I invite your attention to the
gospel according to Matthew chapter 9. This morning's lesson will continue
this present series we are pursuing on the healing ministry of Jesus
Christ. And this morning's lesson is
the fifth in this series. And we're going to conclude this
series, hopefully next Lord's Day, we're going to conclude
our study of the incidental healings that he did, the incidents in
which he healed, recorded here by Matthew in chapters 8 and
9, and then we will consider the commonalities in the in this
healing ministry of Jesus Christ next Lord's Day, God willing. In Matthew chapter nine and in
verse number 27, and you probably have your synopsis you can follow
along as we look today at the two blind men healed. and along with these two were
a mute demoniac. Matthew is the only one recording
these two healings. And we begin in Matthew 9 verse
27. When Jesus departed from there, Two blind men followed him, crying
out and saying, Son of David, have mercy on us. Son of David
is what they called him, and that was a term that indicated
Messiah, and we hear our led to know that these men recognized
the Messiahship of Jesus. They recognized that Jesus is
the Christ. He is the Messiah. He is that
because he is the son of David. For example, when the Pharisees
came and conversed with Jesus in another place, he asked them
the question, who is the Christ? Who will he be? And they said,
oh, he'll be the son of David. Well, here these men recognized
that Jesus Christ is the son of David and the Messiah. And
observe, they are blind men. Blind men are capable of seeing
some marvelous truths. And here they did. There were
two of them and they followed him. You have to wonder, how
did they follow him? They must have been close to
him. And they were, perhaps he was speaking and they were listening
to the sound of his voice, or perhaps others were speaking
with him. They were following him, though blind they were. And they cried out and said,
Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he had come into the
house, The blind men came to him. It is as though he was ignoring
them. He was not ignoring them, but
it would appear so. He is walking down the street,
and they're crying out, Son of David, have mercy on us. And
he continues walking, and they're crying out, Son of David, have
mercy on us. And then he goes into the house,
and they follow him into the house. Son of David, Have mercy
on us. Sometimes the Lord will manifest
to others how sincere you are in desiring what you need and
he will cause you to cry out repeatedly yes he may hear your
cry and answer the first time you call but other times he may
have you to call out a few times before he answers and let you
know that he is heard but here is persistent faith this is not
just faith in him. This is persistent faith. This
is not only recognizing him as the son of David, but repeatedly
letting him know, we know that you are the Messiah, you are
the only one who can hear us. And they followed him right into
the house. Jesus said to them, do you believe
that I am able to do this? They must because they had kept
asking, but do you believe that I'm able to do this? They said
to him, yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes. They could not have seen him
do so. They were blind. They could not have seen him
touch their eyes, but they felt the touch. They knew the prayer
was answered when all of a sudden they feel his hand. on their
eyes. And he says, according to your
faith, let it be to you. Meaning, if you do not really
believe that I'm able to do this, it's not gonna happen. But they
believed. Because then we read, and their
eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, see that
no one knows it. But when they had departed, they
spread the news about him in all that country. He sternly told them, he was
serious about this. Tell no one that I did this.
And they went immediately and did so. Good news is hard to keep to
yourself. And as they went out, behold,
they brought to him a man mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out,
the mute spoke, and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never
seen like this in Israel. They had never seen anything
like this ever before. Jesus cast the demon out and
the mute man spoke. But the Pharisees said, he casts
out demons by the ruler of the demons. Locate Matthew chapter
12. Matthew chapter 12, who is this
ruler of the demons? In Matthew chapter 12, verse
22, then one was brought to him who was demon-possessed, blind
and mute, Notice that in the case we were just observing,
the demon-possessed man was mute, this one was blind also. And
he healed him so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed
and said, could this be the son of David, the Messiah? But when
the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow does not cast
out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. That's
who the ruler of the demons is. Actually, it is a reference to
Satan, the ruler of the demons. Now back to your text in Matthew
chapter nine. The Pharisees, they said he casts
out demons by Satan. And Jesus had responded to them
in chapter 12 and said, then Satan's kingdom is divided. That
is not the case. All right. Now we come to Matthew's
gospel and in chapter 9 and verse 41. Chapter 9. Okay, I've got a bad reference
here. Let's hold on just a minute. Alright, make that verse 18.
