Day 23

Chase: Hello and welcome to the Point Church Podcast. We're really glad you're here. Before we jump in, if you'd like to stay connected, you can download the Point Church app. It's a simple way to find messages, resource, and what's happening. And if this podcast is helpful, take a moment to like, subscribe, and share. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Let's get into today's episode. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Point Church Podcast. I'm here with Pastor Sam as we're working through the Gospel of Matthew verse by verse. And today is episode twenty-three, and we are in chapter nine, starting in verse eighteen. It reads, As he was telling them these things, suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, My daughter just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live. So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. Mm-hmm. So here it's it kind of goes back like you talked about with the Roman centurion. Yeah. Where he was like, no, you can stay there. But why is this different? Well, ⁓ this guy doesn't he this guy asked him to come. Yeah. So that is different. And again, Jesus is responding to this man's need is also different ⁓ because the daughter has died. So perhaps, you know, again, that's just adding a f a different dynamic. The interesting thing is we don't know. This man's name in this gospel, but in other gospels they tell this story and his name is Jairus, seen as like a good, holy man, ⁓ one who's heavily involved working at the synagogue. But ⁓ you know, so he he comes to Jesus when probably some of his other people he works with, the Pharisees are not a big fan of Jesus. He comes to him anyways as a as a desperate father. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then picking up verse twenty, I get my glasses. Just then a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe, for she said to herself, If I can touch his robe, I'll be made well. Jesus turned and saw her. Have courage, daughter, he said, your faith has saved you. And the woman was made well from that moment. Yeah, again, in the other telling of this same story and other gospel accounts, it says that my twelve year old daughter. dies and then this woman has the exact same amount of years of bleeding. So both ⁓ so this woman's been in pain for 12 years, but a 12-year-old has just died. So there's ongoing suffering that Jesus is addressing and unexpected death that Jesus is addressing. ⁓ But again, like the faith of this woman to just get near him saying like again if I can just touch him. Yeah. Gyrus once Jesus to touch, you what I mean, like hands on his daughter. So it's just again, there's just so much power around Jesus. But I love how compassionate and kind again he is by calling her daughter. Yeah. When twelve years of bleeding would have led to most likely her being an outcast and in every way. You know, can't can't be around someone, according to the Mosaic Law, who's been bleeding for this extended period of time. So again, yeah, Jesus is flipping the tape. Mm-hmm. Flipping the mind. Right. Yep. In verse twenty-three it reads When Jesus came to the leader's house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamb lamenting loudly. Leave, he said, because the girl is not dead but asleep. And they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. The news of this spread throughout the whole area. Mm-hmm. Another ⁓ beautiful sermon from Tim Keller on this particular passage is ⁓ that Jesus is like the Lord over death even now, like before the cross, that he says the power of Jesus is so strong that death is no more than sleeping, that he can reach down into death, into hell, into the afterlife, whatever it is, not not this girl in particular, but just the power of Jesus to go into that space and say, Time to wake up. It's nothing for him. And it brings us, this brings this should bring us such comfort because when we die as believers, it says that we will go to rest, we will go to sleep. And that's not always the most comforting because sometimes we like this idea of like floating in the clouds, like heaven, but we're at peace, we're at rest. But when we see Jesus going right into death, grabbing the little girl by the hand, pulling her out of death will be the same for us saying, Okay, time to wake up. Mm-hmm. Like you've been you've been resting. It's time to wake up. Everything's been made new. Mm-hmm. And again, like this is just a beautiful foretaste of what will happen in the resurrected life with the new heavens and new earth, everything made new. And like on that is I think some people are like, Well, how long? Like how this? But some I don't I don't know where And again, it says only the Father knows, like when the time is even But also it's like It's like a snap. Like you're it's ⁓ someone described it at to me like when you go in for a surgery and they put you under and you wake up and you're like, Whoa, how long has it been? Sometimes it could be six hours. Yeah. And they're like, I felt like I just was talking