The King's Authority (Part 2)

Although the present hour was a time for celebration, Jesus spoke of a time when fasting would be appropriate. He says in verse 15, "The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." We see here why Jesus' disciples do fast now. The time for fasting began immediately after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven. The bridegroom was gone, so there's a sense in which we would expect to see disciples of Jesus fasting in the123 book of Acts (Acts 13:2; 14:23).20 However, in light of His death and triumphant resurrection, what reason did they still have to mourn?

It's crucial that we understand the difference between Old Testament fasting and New Testament fasting. Old Testament fasting was a longing and a waiting for the King to come. It was purely a future hope. New Testament fasting, on the other hand, has both a past and a future element to it. The past element has to do with looking back to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, believing firmly that the King has come. Followers of Christ have tasted the new wine of His presence. We have been forgiven of our sins, and we have been satisfied by our Savior. So in that sense, there is not mourning; there is rejoicing.

Yet, at the same time, we have been promised that there is more to come; this is the future element to our fasting. Although the King has come, we know that our world is still full of sickness, disease, suffering, and pain. The effects of sin and the fall are all around us: paralysis, fevers, malaria, HIV/AIDS, cancer, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. Based on the entire context of Matthew 9, we know that Jesus has authority over all these things; therefore, what we are longing and fasting for is the day when the King will put an end to these menaces once and for all. We'll live in a new heaven and a new earth where we will dwell forever with our King (Rev 21).

In Acts 1:11 those early disciples were told to look for Christ's coming. The angel said to them, "This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven." This should continue to be our eager expectation—it's why we fast now. Those who celebrate the ascension of the King now crave the consummation of the kingdom. We fast and we pray and we crave the day when what we have tasted and seen in Christ will be complete.

In Matthew 9:18-26 the picture we get of Jesus' authority gets even better. Not only does Jesus have authority to save, but also Jesus has authority over death. Matthew gives us two miracle stories in one episode.124

Notice the faith of those who approach Jesus in this passage. First, you have a leader named Jairus who came and knelt before Jesus. Jairus confessed that Jesus had the authority to save His daughter (v. 18). Then, on the way to see Jairus's daughter, a woman who had been sick, unclean, and socially ostracized for 12 years touched Jesus. Matthew lets us in on what she was thinking: "If I can just touch His robe, I'll be made well!" (v. 21). Jesus' authority is comforting, then, because He gives hope in the midst of despair. Just picture this lady: for 12 years she had lived with this health problem and no one had been able to help her. To add insult to injury, this was not just a physical problem; it was also spiritual. According to Jewish law, this lady was ceremonially unclean, so she was not allowed to go to the temple and participate in Jewish religious life. It's all but certain that she couldn't have a social life, since people could not touch her for fear of defilement (Lev 15:19). Yet, she believed that she would be made well if only she could touch Jesus' garment, which is exactly what she did (Matt 9:20-21).

When Jesus was touched, He stopped immediately in the middle of a crowd of people. He looked at the woman and said, "Have courage, daughter.... Your faith has made you well" (v. 22). Even in a crowd, Jesus gives hope in the midst of despair. What good news to those who are hurting, to those who are walking through pain or struggling in some area of life. You are not lost in the crowd before Jesus. He is intimately aware of every single detail of your life. He knows your struggle, and His love for you is extremely personal. In the middle of the crowds, you have His attention, though not in some self-centered way, as if the world revolves around you. But because you are a child of God, Jesus is attentive to your deepest needs, and you have His affectionate attention.

After healing this unclean woman, Jesus demonstrated His authority over death by raising the daughter of Jairus (vv. 23-26). Jesus not only brings hope in the midst of despair, but He brings life in the midst of death. The traditional funeral had already begun, with the flute players brought in and the mourners assembled. But Jesus said, "Leave... because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping" (v. 24). Those present laughed at Jesus. Of course, He knew she was dead, but He also knew that her death was only temporary. Can you imagine being at a funeral with a body in a coffin and someone arriving and saying, "Stop the funeral," and then taking the corpse by the hand and saying, "Rise"? What boldness! And yet it was humble authority, as Jesus cleared the crowd125 outside, took the girl by the hand, and raised her up. With Jesus, death is temporary.

When we put Matthew 8-9 together, this life-giving miracle actually makes sense. The One who has authority over disease, natural disasters, and demons, and the One who has severed the root of all suffering with His authority over sin, has authority over death itself. This authority will ultimately be shown when Jesus dies on the cross. And make no mistake, as the One with power over death Jesus really died and was placed in a tomb. His heart flat-lined for three days before He walked out of the tomb on His own authority. Death does not have the last word; Jesus does. The Canadian scientist G. B. Hardy once said,

In our superficial culture, we need to hear that death is real, that it's difficult and painful. But with Jesus, death is only temporary. So we say with Paul, "For me, living is Christ and dying is gain" (Phil 1:21). Dying is gain when you're with the One who has authority over death.

