Matthew | Part 33
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· 4 viewsJesus has power of death and disease.
Notes
Transcript
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.
Intro
Intro
One of the main reasons that Matthew wrote his Gospel account, is to illustrate Jesus’ deity and to prove that He is Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, the one who would rescue and restore His people, and usher in the Kingdom of God.
Anybody can (and have) make that claim, but as we have seen—and will continue to see—Jesus has the works to back up the claim.
Chapters 5-7 – Jesus’ Authority to teach the truths of the Kingdom
8:1-14 – Jesus’ Power Over Sickness (he healed multitudes of people)
8:23-27 – Jesus’ Power Over the Natural Realm (Calmed winds and the waves)
8:28-34 – Jesus’ Power Over the Spiritual Realm (He cast out demons)
9 - Jesus has the Authority to forgive sins
Today, we come to a text where Jesus healed a woman with an issue of blood and raised a did girl to life.
In these stories we are reminded of Jesus’ power to heal—even the most debilitating diseases, and, He even has the power over death.
Why Listen?
Do you ever wonder if God really cares about your individual needs?
(He’s busy running the universe)
Do you ever question—if God has this glorious power to heal—why some receive healing and not others?
As we move through this text, I aim to give some Biblical insight to those questions.
Two Points
The Accessibility of Jesus
The Power of Jesus
I. The Accessibility of Jesus
I. The Accessibility of Jesus
A) Jesus Moved Amongst the Multitudes
A) Jesus Moved Amongst the Multitudes
We have seen throughout Matthew, that Jesus moved amongst the crowds of people
He taught the multitudes
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
He healed and delivered multitudes
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.
Most of us have no trouble believing that God moves amongst the masses
We sense God moving in churches, where multitudes are gather together
We read of God moving in revival-like settings
We understand that God moves upon the crowds. But many falsely believe that the Lord is too busy—or perhaps even unconcerned—with our individual needs.
B) Jesus Made Time for the the One
In Mark’s and Luke’s accounts of this same story, we learn that again, Jesus was amongst the crowds.
Mark 5:21 (ESV)
And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.
While Jesus was amongst the multitude, he stopped for two individual needs:
1 an important , dignified ruler in the synogue
2 a desperate, outcast woman
i.) The Ruler
i.) The Ruler
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
From Luke’s Gospel, we learn that this this man’s name was Jairus
Furthermore, we are told what king of ruler he was: he was a ruler of the synagogue.
It is quite possible that this man was a Pharisee
This is particularly important, because Jesus has been tough on the Pharisees
What Jesus rejected was those multitudes of Pharisees who were self-righteous and had hardness of heart.
But, He gladly received any Pharisee who humbled himself and recognized his need for Jesus.
That is precisely what we see in this story and such was the case in the story of Nicodemus in John chapter 3.
Matthew 9:18 (ESV)
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
Kneeling down was an appropriate position to take before a King.
By kneeling, Jairus—a ruler himself—humbled himself and recognized the superiority of Jesus.
I don’t know how Jairus felt about Jesus before this moment, but when his daughter died, he knew he needed the Lord.
It is quite common for even an agnostic or atheist who claims not believe in Jesus, to call upon Him in a moment of tragedy.
Clint Brown Airplane (pray… to who?)
Jairus had no doubt heard—or even witnessed first hand—the miracles of Jesus. And in his moment of need, he exercised great faith.
Jesus had not raised anyone from the dead yet! And yet, Jairus says “come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” Wow!
Look at Jesus’ response:
And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
While he was amongst the multitude, he took time for the one!
And while Jesus was on His way to minister to Jairus’ daughter, there was another interuption: a sick and broken woman pushed through the crowd to get to Jesus.
ii. ) The Woman with the Issue of Blood
ii. ) The Woman with the Issue of Blood
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”
It is likely that this woman had menorrhagia (men-er-ray-gee-ia) which is a menstrual cycle that lasts for more than seven days.
And she had struggled with this for 12 years, which would have made her extremely anemic.
Luke’s Gospel tells us that she spent all of her money on physicians to no avail
She was broke, ill, and at the end of her rope.
But hearing about Jesus’ ministry, she once again had hope.
As the crowds pressed against Jesus, this woman mustered up all the strength she had to get to him and touch the hem of his garment .
Jesus’ Response:
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
Jesus could have just continued on to Jairus’ house.
But instead, he stopped and ministered to her.
Jesus, again, took time for the one!
JR Smith (Show Picture)
- Took time for the one out of the entire crowd (Dylan)
Yes, the Lord ministers to the multitudes, but He also cares about you and your individual needs.
The Lord is accessible to all who would recognize the Lordship of Jesus and call upon Him in faith!
