Matthew 9:1-8
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning FCC!
We are the few and the mighty as there are people traveling and graduations going on.
What a blessing it is to open God’s Word every week to see what he has.
We have come as far as Matthew 9, so let us open our Bibles there.
We will be looking at verses 1-8 and hopefully everyone came with expectation and a desire to hear from the Lord.
Read Matthew 9:1-8
Read Matthew 9:1-8
So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Prayer
Prayer
Lord, thank you for all the gifts, graces, and blessings that you have so freely bestowed upon us all this past week and even now, as we open your Holy Word. Father, please speak to our hearts to do a Word that is in season that will produce fruit in our lives. We are all sinners saved by grace, desiring to hear from you heart, so open our ears Lords to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. Make yourself know to us, and meet us in the midst of our struggles, hurts, and losses. Please Father bring freedom, healing, and hope today. For the one or ones that might be trapped, please free them, and give them direction this day.
In Jesus Name, We Love You!!! Amen!!!
Review
Review
In looking back, we remember that Jesus healed two demon possessed Gergesene men and he cast the Legion of demons into a herd of swine that went over the cliff into the Sea of Galilee and perished.
We learned that this is where deviled ham derived, just kidding.
But the sad thing is that word got back to the city and the whole city came out a begged Jesus to leave, because the pigs were their livelihood.
But you know what is interesting, is there are times in our lives, maybe because sin, maybe because we have erected and idol, maybe our worship is directed toward someone or something else, that we too, beg Jesus to leave.
So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
Sadly, Jesus got in a boat and left the Gergesenes, but not without delivering the two demon possessed men, that became witnesses for Him.
I think it is important to realize that Jesus will not force his way into our lives, for he has given us free will church.
Jesus headed back to his ministry headquarters in Capernaum.
Capernaum means the filed of repentance and city of comfort.
And that is exactly what it was while Jesus was there, because he brings both of those things amen!!
Scholars believe that when Jesus was in Capernaum, that he lived in Peter’s house.
Keep in mind that Capernaum was not only the largest fishing village on the Sea of Galilee, but also was on the major trade route area, so great trading took place there and this was somewhat of a melting pot of cultures.
There was also a tax office where Matthew headed up and the Centurion(100 Roman Soldiers) lived.
While Capernaum had all this going for her and Jesus chose this for his ministry headquarters look at what Luke writes:
Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
Jesus was not accepted in Nazareth, but look at what Matthew writes later about Capernaum:
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Capernaum rejected Jesus as well, and therefore, it lies in ruins.
Jesus wishes not one shall perish, but that all would come to repentance and everlasting life! Amen!!
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
The text says that they brought Jesus a paralytic lying on a bed church, but whom are they.
Well the answer lies in Mark 2 and Luke 5.
And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
SO FOUR FRIENDS brought their friend, who was a paralytic to Jesus church.
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
Behold- idou- means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see, perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it now! Don't delay!
Look at what Spurgeon wrote:
"Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!"
When we understand words in the Biblical text, the text comes to life church, this is why I share these with you, not only for your own understanding, but that it would prompt and excite you to do word studies on your own.
So, look at what follows, this paralytics four friends brought his to Jesus.
His friends did not abandon him because he was sick, but loved him much.
Brought (prosphero) is interesting as it is used elsewhere of bringing offerings to God!) it is in the graphic imperfect tense so they more literally "were bringing" depicting it as ongoing.
Imperfect tense means continually bringing him....
One writer adds that "Matthew vividly captures the manner of the coming as a kind of sacrificial gift which these men lay before the feet of Jesus.
Now before we move on, I want us to carefully notice that they took the man to Jesus. They went to the place where the power of God was.
There are some people who are missing the power of God in their lives because they stay home and do not go to the place where the power of God is, namely, the church. Even though God resides in the hearts of men, there is still power in fellowship, in sitting under the teaching of the Word, worshipping in study and song together church.
And the devil will do everything possible to keep us away from the Lord and his people.
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
Because the paralytic (paralutikos)(palsy) had to be brought to Jesus lying on a bed, his paralysis obviously was severe, and he may well have been a quadriplegic.
No wheelchairs or other such equipment were available to those who could not walk, and they had to rely on others to carry them around.
Cripples have always suffered social stigma and neglect, but in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day the stigma was made immeasurably worse by the belief of most Jews that all disease and affliction was the direct result of someone’s sin.
The faith of this paralytics four friends meant they did not allow any obstacle to keep them from going to where Jesus was.
The house was jammed full of people and they had tried everything under the sun to get their buddy healed church, so Mark said they took him to the roof and ripped the roof off and let him down on his bed to Jesus.
They did not care what other people were thinking, they didn’t even care that they were tearing up Peter’s roof, they knew that if anyone could help, it was Jesus.
They had heard about the miracles that Jesus performed in Capernaum, or they might have even witnessed them.
Note four things about his friends:
Note four things about his friends:
1) The man was disabled. He was helpless; therefore, he was without hope. But his friends cared and cared deeply for him.