Matthew includes two more healing stories in chapter 9. The first occurs in verses 27-31 involving two blind men. This encounter teaches us that Jesus has authority over disability. Eager to see, these blind men cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (v. 27). This brief plea tells us two things about Jesus. First, He is gently merciful, even in the midst of our suffering. Second, He is the promised Messiah. This is the first time in the book of Matthew that someone besides Matthew calls Jesus the "Son of David," a title that takes us all the way back to Matthew 1:1, where Matthew introduced Jesus as "the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." There is no question that these blind men realize who Jesus is.126 Isaiah 35:5 had promised that with the coming of the Messiah the "eyes of the blind will be opened." These men may well have known of such a prophecy and taken from it great hope in the Messiah. Notice that even in their blindness, these two men were able to see what all the Pharisees and scribes and teachers of the law around them could not see. May the Lord give us eyes to see Jesus as well.

Finally, in verses 32-34 we see that Jesus has authority over the Devil. A demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. Many believe the man was deaf as well, being unable to speak and unable to hear specifically because of demonic oppression. We shouldn't conclude from this passage that anyone who is mute or deaf (or has any disability) is oppressed by a demon. Rather, Matthew is using this story as one piece of evidence that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Jesus' response to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:2-5 is instructive here:

The very things predicted of the Messiah in the Old Testament were being fulfilled in Jesus' ministry. We saw earlier from Isaiah 35:5 that the Messiah would open the eyes of the blind; here is the fuller context, which is extremely relevant for Jesus' healing in Matthew 9:

According to Isaiah, the Messiah would usher in a new day, and in the fullness of His kingdom (something which is still future) the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, and the mute will sing for joy.

How do we know this for sure? The response of the Pharisees in verse 34 gives us a clue. They say, "He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!" They were claiming that Jesus was demonic, and that demonic power was the source behind His miracles. Jesus makes clear in Matthew 12 that that was not the case. Instead of being in league with Satan, there was another reality at work in Jesus' ministry on earth: Satan has been defeated. Jesus casts out demons, not because He is of the Devil, but because He has overcome the Devil. Jesus has authority over sin, death, and the Devil himself. Therefore, we can rejoice in Jesus' promise for eternity: Satan will be destroyed. The enemy will be cast down, and his sting will never be felt again, because Jesus has all authority over the enemy (1 Cor 15:56-57).

After seeing Jesus' miracles and His teaching on discipleship in chapters 8 and 9, several points of application are especially relevant. First and foremost, we must see that Jesus possesses absolute authority in the world. This means that He reigns over us supremely. Who are we to tell Him what He should do with our lives? Surely we don't think that we're wiser than the King? He is wise, He is good, and He is in control; therefore let us rest in the security of His supreme authority.

When we think of Jesus' authority, we should not imagine a raw, lifeless power, for that is not the picture the Bible gives us. Right here in Matthew 9 we've watched Jesus in action and we've seen that He loves us deeply. His showcase of authority is not self-ish; it's self-less. He even commands certain people that He heals not to tell anyone. He is doing what He's doing because He wants to save sinners from hell. This is why He came. It's why He pursues you, summons you to Himself, and then satisfies you—because He loves you deeply.

Next, we see that in light of His absolute authority in the world, Jesus warrants absolute allegiance from the world. Recall the three types of people who responded to the authority of Jesus in this passage. First, you have many people on the outside observing all these miracles,128 and the crowds revere Him. In the first miracle in chapter 9, the healing of the paralytic, the crowds were afraid (v. 8). In response to the last miracle, they marveled (v. 33). So there's a following attached to Jesus, and it consists largely of people who are amazed by His miracles; however, they only admire Him from a distance. The praise of man is passing, and the crowds are fickle. When Jesus walks a long, dusty, difficult road to the cross, few of them will still follow Him.

On the other hand, we see the proud reject Him. The scribes, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law all thought they were counted among the righteous, yet they rejected the Righteous One. This same spirit is reflected all around the world today, even in our own conservative evangelical churches. It's a spirit of self-sufficiency, where we communicate (often implicitly) that we don't need Jesus. We refuse to humble ourselves before Him and trust in Him. That's a foolish response to Jesus, and it's ultimately dangerous. The only proper response is to bow before this glorious King and receive His mercy.

The appropriate response to Jesus in this passage can be seen as the faithful renounce everything to follow Him. This response is reflected in two main ways. First, we see those who believed that Jesus had merciful authority to meet their need: a leper (8:2), a centurion (8:5-9), a paralyzed man and his friends (9:2), a sick woman (9:20-21), a grieving dad (9:18-19), and blind men (9:27-28). These individuals renounced themselves and trusted in Christ. Second, in a similar way, we see Matthew abandon his livelihood to follow Jesus (9:9). The faith-full—those full of faith—gladly renounce themselves and the things of this world to follow Jesus. They trust in His mercy.

What about you—will you humbly and gladly submit to the authority of Jesus? Or will you instead revere Him from a distance like the crowds? Would you even dare to proudly reject Him like the Pharisees? May God give us the faith of the unclean woman who said to herself, "If I can just touch His robe, I'll be made well!" (9:21).