II. The Power of Jesus
II. The Power of Jesus
A) Power Over Sickness
A) Power Over Sickness
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
Jesus demonstrated again, His power over sickness.
The text says that “instantly the woman was made well”
The Greek word translated “well” is the word “sozo”
It is normally translated “save” in the NT
The word can mean “wholeness”
This is a woman who had to be broken spiritually, physically, and mentally.
The Lord did not just heal this woman physically; He healed her brokenness and touched her, spirit, body, soul, and spirit.
Jesus has the power to heal and the power to make whole!
B) Power Over Death
B) Power Over Death
And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
Flute Players?
In Jesus day, funerals were not quiet and solemn like they are today.
Jews would hire flute players as well as professional women mourners for the funeral.
The Talmud declared “the husband is bound to bury his dead wife and to make lamentations and mourning for her according to the custom of all countries. Also the very poorest among the Israelites will not allow her less than two flutes and one wailing woman.”
According to Scholar Craig Keener, “The cathartic release of mourning included shrieking and beating of breasts. Because bodies decomposed rapidly in Palestine, mourners were to be assembled, if possible, immediately upon someone’s death.
“The girl is not dead, but sleeping”
Jesus, knew that Lazarus was dead, but he told the disciples that he was sleeping.
After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”
The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,
Jesus knew that Jairus’ daughter was dead. But, her body was asleep—so to speak—awaiting resurrection.
One Commentator said, Jesus is not defining death—He is redefining it!
This points to our resurrection. While our body’s “sleep” we know that one day they too will be resurrected.
But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
Jesus has the power over death.
What a Savior!
The Canadian scientist G.B. Hardy once said, “When I looked at religion I said, I have two questions. One, has anybody ever conquered death, and two, if they have, did they make a way for me to conquer death? I checked the tomb of Buddha, and it was occupied, and I check the tomb of Confucius and it was occupied, and I checked the tomb of Mohammed and it was occupied, and I cam to the tomb of Jesus and it was empty. And I said, There is one who conquered death. And I asked the second question, did He make a way for me to do it? And I opened the Bible and discovered that He said, ‘Because I live, you shall live also.”
The Christian faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus!
The word “arose” in verse 25 is resurrection language.
This miracle is a foretaste of the glorious resurrection to come.
Martin Luther lost his beloved fourteen-year-old daughter, Magdalena, to the Great Plague that swept through Europe in the sixteenth century. Those who knew Luther later recalled the event:Brokenhearted Luther knelt beside her bed and begged God to release her from the pain. Then when she had finally died, and the carpenters were nailing down the lid of the coffin, Luther screamed out, “Hammer away! Hammer away … for on the last day she shall rise again.”
When we die, are bodies are “sleeping” so to speak.
But one day—when Jesus returns to consummate His Kingdom—our bodies shall to be raised. We shall arise and forever be with the Lord!
C) Power over Uncleanness
C) Power over Uncleanness
In this story, both the woman and the girl who had died had issues beyond the physical.
Both would have been considered “unclean,” which means they would be avoided.
You may remember a several weeks ago, when we dealt with the idea of “uncleaness”
God is Holy
Often, when we think of holiness, we think of morality. Holiness includes morality, but it is more than that.
It means to be unique, to be distinct, to be different = ultimately it means to be “set apart.”
God is holy, which means the space around God is holy, and, consequently, the people who are near the presence of God are supposed to be holy.
The Leviticus text tells us that God’s people are not to be defiled, which means they are not to be unclean.
So “unclean” is the opposite of holiness.
An Israelite who was unclean, was put outside of the community, away from the presence of God, until they were purified.
How did a person become unclean?
Numbers 5:1–4 (ESV)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.
According to this text there are four things that would make a person unclean:
Leprosy - this class of skin diseases
The discharge of blood
The discharge of semen
Coming into contact with a dead body
When we read this, most of us are likely puzzled; it’s like why are these things relevant? Like, if you’ve been to a funeral and touch the hand of the body in the casket you are rendered unclean?
If you have a skin disease, by no fault of your own, doesn’t it seem a bit harsh to say that you can’t be near the presence of God?
Fair enough… but these regulations are actually profound:
God’s holiness is connected to Him being the creator and sustainer of life. He is the Living God.
So, the life-infused, sacred space in the tabernacle was not to be contaminated with the realm of death:
Contact with dead bodies would self-evidently bring a person into contact with the realm of death.
The discharge of blood and semen—both were associated with life… hence, the discharge of them moved you away from the realm of life towards the realm of death.
The skins diseases that fall under the category of leprosy would literally eat away the flesh moving a person towards the realm of death.
So the idea is that a person who was unclean would contaminate God’s holy place.
There is a profound truth in these purification laws of the OT.
