Moving into the Margins with Our Messiah (Mt. 9:27-34)

Here’s my sermon from last Sunday in our Matthew series. You can listen to the audio here.

Today, I’m excited because two of my favorite humans - along with their adorable offspring - are in the house. Kim and Barry Still are here. We’ll hear from and pray for them a bit later. And be sure to grab a lunch and come meet with them afterward over the in the AB. But the Stills are serving Jesus in Brazil. And an emphasis of the ministry they work with - Restore Brazil - has been to serve in truly one of the hardest neighborhoods in the world.

It’s quite ironically called the “City of God.” Maybe you’ve seen the film. That’s  just how notorious the place is! But on your visit there - and we hope to take a team there next spring - you’ll likely question whether God’s anywhere to be found. You’ll see machetes and machine guns right out in the open. And there’s even a part of that favela they call “crackland,” because there are desperate addicts everywhere and drug transactions right out in the open.

Now what would move a family like them to go serve in a place like that? And why would they remain hopeful - that anything meaningful could really ever be done? Well, it’s passages like these. That we see here in Matthew. The Messiah is on the move. He’s doing miracles of mercy in the margins.

The Messiah On The Move

We’ve been slowly walking through Matthew here in Karis. And we’re in a section now here in chapter 9, where Jesus is showing is authority over everything - things like disabilities and demons - as we’ll see here today.

Let me say again - we are so blessed by the job Aaron has been doing up here. Last week, he walked us through verses 18 through 26, where Jesus heals a woman suffering from lifelong bleeding. And He raises a woman, the daughter of a synagogue ruler, from the dead. Verse 27 says that “Jesus passed on from there,” and we think Mathew is talking about that ruler’s house. He’s taking off from there. Verse 28 then also says that Jesus “entered the house” - where He goes next. While we’re not totally sure, he’s probably back to Matthew’s crib, where He’d just dined with tax collectors and sinners. There He’d gone straight to the margins and made the Pharisees mad.

The Messiah in the Margins

And what’s what we also see Jesus do here. The Messiah moves into the margins and does miracles of mercy. Slim Shady would be proud. The Messiah moves into the margins and does miracles of mercy. Let’s walk through this passage now, and then I’ll get to what I think God may be telling us here today.

We see the Messiah here. What? Well, these two blind men call Jesus the “Son of David” in verse 27. Now this is the first time in this gospel that anyone calls the Lord by this title. That is, other than Matthew, our author here, who calls Jesus this in his gospel’s very first verse.

Now when these men call out to Jesus this way, they’re saying Jesus is the long-awaited King, the deliverer they’d hoped for. A descendent of their great King David, who, as 2 Samuel 7 prophesied, would have a throne established for Him - by God - that would last forever and ever (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

These blind men see what so many with functioning eyes simply could’t. That Jesus is the Messiah. The “Anointed One.” That’s what that label means. God’s King. Who would bring His kingdom. And make everything that was so upside-down right-side up again. They call out to Jesus, “Hey, Messiah, King we’ve been waiting for, ‘Son of David,’ please help us!”

And that Messiah meets them in the margins. Isn’t that what we’ve been seeing here in our study? Jesus going toward people who’d been pushed to the edges? Like the woman we saw last week - who was considered unclean. Those possessed by demons, those considered traitors or trashy, the sick, the lame, Jesus goes right to them - the last, the least, the lost. And it’s what also happens here.

These “blind men” here, along with the man who’s called “mute” - who likely couldn’t hear or speak - they were, as Michael Green put it, “the unprivileged, the outcasts.” People rabbis wouldn’t have given a thought to. Individuals the world looked down upon. Jesus gives His attention to them. He speaks to them. He even touches them. He welcomes them into the house. He doesn’t pander to the rich and powerful. The Messiah picks the poor and the weak. The kingdom of heaven is for them.

There, in the margins, the Messiah does miracles. The “blind men” follow Him inside. He touches their eyes. He makes a pronouncement. And suddenly they’re open. What a miracle! He can see! He casts out the demon, and the man speaks. What wonders! It’s like creation all over again. When God just spoke and it came to be. Here He’s speaking and bringing healing. He’s rolling back the clock. Really moving things forward. He’s restoring His creation again.

