Matthew 9:27-38

Matthew 9:27-38

October 26th 2026

Okay, so we left of last week at Matthew chapter 9 verse 26.

We examined the funeral activities of ancient (and even the modern) middle east. But in spite of it all, Yeshua cleared the room and the raised a little twelve year old girl to life. So let’s read from verse 27 to 38

And when Yeshua departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Yeshua saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Yeshua straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

35 And Yeshua went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Alright back to 27

So, coming out from raising Jairus’s daughter, Yeshua is then followed by two blind men.

Matthew 9:27 And when Yeshua departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

As mentioned last week we are starting to come across similar stories from Matthew, all dealing with healings.

It’s not that any of them are mundane or trite – especially for those who were healed – but the Messiah was expected to be a wonderful healer, and Matthew tends to remind his reader that this prophesied healer had arrived.

This account says that these blind men called out to Yeshua and used a title:

“Yeshua, thou Son of David.”

Now, remember, the promised Messiah was going to come by and through the loins of David.

Calling Yeshua the Son of David was akin to admitting Yeshua was the Messiah.

There are some interesting parallels between David and the Messiah. I think there are more between Yeshua and Moses, and Yeshua and Joseph to be honest, but David does, in my opinion, picture the Lord and His life.

Consider the following comparisons:

(graphic 1)

DAVID and YESHUA

2 Sam 2.4 Anointed Acts 4.27

2 Sam 3.36 Good Mark 10.17 2

Sam 3.39 King Rev 17.14

2 Sam 7.16 Throne is forever Heb 1.8 2

Sam 7.19 Servant of Jehovah Isa 42.1-2

Sam 12.23 Fasted Matt 4.2

Ps 69.9 Sought true worship John 2.17

2 Sam 6.69 Afraid of Jehovah Luke 12.5

2 Sam 7.9 YHWH cut off enemies Ps 110.2

(Graphic 2)

DAVID AND YESHUA

2 Sam 16.8 Mocked Luke 22.63 & Isa 53.3

2 Sam 19.1 Wept John 11.35

2Sam 19.9 Deliverer Luke 2.11

2Sam 19.22 Followed Satan Matt 16.23

2Sam 19.27 Cald an angel Gal 4.14

2Sam 22..39 Brk enimies pieces Ps 2.9

2Sam 23.2 Spk by HS Luke 4.1; 10.21

2Sam 23.5 Covnt with God Luke 22.29

2Sam 24.17 Called people sheep John 10

1 Sam 17.12 Brn n Bethlhm Matt 2.1

Additionally both were Shepherds and both were King’s.

Actually, we could go on and on with parallels, like David slaying Goliath was a picture of Yeshua slaying the giants that try and dominate our lives, etc.

But the pictures in the OT are pretty amazing, eh?

And so are the events. For as dastardly as David’s deeds were with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, it was by and through this illicit relationship that the Lord came! (Verse 28)

28 And when he (Yeshua) was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Yeshua saith unto them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, “Yea, Lord.”

What house it was we do not know but in all probability they entered it to get out and away from the crowds.

And in this situation, the Lord asked them if they believed that He was able to do what they asked. And they said yes.

Now last week I paused for a moment and said I didn’t think the Lord healed any who either did not request it or whose relatives did not request it.

But there was the demoniac whom we covered a few weeks back. In that case the demons within the man spoke with Yeshua and in their conversation seemed to assume they were going to be cast out – and they were. But there was nothing about a request from Legion for the healing – in other words, it seems Yeshua just did it.

And there are a few more where the narrative does not include a request but does include a healing.

The crippled man at the pool of Bethesda does not request it directly and when Peter chopped of Malchus’s ear outside the garden of Gethsemane Yeshua heals him without any recorded request.

The lesson? He heals those who ask, those who have faith, those who are dead, those who’s loved ones have faith, and even those possessed, lame or do not seem to ask.

I think this is fantastic because when an atheist is healed of cancer or something, and they thank modern medicine, someday they will know the healing was the result of God, for, as Yeshua said, “He sends the rain upon the just and the unjust.”

