Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts shows that genuine faith is visible, active, and obedient. Jesus returns to His own city, forgives sins, heals the paralyzed man, and exposes empty religion. Faith is demonstrated by action, not words alone, as seen when men tear open a roof to reach Jesus. The passage calls us to prioritize forgiveness, reject fruitless religion, and live out a faith that produces visible change.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Audio
.
Scriptures used in this lesson:
Matthew 9:1, Matthew 11:23-24, Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:3-5, James 2:14-17, James 2:18-20, Ephesians 2:8-10, Matthew 5:16, John 9:1-3, Matthew 9:3, Matthew 9:4-8, Mark 7:21, 1 Samuel 16:6-7, Matthew 6:21, Psalm 7:9, Matthew 9:14, Matthew 9:15-17, Matthew 10:5-6, Matthew 15:24, Matthew 10:23, Romans 7:1-3,
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Overview of Early Miracles and Ministry Moments
Chapter 9 introduces a series of early miracles and ministry moments. Jesus heals the paralyzed man, calls Matthew into ministry, confronts the scribes and Pharisees, answers questions about fasting, raises the ruler’s daughter, and heals a man unable to speak. The chapter concludes with Jesus noting that the harvest is great, yet only a few truly enter the field to harvest, even though many appear to be laboring.
Matthew chapter 9 continues directly from chapter 8. Jesus has delivered the two demonics, but the people ask Him to leave their area, and He does. He enters a “ship” and returns to His own city.
Matthew 9:1
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
This movement is significant because it demonstrates a clear continuity of His ministry rather than a break.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Jesus returns to His own city, which Matthew identifies as Capernaum. Though He was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, Capernaum became the center of His ministry. From Capernaum, Jesus called disciples, performed many miracles, and preached many of His messages, especially in the early Galilean phase. Much of what Jesus did flowed out of that one city.
That truth applies to us as well. Where God has placed us becomes our own city. It is here that we are called into ministry, called to be disciples, witness miracles, hear message, and carry out the work of the kingdom. The world we influence is influenced from where we are planted.
Even if we were not born or raised here, this city must become our hometown in God’s purpose. If He has placed us here, this is where we grow as disciples and from where influence spreads outward. The commission to go into all nations still begins locally. Whatever God accomplishes through this fellowship will begin right here, in our own city.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
I want us to turn to Matthew 11:23-24 because there is something here that is very important for today. This has become an increasingly important message, and I believe it is part of what the Spirit is saying to us right now. We even touched on it in prayer this morning.
The issue is politically sensitive, and I want to be very careful. Babylon was deeply involved in politics, and that is a warning to us. We must be careful not to get waylaid and allow our David to become Saul. We cannot become so involved in politics that we lose our true mission and purpose.
Our fundamental mission is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Everything else must remain secondary to that. I believe this is what God is saying to the church today. I sense He is speaking clearly, especially as nearly everything around us is saturated with politics. That alone tells me the Lord is trying to get our attention. What we are about to read addresses the city where Jesus ministered.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
A Warning to the City
Matthew 11:23–24
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Jesus lived in that city, worked miracles there, and preached His messages from there. It was the center of His ministry. Although that place influenced the world, the city itself was judged for refusing to receive Him as Lord. Capernaum was exalted because the Lord of glory dwelt there, yet it was brought down because it would not repent.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
That judgment is sobering. Capernaum was destroyed because it rejected Jesus as Christ. I believe God is sending a message to our city as well. He is using us to call this city to repentance. If a city refuses, Scripture is clear about the outcome. The fate of any municipality that does not receive Jesus as Lord is the same.
I try to avoid doom and gloom, but something inside me is troubling. When I align the Word of God with our nation, I must ask what the outcome will be. Could we blame the Lord if He removed His protection? That thought frightens me. Even though we preach the gospel and send missionaries around the world, events in our city and nation rival those in Sodom.
