Authority You Can Trust (Matthew 8–9)
Part three of our look back through Matthew, reviews Chapters 8 & 9 of this amazing Gospel account.
Having heard Jesus teach with authority in chapters 5–7, Matthew now shows us Jesus acting with authority in chapters 8–9. A leper is cleansed with a touch. A centurion’s servant is healed from a distance, with nothing but a word — and Jesus marvels at the man’s faith. Peter’s mother-in-law is healed, a storm is silenced with a rebuke, and two demon-possessed men are set free, even as the local townspeople ask Jesus to leave.
Then, at Capernaum, Jesus does something even more startling. Before healing a paralysed man, He says, “Your sins are forgiven you.” It’s a direct claim to authority no one but God possesses, and it provokes the religious leaders immediately. Jesus backs up the claim by healing the man’s body as proof He can heal the soul.
From there, He calls Matthew the tax collector, eats with sinners, explains why new wine needs new wineskins, heals a bleeding woman and raises a dead girl, and gives sight to the blind. Matthew closes the section with Jesus looking at the crowds — who are harassed, helpless, and like sheep without a shepherd — and He is moved with compassion.
Authority and compassion, side by side. That’s the King Matthew wants us to know: powerful enough to command creation, and tender enough to notice one bleeding woman in a crowd.
Missed a week, or want to go deeper? Catch up on the full sermon series here: Matthew Sermon Series Playlist