Most are familiar with this cinematic scene: A bomb with a visible timer is counting down to detonation and, apparently, the only way to disarm it is to cut one of its two exposed wires. One, if snipped, will shut the bomb off while the other will set it off. It’s a binary choice with life at stake and time running out.

In many ways, that’s the situation Israel was facing in Matthew 9. They had a decision to make about Jesus: Is he the Messiah or not? It was a binary choice with life at stake and the clock ticking. Now, unlike in the movies where the choice is often guesswork, Israel’s is not. In addition to national expectation and scriptural prediction, since 8:1, Jesus has been providing evidence, authenticating his authority through healings, exorcisms, and fulfilled prophecies.

Which wire will the nation cut? Which choice will you and I make?

The Authority of the King Part 3 | Matthew: Of King and Kingdom from Oakridge Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

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You’re familiar with this cinematic scene: A bomb with a visible timer is counting down to detonation. The hero must disarm it and, apparently, the only way to do that is to cut one of its two exposed wires, wires that are conveniently colour-coded red and blue. One wire, if snipped, will shut the bomb off, the other will set it off. It’s a binary choice with life at stake and time running out.

I don’t want to be overly dramatic but that’s kind of the situation Israel is facing as we come to Matthew 9. They had a decision to make about Jesus. Is he who he claims to be (the promised Messiah and King) or not? It’s a binary choice—yes or no, red or blue? 

And it’s no exaggeration to say life’s at stake. One wire, one decision, leads to eternal life, the other to destruction. And the clock’s ticking. Jesus isn’t going to plead with them forever (9:15b). Israel is facing a binary choice with life at stake and time running out.

Now, unlike in the movies where the choice between wires is often a guess, Israel’s is not. In addition to national expectation and scriptural prediction, since 8:1, Jesus has been providing evidence, authenticating his authority through healings, exorcisms, resuscitations, and fulfilled prophecies.

And that string of supernatural attestations continues in our passage today with a series of restorative miracles. Let me read the passage and then we’ll look closer.

While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.

And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. This news spread throughout all that land.

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.

As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him. After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Matthew 9:18–34

The Restorations of Jesus

As I mentioned, we find here a series of claim-authenticating miracles performed by Jesus that are all restorative in nature. They repair something that’s broken.

In verses 18–25 we find Jesus restoring life. And it’s a two-for-one scenario as, on his way to resuscitate a young girl—that is, bring her back to life—he heals a bleeding woman as well. And, because the Bible is clear that “the life of every creature is in its blood” (Lev 17:14 NLT), these two works are connected as miraculous restorations of life.

As we read, an important Jewish man—a synagogue official—runs up to Jesus in desperation because his daughter had just died but, based on what he’d heard of this travelling rabbi, it’s not too late. There’s nothing a parent wouldn’t do for a dying child and this man is down to his last hope: Jesus.

Verse 19 tells us that Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did his disciples. And it’s while they’re on their way that Matthew gives us a picture-in-picture; a healing within a healing; a miracle within a miracle.

And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.”

Matthew 9:20–21

We don’t know exactly what was wrong with this woman, but we do know she’s been bleeding for twelve years. She, like the synagogue official, is desperate and seeks Jesus, convinced he’s the one who can restore her to life.

When the woman touches his cloak, Jesus feels it, turns around, and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well” (v. 22b). Notice it isn’t her touching that brought restoration but her faith that it would. She believed that this Jesus was so powerful and able, that a mere brush against an outer garment would be enough to remedy something that had defined her life for over a decade. She had faith and it was by that faith, Jesus says, that she would be made well. And instantly, it was so.

That’s the miracle within the miracle. Matthew now returns to the initial request for restoration made by the synagogue official. 

When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him.

Matthew 9:23–24

It wasn’t uncommon in those days for a family to hire professional mourners to ‘set the tone’ of the event and that could be what’s going on here. It would make their laughter easier to explain. As tears-for-hire they may not have even known the girl. It’s just a job. So, when this guy shows up, kicks them out, claiming the girl’s sleeping, the pros giggle. They’ve seen dead bodies before; that’s their line of work. 

But, as we already know, the laughter won’t last long. In this first scene we find Jesus restoring life.

The second scene of this passage involves Jesus restoring sight. Jesus leaves the house of the synagogue official and, while he’s walking, two blind men followed him, crying out for mercy. 

In verse 28 Jesus asks them if they think he is able to heal them, to which they respond “Yes, Lord.”

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened.

Matthew 9:29–30a

Jesus restored life to a girl and a woman, and now he restores sight to two blind men.

The final scene of this passage involves Jesus restoring speech. Jesus is on the road again when a mute, demon-possessed man is brought to him.

After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

Matthew 9:33

When the man was brought to Jesus, he couldn’t speak. When he left Jesus, his tongue was loosed and his speech restored.

This passage highlights and authenticates Jesus’s authority and power. In supernaturally restoring life, sight, and speech Jesus is providing evidence that he is who he claims to be. 

But, just like the previous two groups of miracles in chapters 8 and 9, the miracles in our text today do more than prove he has the authority bring in the kingdom. They also provided Israel with previews of that kingdom.

Jesus restored life, sight, and speech. Now consider this (one of many OT passages) prophesy:

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah. … and the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 35:3–6, 10

Jesus performed works of restoration to prove he was who he said he was and could do what he was claiming to do. And, in the process, he peeled back the curtain to let Israel—and you and I today—catch a glorious glimpse of what life will be like when the kingdom actually comes and Jesus sits on his throne. There will be total restoration.

Anyone have any need of restoration today? Anyone have failing eyes, ears, hairlines, or waistlines; failing hearts, kidneys, or immune systems? Anyone have weakening willpower, tired convictions, fatigued hope, strained optimism? I don’t know about you, but I could use some supernatural restoration. And, praise God, it’s coming.

Tim Keller, a pastor in New York, once observed: “Christianity is at the same time both far more pessimistic about history and the human race than any other worldview and far more optimistic about the material world’s future than any other worldview” (Preaching, 154).

And pessimism and optimism collide in our passage today. Pessimism in death, bleeding, blindness, and muteness; the affects of sin in this world. [Sin today] But we also see Jesus’s power over it all, his demonstrations of predictive restoration—a foreshadow of things to come that give us incredible optimism in the face of real pessimism. Restoration’s coming.

As prophesied, Jesus came, offered the kingdom to God’s people, and authenticated that offer with miracles. Essentially, Israel was put to a choice: Is Jesus the Messiah? Yes or no? Restoration is available—life is available—but only to those who cut the right wire.

Let’s go back through our text today and notice, not the restorations of Jesus this time, but the responses of Israel. 

Matthew wants us to understand that all Israel knew about Jesus (see 9:26, 31, 33b). The news of Jesus spread. His authority-authenticating miracles were known by all. On one hand, this is a great thing. People heard about Jesus! But, on the other hand, this means that all people were put to the same decision. There were none exempt from the binary choice with life at stake.

And, praise God, we find some that respond with belief (see 9:18, 22, 27, 28–29, 32, 33b). Matthew is very clear in this passage that, in response to the restorative miracles of Jesus, many were responding with belief.

But, predictably and tragically, others respond with unbelief (see 9:24b, 34). While many respond to Jesus with belief, others respond with unbelief. 

We see that as the clock ticks down, the people of Israel are divided on this binary, life-and-death choice of the identity of Jesus. And, amazingly, the passage itself funnels us toward this time-sensitive, all-important, nation-dividing question that demands answering.

Notice that our text is bookended by religious leaders responding to Jesus—a synagogue official in verse 18 and Pharisees in 34. Then, as we move inward we have a woman coming up to Jesus in verse 20 and a man being brought to Jesus in 32. Then in verse 22 we have Jesus declaring that faith has made the woman well and, in verse 29, Jesus declaring the same to the blind men. 

The passage itself forms an airport runway at night, lit up so the pilot can land where he’s supposed to land. And the lights of our passage today seem to direct us toward the only question Jesus asks in this text: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (9:28a).

While the question was originally posed to two blind men and to first-century Israel, by the power of the Holy Spirit it makes it way through time and space and sits before you and I today: Do you believe that he is able to do this? To do what? To bring the restoration he’s promising. Do you believe he’s able to do what he’s claimed he’s going to do? Yes or no?

Every human being is put to that same choice. It’s binary in that there’s only two options. We either believe in Jesus—who he is and what he’s done for us—or we don’t. And life eternal is at stake. All people exist forever somewhere, the question is, where? And it all comes down to which wire we cut. 

Oh, and by the way, the clock’s ticking, isn’t it? None of us knows how much longer we have on this earth. We’ve got to make the call now. And the decision we’re being put to isn’t one we have to guess at—closing our eyes, crossing our fingers, and hoping we make the right call. No. God has given us evidence.

The Bible says that “the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19) and that “which is known about God is evident … for God made it evident …. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1). We’re also told that God “has set eternity in [our] heart” (Ecclesiastes 3).

God revealed himself in his creation, he revealed himself through his prophets, he revealed himself through his word, and most perfectly, he revealed himself in his Son, Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 1:1–3a).

Israel, in the first century, had no excuse. They had all the evidence they needed to cut the wire that led to life. To answer with a resounding corporate “yes” to Jesus’s question, Do you believe that I am able to do this? Do you believe I am who I’m claiming to be?

And it’s the same for you and I today. We’re put to a crucial choice. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, what ultimately matters, what eternally matters, is what he each, as individuals, do with the person of Jesus Christ, with his claims, his person, his promises.

If you’re listening to my voice today and, up until now, you’ve not believed in Jesus—you stand with the professional mourners and Pharisees in our text today (laughing at Jesus or rejecting him outright)—I beg you to reconsider. The clock’s ticking. Life is at stake. Nothing is more important than to consider what wire you’re cutting.

Now for most of us who already, along with the blind men in our text, declare “Yes, we believe!,” we have a very different assignment ahead of us. Because we answer “yes” to the question of this passage—Do you believe that he is able to do this?—we get to anticipate the ultimate restoration that he previewed and promised.

So let’s pair those two things this week, that is, our belief in Jesus as Messiah and King and the promise of coming restoration. Right now, think of something physically that’s failing and every time you have to deal with it this week say to yourself “I believe in Jesus the restorer.” 

When you put your glasses on in the morning: “I believe in Jesus the restorer.” When you take your medication at night: “I believe in Jesus the restorer.” When you shed tears of heartbreak: “I believe in Jesus the restorer.” When you put your mask on the off change you may be around other people: “I believe in Jesus the restorer.”

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