But as so many have pointed out - this is also an illustration - of our spiritual condition because of the fall. We can’t see the glory of Christ. But Jesus will speak, He’ll touch us, healing our spiritual eyes, our hearts. These men could now see physically. But more important, they could see the King.

After this happens, though, catch what Jesus says, in verse 30: “See that no one knows about it.” This is what some people have called the “Messianic secret.” We’ve seen this already back in chapter 8, verse 4, where Jesus heals those suffering from leprosy. Verse 30 here says, “Jesus sternly warned them.” He came to seek and save the lost - and die for them, for us, on a cross. These miracles were important - as signs of the coming kingdom, but they couldn’t hinder His main mission. And He didn’t want them to hasten His death. So He asks them to hush - at least for now. But they couldn’t contain themselves. And they don’t listen. The miracles are just too awesome.

These miracles the Messiah does - in the margins - are miracles of mercy. Right? That’s how these blind men call out. “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  Michael Card calls this the “perfect prayer of the new kingdom” and something, when asked, “He never fails to give.” They know their need. They ask Him to take pity on them. They know their Bibles better than their teachers. Yes, they know passages like Isaiah 35:5-6. That the Messiah would bring mercy. That He’d come help the needy. They see these verses come to life in His ministry:

Is. 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

Is. 35:6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

The blind see! The mute sing! We see that happening right here. And they come in response to faith, right? Christ says, in verse 28, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” And the blind guys say, “Yes, Lord.” This likely means they see Him also as God. And Christ says, in verse 29, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

Now some people here try to argue “according to” means that they worked up some really strong faith, so Jesus then was almost forced to respond. But that really misses the point. Christ is more saying, “because you have faith - even weak - I’m gonna heal you.” They cry out for mercy. They know well their need. They’re dependent upon Him for help. As R.T. France explains, they have “practical confidence in the power of Jesus.” And the Lord heals them. The Messiah moves into the margins and does miracles of mercy.

Trusting Him for the Great Things

Now I want to turn to what this passage might mean for us today. I want us to think about two big questions. And with each I’m going to offer two encouragements, really two challenges. Here’s the first question: will we trust Jesus for the great things?

Remember what’s going on here. Two men are blind. One man can’t speak - and likely also can’t hear. Last week, a woman had a condition where she bled and bled for years. And a girl was dead. But people believed. And Jesus worked. Do we really think Jesus can do things like this? Yeah, back then. But what about now?

Here’s my first challenge: pray big! Will we pray and pray boldly? Make audacious requests? And actually believe that Jesus can and maybe even wants to answer? Yes, I’m talking about physical things. No, Jesus doesn’t heal all the time. But we believe He still does. Or do we? Most of the time, we don’t even ask. Hear what Christ’s brother, James, writes later, in his letter we have in our Bibles:

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Every week, we have elders in the back. And we’re there, just waiting to pray for you. Brothers and sisters, can He heal? Will we even ask?

But what about spiritual things? Maybe you feel like your marriage is failing. Or you’re caught in a downward spiral of lust. You’re crippled by anxiety. Or debilitating fear. You feel like you’re drowning as a parent. About to lose your job. Have you thought to ask? And do you really believe Jesus could restore?

Some of here might know our brother Doyle. He’s consistently come to our Wednesday prayer meetings, and for some time, he’d been sharing a prayer request. Many, many years ago, he and his brother had had a falling out, and they’d never been reconciled. Some careless words were spoken. His brother had never forgiven him. So Doyle asked Jesus to work. Recently, his brother was struck with cancer. And he was getting worse and worse. Doyle asked us to keep praying. At first his brother was resistant. Still wouldn’t talk to him at all.

Doyle so much wanted to see him and make things right before his brother died. And the miraculous happened. Jesus heard and worked. And they’ve come back together.

What is going on in your life that you think Jesus can’t repair? And how might He be telling you here, today, to pray big?

Here’s a second encouragement: speak out! What do these men do again? After they regain their sight? Jesus tells them to be quiet. And they just can’t shut up. Now that’s a conversation I’d like to listen into some day. The men: “We’re sorry, Lord, we didn’t do what you asked. We tried. We did.” And Jesus says: “Yeah, you didn’t exactly obey. But, you know, I expected it. I knew you couldn’t keep quiet.”

