Who is Jesus? Chapter 21 Jesus Heals a Blind Man and Sends out His 12 Disciples

     

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Jesus Heals two Blind Men

Who is Jesus? Chapter 21   

Today I will present some happenings from Matthew's gospel.   As Jesus passed by on the way to the house, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” The blind men followed him into the house, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”  And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.”  But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

As the blind men were leaving, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke.  And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”  But the religious Pharisees refused to accept that Jesus was sent from God, and said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons," and they planned how they might do away with him.

So Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 

When he saw the  great crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

And Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go no-where among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. 

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.  The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward.  And who ever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the surrounding cities saying; "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. He declared; "For if the mighty works done in these cities had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Jesus went on from there and entered their synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. The Religious leaders asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”— because they wanted to trap him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not help it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.  But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all  and ordered them not to make him known.  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.  I will put my Spirit upon him,  and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel or cry aloud,  nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;  a bruised reed he will not break,  and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Jesus came to bring light and life where there is darkness in men's souls.  Jesus says to come to him and He will give you everlasting life and rest for your troubled spirit.