Make that verse 18. and remind me I need to make
that change. Matthew 9, verse 18, yes, I know. All right, we're gonna look at
two instances now. In your synopsis, these are numbers
eight and nine. Here is the brief account, Matthew
9, verse 18. While he spake these things to
them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped
him saying, my daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand
on her and she will live. When he says my daughter has
just died, he meant that she's at the point of death, she's
as good as dead. So Jesus arose and followed him
and so did his disciples. And suddenly a woman who had
a flow of blood for 12 years came from behind and touched
the hem of his garment. For she said to herself, If only
I may touch his garment, I shall be made well. But Jesus turned
around, and when he saw her, he said, Be of good cheer, daughter,
your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from
that hour. And when Jesus came into the
ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing,
he said to them, make room for the girl is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed him to scorn.
But when the crowd was put outside, he went in and took her by the
hand and the girl arose. And the report of this went out
into all that land. Now that account is so very brief. I want you to look at it in greater
detail. We're going to show some truths
regarding the gospel in Mark's gospel chapter 5. In the gospel
according to Mark chapter 5. And drop down to verse number
21. Matthew 5 verse 21. Mark 5, verse 21. Now when Jesus had crossed over
again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to
Him, and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers
of the synagogue came, Jairus by name, A ruler of the synagogue,
this was a man who was in charge of worship services in the synagogue. His name is Jairus, and he came
to Jesus, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged
him earnestly, saying, my little daughter, she must have been
young, He speaks of her in a term of endearment, my little daughter,
as though she's unable to help herself. Luke records also that
he said, she is my only daughter. Luke chapter 8 verse 42. My little
daughter, my only daughter. The only daughter he had and
therefore he was very concerned for her. And she lies at the
point of death. Come and lay your hands on her
that she may be healed and she will live. He wanted his daughter
to be cured of this infirmity that was killing her and that
had by now brought her to the very point of death. She was
as good as dead in his eyes. But he said Jesus come and heal
her and she will live. So Jesus went with him, and a
great multitude followed him and thronged him. Now a certain
woman had a flow of blood for 12 years and had suffered many
things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had
and was no better, but rather grew worse. Now, it is interesting
that her story, and this is the woman who touched Jesus, her
story is interjected into the account regarding Jairus. Why would that happen? Well,
it was the way that it did happen. True, true, it did happen. But God has predestined events
in this life. And this event is predestined
evidently for a particular purpose. Jesus is on his way to Jairus's
house and a great throng of people are around him and he's talking
with Jairus or they're walking together and this woman came
and touched him. Let me suggest to you that her
incident is inserted into the middle of the incident regarding
Jairus's daughter Because evidently, Jairus needed to see what happened
with this woman. Yes, he had faith. Evidently, or assumedly, we might
say. But it may have been weak faith. It may have been little faith.
Here is a story that is inserted into the midst of the account
regarding Jairus, and it evidently is there for a reason. This man
needed to see what was going to happen with the healing that
is here recorded. Now concerning this woman, a
certain woman, a flow of blood, it probably was a menstrual flow,
but it had gone for 12 years. And it was very unusual. It was
not the common flow. It was a flow that just came
and came and came and could not be stopped. It had happened for
12 years. And she had suffered many things
from many physicians. When you read about her physicians,
I want you to think about false preachers. She had suffered many
things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had
and was no better, but rather grew worse. Job had some men
who came to visit him in his hour of trouble when he was afflicted
in his body. And they were unable to help
him. He called them worthless physicians. In fact, I want you to go back
to the book of Job chapter 13. Job chapter 13. Do you want a
good description of a false preacher trying to help a man who has
an infirmity, a spiritual infirmity? Job chapter 13. Verse number four. But you forgers of lies, you
are all worthless physicians. That's what a false preacher
is. If you come to a false preacher with a spiritual infirmity, needing
healing for your soul, you're going to find he is a worthless
physician. Oh, that you would be silent
and it would be your wisdom. Now, is that not true of false
preachers? If they would be quiet, that
would be the wise thing for them to do. A fool is considered wise
until he opens his mouth. If a fool would keep his mouth
shut, he might be considered wise. Well, this woman represents
people with a spiritual infirmity going to false preachers. She had suffered many things
from many physicians. She had spent all that she had
and was no better, but rather grew worse. And that will always
be the case when you go to a false preacher. He may make you feel
better for a moment, and then you realize you are no better
than you were before. Rather, you're getting worse
and worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in
the crowd and touched his garment. Actually, she probably touched
only one of the four tassels that were on his garment. And this was under the law, the
law of Moses required that the children of Israel carry or attach
four tassels to the corners of their garment to remind them
always that they were under the law. Of course, as you know,
the scribes and Pharisees enlarged the borders of their garments.
