Matthew 15:29

Matthew 15:29

The Bible says in Matthew 15:29-31, "And Jesus departed from there, and came near to the Sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them. Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel."

This is a scene that is repeated many times in the gospels: large numbers of sick and injured being brought to Jesus, and Jesus miraculously healing every one of them. Wherever Jesus went there were always large numbers of people in need of healing. Some things never change. Even today there are large numbers of people who are suffering and who need help. But in spite of all the advancements in science and modern medicine, there is no cure and no relief for millions of those who suffer. If Jesus were on the earth today, vast numbers of people would rush to His presence to be healed by Him just like they did 2,000 years ago.

There are places on the earth today that have reputations as being holy places where people can go and obtain miraculous healing. These places receive millions of visitors. People travel great distances seeking healing, and hoping that the stories that they have heard about Lourdes or some other place might be true. But unfortunately most of the pilgrims that visit these places go away without healing. What a contrast this is to Jesus. Everyone who came to Jesus was healed. There were no exceptions and no disappointments. If Jesus were on the earth today, He would walk into a hospital and when He left it, every bed would be empty. No one has ever been able to do what Jesus did. We will not see that kind of mass conquest over diseases and afflictions again until Jesus’ second coming when He comes back and transforms the earth by His power and authority. Though we do not see masses of humanity being healed now, we do know that God can and does heal individuals when He so wills and when there is faith in His power.

There are several important things that the Bible says about diseases and other physical afflictions. We know that death originated with the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. From the day that we are born, we begin to die. With each passing moment we get closer to our death. We each only have so much time, and when our time is over, we will die. The physical afflictions and frailties are all part of the death process that works within each of us. We fight against the process as much as we can, and so we should because life is precious, but eventually we will all lose the battle. This truth only emphasizes the importance of the gospel. Because life is temporary, if you do not have hope in life after death, then you are in a miserable condition no matter how good is your health today. The Bible says, "What is your life? Even a vapor that appears for a while and then fades away."

There are two main reasons that sickness or physical affliction is permitted by God in the life of a believer. The first reason is chastisement. Hebrews 12:6 says, "For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives." First Corinthians 11:30 says, "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep." Sometimes sickness is a consequence of sin. If a believer is sick, first he should ask himself if he has committed any sin that has brought the chastisement of God. If so, the proper response is to confess and to forsake the sin. This relationship between sickness and sin is stated clearly in James 5:15 that says, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

Any believer can avoid sickness that is a result of God’s chastisement by learning to guard his heart. Learn the principals involved in walking in fellowship with Christ, and learn how to stay in fellowship with Him day in and day out, and God will not need to chastise you with sickness in order to awaken you spiritually. First John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." First Corinthians 11:31-32 says, "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

Learn to closely analyze your own actions and thoughts, and be careful to quickly repent and ask God to forgive you whenever you realize that you have sinned and have not measured up to His standards for human behavior. This is a requirement to truly walk with God, and it is also a requirement to avoid the sicknesses that will otherwise come your way as a chastisement.

But not all sickness or physical affliction is a result of your sins and God’s chastisement. There are other reasons that God will permit sickness and other sorrows into the life of a believer. Paul spoke of a physical affliction that he had in Second Corinthians 12:7-9 where he said, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord three times, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Paul’s thorn in the flesh is not specifically described for us. Perhaps it was an affliction in his eyes that he hinted at in other epistles. For example, Paul wrote in Galatians 4:15, “For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” Whatever it was, in spite of the gifts and power that he had as an apostle and in spite of having asked the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh, it was not God’s will to heal Paul. The purpose for Paul’s affliction was so that Paul would not become too vain and high-minded because of the wonderful revelations that were given to him. Once Paul learned that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness, Paul was glad for his infirmities in order that he might have the power of God. This teaches us that sometimes God permits sickness and physical affliction in order that we would trust in Him more, and in order to increase our reasons for trusting in Him. After all, if I think that everything is fine, and that I am capable in and of myself to face the difficulties and challenges of life, then why should I trust in God to guide me and help me? But if, because of some weakness and affliction that is constantly with me, I am ever reminded that I can do nothing without the grace of God, then I am blessed because the more that I trust in God, the more that the power of God will be a part of my life.