At the end of this book, what do we get? What’s been called the “Great Commission,” right? Where Jesus says to go to all the nations and proclaim what He’s done. Now if these men just can’t shut up, when they’ve been told to do exactly that, how can we not broadcast this news, when Jesus has commanded us to speak up?

What has Jesus done for you? How have you seen Him work in your life? Has He saved you? Brought you to Him? What blessings has He showered upon you? What dangers has He rescued you from? How can we not speak out? And praise His name?

This is awkward I know, but can’t we be honest here? Hasn’t the church in America pretty much given up on sharing the faith? Who wants to be that guy? The one bringing the cringe? We’re sending people to North Africa to take the good news. But we’re pretty much not sharing the gospel with anyone here.

Now talk about conversations in heaven. Here’s an awkward one. Do we want to be in the new heavens and new earth - talking to the first Christians we see over in Acts - to the millions of believers that have been martyred for their faith? And try to explain how we in America just moved past all of that? How we basically skipped over that part of our Bibles? Now I don’t really think we’ll go there in heaven. I don’t think we’ll spend time pondering our regrets. But we should really ponder how ludicrous it all is. There’s no category in the Bible - or throughout church history - for believers who don’t speak out.

Will we trust Jesus for big things? To actually work in those awkward conversations. As we speak out. And bring people from darkness to light? Church, why have we just stopped making big requests from God? What are we, kids?

Why is this? Isn’t it surely fear, first of all? That we’ll ask God for stuff, and we are sure He’ll answer no. Or not say anything at all? Isn't that our fear? We don’t want to be let down. Cynicism has completely set in.

And when it comes to speaking out, don’t we fear what people think? More than what Jesus thinks. Doesn’t that make us keep our mouths shut?

Here’s another reason why I think we don’t trust Jesus with the big. It’s conformity. To this fallen world that surrounds. We act like the universe is closed. And the material is all there is. Miracles don’t really happen. So we don’t even bother to ask. We’ve also bought into this dichotomy that completely boxes us in. That there are facts. And there is faith. And we shouldn’t bring up what we believe. That’s just not accepted - even allowed - in our world today. And we conform.

But as our society becomes more and more post-Christian, it really provides an opportunity, does it not? For Jesus to show up. To answer big prayers. To work through our speech. That’s where the power of God shines. It’s where the gospel spreads. Not when Christians are a moral majority - if that was ever even the case. But as a prophetic minority. Will we believe He’s the Messiah? Who’ll actually do miracles? He is the One who is raised from the dead!

Here’s what this all comes down to - why we struggle to trust. And ask Him to do great things. We lose sight of our dependence. We don’t see a need. We’re not desperate for mercy, as we see here in these men. Frankly, we're not even doing anything hard. So we don’t call out for help. And we sure don’t speak out.

I’ve been reading two different books lately - both talking about identity and what’s so wrong with the world we live in today. Alan Noble’s You Are Not Your Own, and John Starke’s The Secret Place of Thunder. Don’t be surprised if you find them on the resource table here soon. They ask, “Why are we so filled with anxiety today?” They answer that today we’re expected to do something we weren’t made or equipped to handle. To build an identity. To make that our responsibility. And it all comes down to performance.

We have this burden of expressing ourselves. And performing for others. Creating and maintaining this image. This is instead of seeing our great need. And receiving mercy that comes from Him. From accepting the identity He gives us in Adam and in Christ. And walking by faith. And rejoicing in His grace. It’s hard for us to trust Jesus for big things, because we’re too busy trying to do big things ourselves. But the Lord wants us to be people of faith.

Following Jesus into Hard Things

Here’s the second question I want us to hear this morning: will we follow Jesus into the hard things? Don’t forget. What we see here. Again, three men that everyone else ignored. They’re invisible. And Jesus makes them feel seen. And welcomes them into His family. Will we follow Jesus? And go where He goes?

A few weeks ago, I showed up on a day like this, and there was chaos everywhere to be found. Just minutes before we started here, a homeless couple, that had spent the night right out front, got involved in a dispute. Knives were out. The police came. Their guns were drawn. Yeah, right at about 9:45 a.m. Out there at the front entrance. This is nothing I’d ever witnessed in Rio. I’ll tell you that.

