Sermon for Sunday, December 8, 2024 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament reading:
[Psalm 103:1-5 ESV] 1 Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
New Testament reading:
[Acts 10:34-43 ESV] 34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Gospel reading:
[Matthew 9:35-38 ESV] 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 4:23-25 ESV] 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Introduction
We’ve seen in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus was anointed to his ministry.
And we’ve seen him call certain men to be his disciples in his ministry.
But what is his ministry? Of what does it consist? Our text today gives a great summary of Jesus’s ministry.
Jesus now, to great crowds, ministers … in three ways.
Teaching.
Preaching
And healing.
[REPEAT: Teaching, Preaching, and healing.]
This is what Jesus does in ministry.
We know that he came ultimately to die on a cross fro the sins of His people.
But there is this approximately 3 year period where he is active in ministry on earth.
He came to serve, and serve He does.
He doesn’t come to fight in battles.
Nor to change the political structure.
Nor to increase the prosperity of the land and people.
He ministers directly to the people through teaching, preaching, and healing.
These are three aspects that people need, as Christ’s ministry works on the minds, the souls, and the bodies of real people.
Our text focuses on the earliest point of Jesus’s ministry, but no doubt these aspects of his work continue throughout his career.
I. Teaching
As Jesus went through Galilee he taught in the synagogues.
Now, this is the first mention of “synagogue” in the Bible.
There were no synagogues in the Old Testament.
Where did they come from? And what is a synagogue?
Initially the Jews had the temple. That was the center of worship.
But it could be difficult to travel to the temple, especially for Jews who lived in foreign nations or were taken away in captivity. And it was impossible to worship in the temple in that period between the destruction of the first temple and the rebuilding of the second temple. That was about 70 years between the time the Babylonians destroyed the temple and the Jews built a temple again.
The people had always worshipped in the Lord in their own homes, but for corporate worship they needed something else. Thus the synagogue was created.
The Greek συναγωγή (synagogue) means “assembly”, much like ekklesia (church) means “gathering.” And indeed, the synagogue is the precursor to the church. Each are a gathering of people. In time the building itself would take on the name; synagogue in the early days and church after the advent of the Christian era.
So we have Jesus teaching in the synagogues. There were certain elders and rulers who managed the local synagogue, but rabbis who were traveling through would be allowed to teach there. And Jesus was a rabbi. That is what his disciples often call him, “Rabbi” (teacher).
There is an example of Jesus teaching in a synagogue in Luke’s Gospel.
[Luke 4:15-21 ESV] 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
So the teaching of Jesus in the synagogues was Biblical teaching. He read the text. And then he explained it. That is a good precedent for what is done in Biblical churches. The sermon is ON the text. The sermon is not on the news, or some novel, or some movie. The sermon is on the word of God.
We also hear of Jesus in the synagogue in places in the Scriptures where we find people astonished at his teaching (Mark 6:2) and where it is said “he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” (Matt 7:29). So it is clear that he did more than read the text, he explained it. And he explained it better than anyone else ever had.
Teaching is a great part of the ministry of Christ.
And it is a great part of Christianity.
We have a God of knowledge, and a religion of knowledge.
God wants you to know certain things and so has revealed them to you in His word.
We are indeed TO STUDY his word. We are to learn its truths.
This improves our minds.
Paul even says “we have the mind of Christ.” [1 Corinthians 2:16] He means that the truths of God are revealed to us. Those truths that God knows, he has revealed to us, that we might know truth as well.
So Jesus starts with teaching. And he has disciples after all; students of his teaching. They are being raised up. And when they go out making disciples of all nations they don’t baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit but also will teach all to observe all that Christ has commanded them.
II. Preaching
Then, AS Jesus is teaching in his ministry, he is also preaching.
He doesn’t limit his message to the mind, but extends it to the soul.
He was “teaching in their synagogues AND proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.”
Teaching is of facts, information, truths.
But preaching is with the goal of leading the audience to accept those truths.
And the truth that needs to be accepted above all is the Gospel.
Here the Gospel is called “the Gospel of the Kingdom.”
It is the good news that the king has arrived; there is a new sheriff in town.
All of the injustices of the previous kingdoms will be no more.
Evil will be destroyed.
And the sins of God’s people will be forgiven.
We hear of the Gospel more clearly in 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul tells us that it is about Christ, what he died, and of the witnesses to it.
But even here with Jesus — before His death and resurrection — the Gospel is still proclaimed, BECAUSE Christ is come, the kingdom of God is in their midst. It is a promise of God that is “as good as done.” Yes, Christ, in God’s plan, still needed to die and rise again. But his very presence is “God with us” and a great statement of the love and grace of God that He would send his own son into the world to redeem it.
So Christ preaches the gospel of the kingdom.
III. Healing
The third aspect of Christ’s ministry that we hear about in out text is “healing.”
He went about “healing every disease and every affliction.”
So he has worked to improve the mind, convert soul, and now to heal the body.
He goes about healing EVERY disease and EVERY AFFLICTION.
There was nothing that he could not heal.
And there was no ONE that he could not heal.
He cured-all without exception.
This shows his great power. Power over diseases, afflictions, and even over demon-possession.