If you are too young or too old or too weak or too sick to serve God the way that you would like to, it may be that your very limitation God is allowing for a good reason. The affliction might be a blessing in the same way that it was to the Apostle Paul by giving you a constant reason to always trust in Jesus and not in yourself or your own abilities.

In Matthew 15:32-39 is an incident in which 4,000 people were miraculously fed by Christ. In reality there were many more than four thousand fed because it says in Matthew 15:38, “And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.” If there was at least one child and one woman for every man, then there were probably at least three or four times that number, and maybe as many as 20,000. In Matthew chapter 14 Jesus had miraculously fed a crowd of 5,000. We are shown clearly that it was a very common thing for huge crowds to have gathered to hear the Master teach. All this was done without advertising or modern organizing campaigns. It shows what can happen when the Spirit of God does a work. What a contrast between the way that Jesus did things and the marketing efforts done by religious groups today. When you rely upon your own organizational efforts, you will be able to accomplish everything that human organizational efforts can accomplish. In other words, you will be doing things just like secular organizations do them. But without the power of the Spirit of God, you will not be doing things the way that Jesus did them.

The Bible says in Matthew 15:32-39, "Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Where will we get so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat and were filled; and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala."

This feeding of the 4,000 illustrates several things about the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has the power to do anything. Jesus promises to take care of those who follow Him, and He will fulfill that promise. Jesus loves us and His love for us extends to our physical needs as well as our spiritual needs. Do not fear. If you know Jesus as your Savior, He will take care of you. This miraculous breaking of the bread and a few little fish, and then feeding so many thousands from the results is also symbolic of salvation. The body of Christ was broken on the cross of Calvary, and because of it, Jesus will provide spiritual sustenance and spiritual life for all who will receive Jesus. In John chapter 6 the Bible says, "Then Jesus said unto them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which comes down from heaven and gives life unto the world... And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst." If you have partaken of the bread of life that is in Jesus, you will never hunger again. The sins of your past will be forgiven. Through Christ you will be prepared for the challenges of your present life, and eternity in heaven will await you with open arms.

In Matthew 16:1-12 there is another incident when the jealous and hypocritical Pharisees come to Jesus with the purpose of making Him look bad. The Pharisees are mentioned by name thirty times in the book of Matthew. They were the main opponents of Jesus. Jesus pointed out to His disciples that the Pharisees were a good example of what not to become if you want to truly serve God. Mathew 16:1-4 says, "The Pharisees also with the Saducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them and departed."

This time the Pharisees are with the Sadducees. The Pharisees were members of a devout religious Jewish sect who opposed Jesus. One of the faults of the Pharisees Jesus had pointed out earlier in the book of Matthew: they transgressed the commandment of God by their tradition, and in vain they did worship God because they taught for doctrines the commandments of men. The Sadducees were also a Jewish religious sect. They were much more closely aligned with the rich and aristocratic members of Jewish society, and the most notable doctrine that the Sadducees held was that they did not believe in the resurrection or life of any kind after death. The Pharisees and Sadducees were normally opponents to each other, but they joined forces in opposition to Jesus the Messiah.

Anywhere in the world, the people of a particular region become familiar with the weather patterns of their region, and this was also true during the time of Jesus. Jesus said that there is evidence of what the weather will be like before the weather hits. You can tell it is going to rain by the gathering of the clouds before the rain. Jesus said that in a similar way there is a sign of the times. Have you noticed the signs of the times in which we live? Jesus said that the failure of the Pharisees and the Sadducees was that they did not understand the signs of the times. The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign from heaven, but Jesus told them that they already had signs; they had the signs of the times. Earlier Jesus had called them blind leaders of the blind. Now He calls them hypocrites. It is no wonder that they could not properly interpret the times in which they lived. Anyone who does not turn from their sins and turn to Jesus will be spiritually blind and totally unable of correctly interpreting life around them from a spiritual standpoint.

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