MERCY EXTENDED
Matthew 9:10–19; 23–26
Jesus’ Mission (10–13)
This passage follows Matthew’s autobiographical telling of his calling to be one of Jesus’ disciples. Matthew served the Romans as a tax collector. Tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low among the Jews. They had the backing of Rome to collect the required taxes and could pocket any extra that they could extort from the populace. They were considered traitors to their own people.
Obviously, Matthew was well known because the next scene finds Jesus eating with many “tax collectors and sinners.” Naturally, the Pharisees challenged Jesus for associating with “that kind” of people. I am thrilled that these sinners were attracted to Jesus. He was, after all, God in the flesh — love incarnate. He points out that it is the sick among us who are in need of a physician. Since we are all “sin sick,” we need the Great Physician.
Jesus said of His mission, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Jesus’ Work (14–17)
In the next verses, Jesus encounters more complaints from the religious elite. This time, it’s not just the Pharisees but also the disciples of John the Baptist. Jesus is being questioned because His disciples don’t fast.
There is a difference in the dispensations of the Old and New testaments. Jesus uses the metaphor of the bridegroom to explain their lack of fasting. While the bridegroom is with them, the celebration is ongoing. When he is gone, then they will fast and mourn. He continues to illustrate the change between the old and the new by discussing new and old fabric and new wine in old wineskins. Jesus was not seeking to sew a patch on the garment of the law but rather to make a new garment — a robe of righteousness. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Jesus’ Compassion (18–19)
We find the synagogue leader coming to Jesus to ask for healing for his sick daughter. In Luke’s parallel passage, we are told the leader’s name is Jairus.
As Jesus and the disciples get up to follow Jairus, a woman who has an incurable bleeding problem touches the hem of Jesus’ garment. From Mark and Luke, we know that she had spent all of her resources to find a cure. Her bleeding problem made her ceremonially unclean and an outcast.
In a moment, her faith in Jesus did what the doctors had been unable to do. She was instantly healed. It is a recurring message we need to hear: If we can just get them to Jesus, He can turn the situation around.
Jesus’ Power (23–26)
Jairus’ daughter was 12 years old when her life left her. The woman with the issue of blood had been suffering with her condition for 12 years. For the woman, her act of faith in touching Him brought her healing.
In the case of Jairus’ daughter, the touch of Jesus brought her from death to life. This is the first instance of raising the dead that we find in the Gospels. Taken together, it is Jesus demonstrating the compassion, love and mercy of God to the world. It is no surprise that His fame spread far and wide.
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