But it was nothing we didn’t expect. And wished would have gone away. The couple heard the gospel. God used us together as a team. If we want to follow the Messiah, we have to embrace the margins. And carry His mercy.

Here’s my first challenge related to that question: look around! In the passage that follows, that Darren will take on soon, Jesus says to look to the fields. There’s a harvest if we’ll just see. And to pray for more laborers for that harvest. Of course, realizing the answer to that prayer also includes us.

But again, Jesus also invites us to look to the margins - to the edges of the field. To the places others don’t see. Jesus came for the poor, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty.

Think about all the places you go. Your work. Are there those others ignore? At the store. Do you talk to that cashier? Who seems about to burst in tears? What about the homeless person, asking for help downtown? Are we looking for those in the margins or just flying quickly by?

God placed us in this neighborhood. We’re here in the First Ward - historically one of the toughest parts of this place. And God wants us to be faithful here. So far, it’s not been too easy. Will we carry His mercy? Will we believe He can do miracles? To be really honest, we need a team to rise up, who’d feel called to lead up in ministry here around our building. Will we follow Jesus here - in this neighborhood? Would you help lead the charge?

Think about something else. This passage is dealing with three people with disabilities. Jesus cares about them. And calls us to the same. To make a place at the table. To work for accessibility for all. Yes, all lives matter. But it often seems that certain ones don’t.

And we need to be the ones as Christians saying - and demonstrating - that the marginalized matter, too. Black lives. Yes, that definitely needs to be said. Also, disabled lives. Elderly ones. Sick ones. Unhoused ones. But we first have to look around and notice them. Who are the forgotten in our city, and world? How can we see them, first of all?

And then secondly, another challenge: reach out! Through our words. By our deeds. We have to walk toward people as Jesus does. Get to know people, as Jesus does. Be willing to get close, and even touch. We have a group of people in our church that are passionate about children - about those who’ve been forgotten. We’ve had many folks foster and adopt. And provide short-term, respite care. We have a number of people working for CASA, seeking to give a voice to kids without their own.

We have Aaron, who is a leader with Love Columbia, that strives to help churches care for the needy in our city. There are all kinds of opportunities there. I know he’d be happy to talk about those anytime you’d like. This is where the Lord takes us. But where else would he have us go?

Now, as my dear wife likes to say, social media can be used for good. And, of course, a main way is as a means for us to keep up with friends. To see what’s up in their lives, to see how God is using them. And to see their families expand. Now recently, I’ve noticed some photos of the daughter of some former Karis members, a couple I was privileged to marry, that we sent out to do ministry. I’ve seen photos of this girl, now a teenager, in her softball uniform, posted by her parents.

And she seems to be thriving. But back in the day, she was anything but that. I remember doing premarital counseling with these dear friends, when they shared that there was a strong chance they were going to adopt almost immediately after their wedding.

Now I thought they were crazy. But the woman’s sister, who was drowning in drug abuse, had neglected her daughter. She’d allowed that little girl, as a toddler, to often go completely unsupervised. And that little girl at one point even fell out of a second story window. Miraculously, she had survived, but this dear couple, already heading into this massive change in their lives, were not going to let that happen again. And they took that little girl into their lives. And now, she’s doing so well. This couple chose - because of Christ’s love for them - to head straight into trials. To follow Him into hard things.

But don’t most of us steer away? As fast as we can? Why’s that? I think it’s out of a desire for comfort, first of all. Jesus runs toward those others walked past. But that gets messy. We’d rather keep our blinders on. And care for our own needs. And keep our lives simple.

Here’s another reason: forgetfulness. We fail to remember our own need. We forget what He has done for us. Of His mercy. Our dependence ourselves. We forget that He left heaven and became flesh. The incarnation. So He could draw near and make us whole.

It’s been a wild ride in America the past several years. The fighting has ramped up. The economy has tanked. There are hurting people all around us. It seems like more than ever. But again, this is where the church has thrived. If you read church history, it was the people of God who were rescuing the babies thrown out into the street. They were those who cared for the poor. Who risked their lives for the sick. This is our opportunity, family. To serve in word and in deed. To speak up. To reach out. Will we carry His mercy into the margins? Love.