I believe God is speaking to the church in this hour. The call is for us to arise and shine. We are responsible for our city. This city belongs to God, not the devil. Jesus is sending a message, and His desire is repentance. Cities are composed of individuals, families, and churches, and the church must proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
The Healing of the Paralytic
Returning to our study,
Matthew 9:2
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
From there, Matthew shifts to a miracle. A paralyzed man is brought to Jesus, and Jesus sees their faith. The man has no mobility of his own, and everything depends on those carrying him. This moment prepares us to understand what Jesus meant when He saw faith.
Mark chapter two provides a fuller picture. Jesus is preaching in a house packed with people. There is no room at the door, yet the word is being preached. That setting shows us how faith was demonstrated before Jesus ever spoke a word of healing or forgiveness.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Mark 2:3-5
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
This is what Jesus saw as He was preaching inside the house. Small pieces began falling from the ceiling, then larger ones. Soon, a hole opened wide enough to lower a man down in front of Him.
Four men had climbed onto the roof with the paralyzed man because the crowd blocked every entrance. They lowered him directly before Jesus. When Jesus saw this, He said, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven. That action revealed what Jesus was looking at.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
This is what it means when Scripture says Jesus saw their faith. Multiple translations convey the same meaning in different ways. Faith was neither hidden nor merely visible; it was active.
Faith is substance, and it can be seen (Hebrews 11:1). We can see our faith by what we do. James 2 shows that faith is demonstrated by action, by accomplishing what we say we believe.
James 2:14-17
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
When nothing is being seen, genuine faith is not present. A lack of visible action means no roofs are being torn open to bring the paralyzed to Jesus. Without something productive appearing in our lives, all we have left are words.
James 2:18-20
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Faith, Works, and Mature Obedience
Can you see faith? How will you see it? Stay with me here. Believing that God exists is not sufficient. Even the devils believe, and that kind of belief means nothing by itself. Faith that has no action is dead.
Abraham is a clear example. His faith was shown when he offered Isaac on the altar. Faith worked together with his actions, and through those actions, his faith was brought to maturity. You could see it (James 2:21-24).
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Mature faith produces visible change. Lives are different. People begin to live in a way that matches what their salvation declares. They are not working to be saved, but working from salvation.
Abraham did not earn salvation by works. He received it back in Genesis when God called him and made him righteous. Years later, that salvation produced obedience. James shows the difference between working for salvation and working from it.
When salvation is real, something happens inside a person. Faith becomes visible. Scripture makes this clear. We are saved by grace, not by works, yet we are saved unto good works. Jesus taught that God is glorified through those works.
Ephesians 2:8–10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Matthew 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Works do not save us, but salvation produces a faith that can be seen. Our lives should show what we believe, not just our words. I should be able to recognize a Christian by watching how they live and by seeing where their faith is expressed.
Forgiveness Before Healing
This truth becomes clearer when we look at the men who tore the roof open to reach Jesus. They refused to be stopped by the crowd or by inconvenience. Instead of giving up, they demonstrated their faith through action.
Although they believed Jesus could heal and forgive, nothing would have happened without that determination. Their faith required effort. They acted on what they believed, and Jesus responded to their diligence.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Accordingly, Jesus spoke of forgiveness first. Their faith was not passive. It was active, visible, and persistent.
The first concern of Jesus was forgiveness, not physical healing. When He faced the paralytic, His priority was the man’s sins, not his body. That order matters.
The same principle applies to our lives. God is more interested in getting our lives right than fixing our circumstances, including finances. When our lives are brought into order, everything else follows.
I see this often in real situations. God sometimes uses problems to draw people to repentance and forgiveness. He works through pressure to bring hearts to Him.
Hannah is a clear example of this principle. She was provoked to pray because God wanted Samuel. He was not producing a son for Hannah or Elkanah, but for Himself. God was after something greater.
That is how God works in all of our lives. He wants fruit. He wants faith that produces something visible. This is why Scripture refers to it as the fruit of the Spirit.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Forgiveness of sin is always God’s first concern. Physical healing is important, and I believe Jesus heals all disease and infirmity. Still, forgiveness is far more critical than healing.