to you. Yes. So it's like that. Yeah. So it's not like you're just kind of dozing in and out like, Okay, is it time? Like it's like waking up from a very good nap. Yeah. Exactly. And and it's like you're rested and ready and revived, but it's like to the nth degree. Mm-hmm. ⁓ in verse twenty-seven it reads As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, Have mercy on us, son of David, real quick. That's another That's a new title. New title. That's a new title. So son of God, son of man, now son of David, another way of saying a descendant of the king. Yeah. You know, King David. So yeah. And so in twenty-eight it says, When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I can do this? They said to him, Yes, Lord. Then he touched their eyes and said eyes saying, Let it be done for you according to your faith. And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, Be sure that no one finds out. But they went out and spread the news about him throughout the whole area. Yeah. So they can't they just like they can't help themselves. I mean, you if you're blind and then all of a sudden You can see. Yeah. You're gonna tell everybody. Yeah, and you're gonna be like, It was him, it was him. And again, the reason there's multiple reasons why Jesus is like, Not yet, not yet. And we've talked about that on previous episodes, you know, like his time had not yet come. He wants to stay anonymous, you know, stay humble, but also like, you know, ⁓ he's gonna put certain events into play, but he can't keep something like this quiet for long. Like he's already created such a following. So he's been so disruptive in the best ways. Yeah. 32 it reads, just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him. When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel. I know. I love how simple and straightforward that is. They're just like, and then when the demon was driven out, what like everyone's like, we can't do anything. And they're like, okay, the demon's gone. Yeah. Now it's time for Jesus to have the floor. You're like, it's because you're like, this guy Has no limits. No limits. And then and then another one it just ends with thirty-four saying, but the Pharisees said he drives out demons by the ruler of the demons. So he's calling him the devil. Yes. The Ferr like politely, yeah. That's a nice way to put it. But yeah, they're like Yeah, the Prince of Demons. And you're like, okay, first of all, they're ridiculously jealous. ⁓ yeah. Like of ⁓ his reputation in the crowds. But also they can't fathom that they're possibly wrong. Yeah, they cannot possibly imagine that they're wrong because if he is who he says he is, then what he's saying about them is true and it's a lot easier to be like, Well, he's a demon and he's wrong than to look in the mirror. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And there'll be a bunch more of that. ⁓ yeah. Verse thirty five it says Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching and preaching the good news of the kingdom. In healing every disease and every sickness. Again, no limits, like just every single one. Yeah. Everything. Like he he is lord over death, disease, darkness, ⁓ the demons, everything. Like he is lord of it all. I mean it'd be like going into a town and someone just heals everyone. Yeah. And you're like, what's going on? Right. Right. And then verse thirty six picks up when he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dejected. Like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Yes. So again, ⁓ in Gospel of John and the seven I am statements of Jesus, Jesus refers to himself as I am the good shepherd. Like again, he's fulfilling so many roles for why he came. Like he's not just a doctor. He's a shepherd. He's not just, I mean, he's not just a shepherd. He's a savior. Like there's so many things that Jesus is doing. But he's also empowering these disciples to say, but I'm giving you what I mean. We're gonna talk about that more because he talks about in the next ⁓ chapter. But I want to partner with you to heal my world. Like I'm getting it started, and you're gonna use my power. But I also want to like show you how you can go and do this as well. And like there is a harvest. There are people that are that are hurting, that are hungry, and that are ready for the kingdom of heaven, but the workers are few. So it it's a call not just to the disciples back then and his followers back then, but today. Like, do we see the state of the world? D I mean, do we watch the news? Yeah. But there are people that are hungry for Jesus. They're hungry for what he's doing and May we be raised up not to gather a harvest for ourselves, again, not to make a name known for us or our brand or whatever, but build his kingdom, his harvest and say, like, okay, God, give me eyes to see what you're seeing, and how do we go out and, you know, be a part of what you're doing in the world? Amen. And with that, we're gonna stop today's episode. ⁓ thanks for tuning in. Tomorrow we'll be picking up in chapter ten. So we'll see you then.