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Home , Matthew 20, Matthew 9

Matthew: The in Street Clothes Part Two: :18-20:34

God’s Grand Plan is to fellowship with man. Fellowship is through the kingdom of heaven.

PART ONE: delivers the kingdom of heaven to earth. Part One: :1-9:17 (accessible online at www.hashemministries.org)

PART TWO: Jesus plants the kingdom of heaven on earth. Part Two: Matthew 9:18-20:34

PART THREE: Jesus describes the departure of the kingdom of heaven from earth. Part Three: :1-28:20

Lesson Nine: The kingdom of heaven on earth Matthew 9:18-38

And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38

Lesson Ten: Jesus explains Discipleship :1-42 Lesson Eleven: …Coming to Jesus :1-30 Lesson Twelve: Jesus explains Lordship :1-50 Lesson Thirteen: …Learning from Jesus :1-58 Lesson Fourteen: …Yoking with Jesus :1-36 Lesson Fifteen: …Understanding Jesus :1-39 Lesson Sixteen: …Testing of Jesus :1-28 Lesson Seventeen: …Seeing through Jesus :1-27 Lesson Eighteen: …Bypassing Jesus :1-35 Lesson Nineteen: …Stumbling over Jesus :1-30 Lesson Twenty: …Working under Jesus Matthew 20:1-34

They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. Matthew 20:33-34

81 Matthew: The Gospel in Street Clothes

PART TWO: Jesus plants the kingdom of heaven on earth.

What is the kingdom of heaven? Jesus

Kingdom of heaven

Earth

Jesus brought the kingdom of heaven to earth.

This kingdom is the door to heaven, to God, and to eternal life.

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14

• The kingdom of heaven was presented to Jesus by His Father. • The kingdom of heaven is open to all peoples, nations, languages. • The kingdom of heaven is where people see and serve God. • The kingdom of heaven is an everlasting dominion. • The kingdom of heaven is pure and true and right, uncontaminated by sin or Satan, therefore it will never be destroyed.

Jesus came to earth to plant the seeds of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Jesus brought the seeds of the gospel to the streets of earth. He walked among men, speaking truth, opening eyes, exposing weeds, and preparing the ground for the seeds of the kingdom of heaven to take root and flourish. Everywhere He went, everything He did was to plant the kingdom of heaven firmly on earth. The gospel is the good news that God has set up a satellite kingdom—a heavenly kingdom—on earth and people from every language, tongue, race, culture, and religion are invited to come into His kingdom and live forever.

Where is the kingdom of heaven?

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The kingdom of heaven is on earth in people who hear and believe and obey Jesus. Faith in Jesus transfers us into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Faith allows us to live through Jesus (through heaven) while we are on earth. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom filled with people who are surrendered to Jesus; they are living through Him, not though their abilities or resources. They walk with Jesus and talk with Him and He walks and talks with them. They are earthly vessels filled with His heavenly treasure.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Faith in Jesus transfers us into the kingdom of heaven; trusting Jesus in everything allows us to walk with Him through the landmines of this world. The challenge for every believer is to continually keep their eyes on Jesus and the kingdom of heaven because we are constantly being contaminated by the things of earth and navigating territory controlled by Satan.

Apply these truths: This world is contaminated by sin and controlled by Satan. Jesus is not contaminated by sin or controlled by Satan. When He stepped into our world, He set up a kingdom—a heavenly kingdom—on earth and introduced a way for people to come out of the domain of darkness into this kingdom. When we come to Jesus, we come into His kingdom and to His Father and away from the world.

Faith in Jesus, God’s beloved Son, transfers us into His forever kingdom… …but we still live in a contaminated world, controlled by Satan.

Sin is a place where we have picked up and put on the contamination of the world and allowed Satan to infiltrate our hearts and minds. Sin has no place in the kingdom of heaven because Jesus is without sin and has canceled its power. Jesus sees where we are being contaminated and controlled. He steps in and speaks to us. When we see our sin, we can argue or agree. If we confess our sin (agree, surrender), Jesus takes it from us and cleanses us. If we refuse to hear the truth He is speaking to us, we make Him a liar.

If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 In Matthew, the gospel in street clothes, we will see a dual dynamic:

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Jesus plants the seeds of the kingdom of heaven in everyone who hears and believes and obeys.

Jesus was broadcasting the seeds of the kingdom of heaven everywhere He went. Some fell on fallow ground and bore no fruit; some fell on good soil where it grew and produced fruit. Jesus is still broadcasting the seeds of the kingdom of heaven, working to bring people into the kingdom of heaven and to His heavenly Father.

While Jesus was planting the seeds of the kingdom of heaven on earth, Jesus was also investing the of heaven in a few people who could be entrusted with the glorious task of continuing to plant and harvest and care for the kingdom of heaven on earth after He returned to heaven. Jesus would love to be able to entrust the keys of the kingdom of heaven to more people.

Jesus entrusts the keys of the kingdom to a few key persons.

And these things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2

The is the record of what Matthew heard and saw and learned as Jesus planted the seeds of the gospel in the people and prepared His disciples to take the keys of the kingdom. As Jesus traveled from place to place, He was intentionally training, teaching, and testing His disciples. Every day was on-the-job training; every person and every situation was an opportunity to learn more about the operation of the kingdom of heaven. These men were going to be entrusted with operating the kingdom of heaven on earth; they had to know and understand the mechanics, the manual, and the Maker.

…One of the disciples failed to pass the test because his heart and mind were set on an earthly kingdom. Satan never tires of enticing disciples to focus on an earthly kingdom, rather than on Jesus and His eternal kingdom.