You know, they put a bunch of those little tassels around so
that everybody would know that these were important men in the
law. But four tassels. Well, this woman has had this
issue of blood now for 12 years. And she hears that Jesus is coming
by. Many people are there. And so
you can imagine as Jesus goes on his way with Jairus, he's
probably being nudged from time to time or jostled unintentionally. But this woman comes up from
behind him and she's able to get close to him and she reaches
down and touches that tassel at the bottom of his garment. She said, If only I may touch
his clothes, I shall be made well. How did she know that? Well, she knew that Jesus was
going to bring a man's daughter back from the dead. She knew that he had touched
others and they had been made well. She says, if I can touch
him, I will be made well. We sometimes sing, he touched
me, he touched me, and oh, the joy that floods my soul. Something
happened and now I know, he touched me and he made me whole. Well,
this woman teaches us that we may also sing, I touched him,
I touched him, and oh, the joy that floods my soul. Something
happened and now I know, I touched him and he made me whole. She
came up and she touched his garment. For she said, if only I may touch
his clothes, I shall be made well. And immediately the fountain
of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she
was healed of the affliction. It dried up immediately, right
then. And she felt and she knew. Not only did she feel that she
was healed, she knew she was healed. Immediately, those worthless
physicians had spent 12 years and all her money brought her no relief. She came
to Jesus and touched his garment and immediately the fountain
of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she
was healed of the affliction. Now, that word affliction, it's
an interesting word. This word affliction means suffering,
but it also means scourging. She was healed of her scourging.
What happens when you're scourged? There's a flow of blood. It is
as though this woman had suffered a scourging in her body that
had caused this flow of blood now for 12 years. She touches
him and immediately she is healed of her scourging. And Jesus,
immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him,
turned around in the crowd and said, who touched my clothes? who touched my clothes, observe
that he knew he had been touched because he had felt the power
leave his body. It cost Jesus something to heal
people. It cost him something. We read
that he became weary as he healed people became very weary. And
here's the reason why. Every time he healed someone,
power had to leave him to go to the one who was healed. And
here this woman has touched the tassel of his garment and he
has felt the power leave his body, going through his garment
and into her hand and there into her body. He knew he had been
touched. He knew that this saving and
healing power had left his body. He turned around in the crowd
and said, who touched my clothes? Now, if he could read the thoughts of men,
do you not suppose when he turned around he knew exactly who and
where she was? Do you not suppose? Who touched
me? He turns around and all the people,
who touched me? His disciples, they say to him,
you see the multitude thronging you and you say who touched me? Many people have touched you.
Jairus has touched you. He's walking there beside you.
And the street is full of people. You're walking through a crowd.
You've been touched by many people. But Jesus did not ask. Who physically
touched me? Who merely touched me? What he was actually asking was
this. Who believingly touched me? Someone did not nudge me. Someone
did not merely touch me. Someone's body did not come into
contact with mine. Someone touched me with a touch
of faith. I felt the power leave my body. He's letting us know. And he looked around, verse 32. And he looked around to see her
who had done this thing. And he's still looking. He continued
looking. He's waiting for a response to
his question. It is as though someone might
have said, when our Lord, as you walked by, I touched you.
And he says, no, it wasn't you. It wasn't you. Not the way that
I was touched. until finally he sets his eyes
on her, and she knows, she knows, he knows that she had touched
him with the touch of faith. And he looked around to see her
who had done this thing, but the woman, fearing and trembling,
knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before
him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, daughter, Daughter, he here speaks of her
as his own child, and she was. Daughter, your faith has made
you well. Go in peace and be healed of
your affliction. Now, I want you to see here in
this woman First of all, I want you to see faith concealed in
verses 27 and 28. Here is faith concealed. When she heard about Jesus, she
came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment, for
she said, if only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made
well. She had faith, but it was concealed. No one knew about it but her. Then observe faith rewarded in
verse number 29. Immediately the fountain of her
blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed
of her affliction. So faith concealed results in
faith rewarded. Then we find faith revealed in
verses 30 through 34. Jesus says, who touched me? Who is it here who has believed
in me? And here is faith revealed. The woman of faith has been revealed. And then we find faith commended
in verse 34. Daughter, your faith has made
you well. So those four things, faith concealed,
faith rewarded, faith revealed, and faith commended. And when he says, go in peace
and be healed of your affliction, he's letting her know it's not
coming back. It's not coming back. Verse 35. While he was still speaking,
some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, your
daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?