Sin can sometimes produce sickness, but not always. The paralytic was forgiven, yet he did not immediately walk. If his illness had been caused by personal sin, healing would have happened at that moment.
This passage does not teach that all sickness comes from sin. Healing often requires a separate act of God. Jesus made this clear with the blind man, whose condition existed so that God’s glory could be revealed.
John 9:1–3
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
I believe that in many of our lives sickness can occur, not necessarily because of sin, but so that God’s power and glory can be revealed. At the same time, I fully believe that Jesus can heal all sickness and disease.
Jesus Knows the Thoughts of the Heart
When Jesus forgave the man’s sins, the scribes reacted inwardly and accused Him of blasphemy. They focused on His words rather than recognizing who He was. That reaction exposed their hearts.
We have seen this before. People are often comfortable with forgiveness being preached, but they resist healing. In Jesus’ day, the response was similar. They objected to forgiveness, yet allowed healing, showing a distorted understanding of God’s authority.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Matthew 9:3
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
The scribes were recognized as educated and qualified teachers of the law. They held positions of honor and served as official interpreters of Scripture. Their role was to teach, develop, and apply the law within religious and legal systems.
Over time, their teaching reduced faith to formalism. Life under their leadership became heavy and restrictive. Their traditions transformed the law into a barrier rather than a path to God, effectively excluding people from the kingdom (Matthew 23:13).
The scribes knew that only God could totally forgive sin, so they “said within themselves.” Who is he to forgive sin? Were they right? Can God only, totally, forgive a sin? They were right about that. But who were they talking to? They were talking to God.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
And the Lord challenged them.
Matthew 9:4-8
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Jesus Sees Our Thoughts
I have said things like that myself. At times, I have heard a man or woman of God teach something and thought, That is blasphemy, I do not believe that. I used to react that way often, and Judy will attest to that. Looking back, the very things I once rejected are the things I now know to be true. The Scribes and Pharisees were doing the same thing.
They said no one could forgive sins, yet Jesus could. In that same way, the Lord challenged the scribes, and He challenges us as well. Many times I have heard something and said within myself, I do not believe that. Who does he think he or she is? That sounds like blasphemy.
Over time, I learned that what I once resisted was truth. Because of that, I am less quick to judge matters in my heart. Many of you are hearing things today that once would have sounded strange or questionable. If you had heard them earlier, you might have said something within yourself, too.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Some people did precisely that. Yet they now know it is true. What I am saying is this: let us not be so quick to judge things in our hearts.
Jesus knew what the scribes were thinking. He addressed the evil thoughts in their hearts and demonstrated that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. He proved it by healing the paralytic and sending him home whole.
What I want to emphasize is this: Jesus knows our thoughts. I believe this is the primary thing the Lord wants to speak to us about. Scripture says He knew what was in their minds. That reality should sober us.
Knowing that He sees my thoughts gives me strong motivation to clean them up. When I realize He sees what is in my mind as clearly as if it were visible, it pushes me toward repentance and humility.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
We all have to admit our minds need cleansing. I recognize that God sees our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts. Knowing this motivates me to ask the Lord to help clarify my thinking and to understand that nothing in my heart is hidden from Him.
Thoughts That Dwell in the Heart
Jesus asks why we think evil in our hearts. Scripture describes this as entertaining or harboring evil thoughts. Thoughts, whether good or bad, live in the heart. (Genesis 6:5, Deuteronomy 15:9, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 19:14, Psalm 139:23, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 6:18, Proverbs 23:7, Jeremiah 4:14, Jeremiah 17:9-10, Matthew 9:4, Matthew 15:18-19, Mark 7:21, Luke 5:22, Luke 24:38, Hebrews 4:12). That means the issue is not where thoughts come from, but whether we allow them to stay.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Mark 7:21
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
We are responsible for what we allow to remain in our hearts. We are the landlords. Evil thoughts must be removed, not entertained or given a place. Both good and evil thoughts take residence in the heart if we allow them.