Matthew 9-20 is the heart of God’s training manual for disciples. As we apply what we learn to real life, these lessons will reverberate and change us.

Faith is taking Jesus’ teaching and training to the streets where we live.

Jesus is still training, teaching, and testing disciples.

Teach, Train, Test

LESSON NINE: The kingdom of heaven on earth Matthew 9:18-38

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The coming of Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth fulfills the promises spoken to Adam and and and David, but it is also a new work—a new beginning between man and God.

But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear results.

Nor do men put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. Matthew 9:16-17

Jesus usually illustrated His teaching with real life. Just after He contrasted the old with the new, He encountered two Jewish people, desperate for a new work from God.

[:21-43 is another account of this same event. Mark’s account was written before Mathew. We are not sure who Mark was, but we do know he was an early follower of Jesus Christ. Reading both accounts gives us much to ponder as we consider the new life God offers us in the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ.]

A Ruler of Israel Jesus met a ruler of Israel on his way to , a religious leader who had a good relationship with God under the law. When he encountered death, he knew he needed more than what he had under the old way, under the law.

1. What had moved this religious leader to seek out Jesus? (Matthew 9:18-19)

2. How did Jesus respond to the official? (Matthew 9:19; Mark 5:21-24)

3. What was going on in his home? (Matthew 9:23; Mark 5:38-39)

In Judaism, a person is buried the same day he dies. As soon as the word went out that this girl had died, everyone stopped what they were doing and went to mourn her death and prepare her for burial. This Jewish man should have been at home, but he left his home and set out to find Jesus. There are times in every life when we are pressed to search for more. When we search for Jesus, we find life and so much more!

85 The synagogue official was a ruler in Israel, but he could not speak life. Jesus poured life into a child who was dead. Jesus brings life! How do you think the new wine poured out in their child changed this family and their views of God and death and tradition?

A Jewish Woman Twelve years! This woman had suffered for twelve years.

4. Why did this woman press through the crowd to touch Jesus? (Matthew 9:20-21; Mark 5:25-28)

5. How did Jesus respond to her? (Matthew 9:21; Mark 29-34)

Apply these truths: The word deplete is defined as to exhaust or seriously use up the abundance or supply of something. This woman was depleted—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—but she pressed through the crowd to touch Jesus! The cares, pressures, and tensions we face in the world will seriously use up or exhaust us physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and financially, but we have Jesus who has all the resources of the kingdom of heaven.

Where are you depleted?

Why you are depleted?

How are you responding to the causes and the effect of your depleted resources?

Are trying to meet your need yourself or are you pressing into Jesus?

86 Jesus was delighted when this woman had the courage to press through the crowd and touch Him. And Jesus is delighted when we recognize our need and come to Him. He loves to share His bounty with us! Oh, the freedom of discovering that we do not have enough and will never have enough. Oh, the joy of surrendering the struggle and the striving! Oh, the difference that is rendered in truly coming to Jesus!

Two blind men As Jesus was leaving Capernaum, He was approached by two blind men, two men with a physical need and spiritual condition.*

6. How did the blind men get Jesus’ attention? …Remember, they are blind! We must hear this miracle. (9:27-28)

7. What qualification did Jesus attach to their healing? (9:27-31)

*Physical needs are often symptoms of spiritual conditions. When we come to Jesus with a physical need, we must be willing to let Him speak to the spiritual condition.

Apply these truths: Jesus sent the men out with a stern warning: See here! Let no one know about this! (9:30) …Why did Jesus warn the blind men? …Did they heed or ignore His warning?

The blind men were used to using their voices to draw attention to themselves. Jesus wanted them to be quiet, to listen rather than talk, to see rather than demand. Jesus wanted to change the way they interacted in the world. He wanted them to see and know God. But they went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land. (9:31) Sight is one of the five senses we use to relate and interact to the physical world, but God also gives us spiritual eyes so we can relate to Him. When Jesus healed the blind men, they received the ability to see physically and spiritually; Jesus opened their physical eyes and their spiritual eyes. These men gained their sight, but what did they miss because they ignored Jesus’ warning?

87 A demon possessed man and two very different perspectives 8. What did the multitude see when they heard the dumb man speak? (9:32-33)

9. How did the explain what happened? (9:34)

The crowd heard a dumb man speak and they were amazed. The Pharisees were dismayed; they saw trouble. The crowd understood they were witnessing something that had never been seen in Israel, but the Pharisees did not want them to understand what was happening. The Pharisees knew they had to redirect the multitude to prevent them from seeing God and experiencing His heart. So, they started talking! The blind men missed the greater blessing because they kept talking. And talk was what the Pharisees used to cover the people’s eyes and keep them from seeing Jesus.

Paul prayed! His words were lifted to heaven—to Jesus who gives spiritual eyes to see God and changes hearts. What would we see if we prayed this prayer and asked God to open the eyes of our hearts? …The heart determines how we see God, ourselves, the world, and others.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:18-23

88 10. What was Jesus doing as He traveled through the cities and villages? (Matthew 9:35)

11. What did Jesus see and feel? (9:36)

12. What did Jesus speak to the disciples and ask them to do? (9:37-38)

And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

Jesus saw people as sheep without a shepherd. Our greatest need is to see ourselves as sheep. We see ourselves as we are reflected in the world—through infirmity or distress or ability or position. When we see ourselves as sheep in need of a shepherd, we will see clearly. We must see ourselves as Jesus sees us!

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. Matthew 9:37-38

The workers sent by the Lord of the harvest are those who know they are sheep, because they know the Shepherd. …And they never stop listening to His voice or leave His care.

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