The King and His Kingdom

In these early chapters of Matthew, we see the birth of the King, the witness of His rule from men, angels and God Himself, as well as the nature and way into His Kingdom. We see the Lord Himself delivering His theology as He teaches the character of the citizens in His Kingdom. All of these events were significant in laying the foundation for His ministry. We will see throughout His ministry His continued teaching as presented in the Sermon on the Mount.

Note: Consider assigning someone ahead of time to review one or more of these events rather than the teacher reviewing them.

• Matthew 8:1-4 – The leper cleansed. A leper was saved after demonstrating his faith.
• Matthew 8:5-13 – The Centurion's slave. A centurion's faith was noted by Jesus as greater faith than found in all of Israel.
• Matthew 8:14-17 – Additional healings – Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and a demon-possessed man. As stated by Matthew, this was to fulfill prophecy from Isaiah of Jesus taking on our infirmities and removing our diseases.
• Matthew 8:18-22 – Jesus begins to call his disciples and to teach them. It is significant that He let them know it would not be an easy path to follow.
• Matthew 8:23-27 – Jesus calms a storm and was recognized by His disciples as having power over nature.
• Matthew 8:28-34 – Jesus continues to cast out demons. In this event, the demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Some people who witnessed this miracle welcomed Him while others implored Him to leave.
• Matthew 9:1-8 – Jesus heals a paralytic man. Of interest here is that Jesus confronts the scribes for their thoughts. In this narrative, Jesus forgives the man's sins, a power only God has. To confirm His claims Jesus also healed the man resulting in the people glorifying God.
• Matthew 9:9 – The Apostle Matthew is called.
• Matthew 9:10-13 – Jesus is accused of eating with sinners. Jesus explains the heart of His ministry in coming to heal and save the lost.
• Matthew 9:14-17 – Jesus is questioned by John's disciples. Jesus uses two examples to explain that the Messiah has arrived and the time now was for celebration.
• Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26 – Jesus raises from the dead a synagogue official's daughter. This event continued to show His power even over death itself.
• Matthew 9:19-22 – The healing of the woman suffering from hemorrhage. This miracle is a microcosm of salvation. She demonstrated faith in Jesus and was saved by the love of Jesus.
• Matthew 9:27-31 – Jesus heals some blind men. Jesus responds to their faith. Even though told not to spread the news of their healing, the men do so anyway and the fame of Jesus continues to spread thus limiting His free movements in the area.
• Matthew 9:32-34 – Jesus heals a man who was mute and demon-possessed. The people recognize the Lord's power although the Pharisees do not.

These significant events show the power of Jesus over all elements in the life of those with whom he interacted. He showed His power over sin, disease, and death. All of these human maladies were brought about because of the sin introduced by Adam and Eve. Now the Messiah has arrived to bring about His Kingdom from which we find eternal hope without sin. His was a spiritual Kingdom and the events of this period focused on spiritual issues.

All through the ministry of Jesus we see Him being validated as the Messiah by the demonstration of His power. We should continue to grow in our faith today as we read about these events.