Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 23 – 24

• These are more than likely professional mourners which were entirely expected in that day. It’s even called out in the Mishnah that no matter how poor you are, you were to hire at least two flute players and one wailing woman at the death of a family member. Professional wailers…This is Bob Marley and the Wailers! HA! Actually a good band name would be Jonah and the Wailers! HA! Anyway, professional wailers…what an odd profession. I mean how do you even interview for that job? What do you put on your resume? Decibels? HA! Anyway…

• These are professional wailers for sure because notice when Jesus gets there, see how fast they go from wailing to ridiculing? If they really cared about this little girl and Jesus showed up with good news like this, wouldn’t that incite a different response? Of course it would! THEY would cry out, “Make way for Jesus!” Instead of Him having to say it! But instead Matthew tells us they ridiculed Him and actually this is quite a more drastic word in the Greek. They “laughed Him to scorn.”

• And I absolutely love what the Holy Spirit impressed upon my spiritual eyes in this scene. Jesus shows up and there’s death there…the world is profiting off of the death…and Jesus announces…, “Hey, want this death taken care of…make room for Me.” Isn’t that cool? COOLER ALERT! In the Greek this is literally, “Remove yourself…,” or even better, “Remove SELF!”
• I just love that. Jesus is the cure, He is the Way, He is the remedy, the answer for all things backwards…all things sin! He is the password to the username we don’t even know yet. The pin number to the unsearchable riches of God. The combo to the most complex lock that is securely fastened around anything to do with eternal value and success! Make room for Him, man…

• And they, the world, the ones loving death, the posers, the actors, the hired, the slaves to the world, the ones profiting off of the death of a little girl…they refuse Jesus and so next verse…He puts them out Himself…

Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 25 – 26

• Luke gives us a few more details that I absolutely love. Luke 8:54 says that it was Jesus Himself that put them all outside…and the word in the Greek is ekballo which has carries a notion of force…and then also notice, Jesus touches this young girl, who mind you is dead…and so He takes death by the hand and he says to her, “arise.”

• Then her spirit returned…which is a whole sermon in itself, and she arose and she ate. Signs of life, man. Signs of being touched by the Lord. Signs of hearing His voice. She arises, and she’s hungry! I hope that you can survey your situation and find several instances of death-like junk in your past that you, with the help, the hand and the Word of God (Jesus’ voice) have risen out of…and I hope today you have a hunger for more of Him. If that’s not you, you’ve got to ask yourself, “Am I sure I’m alive!?” Because those are the signs of life…

Matthew Chapter 9 Verse 27

• How easy do you think it was for two blind men to follow someone? Probably not at all, right. They had to listen, they had to ask for help…, “Where is He now? Is He over here?” Yet they were determined to follow Him and to get near to Him. That folks is faith. We all want to look smart and spiritual but those with simple faith are willing and ultra-easy to be led in the things of the Lord. Tell them the truth, show them the scripture, compliance! (Just like that old movie, “The Flight of the Navigator!” HA!)
• And they called Him, “Son of David.” This is a new title for Jesus in the public eye (not in the Book of Matthew as we saw it in chapter 1 verse 1) and you’ve got to understand that this implies rich messianic connection. These men believed that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah! 2 Samuel Chapter 7, God promises David that through his line the throne of the kingdom would be established forever. Isaiah 9, Isaiah 11, Jeremiah 33, 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalm 89, Psalm 132, Hosea 3…they all declare that the Messiah will be a descendant of David!

Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 28 – 29

• This word for “believe”, in fact the phraseology of Jesus in this question to them…I just love it! The Greek word is pisteuo and literally it means to commit ones trust and so Jesus simply says to these two, “Hey, do you commit your trust to Me!” This is the question of questions…all of the priests are gone, the streets are gone (they’re now inside), the crowd is gone, the schools are gone, it’s just them and the only One that matters and He asks them, “Will you forsake EVERYTHING else and place your trust in Me?”

• And they’re answer is just about as awesome! They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” But I love this so much…this affirmative in the Greek is literally just to say, “Truth!” Man I just love that. Welcome to Calvary Chapel. Where Jesus and Jesus alone is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. We follow no other, we look to no other. Jesus says, “Will you let everything else fade to black and will you simply trust Me, seek Me, draw near to Me…?” And as a simple Christian my response to Him is, “Truth, Lord…” And watch what happens to them…

Matthew Chapter 9 Verse 30a

• John 8:32 says, “If you are My disciples then abide in My word and you will know the TRUTH and the truth will make you free!” Not the tradition, not the man, not the church, not the rules, not the giving, not the serving, not the good works, not the confessionary, not the rosary, not the understanding of everything, nothing but this, “Will you commit your trust to Jesus?” He touched them and their eyes were open…

Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 30 – 31

• Disobedient little twerps…HA. The picture in my mind of these two is fabulous and while I don’t admire their immediate disobedience, one thing I do admire is their inability to keep quiet about Jesus. Two marks really of someone who was blind and ust now has been made to see….early in their sight we could say…one, they have no idea the importance of immediate, consistent and psychotic (my word) obedience to God and two, they’re little bullhorns for the Lord.

Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 32 – 34

• Haters gonna hate! No matter how obvious the truth is right in front of them…Really there’s some envy here. The Pharisees couldn’t help this man…the multitudes never spoke like this about them…why? Because this man was mute. In the Rabbinical understanding and process of exorcism the first thing you had to do was to trick the demon into giving you his name…that would be his handle of sorts by which you could cast him out but this man was mute…no hope for him in their system…and really, there is no hope for any of us in the system of man…and in this moment they have no power to overcome the flesh and so they lash out against Jesus and call Him the devil himself…

Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 35 – 38

• This just astonishes my very heart of hearts right here when I read, “Jesus was moved with compassion for them.” Why? Because they were injured? Because they were slighted? Because they were wronged? Because they wore tattered clothes and were without food…No, that’s what moves us to compassion and we think so highly of ourselves. He was moved with compassion because they were weary in the spirit, wandering and without anyone to truly guide them to the Father…Man, you have got to know Jesus’ heart for you is the very definition of perfection and beauty…

• And He turns to His disciples and says to them, “Serve them. Love them. Give them rest and guide them to Me.” I love love love this word for “laborers” in the Greek. Literally it means “worker,” “laborer,” or, “perpetrator.” Here’s the thing, not many, very few are willing to be perpetrators on this earth such that the Lord Jesus Christ would be glorified and as many as possible would be saved…