Today’s passage: Matthew 9:27-34

Helpful thoughts:

• These two blind men are the first in the Gospel of Matthew to publicly say who Jesus is in calling Him the “Son of David.”
• It says the two men were crying aloud, so anyone else who was in the crowd would have been able to hear their claim of belief.
• Notice, the two men asked for mercy.  Then Jesus asked them if they believed He could give that to them.  They professed their faith (“Yes, Lord”) and then he healed them.  So, it is quite possible these men were both saved from their sin AND healed of their blindness simultaneously.
• This passage shares the healing of the blind and the deaf/mute, pointing back to OT prophecy of the Messiah and preparing for Jesus’ encouragement of John the Baptist later in the Gospel.

Questions to consider:

1. Compare and contrast the blind men and their response to Jesus and the Pharisees.
2. Why do you think Jesus told the men not to spread the news?  Why do you think it was so hard for them not to share?  What would they have been sharing specifically? (Hint: It wasn’t their blindness being healed)
3. Since the Pharisees couldn’t deny the miracles, they had to deny the source of power…Why were the Pharisees against Jesus?  What were they unhappy about?  What was most important to them?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:18-26

Helpful thoughts:

• There are two displays of faith in today’s passage.
• The woman was considered “unclean”.  For her to reach out and touch someone who was “clean” was unacceptable.  But remember, when Jesus touches, He makes things clean.
• Jesus now shows that He has authority even over death.
• His great authority was a comfort to those who had faith.

Questions to consider:

1. How does Jesus’ interest in individuals over the crowds help you to think about relationships? How might that affect our idea of multiplication in the Great Commission?
2. Why does Jesus’ authority as God the Son give comfort to those who have faith? Why would it be troublesome to those who don’t believe?
3. How does Jesus’ power over death help us to see death differently?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:14-17

Helpful thoughts:

• These are disciples of John the Baptist.
• Remember the Hosea reference from yesterday?  Israel (God’s people) was the bride, and God is the groom.  Jesus is telling these disciples of John who He is!
• Before Christ came, people were fasting while looking forward to the coming of the King.  So, it was no longer time to fast for that reason.
• Jesus is also making another statement in mentioning new cloth and new wine skins.  A new time has come.  There will be new reason to fast.

Questions to consider:

1. What seems to be the reason for fasting?  Is it just supposed to be a ritualistic practice?
2. Why is it appropriate for us to fast now?  To what should we be looking forward?
3. What are some things you are looking forward to when Jesus makes all things new?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:9-13

Helpful thoughts:

• Tax collectors would set a number for collection that was higher than what Rome required to pay their own salary.  So, picture a Jew working for Rome taking money from other Jews to give to Rome and make themselves personally wealthy…these men were hated.
• Matthew, the tax collector, hated by many, became a follower of Jesus!
• Religious leaders (The Pharisees) did not approve of Jesus’ company.
• “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” is from Hosea 6.  The imagery of Hosea compares Israel to an adulterous woman.  The Pharisees thought they were righteous, Jesus was telling them otherwise.  They belonged in that crowd just as much as anyone else.

Questions to consider:

1. How many righteous acts did Matthew have to perform before Jesus allowed him to become a follower?
2. How does this dinner party compare with Jesus touching and healing the leper?  What direction was the impact flowing?  Were the sinners making Jesus sinful or was Jesus changing them?
3. Were the Pharisees well?  Were they righteous?  Did they have need of a physician?  What was Jesus telling them?
4. Honestly ask yourself…do you think you are well?  Do you need Jesus or are you already righteous?
5. If we as a church are following Jesus, who should we expect to see joining together with us?  How “righteous” do they have to be before we welcome them in?
6. What is the goal of our relationships with unbelievers?  What do I have to believe about my own life and our God in order for that relationship to be effective?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus, in forgiving sin, shows us that forgiveness is a more urgent problem than any paralysis we may experience and that His authority goes deeper than physical health.
• The scribes knew that only God can forgive sins.
• Jesus healed the man to authenticate His claim to be “The Son of Man” (Daniel 7) and to show that He has authority to forgive sin.  He was very clearly telling them that He was the Messiah!

