Matthew Nine

This chapter begins with Jesus doing another miracle - and showing what He is truly on earth for: to forgive sins.

Some men carried their paraplegic friend to Jesus. They expected a physical healing. Instead, Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven. The Pharisees are beside themselves when they hear this. Jesus goes on to say that He is the Son of Man and He is authorized to both heal and forgive sins. This is a huge declaration of His earthly purpose.

Later, after calling Matthew from being a Tax collector to following Him and hanging out with some questionable people, Jesus said these two statements:

"Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?"

"I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."

Jesus' mission was to spread the Gospel to those who had not heard it. He spent His time here going from town to town sharing the love of God. His focus was on the spiritually sick and those who didn't know the Gospel.

Do we coddle insiders?

Jesus then went on to heal more people - one woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years, two blind men, and raised a young girl back from the dead.

He continued through the towns preaching the Good News, healing broken bodies, broken hearts, and broken lives. He was driven by His compassion for those who wandered this world without knowing who their Heavenly Father is and what He was about to do to restore relationship with them.

Do we have that same compassion for those wandering this life without knowing God and following the True Shepherd, Jesus Christ?

Do our hearts break for lost souls and hurting people?

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.