Faith and Miracles in the Book of Matthew

Chapters 8 and 9 in the Book of Matthew give us numerous examples of the miracles of Jesus during his earthly ministry. These miracles were important firstly because of the immediate help they gave to people in distress; secondly because they gave Jesus a chance to demonstrate and teach about the importance of faith; and thirdly because these miracles were the persuasive evidence that Jesus was someone special—indeed, the Messiah, the great leader for whom the ancient Israeli people were longing. Can we have confidence that the miracles were true? Undoubtedly! If you doubt this, ask yourself this question: why would anyone have paid any attention to Jesus without these real demonstrations of power? He was a man of humble birth. He associated with the riff-raff: tax collectors and other sinners. But his miraculous healings were witnessed by many and motivated his disciples to follow him anywhere.  Why else, too, would he have received the suspicion and jealousy of some of the religious authorities of the time. The miracles are there, they were witnessed and written about by the people and they help us to understand the powerful and amazing beginnings of the Christian faith, the faith that offers us the joy of living, the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternity.

It is not long after Jesus gives his Sermon on the Mount that he is called to perform his first healing miracle:

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying “I will: be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (Matthew 8:1-4, ESV).

In these ancient times, to have leprosy was like a living death, as Michael Green points out.[1] There is much discussion in Leviticus about leprosy, for example: “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out ‘Unclean, unclean.’ . . . He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46).” For Jesus to touch such a person at all would have been seen as astonishing. As Green says:

Here is someone who actually touched a leper—unthinkable: but so is the love of God to sinners. Here is someone who could do something that Judaism never succeeded in doing: heal a leper. Could the fulfilment of Judaism have come?[2]

The words that Jesus uses to perform this miracle are few and simple: “I will: be clean.” But he took care to advise the man to show himself to the priests and to comply with the sacrificial laws of the time, or in other words to fulfill the law.

The next healing is that of the Roman centurion, or in other words a soldier who is not of the Jewish religion. The soldier asks Jesus to heal his servant, who was suffering terribly. Jesus agrees immediately, saying “I will come and heal him (Matthew 8:7).”  But the soldier says to Jesus: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed (Matthew 8:8).” Jesus marvelled at how confident the soldier was that Jesus could heal the servant from a distance, only by saying the word. Jesus says “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness (Matthew 8:10-12).” He then says “Go; let it be done to you as you believed.” We see from this exchange the importance of the faith shown even by someone of a different religion and indeed it is an occasion for Jesus to prophesy about the future—people from the “east and west” will be saved by the mercy of God, even as some of God’s “chosen people” may not be. Michael Green says “This was staggering. The Jews looked forward to the messianic banquet as their private preserve, yet here is Jesus saying that the banquet would see many Jews excluded and many of the despised pagans welcomed.”[3] We see how faith was and is the key to understanding our relationship with God through Jesus.

Our next example of healing is none other than Peter’s mother-in-law. Mother-in-law?  Perhaps Peter was a very caring son-in-law, that he would bring his mother-in-law to the attention of Jesus. Perhaps this little story tends to sanctify the relationship of mother-in-law. The verse reads: “And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him (Matthew 8:14-15).” The great Reformation commentator Matthew Henry discusses the mother-in-law as follows: “Though she was thus dignified by a peculiar favor, yet she does not assume importance, but is as ready to wait at table, if there be occasion, as any servant. They must be humble whom Christ has honored; being thus delivered, she studies what she shall render.[4] This is an interesting point—if our lives are touched by the Holy Spirit in any kind of positive way, do we feel so special that we set ourselves apart, or do we carry on in our humble lives, doing the work that is before us, glorifying God while we do it?

Let’s pause for a moment and reflect. I stated previously that the persuasive evidence of the truth of the healing miracles lies in the fact that people were amazed by Jesus; they admired him and wanted to follow him, and it seems unlikely they would have without these amazing signs and wonders. As a Christian, I believe in the power of prayer. But can I expect miracles to happen all the time? Michael Green cautions us: ‘We are in a “betwixt and between’ state in this mortal life: we shall see the pain and the failure, but we shall also see the power and the glory, at least sometimes, if we maintain that attitude of simple trust in the heavenly Father which Jesus so movingly displayed.[5] By “betwixt and between” I believe Green means to acknowledge we are still in a fallen world, a dangerous world, but a world which has been given the revelation and the hope of eternal life through Christ. We can, we must, continue to have faith in miraculous possibilities—but those miracles will happen according to God’s plan and in God’s time.

Let’s return to the excitement of the time of Jesus. The next great demonstration of power is when Jesus calms the seas:

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea,  so that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. And they went and woke him saying, “Save us Lord, we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8: 23-27).