What a God we have. How grateful I am for His wisdom and benevolence with us creations.

Okay, and verse 29-31 presents us with a new healing technique – touching the affected part.

In the past, He has touched many of those healed – the leper, Peter’s mother-in-law, the woman last week touched the hem of His garment, and the twelve year old He raised up by the hand, but this time it was directly to the faulty part.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Yeshua straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

Now, this is sort of confusing to me. I mean, these guys were blind! How were they supposed to NOT let anyone know what had occurred – pretend they still couldn’t see?

What was Yeshua requesting here and why?

One Bible scholar named Burner gives an interesting possibility which he calls the Messianic possibility.

With these men specifically identifying the Lord as the “Son of David” maybe that was too political a phrase for the tumultuous times and Yeshua, who was a spiritual savior not a political one, wanted that to be kept on the down-low.

So, they sneak into a house, and he heals them, and tries to tell them not to go calling Him the Son of David for the time being.

Another possibility he gives was Yeshua did not want to be known as a “showbiz” kind of healer. He wanted people who believed in Him not people who were there to challenge His abilities or take advantage to try and market Him. Maybe they went into the house because so much of this was already going on?

The final thought is he told them not to tell anyone because He wanted as much time as possible to move about freely without too much of a following to hinder Him.

Whatever it was, the men did not do as He requested, but instead they spread His fame abroad.

I don’t think Yeshua got angry or took the healing away from them. He healed unconditionally and out of love based on faith, not on perfection – so it seems to me the men were acting out of love and appreciation for Him – even though it must have made His ministry all the more difficult and was against His Command.

Whatever the case, we come to verse 32 and yet another healing – this one without any mention of the details. So . . .

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would literally cause the dumb to speak so we could assume it was known that this person was afflicted with the inability to talk.

And then once the devil was gone, this person talked! And the people – the crowd were flat out astonished, saying:

“It was never so seen in Israel.”

Again, if we look back over the past few chapters Yeshua is just healing right and left. It looks, from what we’ve read thus far that this was his fourth or fifth totally MIRACULOUS healing in the course of a single day!

Never had any prophet in Israel done such works.

In John 14:12 Yeshua says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

It’s interesting though, what Yeshua said to His chosen twelve before He departed.

What did He mean? I think a couple of things.

First, the works could and would in no way be “greater” in terms of power – for all power on heaven and earth was given to the Son of Man.

But, as we have seen, Yeshua was limited to one place and one time. And his ministry was only three years long.

In the power of Christ, there was and can be people who do greater works than His in terms of breadth. Scope.

Additionally, the saving of souls, the sharing of the Gospel, brings the human heart to brokenness, and this work is available because of Him, as He is truly the greatest work human beings can do – because the scope is an eternal one.

More and more we have seen Christiandom make material, social, temporal, and occupational support the focal point of its existence.

These things are good, and sometimes they need to be taken care of before any gospel sharing can take place.

But everything believers do must have the aim of educating people on who Christ is within them, what He has done for the world, and how to access Him directly and without intervention.

Additionally and as stated, Yeshua could only work from one place. When He ascended, and the Holy Spirit 2.0 came, allowing people in His name to do many greater (in terms of numbers) work. So there is an application here as well.

In light of all these miracles the people are beginning to take notice. And they are starting to say things about Him that are pretty impressive.

And what happens next can only be expected, right? Opposition!

34 But . . . the Pharisees said, “He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.”

CS Lewis once said something to the effect that every square inch of the universe is being vied for by forces good and evil. I suggest that this is due to the Freewill choices God has given humans and not because He is losing ground won through His victory.

At times, the battle between Dark and Light almost seems palpable. But in that day, before His victory Satan still reigned, and at every turn our Father faced the scrutiny of the Dark.

Similarly, but because of the freewill desires of Man, anytime a believer seeks to do well – and we do well by sharing Him – we will, at some point, face opposition. The more effective we are being and the closer we are to the Truth, the greater the intensity of opposition.

