphors… from shepherding language to harvest language
The harvest is plentiful - what might be said of this....
well let us again consider the scope of of Jesus’ ministry
As he goes to potentially hundreds of cities and villages, each with thousands of people in it… the size and scope of Jesus ministry in these passing verses is far too big for any man to accomplish on his own…
But there is a problem
While the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few
and so Jesus tells the disciples to pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest…
2. The size of Jesus’ mission motivates prayer.
2. The size of Jesus’ mission motivates prayer.
This is just as relevant today as it was when Jesus’ first addressed his disciples…
Have you ever thought about this:
There is an estimate of 186,000 people here in Vancouver…
and there are many in our city who belong to Jesus… whom he has chosen, but have yet to hear the gospel…
Let me ask you this: How do you suppose they will hear the gospel? And how will they be saved?
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So what must we do to get the gospel to these people?
Should we start recording our church’s sermons and posting them online and then try to make the videos go viral?
maybe…
Should we start a ministry where every week we go into the streets of Vancouver to share the gospel?
that might be a good idea
But should we first train up every person in our church to be equipped to share the gospel?
yeah…
Now, while all of these efforts might be good, and they might not be too… they are far from where we should start…
the start of effective gospel ministry is always prayer…
This is always the case…
be it on a Sunday morning
be it on a Wednesday night
or even in my office as I begin to prepare a sermon through study and through writing…
The first step in all gospel ministry must be prayer…
when you open your Bibles up in the morning to read your devotions, you should always start by praying…
For you are not just reading another book… but you are reading God’s word! And as we have seen time and time again in the last few weeks, if we are going to recognize Jesus we need him to help us!
The same goes with my preaching
My main job is not to be well spoken…
or to be funny, or captivating as a speaker…
My job is to show you Jesus, but this is not something I can do in my own effort. For apart from God, my efforts would amount to nothing
And same would go for even the most ambitious evangelism efforts… apart from the Lord’s help, the disciples efforts to gather the sheep of God would not be accomplished…
So Jesus says:
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Pray earnestly is just one word in the greek… it means more than simply pray… but it means to beg and ask with a sense of urgency… it has to do with a want, and desire for something that is lacking…
we pray like this, when loved one’s get sick…
we pray like this, when we are worried about something…
but here, Jesus says we are to pray with such urgent desire when we look around and see a world perishing apart from Jesus…
And so may we pray to the Lord of the harvest, who is our Father in heaven that he would send out workers into the world to be faithful witnesses by proclaiming the gospel to all who might hear them!
But is prayer where our efforts end?
of course not… and it’s not where Jesus stopped either…
For after he instructed the disciples to pray for laborers, he commissioned his disciples as laborers to go into the harvest…
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
What we should recognize is this: Jesus sends his disciples to continue doing the work that he has been doing.
And just as Jesus did all these things, because of his compassion for those without a shepherd, so too does the church work towards this mission with the same kind of compassion that Jesus had for the lost.
3. The compassion of Jesus motivates the mission of the church.
3. The compassion of Jesus motivates the mission of the church.
A church that does not go on mission into the harvest… is a church that knows nothing of the compassion of Jesus.
And contrast to those who have compassion for those who are lost, are those who are motivated by many other sins…
Motivations like:
winning a theological debate with our opponents in order to make them feel dumb
We might be motivated by a sense of pride, desiring that others would see our good works, and give us glory
Or we might even be motivated by a love for money, power, or influence…
Each of these are gross sins…
Matthew gives the names of all the disciples, but there is one I wish to point out:
2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Consider Judas… what motivated Judas Iscariot do you remember?
Was it his compassion for the lost… no rather, what motivated Judas was his love of money.
May we not be motivated by all the passions of the flesh as Judas was… But instead may the Lord give us a passion for his glory, and as our love for him grows, may we also grow in compassion for his sheep who are without a shepherd… and may we point others to our good shepherd, who had compassion for us when we were lost… and who also has compassion for the rest of his sheep who are still lost.
So to that end, let’s pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into his harvest… and may we also ask that that the Lord would give us his Spirit so that we too would be marked by the compassion of Jesus…
What was the word that Matthew used to characterize Jesus’ ministry of proclamation and healing, and why is this word so important to recognize?
What is the first step of effective gospel ministry, and why is it so important?