What Jesus Did

As Jesus was saying this [about old and new cloth and wineskins], the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her."
So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed."...

 

But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, "That's blasphemy [when Jesus told the paralyzed man his sins were forgiven]! Does he think he's God?"
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Is it easier to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Stand up and walk'? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, pick...

 

As Jesus was saying this [about old and new cloth and wineskins], the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her."
So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.


—Matthew 9:18-19 NLT

Key Thought​

True power meets true faith as Jesus and this leader of a synagogue meet each other. This important man shows no pretentiousness in the presence of...

 

[After pointing out that wedding guests do not fast, Jesus continued:] "Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved."


—Matthew 9:16-17 NLT

Key Thought​

None of us...

 

[After Jesus heard the Pharisees criticize him for eating with tax collectors and other sinners, he said,] "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

—Matthew 9:13 NLT

Key Thought​

God has never wanted to condemn. That has never been his purpose. His Old Testament laws were meant to distinguish the Israelites as his people...

 

[After Jesus called Matthew to follow him], Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?"
When Jesus heard this, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor — sick people do."


—Matthew 9:10-12 NLT

Key Thought​

It's one thing to minister to the outcasts and sinners in public preaching...

 

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, "Why don't your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?"
Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."


—Matthew 9:14-15 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus wanted John's disciples, along with his own disciples, to realize that while he was with them, it was a time of joy. It was not a time of...

 

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

—Matthew 9:9 NLT

Key Thought​

Not only does Jesus have the authority to forgive sins, he also has the authority to call sinners to follow him. Fortunately, some respond with a change of heart and behavior and follow. A classic example is Matthew, the tax collector — tax collectors in Jesus day were...

 

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven."
But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, "That's blasphemy! Does he think he's God?"


—Matthew 9:1-3 NLT

Key Thought​

True friends are friends that help us find Jesus and let him minister to our needs and brokenness. Like the...

 

[After the demons left the men and went into the pigs, the] herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

—Matthew 8:33-34 NLT

Key Thought​

The status quo is very powerful! We would rather things not change if they are going to threaten us or our livelihood, even though that change might mean something better for others. We would...