The heart speaks of the center or middle of our being. It includes our thoughts and feelings. What is truly at the center of our lives is revealed by what we think about. Our thoughts expose where our heart really is.
God is after our hearts, which means He is after our thoughts. Those two are the same. David had a heart after God, which means his thoughts were centered on God, except when he sinned. The same pattern applies to us.
As long as our thoughts stay on God, our lives stay aligned. When the heart drifts toward sin, sinful action follows. Jesus made it clear that sin begins in thought, not just in action.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
God Looks on the Heart, Not the Outward Appearance
God’s focus is the heart. We see this clearly in the story of David’s anointing. Samuel looked at outward appearance, but God corrected him. The Lord made it clear that He does not look at what man looks at. He looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:6–7
6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
What was God looking at? His heart.
God looks at the heart, while we tend to focus on outward appearance. Tonight, the Lord is reminding us that He is looking directly at our hearts.
Jesus taught that where our treasure is, our heart will be there as well. That truth reveals what truly has our attention and devotion.
Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
God Tests Hearts and Minds
Now look here in Psalms 7, verse 9.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Psalm 7:9
9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
Psalm 7:9 (NASB)
“O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.”
Note that the NASB version renders “reins” as “minds.” God examines both the heart and the mind. He promises to test them, not because He wants our treasure, but because He wants our heart. He desires to be our treasure.
God reveals what is in a person’s heart. There is nothing mystical about this. Where someone’s treasure is, that is where their heart will be. Over time, God makes that visible to anyone who is paying attention.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
I am telling you plainly that God will reveal my heart, and He will reveal yours as well. The scribes did not realize it, but their hearts were being exposed. Often, we do not realize it ourselves, yet God continually reveals what is within us. Hearts cannot stay hidden.
A Fork in the Road
Jesus knew their thoughts and addressed the evil in their hearts. He knows our thoughts, tests our hearts, and shows what is truly there. That truth alone should sober us.
The scribes then faced a dilemma. Both total forgiveness and total healing require God. Jesus proved who He was by healing the paralytic. That miracle forced a decision.
They came to a fork in the road. Either Jesus was God, or He was operating by evil power. Accepting Him meant admitting their doctrine was wrong. Rejecting Him allowed them to keep their system intact.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
They chose the wrong road. That choice began a storm that eventually led to the crucifixion of the Lord of glory and the destruction of their religious system. The same pattern exists today.
I believe a storm is brewing again. The Word of God divides and demands a decision. Every one of us must choose God’s way or our own way. Like the scribes, we reach forks in the road where we must decide whether Jesus is who He says He is. It always comes down to one question. Will we align with the Word of God, or will we insist on doing it our way?
Questions About Fasting and Fruit
I’m skipping Matthew’s call and his entertaining of Jesus at his house (Matthew 9:.9-13) All this is self-explanatory.
Matthew 9:14
14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
I want to touch on this because I need to say it out loud. Hearing myself say it matters because I have never heard it expressed this way before. Something is being stirred in me by the Lord.
I sense that God is preparing our minds for what is coming in Matthew chapters 23, 24, and 25. He is drawing us into present-day truth and a deeper understanding of His Word. That preparation begins earlier than we often realize.
In Matthew 9:15-17, John’s disciples come to Jesus for the first time. They ask why they, John’s disciples, and the Pharisees fast often, while Jesus’ disciples do not. On the surface, it appears to be a question about fasting.
What they were really asking was why Jesus’ ministry was growing and producing results while theirs was not. People were being changed. The region was being affected. New lives were coming into the kingdom through His ministry.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
At the same time, they saw themselves engaging in religious activities. They were fasting. They were disciplined. Yet their ministry was not producing the same fruit. That was the real tension behind the question.