And the sad thing is it often comes from those who claim to represent Him most, just as it was the Pharisees that confronted Him in His day.

Now Matthew does not include any retort from the Lord to these comments of the Pharisees. But later (in chapter 12) he does, and we’ll get into more depth about the nature of what they are saying here and why.

But sufficeth it to say, the “religious leaders” of the day heard the common people calling things Yeshua did as “greater works were NEVER seen in all of Israel” and this threatened their power, popularity and control.

They weren’t doing any miracles - their lifestyles were threatened, their position in the community was threatened, and quite frankly, the way they saw God was being totally deconstructed before their eyes!

I mean, this healer was eating and drinking with sinners!

On the one hand, it’s hard to blame the Pharisees. New ways and influential people are very scary to the status quo.

And Yeshua was just ripping their established traditions apart at the seams.

The trouble was, if we are really going to look at it, if anybody was supposed to recognize Him as the Messiah it should have been them!

Why did all He was, and all He did, and all He said, escape their realizing He was the promised one?

Were they blinded or were they aware of His identity and sought to get rid of Him anyway?

I don’t think we really know. But we can examine the facts and Matthew actually says in Matthew 27:18 that the leaders put Him to death out of envy.

Notice they didn’t challenge the miracles in and of themselves! How could they? Magnificent works were being done!

They KNEW He was healing.

They KNEW He was powerful. And I believe they KNEW He fit the descriptions of the Messiah . . . and yet they rejected Him.

And by what means did they justify their rejection? They said he was doing these miracles, or specifically, that “he cast out devils” “by the Prince of Devils.”

This was a heinous accusation, folks.

The Jews taught that devils had all sorts of order and varying powers.

And they said it was by the Prince of Devils that Yeshua operated (whose name was Beelzebub (Beel'zebul in the Greek).

It was the name given to Satan Himself (Prince of the Devils) and is only found in the New Testament.

Scholars think it is probably the same as Baalzebub, the evil god of Ekron, with the name meaning "lord of flies," or, as others think, "the lord of dung," or "the dung-god." In other words, the god of filth and idolatry.

Bottom line, it was a vile, mean, and venomous accusation.

And isn’t that the way it is? Here we have literally the Son of God doing wonderful works of healing and love - life-giving works – and the religious powers that be are criticizing Him in the most vile, irreligious way imaginable - out of envy.

And they couldn’t say the work came from just a man. Some sort of superhuman power had to be the result. And if superhuman, it either had to come from God . . . or Satan.

Since THEY thought themselves to be the only ones who could represent God, then anything He did had to have come from Satan and his dark powers.

Again, more on this in the weeks to come.

Despite the accusations against Him, Yeshua moves forward, as Matthew says, going . . . (verse 35)

. . . about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

And as He moved among them what was His reaction? Verse 36:

36 (And) when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Moving about from town to town, healing and caring for others, verse 36 says that “When He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion on them.”

In what fashion? Matthew says, He saw them “fainting, scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

Throughout scripture the Lord is pictured as a Shepherd over His flock of sheep.

Like I said, David was a picture of Yeshua being a Shepherd.

Throughout the Old Testament this picture is implemented to help us understand the driving devotion and love He has for His flock (as well as to the make-up of His sheep).

In the Book of Ezekiel, the Lord chastises the Shepherds of Israel with some amazingly prophetic words applicable in our day.

Take a minute a read or hear what He says through Ezekiel in chapter 34. Reflect upon what Yeshua was seeing when He went from city to city here in Matthew and perhaps apply it to what we see in the world today as Ezekiel says,

Ezekiel 34:1 And the word of YAHAVAH came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of YAHAVAH;

8 As I live, saith YAHAVAH, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of YAHAVAH;

10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

A true Shepherd’s job is to feed the sheep. It is to protect them from ravening wolves. It is to lead them to pasture, water, rest, shelter.

And who are the sheep?

We are. And its NOT a very flattering comparison.

Let’s look at some of the facts about sheep.

First of all, being called sheep in this day and age is a great insult.

Nietzsche was particularly harsh in his use of sheep as a picture for human failure and weakness.

