Matthew 9:32-34
Actions are something that we control but we do not control
the reactions to our actions. When we
determine a certain course of action we may anticipate a certain reaction but
most of the time these expectations are not what we imagine. Different people respond in different
ways. In today’s text a man who is daemon
possessed and mute is brought to Jesus.
Apparently, the daemon was the reason that this man could not talk. Jesus cures the man’s muteness by casting out
the daemon. This action on the part of
Jesus brings about several different reactions from the people surrounding this
event. Certainly, Jesus was not taken by
surprise by these different responses but it is certainly interesting to see
how some people respond in a way that is expected and others in ways that are
completely unexpected. We should not be
surprised or discouraged when people respond to our actions in ways that baffle
or offend us. Let’s look at the three
different responses to the healing that Jesus performed.
THE MAN SPOKE: This is the response that we would expect
from a man who had just had a daemon that inflicted him with the inability to
speak cast out. Once he was free from
this daemon he was free to speak and that is exactly what he did. We don’t know what he said. We don’t know if He recognized Jesus as
Messiah or if he was saved as a result of this experience. We just know that the man who was mute was
now able to speak after Jesus cast out the daemon. Not all daemons cause men to be mute. Not all mute people have daemons. Jesus could discern that this mute man had a
daemon causing this affliction and He also had the power to set him free. It is a comfort to know that Jesus knows all
about our problems and the source of our problems. What is even more comforting is that He has
the power to solve our problems by going straight to the source. God may allow circumstances to come into our
lives that we don’t comprehend. When
that happens, we can rest assured that He knows what He is doing. He may be going to the heart of an issue in
our lives about which we are completely unaware. He is always right and He always knows the
best way to handle the circumstances of our lives. He also has the power to set us free from any
sins, sickness or satanic attacks. No
matter the source of our problem, God knows how to treat it in the best
possible way. We are simply called to
trust Him and respond to His working in our lives with joyful obedience. No matter what we might face this day or in
this life, we can trust that God is at work to resolve our problems at the
source. He has the power and authority
to do exactly what needs to be done. We
have the responsibility to trust Him.
THE CROWD WAS AMAZED: This is also an expected response for
those who were observing the scene of Jesus healing the mute man by casting out
a daemon. Everyone in the crowd could
tell that this man had a terrible affliction.
There may have even been some who knew enough about the situation and
the man’s history to suspect that there might have been a daemon involved in
this case. No matter what the case might
have been; the man was mute and none of them were able to do anything about
it. Someone took this man to Jesus and
He was able to set him free. The crowd
was amazed at the power and authority of Jesus in this situation. They said that nothing like this had ever
been seen in Israel before. We can
almost hear the ripples of amazement sweep over the crowds of people. There was probably a hush that settled over
the crowd as they waited to see what would happen. Perhaps there were looks of confusion as
Jesus started to cast out a daemon. Then
when the mute mas spoke, there were likely gasps and people commenting to one
another about the amazing scene they had just witnessed. While a response of amazement is expected, it
did not go far enough. The response that
they should have had was recognition that Jesus was Messiah followed by
repentance, faith and worship.
Admiration and amazement are positive responses to the work of God in
and around us, but they are not sufficient responses. There may be times in our lives when we stand
in awe of the work of God. When this
happens, we must take time to examine our heart and our response to make sure
that we are doing more than just being amazed by God. We need to respond to the workings of God in
and around us by examining our hearts for sins from which we must repent, by
trusting God with all our heart and by worshiping Him with humility and great
joy.
THE PHARISEES BLASPHEMED: This is the response that would
have taken most of us by surprise. These
religious leaders ought to have been the first to recognize Jesus us Messiah
and then lead the people to believe and follow Him. Instead, they were jealous of His power and
the admiration of the people so they tried to distract the crowd from being
amazed at Jesus and have them be afraid of Jesus. They claimed that He exercised authority over
the daemon by the authority of Satan. In
essence, they attributed the divine work of God to the diabolical work of
Satan. This was blasphemy! When we see the power of God at work and then
call it the power of Satan; we are blaspheming.
God works in our lives in ways that we don’t understand and in ways that
we might not like or appreciate very much.
These afflictions may take any number of forms. When this happens, we must be very
careful. We may identify our
difficulties as the work of the enemy when in fact, it is the work of God. Paul called his “thorn in the flesh” a
messenger from Satan. However, He was
also realized that He need to take this problem to God and then trust God not
matter what the outcome. No matter what
we might be called to face, we must always remember that God is ultimately in
control. This world and our lives are
not about us, they are about God and accomplishing His will. It is a dangerous thing to presume that we
know what is going on or to interpret life from our perspective. Once again, God calls us to trust Him when
the circumstances of our lives are not according to our expectations. We could be facing a “messenger from Satan”
or we could be receiving a message from God.
Either way, God’s grace is always sufficient for us and He will always work
through those times of trial for His glory and our eternal good. People may not respond to us in the way that
we expect. They may question our motives
or even accuse us of being instruments of the enemy. If that happens we must take time to evaluate
ourselves because, unlike Jesus, we can be wrong. However, after careful evaluation, if we
honestly believe that our motives and actions are pure; we can take comfort in
knowing that we are walking in pretty good Company.
APPLICATION: Trust that God is going to the source of our
sin whenever we are facing trails in our lives.
He has the power to free us from our sin at the heart level. Never stop being in awe of Jesus and all that
He does and His power revealed in creation; but don’t stop with amazement. Bow before Him is repentance, faith and
worship. Don’t assume that we know what
is going on in the circumstances of our lives.
Don’t presume that every trial is an attack of Satan. Trust God in the midst of every trail and
know He is able to work in and through every circumstance to make us more like
Jesus for His glory.
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