Chronological Bible Study – Oct 11
What I Noticed Today (Matthew 9; Luke 7)
Matthew 9
In verses 1-8, Jesus sailed back across the sea, arriving at Capernaum (“his own town”). Some men brought a paralytic man lying on a mat. Jesus saw their faith, so he forgave the man’s sins. Some scribes (teachers of the law) accused him of blaspheming (only God can forgive sins). Jesus was claiming divine authority when he referred to himself as the Son of Man. Since healing the man physically could not be disputed Jesus also healed the man. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid and glorified God.
In verses 9-13, Jesus calls Matthew the tax collector to be a disciple. Jesus ate with Matthew, other tax collectors, and sinners. The Pharisees chided Jesus for eating with such people, but Jesus responded the well don’t need doctors, only the sick do. I desire mercy not sacrifice. I came to call sinners, not the righteous.
Note: Tax collectors were viewed as traitors to their faith because they were collecting taxes on behalf of the Romans, and their income came from collecting more than they had to turn over to Rome.
Note: Pharisees did not think of themselves as sinners, so they would not have sought out Jesus, the Great Physician. Pharisees were all about their sacrifices, thinking that made them righteous, but they neglected to show mercy to those who needed it.
In verses 14-17, disciples of John came and asked Jesus why they and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not. Jesus replied people do not fast at a wedding when the bridegroom is with them. In this way, Jesus was describing himself as the bridegroom and the followers as the bride.
In his next example of the wineskins, Jesus was comparing his ministry to the traditional Jewish religion. Jesus was not trying to “patch” Judaism; He was bringing a new belief and a new relationship with God.
In verses 18-38, Jesus performs four miracles:
- The girl brought back to life (vv. 18-19 & 23-26). A ruler of the synagogue (from Mark 5:22 we know this is Jairus) came to Jesus to heal his dying daughter. It is interesting that Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came to Jesus for healing!
- The woman with the issue of blood (vv. 20-22). This woman had suffered for twelve years but had faith that just touching Jesus’ clothing would be enough to heal her.
- The two blind men (vv. 27-31) came to Jesus addressing him as the Son of Man, asking to have their sight restored. Despite warning the men not to tell anyone, His fame spread throughout the region.
- A man unable to speak (vv. 32-34) was mute because of demon possession was brought to Jesus, who cast out the demon enabling the man to speak. While the crowds marveled because no one had ever done this before, the Pharisees said Jesus was casting out demons because he was the prince of demons (Satan).
In verses 35-38, (nearly a repetition of Matthew 4:23) Jesus’ three-fold ministry is described as teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel, and healing all kinds of sicknesses. He saw the people as helpless, without a shepherd (leader), to guide them in spiritual matters.
And to the disciples, Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, but there were few laborers to bring in the harvest. He told them to pray the Lord to send additional workers to bring in the harvest.
Note: In the example of the harvest, Jesus referred to himself as “Lord of the Harvest” but said he could not do the work of bringing in the harvest himself. That work of bringing in the harvest fell to His disciples then and to us as Christians today.
Some important principles in chapters 8-9:
- God cares about us as individuals (He healed individuals).
- He can meet our every need (He has the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, calm the sea).
- He responds to our faith (the example of the centurion).
- He cares about our salvation more than anything.
- He has called us, as believers, to join with Him in building the Kingdom.
Luke 7
In verses 1-10, (See also Matthew 8:5-13), when Jesus had finished His teaching (Luke 6), He entered into Capernaum. A Roman centurion’s slave was near death. The centurion sent Jewish elders to Jesus, asking for Jesus to come and heal the slave. As Jesus got near, the centurion sent out messengers saying he was not worthy to have Jesus in his home, but to just say the word and the slave would be healed. Jesus told the crowd he had not seen this kind of faith even among the people of Israel, so He healed the slave.
In verses 11-17, soon afterward, Jesus was on His way to a town called Nain (6 miles south of Nazareth) with His disciples and a large crowd following along. As Jesus neared the city gate, a dead man was being carried out. Jesus had compassion for the man’s mother. He stopped the funeral procession and told the man to get up. The man sat up and began speaking. The people were both afraid and amazed, and word spread about Jesus.
In verses 18-23, (See also Matthew 11:2-19), John’s disciples told him about the ministry of Jesus, so John sent two disciples to the Lord to ask if He was the One. Jesus healed many people and told the disciples to return to John and tell him what they had witnessed: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor are told the Good News.
Note: John was in prison when this happened, which is why he sent two disciples to see Jesus (Matthew 11:2).
In verses 24-28, after John’s disciples left, Jesus turned to the crowd to teach them about John’s ministry:
- John was a man of conviction (not a reed blowing in the wind).
- The people saw him as a prophet, but Jesus said he was more than a prophet.
- He was the messenger sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus (Malachi 3:1).
- No one born of a woman is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. This announces the new covenant in which believers will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
In verses 29-30, the people, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s way of righteousness because they had received John’s baptism of repentance. But the Pharisees and scribes had rejected John’s message of repentance.
In verses 31-35, Jesus describes the current generation (referring to religious leaders and others who had rejected John’s message and His) as children who could not be pleased: they wanted others to dance to their music or weep when they sang a lament. John would not eat or drink, and they called him a demon. Jesus came eating and drinking, and they called Him a glutton and a drunkard. Nothing pleased or satisfied these people.
In verses 36-50, Luke illustrates the principle Jesus had just taught in verses 31-35. A Pharisee named Simon rejected Jesus while a sinful woman received forgiveness and salvation.
A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to dinner. While Jesus was at the table, a sinful woman heard about Jesus being there and came and anointed Him with a jar of expensive oil, wept, and wiped His feet with her hair. The Pharisee thought if Jesus were a prophet, He would know she is a sinner. Jesus told the Pharisee a parable: two debtors are both forgiven their debt. Which one will be most grateful? The Pharisee answered the one who was forgiven the most. Jesus said the Pharisee had done nothing for Him since He arrived, but the woman had not stopped ministering to Him. Therefore, said Jesus, her many sins were forgiven because she loved much, and He dismissed her. The other guests wondered who Jesus was that He claimed to forgive sins.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- The way we, as believers, love others both separates and distinguishes us from the world.
- Our works reflect the condition of our hearts. Do we produce the good fruit as Jesus intended?
- Neither the Roman centurion nor the sinful woman felt they were worthy of the Lord, yet they both trusted in Him to meet their needs.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.