Pastor Barry’s  “Chapter & Verse”  Day 268

 

September 26, 2021;   Matthew 9:8;   9/260(II);   ‘Miracles Glorify God’

 

Matthew 9:8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

 

The Lord Jesus had just healed a paralytic, who was brought to the house where Jesus was ministering, by four of his friends.  Jesus initially told the paralytic his sins were forgiven, which caused the religious leaders who were present, to greatly criticize Jesus, saying, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  Then Jesus, told everyone, to prove He had the power to forgive sins, He told the paralytic to stand up.  The power of the Holy Spirit entered the paralytic and he stood up perfectly healed.  The Lord, in essence was saying, that He was the Messiah.  The One who had power and authority to forgive sins and heal bodies.  The religious leaders, who followed Jesus around, looking to find faults with Him, out of jealousy, were furious, because of His power.  They could not deny the miracles and they refused to admit the Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.   If they did not change their opinion of the Lord before they died, their doom was eternally sealed.  On the other hand, the ‘regular’ people glorified God.  Miracles are the greatest evangelistic tool there is.  It is hard to say there is no God when a helpless paralytic is told to stand up and has the ability to do so, by the power of the Lord.  I love the end of this verse, it foreshadows our ability to do miracles, just like Jesus.  The Lord Jesus did His miracles as a Man empowered by the Holy Spirit.  I say this as often as I can, that He did this so that when He returned to heaven, He would send the Holy Spirit to heal through our hands, just like the Holy Spirit healed through Jesus.  Are you Spirit filled?  If so the power of God is in you to heal.