In Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew concludes an account of Jesus’s work by providing a summary statement of his activity in Galilee.
After that summary statement, there is a time of teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7.
Matthew 8-9 picks up more of Jesus’s activity with 10 healing and miracle accounts. This section also concludes with a summary statement of Jesus’s activity before giving readers more of Jesus’ teaching in chapter 10.
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness (Matthew 9.35).
Three key features of Jesus’s ministry are summarized in this verse: teaching, preaching, and healing.
Matthew concludes with Jesus’ message to the church, known as the Great Commission. The commission that Jesus gives to his church aligns with the teaching, preaching, and healing ministry in which Jesus engaged.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
“And teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28.18-20).
The issue of authority has been emphasized repeatedly in the early chapters of Matthew. The Gospel concludes with the fact that, through the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus has all authority. He gives that authority to us because he is with us always through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Our role is to make disciples – followers of Jesus from everyone, everywhere. We are to immerse them in the life of the Trinity and we are to teach them to obey everything that Jesus has taught us.
The role of the church is to practice Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and healing ministry.
Harassed and Helpless Sheep
The Bible consistently emphasizes that God feels deeply for those who are harmed by the very ones who should reach out in compassion and care for others.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9.36).
In the Book of Ezekiel, a powerful image is presented: sheep scattered and vulnerable because their shepherds, entrusted with leadership, prioritized their own comfort over the welfare of the people they were meant to protect.
Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep.
You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them (Ezekiel 34.2-4).
Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and healing ministry aimed to bring God’s hope to the harassed and helpless sheep of this world.
The church has been called to do the same thing: to give God’s love through the words we speak and the actions we undertake.
Pray for Workers
Chapter 10 introduces the twelve disciples, Jesus’ first followers entrusted with teaching, preaching, and carrying out his healing ministry. Jesus’ instructions to pray for workers, relevant then and now, outline his principle for those who serve with him.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9.37-38).
Many around us are lost and vulnerable, like sheep without a shepherd. This calls for individuals to bring the healing, love, teachings, and preaching of Jesus’ ministry directly to them.
We are called to be these laborers, but our efforts are multiplied by prayer. Let us not only serve but also pray for more to join this essential work.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
Real Voices 