Matthew 9:18 - 26 While Jesus was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before Him, saying,‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus rose and followed him… He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district. - Matthew 9:18, 25 – 26 Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit… that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God… (they) look at God, so to speak, through the wrong end of the telescope, so reducing him to pigmy proportions, and cannot hope to end up as more than pigmy Christians.- Packer, Knowing God Introduction: We need to read Matthew 8 – 9 through the lens of Ch. 9:36 – When He saw thecrowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew gives us this summary verse to help us understand how Jesus saw every person He met. This should inform not only how we see people, but how we see Jesus. How does Jesus See All Humanity? (9:36) How does Jesus See Women? (8:14, 9:18 – 22) How should we see Jesus? All-Caring: Compassionate toward all people (4:23 – 25; 8:16; 9:36) All-Forgiving: Undeterred by all sin and uncleanness (8:2, 28; 9:11 – 13, 22, 25) All-Attentive: Ready to respond to all prayers and petitions of faith (8:10; 9:2, 22) All-Authority: Sovereign over all things in heaven and on earth (28:18; 7:29; 9:6 – 8, 25) Conclusion: How do you see Jesus? Discussion Questions: o ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.’ - A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy. In his book, Simply Jesus, N. T. Wright adds – ‘It is important that we know Jesus is real, not just a figment of our imagination. Was Freud right to see it (faith) as just a projection of our inner desires? Was Marx right to say that it was just a way of keeping the hungry masses quiet? Was Nietzsche right to say that Jesus taught a wimpish religion that has sapped the energy of humankind ever since? Are today’s atheists right to say that God Himself is a delusion, that Christianity is based on multiple mistakes, that it’s all out of date, bad for your health, massively disproved, socially disastrous, and ridiculously incoherent?’ (p. 3). o You probably know people that see Jesus in a different way than Christians have for the past 2000 years. Maybe YOU used to see Jesus differently. What caused you to see Jesus in the true light of how He is presented in the Scriptures? (Share your answer with others) o In the two stories found in Matthew 9:18 – 26, what surprises you most about Jesus? o What attribute (characteristic) of Jesus was the most important one for you to hear about? o His view of Humanity? o His view of Women? o His compassion for people? o His willingness to be close to the unclean and sinners? o His attentiveness to the prayers / petitions of the needy? o His authority over all things, including sin and sickness? Application: Prayer — Share — Care Bring your answer to these questions to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If you can, share with someone something you are learning about Jesus, or something that you admire / love about Him. Then, memorize Matthew 9:36 and show your care for others.