Healings

Setting and Overview
Back in 4:23-25, Matthew gave a summary statement about Jesus’ ministry as He healed and performed other miracles. After the Sermon on the Mount, we have seen several such examples in chapters 8 and 9, and now as chapter 9 comes to a close, Matthew gives us four more such stories of different miracles in different settings and with different beneficiaries, but all showing Jesus’ power and compassion.
Exposition
In the first account, a local synagogue leader (Mark 5:22) comes to Jesus requesting healing for his daughter. In Matthew’s condensed account, the daughter is introduced as already having died, but in Mark and Luke we see that at the time of his first request, she was only very ill. Once they learned that she had already died, the official still requested that Jesus would come, demonstrating that he had faith that Jesus could raise her from the dead. They are on the way when a woman comes up and touches the edge of His cloak. She suffered from menorrhagia, which would have made her perpetually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27) in addition to her other physical difficulties, which is why she desperately spent all her money on doctors with no results (Mark 5:26.) Although she is healed, she is still afraid that she will get in trouble and tries to slip away, but Jesus sees her and declares her to be well because of her faith, not only offering an opportunity for her to be accepted again as clean, but also ensuring that she knew that it was faith and not magic that allowed her healing. After the interruption, they continue on to the leader’s house. The family has already hired the mourners and flute players, as required by the traditions, and so Jesus enters a chaotic situation. They are forced outside (perhaps as a measure of comfort to the girl for when she awakens) and then Jesus takes her by the hand, and act that would have made someone else unclean, and she gets up. News of the event spreads, a trend we see continuing to the end of the chapter as more people see His miracles.
Matthew then follows with two miracles that are not in Mark or Luke. In the first, blind men call out for Jesus to show mercy by healing them. Blindness was very common in those days, but also very serious and considered to be impossible to heal. Notably, they address Him as Son of David (Matthew 1:1) indicating that despite their blindness they see things that others do not. His healing them connects back to the messianic prophecies in Isaiah (35:5-6, 29:18, 42:7), but that only adds to the distraction to the people. Jesus warns the men not to tell others, but when they disobey and spread the word further, the result is that misguided messianic further makes Jesus’ ministry more difficult. Nevertheless, we have one last miracle. Not only is this healing a different malady (muteness, and possibly deafness), but it also involved casting out demons. The crowd is amazed, but the Pharisees are angry, and we will see their objection arise again in Matthew 12, where Jesus will respond. Matthew then closes the section with a statement that forms an inclusio with 4:23-25. Not only does he recap Jesus’ healings, but also points out that He acted out of compassion, seeing that the people were lost and helpless, like sheep (Numbers 27:15-17, Ezekiel 34.) Furthermore, Matthew also sets up the next section of his Gospel with the exhortation for Jesus’ disciples to desire workers for the harvest, which they will become soon after.

Examination and Application
The harvest is still plentiful, and we could hear Jesus’ words as if they were spoken to us today. That is not the only relevant application for us today, though. Like the formerly blind men, we are prone to pay little attention to some commands, and in doing so, end up working against God’s will, just as the blind men did. As Jesus responded with compassion, seeing the needs of the crowds, we are called to do likewise (Luke 10:33, I John 3:17.) Finally, as Jesus told the woman who had been healed to take heart, we can receive that exhortation as well. Although we may have troubles now, we can be of good cheer, knowing that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33.)