He healed “the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics.”
How did he do this? Of course, it was a miracle.
And while the people were impressed with his teaching, they seem to be even more impressed with his miracles. This is what gets him such a large crowd following him.
Why did Jesus heal? Isn’t spiritual salvation more important than physical cures? Well, indeed it is. But Jesus healed nevertheless.
For two reasons.
1. Jesus healed because he is compassionate.
2. Jesus healed to prove who he is.
First, we find that He is compassionate. He sees people in their suffering, and he heals them.
Jesus is said to have compassion when the people are hungry and so he provides the fish and loaves. (Matthew 15)
Jesus is said to have compassion on the great crowd because they are “like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34)
And he is said to have compassion on a crowd and “heal their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)
This is a loving savior who has compassion on people.
And no compassion was ever displayed as prominently as Christ on the Cross. IN THIS WAY God loved his people, He gave his only son.
The origin of the word compassion goes back to the Latin “compati” meaning to “suffer with.” By coming to earth as a man, Jesus sufferings all the pains of life WITH all other humans. But when he died on the cross is is even more than compassion; he doesn’t suffer WITH, he suffers FOR. So Jesus is beyond compassionate.
Then, Jesus is doing healing miracles to prove WHO HE IS.
Miracles in the Scriptures are never for their own sake. They always are to draw attention beyond the actual miracle to the revelation of God and His glory.
Jesus did miracles to prove that He is the messiah, and that all are to listen to him that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
People were healed bodily that they might be healed spiritually.
Then the disciples did healing miracles to build the church, for the Glory of God. They continued to proclaim the Kingdom.
Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 10:
[Matthew 10:7-8 ESV] 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Today, since the end of the apostolic period miraculous healing on command has not been giving to Christians.
But the miraculous healing of God continues.
Benny Hinn does not heal, but God does.
Jesus’s miracles, proving who is He is, show his great authority. He has authority over ever disease and authority over demons.
Now, incidentally, the fact that demon-possession is mentioned separately from disease tells us that there is a distinction. I noted this some years ago in a sermon. We ought not to rule out demon-possession as the cause of one’s problem, mental or physical. But it is not the case that all mental or physical problems are demon possession. And it might be positively harmful to tell someone they have a spiritual warfare problem, when they have a mental condition brought on by some other cause.
Well, what is the result of Jesus’s healing?
He brings in great crowds.
This shows that His word spread, not by technology, but by word of mouth, and like wildfire.
The news about him went out into all Syria. That lines gives me chills. The power of Christ. The need of the people. Coinciding. People willing to travel from distant places. What desperations they must have had. Willing to travel for a cure. Even to see Jewish rabbi. These people from Syria — Gentiles — came to see Jesus. They recognized his power.
They saw that the ministry of Jesus addresses the whole person. He healed the physical and transformed the spiritual, showing his great power and authority.
So we too are called to recognize the divine nature of Christ; to believe that Jesus is the messiah, and that Jesus is Lord.
Application: How Should a Christian show Compassion?
As we look to Jesus’s compassion, we ought to ask “How should a Christian show compassion? This is our application today: “How should a Christian show compassion?”
It is good to understand what compassion is.
Compassion is more than sympathy or empathy.
Compassion isn’t just feeling bad about someones situation; it is DOING SOMETHING about it.
As I noted, the root word from latin actually means “to suffer with.” So it is to come alongside someone in their need.
We see, Christ’s compassion again later in the Book of Matthew:
[Matthew 14:14 ESV] 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
We don’t have miraculous healing powers at our disposal. Show how should we show compassion?
One of the greatest difficulties is avoiding “unintended consequences.”
Whenever you give, and whatever you give, and to whomever you give, you have to think critically whether this is going to truly help someone, or is perhaps contributing to an addiction they already have or simply “enabling” them to remain in the sorry state they are in.
Churches and individuals alike often receive requests for money to be given from persons or agencies that quickly squander the money.
So should we never give? Should we never have compassion?
I’d like to suggest a way forward.
Let us give BEFORE it is asked of us.
If we are attentive to the needs around us, we may show compassion BEFORE someone is reduced to begging for it.
The story of the Good Samaritan is a good example. He saw a need, and acted.
This idea (of showing compassion before it is asked) is different than the modern idea of “paying it forward.” When you “pay it forward” you, for example, buy the drinks for the next person at line at Starbucks. But this isn’t compassion. It is might be “being nice” but it isn’t compassion. The guy behind you in line doesn’t NEED a caramel macchiato, however much he wants one.
So I’m not suggesting to “pay it forward” but to recognize needs and address them.
Are there children you know who parents are not able to provide gifts for them this Christmas? See if there is a way you can help out.
Is there a person you know in a hospital, nursing home or jail who would like a visit, go see them. Don’t wait to be asked.
Is there a person who needs prayer. Pray for them. And tell them you are praying for them.
Is there someone truly in need? Let us be compassionate and volunteer our time to help them, or donate our money to provide for true needs. Some would call this “the spirit of Christmas.” But it is truly “the spirit of Christ”: being compassionate.
As we have the mind of Christ, let us also have the spirit of Christ, being compassionate.
And let us pray.