As modern people, we tend to think that the only thing that separates us from God us bad behavior. But the issue is much deeper than that. It is more than adultery, lying, stealing, gossip and other sins that separate us from God. Apart from Jesus, we are dead in our trespasses and sin. It is the human condition that is the problem; we all have inherited this body of death from our first forefather, Adam. I am, and you are, by nature, defiled an unclean, moving towards the realm of death.
What these Laws show us, is that we are in desperate need of purification. We cannot keep ourselves clean. Thankfully the story doesn’t end in Leviticus and Numbers.
With that in mind, let’s go back to Matthew:
Someone who came in contact with the woman with the issues of blood would have been considered unclean.
Someone who touched the dead girl’s body would have been considered unclean.
And yet, what does Jesus do?
He comes in contact with both of them. What happens?
The woman and the girl’s uncleanness does not infect Jesus’ holiness, but His holiness cleansed their uncleanness.
The OT purification laws shows us our profound separation from the Living and Holy God. And that issue found its answer in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring us from death to life. He made us clean by taking death upon Himself.
Unclean people would be taken outside the gate, away from the the religious community.
Hebrews 13:12 (ESV)
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Jesus was cut off from fellowship with God at Calvary.
And because Jesus took the burden of death and sin upon Himself, we can now be clean through Him, welcomed into the presence of God. That is the Good News of the Gospel! It is through Jesus that we are made clean and kept clean—taken from death to life.
Jesus has the power over sickness, the power over death, and the power over impurity. Oh, what a Savior!
Application
Application
1) Take Your Burdens to the Lord
1) Take Your Burdens to the Lord
Jesus took time for a poor, broken and sick woman.
He also took time for a rich ruler of the synagogue.
Keep in mind, these stories took place while Jesus was on the earth, confined to one place at one time. This took place when He actually got tired. He was fully God and fully man.
Now, Jesus is in His glorified state. How much more does the Triune God hear us and minister to us?
God is not too busy for you.
Pray and let your requests be known to God.
Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Never feel bad about going to God with any of your needs— no matter how big or how small. We serve a compassionate God and one who is able to govern the universe, while at the same time minster to you!
Does that mean that every person is healed that asks for it?
2) Why Are Some Healed and Others Not?
I admit, there is some mystery here. Who are we to think we can figure out the way God governs the world?
As we read through Matthew chapters 8 and 9, we see the pervasiveness of Jesus’ healing.
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.
We can read a verse like this and say, “wow, it seems like Jesus heals everyone who comes to him in faith.”
First off, while faith is important, Jesus did some miracles in spite of someone’s lack of faith.
For example, in Matthew 8, we read the story of Jesus calming the wind and the waves.
The text says that Jesus said to the disciples, “O ye of little faith,” yet Jesus still calmed the storm.
Paul had a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12), what many believe was some kind of sickness or ailment. He prayed three times in faith for God to remove it. Yet God said no!
What God did say is, “my grace is sufficient”
Last month, Ron Hamm’s brother, Tommy, passed away. When he became ill, we as a church—and his family—prayed in faith for him. For whatever reason, God did not heal him. But, the way he passed away was nothing short of amazing. He had come to terms with the fact that this was his time. And yet, he had perfect peace.
Some argue that what God does for one person, he has to do for another.
Some of you parents are like that. You spend equal amounts of your kids at birthdays and at Christmas, because you want to do for one, what you do for another.
Often people quote the verse that says “God is no respecter of person,” as a prooftext for the idea that if God heals one person, he is bound to heal another.
But lets read the verse in context:
Romans 2:6–11 (ESV)
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. (KJV, There is no respect of persons with God).
This verse is about salvation—about eternal life. God offers eternal life to Gentiles and Jews!
What was the reason for these miracles during Jesus’ earthly ministry?
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. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
The point of the miracles went beyond compassion. The miracles pointed to something else—namely, that Jesus was truly the Messiah. He fulfilled the Scriptures.
And during His earthly ministry, Jesus proved that He is the Christ, the true Son of God.
Aren’t we healed by the stripes of Jesus?
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
We live in an “Already but not yet” season of the Kingdom of God”
Sin is clearly covered in the atonement
We who are in Christ are no longer bound by sin… but we still deal with the temptation and the lusts of the flesh.
But when Christ comes back, sin will be no more.
Death was covered in the atonement.
Yet, we still die.
Even Lazarus and the girl in today’s text eventually died.
But when Jesus returns to consummate His Kingdom, we who are in Christ will be raised bodily, and shall never die again.
And, healing is clearly covered in the atonement.
When healing happens in this life, it is temporary. It doesn’t mean that you will never get sick again. Furthermore, healed people eventually die.
And, in the cases that healing happens, it is simply a foretaste of the perfect healing to come.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.