Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Matthew 9 Devotional

Compassion for the Scattered

“When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”Matthew 9:36 (BSB)

Matthew 9 is crowded with people in need. Friends carry a paralyzed man to Jesus, and before anything else Jesus tells him his sins are forgiven (9:2). A tax collector named Matthew is called from his booth, and soon Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners (9:9-10). A bleeding woman is healed, a synagogue leader's daughter is raised, two blind men see, and a mute man speaks (9:20-33).

When the Pharisees object to his dinner companions, Jesus sends them back to Hosea: God wants mercy more than sacrifice, and Jesus came to call sinners (9:13; Hosea 6:6). Then Matthew shows us Jesus' heart. Seeing the crowds, he is moved with compassion, because they are worn down and defenseless, scattered like sheep with no one to lead them (9:36). He does not tell his disciples to work harder. He tells them to pray, asking the Lord who owns the harvest to send workers into it (9:38). You can begin where he began, by bringing the people around you to him in prayer.

To think about: Who near you seems worn down and without a shepherd, and will you bring them to Jesus in prayer today?

About Matthew 9: Forgiveness, Mercy, and Miracles of Faith

Jesus forgives and heals a paralyzed man, calls the tax collector Matthew, and explains why his disciples do not fast. He heals a bleeding woman on the way to raising a ruler's daughter, then heals two blind men and a mute man, and asks for workers for the plentiful harvest.

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