What all this comes down to is compassion. This is what we see in the Messiah here. Will we, like Him, look for the needs of others? And move toward the margins, as He does? And live lives of mercy? Or just settle for the American “dream”?

In that book by John Starke, he talks about another problem we face. Why anxiety seems to eat us all up. We not only are taught that we have to perform. To create an identity and then keep it up. We also desperately want to have that  identity affirmed. And we feel all this pressure to affirm the performances of others. Or risk being risk being ridiculed - or even canceled. And what does that do? It keeps us from taking risks. From speaking out. But also from reaching out. It moves us away from love.

I was talking about this with my daughter just this week. And I shared, as Christians, we don’t have to perform. By faith, we’re given an identity. As sons and daughters of God. We don’t have to earn it. And we don’t have to maintain it - by trying to keep attention and get affirmation - from God or those around us. And what does that do? It frees us from being rattled by what others think. It propels us toward faithfulness in this world that resists God.

On that note, there’s something we skipped over in this passage. What happens after the mute man gets up and speaks? Some marvel. Verse 33 says that some proclaim, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

But what do others say? The religious teachers of that day? “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” We will get to this more down the road, as Jesus hears these words yet again. But they cry out, “It’s not the power of God that’s doing these things, people. It’s actually Satan!” They claim they’re protecting the people. But they’re really protecting their own ministries.

Here’s the irony, of course. THEY’RE the ones working for Satan. And resisting the work of God. As 2 Corinthians 4 puts it, Satan has blinded their minds. So they can’t see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” If we’re in Christ, that’s where we once were. And those who don’t believe, that’s where they are today.

If we see our need from Him and walk in faith - and that leads us to see the needs of others - and we then go forth in love. We speak out. We reach out. Some will get excited, and they’ll join us in our work. But others will hate us. They’ll oppose us, just as Jesus experiences here. Who gets called evil today? Those who stand with the Father. If we follow Jesus, taking His mercy into the margins, we sure can't do it for the affirmation. We have to do it faith and purely out of love.

Karis, let’s move with our Messiah, into the margins, remembering and relying upon His mercy toward us, trusting Him to do miracles as we do.

Mercy That Will Never End

One author I enjoy keeping up with is Brett McCracken, who’s the arts editor for The Gospel Coalition. Recently he penned an article called “Why Multiverse Stories Let Us Down.” I agree with him, when he argues that the whole multiverse thing has gotten pretty boring. He writes, “When literally anything is possible, nothing is scary because no death is final and no peril is ultimate. There’s always another universe where things turn out differently.”

But then the author tries to explain the multiverse’s appeal. He says all the different spidermen flying at us can be amusing, at least at first, like the experience of bringing out all of our childhood toys - old and new - and fighting with them all at once.

But his main point is that the multiverse resonates with our desire for transcendence. He says it’s a secular version, a sci-fi substitute for heaven. He explains: “Where former generations found hope in the reality of life after death, the multiverse generation finds hope in the prospect of life in other universes. It’s a coping mechanism in an anxious world that feels fundamentally uncontrollable. Maybe my life is better in a different universe. Perhaps I can just timeline-shift or reboot myself.”

McCracken then explains that what we really need is hope in this universe. That’s where we live. It’s what we have. And King Jesus is the “true and better canon event, around which everything turns.”

Now we don’t always see the type of miracles we see here in this passage. Right? We’re not a health/wealth church. We don’t name it and claim it. We believe He can. But He often chooses to say no. And it’s not just because our faith is weak.

Family, King Jesus has come. And He’s brought His kingdom. But it’s not here in full. Blind people usually stay blind. Same with those who can’t hear or speak. One day, though He will return and with it, bring that Kingdom. And all disability will disappear. Every demon will be destroyed.

We’ll live in a restored creation, in the perfect city of God. No more pain or sadness, sickness or death. What we see here in these miracles are glimpses of that kingdom that will come. When this world will be made right. Now that’s real hope, friends. For this universe. Until then, we’re to walk by faith and live in love. Let’s pray.