Questions to consider:

1. If Jesus knew to tell the paralytic to “Take heart”, do you think He knew what the man’s greater concern was?  Did Jesus know what the paralytic believed and was concerned about?
2. If the scribes knew that only God could grant forgiveness, what didn’t they believe about Jesus?
3. Even though it says the people “glorified God,” did they really understand what they had just seen if they thought God had “given such authority to men”?
4. How do faith-healing prosperity gospel ministries cheapen the true Gospel and Jesus Christ?
5. How might the truths in this passage help us to think rightly during our own times of sickness?

Today’s passage: Matthew 8:28-34

Helpful thoughts:

• In the last few days, we have learned that Jesus has authority over diseases, disciples, natural disasters and now today, demons.
• Everyone in the area was afraid of these two demon-possessed men.  But the demons were afraid of Jesus!
• The demons had fear because of their belief.  We often have fear because of our unbelief.
• The passage says nothing of the people’s concern for the pigs or for the two men.  They wanted to meet Jesus.
• Once they met Him, they wanted Jesus to leave.

Questions to consider:

1. It’s easy to focus on the pigs, the townspeople, or even the demons in this passage. But, who was Jesus serving?  Who was the focus of His attention and help?
2. Why was it right for the demons to fear Jesus?
3. Is there anything or anyone who has power over Jesus?
4. How can believing who Jesus is help you to overcome fear/worry/anxiety?

Today’s passage: Matthew 8:18-27

Helpful thoughts:

• The crowds that were around Jesus seemed to be interested in His authoritative tone and His ability to heal.  With that knowledge, Jesus was ready to get away from them.
• As the people saw their preparations to leave, some requested to come with Him.
• Jesus did not tailor the “pitch” to follow Him in a way that would draw many people.
• Some people suggest that the disciple who requested to bury his father was waiting and hoping for his inheritance, which he would receive once his father passed away.
• In yesterday’s passage, Jesus showed his power over creation in physical diseases/sickness.  Now, in calming the storm, Jesus shows His power over creation in nature.

Questions to consider:

1. Why are temporal physical things/possessions/trends bad ways to try to point people to Jesus?  What will they think they are getting themselves into?  What is a true disciple getting themselves into when they follow Jesus?
2. Is it worth “missing out” on earthly possessions and relationships to follow Jesus?
3. Why wasn’t Jesus worried on the boat during the storm?  What had He come to do?
4. Why was it right for the men on the boat to marvel?  What sort of man is Jesus?

Today’s passage: Matthew 8:1-17

Helpful thoughts:

• We are officially past the “Sermon on the Mount” and today are moving into a series of healings that teach us more about King Jesus.
• The miracles were used to authenticate Jesus’ teaching.  The crowds were astonished that He taught with such authority…but then he did the miracles to back it up.  He spoke with authority because He possessed all authority!
• The Jews were not allowed to touch a leprous person.  It would make them “unclean” and expose them to the disease.  But, when Jesus touches the unclean…they become clean!
• In response to the faith of the Roman centurion, Jesus declares that there are Gentiles who are in the Kingdom of God and Jews who are not.  Jesus was not surprised by this fact of course…but His Jewish audience probably was!
• Matthew again points out Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy from the Old Testament.  This time from Isaiah 53.

Questions to consider:

1. If you were alive in the first century in the Middle East, and had to guess which three people an important Jewish religious leader would give his attention to…would it have been a leper, a Gentile and a woman?
2. What did the Roman centurion have that made him say what he did to Jesus?  By what do we gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven?
3. Why does it make sense that healings would have been more commonplace during the ministry of Jesus and not normal now?  What was the purpose of healing?
4. When Jesus healed these people, how healed were they?  How healed are we when we put our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins?

Today’s passage: Matthew 7:24-29

Helpful thoughts:

• There is a difference between hearing and doing.
• Both the one who builds on the rock and the one who builds on the sand heard the words of Jesus.
• Both of them should also expect to experience rains, floods and wind.
• Hearing and rejecting results in foolishness and destruction (Remember the wide and narrow gates…)
• Hearing and obeying results in life.  A Christian is a person who hears the truth of the Gospel, believes and then follows Jesus.

Questions to consider:

1. Does following Jesus mean that life will be easy?  How is the truth BETTER than an “easy” life?  What is an “easy” life?
2. Remember one of the themes of Matthew’s Gospel is that Jesus is King.  Why did Jesus have authority to speak the way He did?  How is He different than the scribes (and every other teacher)?
3. What was the crowd’s general reaction?  What is even better than being astonished after hearing the teaching of Jesus?