And he was right.

Sheep are some of the dumbest of all animals alive.

In addition to being fairly dumb they are pretty much helpless, timid, and feeble.

I am so saddened when I see and hear believers promote the notion that we are not sheep but wolves. What a misguided picture this paints from how our God described those who follow Him in spirit and truth.

Sheep also require constant attention, meticulous care, and have little means of defense.

As a result, sheep are in desperate need of a conscientious shepherd. And shepherds that will not just fleece them.

Sheep will go the wrong way without a care totally unaware of the dangers at hand. History tells us that some have taken themselves right off a mountain side while others will drink and eat things that are poisonous to their systems.

Some have lived in rut for days because they didn’t think to climb out to green pastures.

And in terms of being easy prey for predators, sheep almost top the list.

It is easy to see why scripture likens believers to sheep and as sheep being in need of a true and loving master.

See, in this fallen world, it’s the wolves that dominate and thrive. And true sheep of the shepherd are often unawares of the wiles and wares of predators, with all of this analogy having application to the Dark depredations of Man and his predatory nature.

Needless to say, the welfare of sheep depends solely upon the care of their shepherd.

So, who is our Shepherd?

“Shepherd” and “pastor” as used synonymously in scripture. Pastor is Latin for the word “shepherd” and that is where our use of it originates.

Scripture also uses the word shepherd to figuratively represent the relation of rulers to their subjects (and of God to his people – in

GRAPHIC

Psalm 23:1 and 80:1; Isaiah 40:11 and 44:28; Jeremiah 25:34-35; Nahom 3:18; John 10:11 and 14; Hebrews 13:20, and 1st Peter 2:25; 5:4).

The duties of a human shepherd in that day, especially in places like Palestine, were ongoing. Think about this.

A single man taking care of a hundred basically helpless sheep.

Early in the morning Shepherd’s led their flock from the fold and direct it out to the spot where they will find pasture.

There he had to keep watch on them all day because of their tendency to wander off.

And if one escaped, he had to secure the others and go off in search of the one.

In Israel, like in other places, sheep require to be watered regularly so a big part of the shepherd’s job was to locate and guide them either to some running stream or to wells.

Then at night, he would bring the flock back to the fold, counting them as they passed under his rod (this is where the phrase “counting sheep” is suppose to aid in falling asleep).

Then when he was sure none were missing, he would place his body across the door of the sheepgate.

But his labors did not even end there.

Night brings predators of all sorts and so the Shepherd had to sleep with one eye open to ensure thieves, robbers, and dangerous animals did not try to enter the flock by “some other way.”

All of this pictured the shepherds in the Bride Yeshua left in charge but since the Victory there is one and only one shepherd of our souls. . Yeshua.

Remember that great set of passages in Psalm 23?

David, the shepherd, wrote it about His Shepherd and ours saying,

Psalm 23:1 YAHAVAH is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of YAHAVAH for ever.

Then in the Apostolic Record, Yeshua says some amazing things about Himself as our Good Shepherd.

They are found in John chapter 10.

I think they are worth reading too. As we do, think about the imagery of the Palestinian shepherd, his duties as we detailed them, and apply them to these very symbolic words Yeshua shares to the Church Bride in that day.

John 10:1-16

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold (and who is guarding the door but the Shepherd Himself) but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6 This parable spake Yeshua unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7 Then said Yeshua unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

As the Great Shepherd, Yeshua looks around, and sees His sheep tired, malnourished, needing water, and burdened. And we return to Matthew 9 verse 36, which says,

36 (And) when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;

The lost sheep of Israel were everywhere in His day, and He had compassion on them.

We maintain that the world of faithful sheep has returned to this day and age, this age of the Gentiles, and in what sort of appears as a mixed metaphor, Yeshua says, with Matthew leaving the sheep illustration:

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”

It’s vivid imagery.

There are so many people needing truth they are like a waving field of golden grain but few to do the harvesting.

And so Yeshua says what the most effective thing to do when facing such a situation:

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.

We maintain that this day is coming.

See you next week.