That is one boat ride I would have loved to experience. Here you have the very Son of God, sleeping while the boat is being tossed about. They wake him, and he scolds them for not having enough faith. But we see how important it was, even here, for Jesus to emphasize the importance of having faith. It provokes this question for us: if we are Christians, are we courageous in how we act out our lives and in how we live out our faith? If we are beset with problems and crises as terrifying as a raging sea, we might not be able to calm the seas the way Jesus did, but we can summon up our faith and our courage to ride out the storm. And perhaps that courage is a gift from God; a gift we can pray for.

The next adventure related by Matthew is the healing of two demon-possessed men in the country of the Gadarenes (Matthew 8:28-34). We see that Jesus has the power to make evil spirits go away, even into a herd of pigs. What is interesting is that the evil spirits identify Jesus as the Son of God: “And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? (Matthew 8:29).” This appears to be the first time that anyone actually identifies Jesus in this way in the course of his ministry. Matthew Henry points out: “Even the devils know, and believe and confess Christ to be the Son of God, and yet they are devils still. It is not knowledge, but love, that distinguishes saints from devils.”[6] This particular story seems to be of another time, when belief in evil spirits ran rampant—but we know there are still many people today who are fascinated by the dark and dangerous side of the supernatural, the occult. Can we speak to these people, can we invite them into the light rather than relegate them to the darkness?

As Jesus proceeds with his ministry he discovers another opportunity to heal someone, this time a paralytic:

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:1-2).

We see once again the requirement for faith to give rise to healing. This time, however, Jesus says something that shocks people: he says that the sins of the paralytic were forgiven. This was shocking and considered blasphemous because of course, only God has the power to forgive sins. The people were still struggling to understand who Jesus was and it was now becoming evident that Jesus was no mere doctor. He explains himself even as he proves his authority:

Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” –he then said to the paralytic— “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (Matthew 9:4-6).

This is extraordinarily important. The connection between sin and healing prepares us to understand the true, ultimate mission of Jesus; namely, the work that he does on the cross--the work that Paul explains at great length in his writings in Romans and Galatians and elsewhere—the work that involves dying on the cross for us, so that our sins might be forgiven. As Donald A. Hagner puts it:

The healings performed by Jesus are signs of the imminent defeat of sin and the power of evil. This is the true work of Jesus, and any attempt to put the healings at the center of his purpose is to misunderstand the centrality of the cross in Jesus’ ministry. [7]

We have witnessed, in these accounts of healing, how often Jesus mentioned the importance of faith, but it is not until after he dies on the cross do we fully understand the nature of the faith that will be required of us.

While the connection between sin and healing is introduced here, the people of the time of Jesus will continue to enjoy his healing power even with a purely intuitive kind of faith. Our example for that will be the woman who merely touched the hem of Jesus’ garment:

And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch the hem of his garment I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:20-22).

This too is a good example for us. This woman showed great confidence in merely touching the garment of Jesus. Now, how did she know this? Is it written in a book somewhere that if you touch the garment of Jesus, you will be healed? No, this was intuitive, pure faith, or perhaps a gift of knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Do we feel we sometimes lack complete understanding of the ways of God? We would be strange if we did not think that way. The ways of God are not our ways, but that does not mean we have to be shy or inhibited in praying for help, in asking for help, or in praising God when we get such help.

Yet another example of someone showing faith is the case of the ruler, or local official. This official was probably not used to kneeling before someone to ask for help, but his daughter had just died and so he summoned both his humility and his faith saying to Jesus: “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live (Matthew 9:18).” When Jesus went to see the girl, he told the people the girl was just sleeping, not dead, and they laughed at him. But he took her by the hand, and the girl arose (9:25). This foreshadows another major event later in the life of Jesus, when he raises Lazarus from the dead. No wonder that the report of this went all through the district.

The people were starting to get the message about Jesus. His next miracle healing involved two blind men, who hailed him as “Son of David.” (9:27). How did they know Jesus was descended from the line of David? Once again, Jesus tests the faith of the men, asking if they believed he could cure their blindness, and they answer in the affirmative. “According to your faith be it done to you” says Jesus, and the blind men were cured. And so, we too can learn that if we want blessings from God, the faith comes first. We note that in none of these instances does Jesus say, “I’ll help you if you do some good works first” or “I’ll help you if you lead a holier life, if you sacrifice more and worship more.” No—first and foremost, the Lord wants our faith—then stand back and watch what happens. If you need more evidence that the Lord can and will act in your life, start talking to Christians who have been living the life for awhile. There is great encouragement to be found through fellowship. You will find stories about lives being changed, about problems being solved and the joy of living being rediscovered. If you are a weary Christian, one whose faith seems to have been tested, battered and bruised, rest assured that the Lord understands and will help you to endure and find joy. In Luke 21:19 Jesus says: “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Discerning God’s will is not always a simple matter, but our sin-tainted lives are not simple either.