She had been at the point of death, was as good as death.
as good as dead when Jairus had first come to Jesus and now he
learns that indeed she has died. As soon as Jesus heard the word
that was spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not
be afraid, only believe. I'm going to show to you four
different words that Jesus gives in this passage. Here is the
first one, and Jesus speaks four times in this passage. with regard
to Jairus being told that his daughter had already died, four
different words. First of all, here is the word
of encouragement. Jairus is told, do not bother
the teacher, your daughter's dead, there's nothing that can
be done. And Jairus does not hear ask Jesus, is it true, nothing
can be done? Jesus just lets him know immediately,
do not be afraid, only believe. But Lord, my daughter is dead.
I know that. Do not be afraid, only believe. Okay? And Jesus permitted no
one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother
of James. Now, these men formed what we
might call an inner circle around Jesus Christ. He had Twelve apostles,
but these three were usually very close to him. They were
with him here at Jairus' house, they were with him at the Transfiguration,
they were with him in the temple in Mark 13, 3, and they were
praying there with him in close proximity to him in the Garden
of Gethsemane. These three. Peter, James, and
John. He permitted no one to follow
him except Peter, James, and John. Then he came to the house
of the ruler of the synagogue and saw a tumult, and those who
wept and wailed and lallied. The place had seemingly gone
mad. The mourners had been gathering.
They knew that the end of this girl's life was very close at
hand. They know that she has died and
so they begin to weep and they begin to wail and they're probably
throwing dust into the air and gnashing their teeth. It was
a tumultuous affair. It was an uproar. and those who
wept and wiggled loudly. When Jesus came in, he said to
them, Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead,
but sleeping. And here is the word of revelation. Before he gave the word of encouragement,
here he gives the word of revelation. What is it? Why do you make this
commotion? The child is not dead, she is
sleeping. They laughed him to scorn. Now
it is interesting that death to the child of God is asleep. We fall asleep. That's what death is to the child
of God. Jesus says that's what death
is to this little girl. She is not dead, she is sleeping. But they laughed him to scorn.
But when he had put them all out, He took the father and the
mother of the child and those who were with him, Peter, James,
and John, and entered where the child was lying. She's in the
room there and he tells everybody leave. Everybody leave. There
is no one there now but Jesus along with his three innermost
apostles, Peter, James, and John, and the parents of this little
girl, who was thought to be dead, and physically she was. Then he took the child by the
hand, that lifeless, pulseless hand. He took the child by the hand
and said to her, Talitha Kumi. which is translated, little girl,
I say to you, arise. Talitha Kumi, little girl, I
say to you, arise. Now earlier we considered the
word of encouragement, do not be afraid, only believe. Then
we considered the word of revelation, she is not dead but sleeping,
and here we have the word of love and power. little girl. She was the little daughter of
this man Jairus. Jesus calls her a little girl.
He here has shown tenderness and kindness. There's no fanfare
about this. He's not calling a bunch of people
in as though to say, I want you to see what I'm going to do.
He's not making a big fuss about it. He just walks over and takes
her by the hand and says, little girl, get up. Immediately, the girl arose and
walked. Not only did she arise, she walked,
for she was 12 years of age. And they were overcome with great
amazement. Now we find the word of tender
concern. And he commanded them strictly
that no one should know it, and said that something should be
given her to eat." You can imagine her father and her mother, they're
all excited, you know, they have grabbed their little girl, they're
hugging her, and everybody is so excited, and Jesus is concerned
for the little girl in a way that no one else is. He says,
she's hungry. She's hungry. They're all excited
because of their joy. Jesus is still concerned about
the little girl's need. He said, get her something to
eat. Here is the word of tender concern. They that had been raised from
the dead need to eat. And Jesus here, is letting us
know that this girl needs to eat. There are so many applications
that we can make here with regards to the gospel. But Jairus needed
to see that woman healed who touched the hem of Jesus' garment,
and now he realizes that if a woman could be healed by touching him,
then my little girl can be healed if he will touch her. Oh God,
our Father, touch us, we pray, and enable us to touch you. To
your glory in Jesus' name we pray, amen.