2) The friends had a very special care, a care that was deeper than the care of mere friendship (Mark and Luke show this). They were obsessed with the mission to get this disabled friend to Jesus.
3) The friends acknowledged Jesus’ power to help. They knew He could help, and they did not question His power. It was not a spirit of maybe He could, but He could and would help.
4) The friends persisted even to the point of rudeness (Lu. 11:5–10; 18:1–8). They would not be stopped (see Mark and Luke).
Would we do this? Do we go to any lengths to bring our friends and family to Jesus?
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
Jesus saw there faith, by their works. They bust through the roof and look at Jesus’ response to the man with palsy, “ Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you!”
Son- teknon- this is a term of endearment and affection.
This man was not just paralyzed because of palsy, but because of sin and Jesus knows that thoughts and the intents of our hearts, So rather than heal him physically, Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter and that is sin!
And notice, that he says, Son, be of good cheer!!
Jesus did this because this man was not cheerful, but rather sad and weighed down with sin and shame, on top of him not being able to walk church.
Our sin will paralyze us church and cause us not to walk..
See to be paralyzed does not just mean to not walk, although in some sense it does.
When Jesus said, Son be a good cheer, your sins are forgiven, what he was actually saying is that he was God, for only God can forgive sin.
What has us paralyzed? Do we have people in our lives that love us enough to carry us to Jesus? Do we take our friends who are paralyzed unto him?
I suggest to you that there are people today who are not walking because they are paralyzed by guilt over a sin or a series of sins that took place in their lives previously. And although they can walk physically, they cannot walk with the Lord in good cheer because they think, I’ve gone too far. I’ve sinned too greatly.
And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
Luke writes that Pharisees had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem to hear Jesus teach and look at how Jesus responds to them all.
The religious leaders said Jesus blasphemes! And if he was not the Son of God, it would be true, because the Only one who can forgive sin is God.
And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.
Jesus knew their hearts church, that they were jealous of his power and popularity.
The Pharisee’s and Scribes were also concerned about his teaching because it was contrary to what they taught. In fact, he was challenging their relgious system all together.
Sadly, Jesus knew that they were stiff-necked and stubborn and that even though God in flesh was standing right before them, they were rejecting him and already wanting to put him to death. Like the Gergesene pig farmers, they wanted Jesus to leave.
I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. “But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels. “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
The real paralytics were the Pharisees and scribes!
R. Kent Hughes
Jesus healed the multitudes, said to the storm, peace be still, cast out a legion of demons, and now he was forgiving sin that His divinity would be made known and that he came to fulfill Scripture.
Jesus throws a rhetorical question at them which means a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Healing the man of his paralysis, is physical and everyone could witness it, but of sins, this is spiritual and only God knows or does he?
When God truly forgives our sins, we should walk different, for he places a new song in our hearts and we no longer walk to the beat of the world, but rather dance to the song of heaven.
Our words change, our lives change and everyone will notice!
For the physical healing of this man and of everyone, Jesus had to speak a word. But for his to forgive, meant that Jesus had to die church!!
But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
The need for sins to be forgiven is greater than the physical healing, but Jesus who is rich in mercy and grace does both for this man.
See his friends thought that his most important need was for him to walk, but God knew that his greatest need was forgiveness which means to send away as far as the east is from the west.
No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Jesus tells the paralytic man to get up!!! Arise and go home.
Think about this? When we do not use our muscle they atrophy, if you don’t use it you lose it.
This means that all his muscles, tendons, and ligaments where made a new church.
I wonder if there was any sounds happening? Or was he just recreated, by the Creator and Redeemer?
The paralytic had four good friends and a home. We have no idea who he lived with, but I am guessing family because he could not take care of himself.
You know, we would be graced to have one good friend in this life time and we need to have one that sticks closer to a brother.
The most distinctive message of Christianity is the reality that sin can be forgiven. That is the heart and lifeblood of the gospel, that men can be freed from sin and its consequences. The Christian faith has many truths, values, and virtues, each of which has countless applications in the lives of believers. But its supreme, overarching good news is that sinful man can be fully cleansed and brought into eternal fellowship with holy God. That is the message of Matthew 9:1–8.
And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
When Jesus does a work in our hearts, we walk differently. Note again, that Jesus sent him home first, because ministry starts in our home. How we walk in our home, will determine if others will follow.
Every time Jesus did a miracle, people who saw it glorified the Father. Jesus was able to move in such a way that when people saw His miracles, they praised God.
The phrase “they marvelled” implies amazement as well as fear. Such fear was appropriate in the presence of one who displayed such authority (that is, authority to forgive sins). What was the result of this awe? The people praised God. While the scribes had previously called Jesus a blasphemer, the people recognized God’s power and realized that Jesus had authority from God.
The difference between the scribes’ rejection and the crowd’s awe is a major theme throughout Matthew.
Sadly, the miracles where not enough for many did not come to Jesus....
What are we paralyzed by? Who is the Lord telling us to bring to Jesus?