Part 11 - Matthew 9:32-38 - THAT'S WHEN MIRACLES HAPPEN!
I've been reading a book by Francine Rivers lately about an old woman called Leota who loves the Lord and has an amazing impact upon the lives of other people in her life, yet is rejected and hated by her own daughter, Eleanor. Throughout the book there seems to be NO HOPE for this estranged daughter Eleanor. She has no intention to be reconciled with God or her own mother, because of the seeds of evil that have been sown through misunderstanding and selfishness. But Leota (and her granddaughter Annie) NEVER GIVE UP finding ways to bring Eleanor to the place where she can find the Lord. It seemed hopeless until the end. THAT'S WHEN THE MIRACLE HAPPENED!
At one time in my life the last person on earth who I would have thought who would give his life to Christ was my father, yet for years my daughter prayed that he would be saved. She brought him to the Lord in prayer every night, "Please Lord, let Grandad become a Christian. Let him have Christian neighbours. Bring him around other Christians who love You and who will bring him to know You." She had hope, when all seemed hopeless. THAT'S WHEN THE MIRACLE HAPPENED.
For the friends of a demonised man in Matthew 9:32, it must seem like there was no hope, but they bring the man to Jesus.
NO-ONE IS BEYOND HOPE.
Why was He demonised? We don't know how he opened his life up to this extent of evil but we do know that no-one is beyond hope OF BEING HEALED BY JESUS. Jesus healed EVERY kind of disease and illness. There is nothing that Jesus cannot heal. He isn't restricted to headaches or psychosomatic sicknesses.
All it takes sometimes is for others not to give up interceding and BRINGING THEM TO JESUS. Notice he was BROUGHT BY OTHERS. He still had some friends. These bringers are related to the workers that Jesus speaks of in verse 37. "The harvest is great and the workers are few". PEOPLE WILLING TO BRING OTHERS TO JESUS ARE THE WORKERS. This man couldn't speak. Others spoke to Jesus for him.
THAT'S WHEN THE MIRACLE HAPPENED! Matthew 9:33 goes on to say that "Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed. But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because He is empowered by the prince of demons." (Matthew 9:33 NLT) Attributing to Satan what was clearly a work of God is a serious sin. No-one is beyond hope except those who refuse to place their hope and trust in Jesus.
NO ONE IS BEYOND REACH
"Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom." (Matthew 9:35) This seems strange to me. Why would the Pharisees, who accused Jesus of being empowered by Satan allow Jesus the opportunity to speak in the synagogues of the area? I wonder if Jairus had anything to do with it. Did Jairus, the synagogue official whose daughter Jesus had healed make sure that Jesus had free reign to teach in the synagogues? I don't know but I have a sneaking suspicion that he might have.
Notice "Jesus travelled". He sought people out. Luke 19:10 (NASB) says "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." He was active about that. I need to be too. Friends of this demonised man brought him to Jesus but people aren't always going to come to me to hear about Christ. Jesus went out to people. They would bring people to Him. Great combination. Jesus always comes to us but He also wants us to come to Him. HE ALWAYS MAKES THE FIRST MOVE. Everything else from us is a response to what He has already done. Jesus was the PERFECT ROLE MODEL of the great commission. It was lived out by Jesus. He wants us to live it out. In John 20:21 (NLT) Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you." Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT) says "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
So far in Matthew Jesus has taught on a mountain (Matthew 5:1), by a lake (Matthew 8:23), in a cemetery (Matthew 8:28), in homes (Matthew 8:14 and 9:10). There is no place that Jesus is not willing to go to meet with me and those He came to save. NO-ONE IS BEYOND REACH? The question is "Am I willing to go?" Jesus went to people and places where He was criticised and rejected. Am I willing to be rejected if it means making Jesus known? He addressed synagogue officials who were highly respected and people with leprosy who were totally rejected. Am I willing to disregard social status? Jesus calls me to live what I preach. THAT'S WHEN MIRACLES HAPPEN!
God bless you Church as you bring others to Christ. No-one is beyond hope. No-one is beyond reach. No-one is beyond compassion.
Pastor Ross
