Welcome Back!

Motley Crew

Matthew

January 6, 2010

Happy Epiphany

 

The Questions

 

Read Matthew 9:27-34

 

1. What were the implications of these men calling out to Jesus?

 

2. Why would they call Him “Son of David?”

 

3. What does verse 29 say to you?

 

4. Why did Jesus say to tell no one?

 

5. Why did they do it anyway?

 

6. What do we know about demon possession?

 

7. Why does the Pharisee's explanation make no sense? See Matthew 12:25.

 

Read Matthew 9:35-38

 

8. How does verse 35 fit with Matthew 28:18?

 

9. What kind of compassion did Jesus have?

 

10 Be careful what you pray for!

Verse 38!

 

 

 

Welcome Back!

Motley Crew

Matthew

January 6, 2010

Happy Epiphany

 

Suggested Answers

 

Read Matthew 9:27-34

 

Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."

34 But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."

 

 

1. What were the implications of these men calling out to Jesus?

 

They had faith that Jesus was the Son of David, and they risked embarrassment in asking Jesus to “have mercy” upon them. They believed without seeing: blind men believed! And, they were desperate for a cure.

 

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
 Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

 

 

2. Why would they call Him “Son of David?”

 

They knew or believed that Jesus was of the lineage of David, and therefore was the Messiah.

 

It is remarkable that in the only other recorded case in which the blind applied to Jesus for their sight, and obtained it, they addressed Him, over and over again, by this one Messianic title, so well known--"Son of David" (Matt. 20:30: “Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'" ). Can there be a doubt that their faith fastened on such great Messianic promises as this, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened," &c. (Isaiah 35:5)? and if so, this appeal to Him, as the Consolation of Israel, to do His predicted office, would fall with great weight upon the ears of Jesus. Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

 

"Have mercy on us, Son of David!" is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace. There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]). The NET Bible.

 

 

3. What does verse 29 say to you?

 

"According to your faith will it be done to you"

 

Jesus is looking for faith in His followers. This must be faith in action. We must exercise our faith.

 

 

Doubtless our Lord's design was not only to put their faith to the test by this question, but to deepen it, to raise their expectation of a cure, and so prepare them to receive it; and the cordial acknowledgment, so touchingly simple, which they immediately made to Him of His power to heal them, shows how entirely that object was gained. Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

 

 

4. Why did Jesus say to tell no one?

 

He didn't want to be known just as a “Miracle Worker.” His mission was much more than that. His healing was physical, but, more importantly, it was a spiritual healing.

 

 

 

5. Why did they do it anyway?

 

They just couldn't help it! They'd been healed; their sight had been returned to them, and they wanted to give praise.

 

 

6. What do we know about demon possession?

 

It happens, but Jesus is more powerful.

 

 

 

7. Why does the Pharisee's explanation make no sense? See Matthew 12:25.

 

Matthew 12:25: Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

 

A kingdom cannot be divided.

 

 

 

Read Matthew 9:35-38

 

The Workers Are Few

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on 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 workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

 

 

8. How does verse 35 fit with Matthew 28:18-20?

 

Matthew 28:18-20: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

 

His mission was a movement, that is, the establishment of His kingdom on earth (as it is in heaven).

 

As He went through the region, His primary mission was to preach the good news of the kingdom. The healing of physical ailments is a continuation of His love for us. In the Great Commission, He is extending his authority to His disciples, so that they could continue to heal, both spiritually and physically.

 

 

9. What kind of compassion did Jesus have?

 

He was driven by His infinite compassion to cure all of our illnesses. We see this time and again in the Gospels, as in Matthew 14:14: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Likewise we see in Matthew 15:32: “Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.'"

And again in Mark 1:41: “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. 'Be clean!'"

 

“Like sheep without a shepherd” – their pitiable condition as wearied under bodily fatigue, a vast disorganized mass, being but a faint picture of their wretchedness as the victims of pharisaic guidance; their souls uncared for, yet drawn after and hanging upon Him. This moved the Redeemer's compassion. Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

 

“Because they were harassed and helpless.” The implication would seem to be that the crowds had been in such a state until the Great Shepherd arrived. The NET Bible.

 

 

10 Be careful what you pray for!

Verse 38! (“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.")

 

Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest. In his Great Commission, we are called to a specific ministry: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

 

John 15:1 - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

 

Here's the Good News: You're the worker being sent out into His harvest field.

 

Here's the Bad News: You're the worker being sent out into His harvest field.

 

The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process. The NET Bible.

 

As Peter Marshall once observed: Be careful what you pray for! God might call your bluff!!
[Thanks, Beth!]

 

An Additional Note:

 

“The last three verses of the ninth chapter form the proper introduction to the Mission of the Twelve, as is evident from the remarkable fact that the Mission of the Seventy-Two was prefaced by the very same words. (See on Lu 10:2).” Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.
Matthew 9:36-38. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Luke 10:2. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

 

Concerning the Prayer Vigil:

 

2 Chron. 7:14-15: "… if my people, who are called by my name, will (1) humble themselves and (2) pray and (3) seek my face and (4) turn from their wicked ways, then (a) will I hear from heaven and (b) will forgive their sin and (c) will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place."

 

 

What can be more excellent than Prayer;
what is more profitable to our life;
what sweeter to our souls;
what more sublime, in the course of our whole life,
than the practice of prayer!
-- St. Augustine

 

 

Some Additional Sources:

 

The Additional Resources web page has links that include many of the sites that I access in performing research for the Motley Crew Bible study as well as other projects that I work on from time to time. I've recently updated this page with additional resources. As always, if you know of a great site, please let me know.

The URL for the “Additional Resources” page is:

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/SPLC/Motley%20Crew%20Research%20Resources.html

Also, I've added a new “Lenten Devotions” section to the “Prayer and Study Resources” page, plus a couple of additions to the “Prayer” section, and expect that more additions will be added in coming weeks as we near Ash Wednesday. The URL is:

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/prayer_and_study_resources.htm

 

The Regular Crew:

 

W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament (New York: George H. Doran Co., ca. 1900). Available at Google Books.

 

The Greek Interlinear Bible.

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/mat9.pdf

 

The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

 

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary, 1706, 1811. http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mhc/matthew9.htm

 

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary

http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mh/matthew9.htm

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, 10 Volumes, 1746-1766; 1816.

http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/gill/matthew9.htm

 

Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/jfb/matthew9.htm

 

Some other additional resources are linked from this web page:

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/prayer_and_study_resources.htm#Additional_Resources