First Evangelical Free Church Sioux City, Iowa

Matthew 9:27-38 The Harvest

The Tempo of Matthew's Gospel starts to pick up, as Jesus teaches more directly concerning the harvest.  Click here to listen to the sermon.

1. A Healing
   1. Matthew 9:27 The scene changes from the healing of a little girl to two blind men who seek mercy from Jesus. The title that they use - "Son of David" - is very significant here.
   2. Matthew 9:28-30 Finally, Jesus turns to the blind men and asks if they believe He can do this? Do what? Give them _______. But what kind of mercy - cimply to see, or something else? Jesus heals their blindness - on account of their faith - but we also get a hint of that very faith.
   3. Matthew 9:31 And of course we see that news of this healing spreads, even though Jesus wishes to be known of as more than simply a healer.
2. A Second Healing and A Controversy
   1. Matthew 9:32-33 Immediately after healing the blind men, another person comes to him who is demon-possessed and cannot ________. Without much fanfare, Matthew records that Jesus heals the man who is then able to speak. The people are amazed at this...
   2. Matthew 9:34 ...and yet the Pharisees are not. They don't deny Jesus' power, but they attribute it to the devil. This will become a major point that we'll see again soon. The conflict with the religious authorities has begun in earnest.
3. The Workers and the Harvest
   1. Matthew 9:35 We see here a phrase that is almost the exact same as the one which we read in 4:23 - the point is that we are reminded of Jesus' mission.
   2. Matthew 9:36-37 We move from the big picture to an introduction of what is happening on the ground: the harvest is plentiful but the workers are _______. The disciples are then called to pray for more workers.
4. Observation and Application
   1. We must also ask "do we believe that Jesus gives mercy?"
   2. Do we pray for more workers? What is God's response?