We have seen how the many examples of miracles in Matthew Chapters 8 and 9 provoke our thoughts about the need and nature of faith. But did everyone who witnessed these miracles of healing believe in Jesus? Not by a long shot. Green comments: “The human heart is capable of profound resistance and deep self deception. It is only when you trust that you find salvation.”[8] Ah, trust. That, I think, is a key word. It is perhaps the best synonym for the word “faith.” Trust is the essential component of a good relationship. If you don’t trust your friend, you do not have much of a friendship. If you don’t trust your spouse, well, there can only be unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, what is more beautiful than being trusted? If someone entrusts you with a great responsibility, don’t you feel good both about yourself and the other person? I talked about “persuasive evidence” at the start of this sermon, but the fact is that the Lord does not intend that our relationship be based on certainty—it is based on trust. Psalm 25:1-2: “To you O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust . . . “. Isaiah 26:4: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Jeremiah 17:7: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” We can understand the need for trust in God as we wend our way through a dangerous and fallen world.

This brings us to Chapter 10 in the book of Matthew. It is here where Jesus gives instructions to his disciples, sending them to the “lost sheep” of the house of Israel. Jesus gives his disciples fair warning this will not be a walk in the park: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to their courts and flog you in their synagogues (10: 16-17).” With these and other warnings, we can see that disciples of Jesus—then and now—must be prepared for anything. Their faith will be tested. Their courage, too, will be tested; but Jesus gives them words to remember: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (10:28).” They had to be brave, these early disciples—but they would succeed, as we read later in the book of Acts and the writings of Paul, in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere. Two thousand years later, the work continues and the need for courageous and committed disciples also continues.

Before concluding this discussion, let’s look at a few examples of modern-day Christians and see if we can find miraculous things happening. I would like to introduce you to a man by the name of Ron Archer. In his book, he describes a very difficult childhood in a very problematic family. He tried to kill himself at age ten. One of his problems was that he had a speech impediment—so much so that his teachers concluded that he had a learning disability and consigned him to a class where he was not given any useful education at all. But then along came a Christian lady named Mrs. Spears who, on her own initiative, starts to give him speech therapy lessons. In doing so, she also introduces him to some verses from the Bible. These verses speak to him, even at his very young age. Not only does he get over his speech impediment, he goes on to lead a remarkable, joyful life of faith and accomplishment. You can read about Ron Archer in his book What Belief Can Do. Here is one quotation:

Believe that God has a purpose for you. When Mrs. Spears asked me to read “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb” from Jeremiah 1:5, those words transformed my life—and they can revolutionize yours as well . . . You are part of God’s plan for the universe, and he has something he wants you to do. Ask for God’s guidance as you seek to discover His purpose for you.[9]

We can see how God works through people, people we might least expect, to fulfill his plans.

We see this throughout the Bible and certainly in the Book of Matthew too. In Chapter 9: 9-12 Jesus calls Matthew, the tax collector, and later is seen reclining at table with him and other tax collectors and sinners. He is asked about this, and he says: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (9:12-13). TO REPEAT: Jesus came NOT to call the righteous but sinners. That means that if you or I want to relate to Jesus we are going to have to admit that we are sinners. Fortunately, there is usually ample evidence to prove such a thing. Or unfortunately. Later on in the book of Matthew, when Jesus states “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few (9:37),” we can imagine him putting up a sign saying “Help Wanted—Only Sinners Need Apply.” 

I hope you have enjoyed this discussion of miracles in the book of Matthew. Because they are recorded in Holy Scripture, I do not think most of us have any trouble accepting them as true foundations of our faith. Modern day miracles are a bit more controversial, and if you are interested I strongly recommend the book by Lee Strobel entitled The Case for Miracles. He interviews some very credible and well-known people and provides encouragement for us to continue to believe in miraculous possibilities. He does not shy away from that most difficult question, why do some people receive miracle healings while others of similar faith do not? He does not shy away from this question for a very good reason: his own wife, Leslie, suffers from fibromyalgia, a disorder that causes great muscular pain to anyone that has it. He and his wife have prayed, and continue to pray, constantly for relief. So far, they have not received any miracles. Strobel, as part of the research for his book, interviews one Dr. Douglas Groothuis, a university professor whose wife also suffers from the same disease, as well as dementia. While Groothuis also affirms the possibility of miracles, he admits in his own case that he has begun simply to lament, guided by Scripture. He says moreover, that suffering is not necessarily meaningless; that we can believe that God uses evil to produce a greater good that could not be achieved otherwise.[10] Of course, when we hear that we immediately think of Jesus on the cross.

The love of God is very deep. Let us pray. Lord, help us to be bold in our faith. Help us to be bold in our prayers, especially when we pray on behalf of someone else. Let courage and endurance prevail over fear. Let joy abound when someone is healed and let us always give thanks for the miracle of being alive. In the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Patrick McKitrick

Outreach Canada Ministries