The issue was not fasting. The problem was fruit. Christ’s ministry was producing children in the kingdom, while the ministry of the Pharisees was not. The question was much deeper than it appeared.
Jesus later explains this distinction by contrasting John the Baptist with himself. Both preached repentance and the kingdom of God. Yet their approaches were very different. John lived a strict, separated, religious life. He fasted often, avoided feasts, and avoided sinners and publicans. Jesus, on the other hand, ate and drank. He spent time with sinners. He was accused of being excessive.
Jesus argues that a ministry is justified by its children. The evidence is found in what it produces. Changed lives reveal whether the work is truly of God.
He then uses two illustrations to explain why the old religious system cannot contain what God is doing.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Matthew 9:15-17
15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
You cannot sew new cloth onto an old garment. The tear will only get worse. Similarly, you cannot put new wine into old wineskins. The old skins cannot stretch. They will burst, and everything will be lost. What God is doing requires something new.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Jesus teaches that one cannot put new wine into an old wineskin, because the skin will not stretch, the skin will burst, and the contents will be ruined. Similarly, people who leave religious systems often struggle to discern what God is doing now. They try to place something new into something old, and it simply does not work. In effect, they burst.
Many attempt to fit the present work and message of God into old doctrines and religious forms. That effort always fails. Religion cannot receive the kingdom. It is not a matter of fault. It simply cannot contain what God is doing.
The message of Jesus Christ is not a patch added to something old. It is entirely new. God is doing a brand new work, not restoring the old heaven and old earth, but creating something new altogether (Revelation 21:1). The kingdom of God changes how we think, renews our minds, and causes us to walk in a new reality.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
The Bridegroom and the Bride
When John’s disciples questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not fast, Jesus explained that while the bridegroom is present, the children of the bride chamber do not mourn. Fasting would come later, after the bridegroom was taken away. This indicated that the issue was not religious practice but rather recognizing what God was doing in that moment.
Jesus makes it clear that He is the bridegroom, and where there is a bridegroom, there must also be a bride. During His earthly ministry, He stands in that role.
The question then becomes, who is the bride? It cannot be the church, because the church has not yet been born and is not even mentioned until later in Matthew. The new covenant is not yet in effect, and the old covenant has not ended.
Scripture consistently uses marriage imagery to describe God’s covenant relationship with His people. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament speak of a bride, and the Bible presents two brides: Israel and the church. Since the church does not yet exist, the bride must be Israel.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Romans 7 and Covenant Release
Romans chapter 7 helps explain this. Paul addresses those who know the law, namely the Jews. He teaches that a woman is bound to her husband by law as long as he lives, but if the husband dies, she is released from that law. Only then is she free to marry another without being called an adulteress.
The point is clear. Israel remained married under the covenant as long as the husband lived. Freedom from that covenant could only come through death. Without that, the relationship could not change.
Romans 7:1-3
1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Paul explains in Romans 7 that the authority of the law ends with death. He uses the image of a wife released from the law of marriage by her husband’s death, thereby making her free to remarry. The central point is that death dissolves legal obligation.
Jesus Sent First to Israel
Israel was married to Jehovah under the old covenant. Because of that covenant relationship, Israel could not enter a new covenant unless death occurred. For the Jew to be brought into the church, the husband had to die. That is why Jesus came to Israel as the bridegroom during His earthly ministry.
Matthew 10:5-6
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
Matthew 15:24
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:23
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
At that time, Jesus directed His disciples to minister only to Israel, not to the Gentiles. He came first to the Jew. After His death and resurrection, Israel was legally released from the old covenant and enabled to enter the new covenant. Without that death, a new relationship would not have been possible.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17 How to Live a Faith That Acts
The new covenant replaces the old covenant. Until Israel was released from that legal bond, entrance into the New Testament covenant would have been impossible. Through the death of the bridegroom, the nation was set free to enter the new covenant, just as the Gentiles also would.
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17
Matthew 9 Verses 1-17
Also see: