Matthew Chapter 9 – Portraits of Faith
In this chapter, we see many ‘portraits’ of faith – examples of different people who, because of their faith in Jesus’ power as the Messiah, had their petitions answered, illnesses cured, loved ones healed or even resurrected, demons cast out and, most important of all, their souls healed through repentance towards Jesus.
Consider the faith of the people who brought the paralytic man to Jesus [2-7]. Friend or family member, we don’t know, but their love for this man was evident – to the extent that when they couldn’t get through the crowd with him, they painstakingly uncovered the roof and lowered their loved one to Jesus (Mark 2:2-4). And because of their faith in Jesus’ healing of their friend/kin, Jesus forgave this paralytic’s sins and healed him, both physically and spiritually. Their faith bridged their loved one to Jesus.
Consider Matthew’s faith [9], who gave up his lucrative job as a tax collector to follow Jesus and labour for His kingdom. Let’s also not forget the faith of the tax collectors and sinners who ate with Jesus [10-13]: with eyes of faith, they saw their spiritual sickness in the form of sin, and their need for Jesus’ spiritual healing.
Consider the faith of Jesus’ disciples too [14-17]. In a society and time when man-made commandments of outward godliness were sacrosanct (like fasting ‘enough’, as practised by the Pharisees and even John’s disciples), Jesus’ disciples had the faith to follow Jesus’ commands instead of man’s expectations, even when met with others’ disapproval. This meant not doing things that were not yet commanded by Jesus (like fasting) and doing things according to His time (eat when He was with them, fast when He was no longer physically with them).
How about the faith of the ruler [18, 23-26]? He believed all things were possible with Jesus who is the Lord of life, that He could bring the dead back to life – even when no one around him believed so.
The faith of the bleeding woman [20-22]? Not only did her faith drive her to endure the potential disdain of others in the thronging crowd who noticed her uncleanness (Luke 8:43-45; Leviticus 15:25), she also believed Jesus could work even through an act as small, fleeting, and unnoticeable as touching the edge of His garment.
The faith of the two blind men [27-30]? When Jesus continued walking on despite their loud cries, they didn’t stop and remain where they were, but followed Him despite not being able to see Him. Their bold cries and solid belief in Jesus’ mercy were seen and heard by Jesus, who blessed them according to their faith with physical and spiritual sight.
Finally, our Lord Jesus’ eyes of faith when he beheld the multitudes [36-38] and saw the truth of their spiritual condition: that they were weary, scattered and in need of a Shepherd; the sheer number of souls who have yet to be reconciled with God. Hence His prayer imperative for His disciples: pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out more labourers into His harvest, which is already plentiful with souls waiting to be gathered. Additionally, Jesus Himself sets an example by being the ultimate Shepherd of all souls, including ours.
As we consider these portraits of faith, may God open our eyes to see where we lack in our faith and empower us to plug those gaps, and add to our faith. Amen.
