MATTHEW 9 — WHEN JESUS WALKS INTO THE WOUNDS WE DON’T SHOW ANYONE
There are chapters in Scripture that don’t just tell you what Jesus did—they tell you what Jesus is still doing.
Matthew 9 is one of them.
This isn’t a chapter filled with quiet theology or gentle parables.
Matthew 9 is motion.
It is urgency.
It is compassion exploding through every barrier.
It is power meeting pain, authority colliding with impossibility, and mercy rewriting the lives of people who believed their story was already finished.
When you walk through Matthew 9 slowly—line by line, moment by moment—you begin to feel something shift inside you. Because this chapter does not simply introduce you to Jesus the miracle-worker. It introduces you to Jesus the interrupter. Jesus the restorer. Jesus the one who steps into the middle of your chaos and says, “Get up. I’m not done with you.”
And if there is anything people need today, it’s this reminder:
Jesus is not finished with you.
Not with your past.
Not with your healing.
Not with your faith.
Not with your future.
Not with the parts of your story you haven’t told another soul.
Matthew 9 is the proof.
Let’s walk through it—slowly, deeply, personally—because this is not ancient history. This is a map for your own transformation.
THE PARALYZED MAN — FOR EVERY PERSON WHO FEELS STUCK
Matthew opens the chapter with a shocking moment: a group of friends carries a paralyzed man to Jesus. Not gently. Not politely. Mark tells us they literally ripped open a roof to lower him down.
That’s what desperation looks like. That’s what faith looks like when you’ve run out of options.
But here is the part most people miss:
The man was paralyzed physically,
but his friends refused to be paralyzed spiritually.
How many times have you felt stuck in life?
Stuck in fear.
Stuck in shame.
Stuck in old patterns.
Stuck in the belief that things will never change.
Jesus looks at this man and says something nobody expected:
“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus didn’t begin with the legs.
He began with the heart.
Because Jesus always goes to the wound beneath the wound.
Yes, we want God to fix the job situation…
fix the relationship…
fix the finances…
fix the anxiety…
But sometimes Jesus looks deeper and says,
“Let Me heal the guilt you’ve been carrying.
Let Me free the shame you’ve been hiding.
Let Me restore what no one else can see.”
Then He says the words that echo across centuries:
“Get up.”
And he does.
This is the Jesus of Matthew 9—
the Jesus who lifts you from places you didn’t believe you’d ever rise from again.
THE TAX COLLECTOR — FOR EVERY PERSON WHO FEELS TOO BROKEN TO BE CHOSEN
Next, Jesus walks up to a tax collector named Matthew.
Everyone hated tax collectors.
They were seen as greedy, corrupt, traitors to their own people.
If you asked the religious leaders who deserved God’s attention, Matthew wouldn't even make the list.
And Jesus says to him:
“Follow Me.”
Not, “Fix your life first.”
Not, “Earn your way.”
Not, “Prove that you’re worthy.”
Simply: “Follow Me.”
Jesus doesn’t recruit the impressive.
He recruits the available.
He chooses the unexpected.
He calls the ones everyone else rejected.
That means He can use you—even the parts of you that you think disqualify you.
Because God doesn’t call the perfect.
He perfects the called.
And Matthew does something world-changing:
He got up and followed Him.
Sometimes the holiest thing you can do…
is just get up.
THE QUESTION ABOUT FASTING — FOR EVERY PERSON WHO FEELS LIKE THEY DON’T FIT THE EXPECTATIONS OF RELIGION
The religious leaders show up again, bothered that Jesus' disciples aren’t fasting. They want to control the narrative. They want to police the spiritual experience.
They want Jesus to fit in their box.
Jesus answers with one of the most liberating truths in Scripture:
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins.”
Translation:
“You don’t get to shrink the Kingdom of God down to your expectations.”
If the Pharisees represent anything today, it’s the voices that tell you:
“You’re not holy enough.”
“You’re not disciplined enough.”
“You don’t look religious.”
“You’re not doing it right.”
And Jesus says,
“I’m not here to maintain old systems. I’m here to make all things new.”
There’s freedom in that.
Freedom from religious pressure.
Freedom from spiritual comparison.
Freedom from trying to earn what God already gave as a gift.
Matthew 9 is Jesus telling you:
“You don’t have to fit the mold. Just follow Me.”
THE BLEEDING WOMAN — FOR EVERY PERSON HIDING A QUIET, LONELY PAIN
Then comes one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the entire Gospel.
A woman who has been bleeding for 12 years—twelve years of isolation, shame, exhaustion, and being labeled “unclean”—pushes through the crowd.
She doesn’t even try to get His attention.
She doesn’t call His name.
She simply says in her heart:
“If I can just touch His garment…”
Most people don’t understand what it’s like to carry a hidden battle.
A private suffering.
A wound that drains you silently—emotionally, spiritually, mentally, financially.
But Jesus sees what no one else sees.
The moment she touches Him, Jesus stops everything—even though He’s in the middle of rushing to help someone else.
He turns her direction.
He acknowledges her existence.
He honors her courage.
He speaks directly into the place where her fear and faith were wrestling:
“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
He doesn’t call her “woman.”
He calls her “daughter.”
The title she had never heard in twelve years.
The identity her suffering had stolen.
The relationship she thought was impossible.
This is what Jesus does:
He restores what pain tried to erase.
The healing wasn’t just physical.
It was personal.
It was relational.
It was emotional.
God does not simply fix wounds—
He restores identity.
THE DEAD GIRL — FOR EVERY PERSON WHO THINKS IT’S TOO LATE
While Jesus is still talking to the woman, word arrives: a young girl has died.
The mourners have already begun.
The world has already declared the final verdict.
The story seems closed.
But Jesus walks into the house and makes a declaration so bold it sounds offensive:
“The girl is not dead but asleep.”
Everyone laughs at Him.
Not because they’re cruel—
but because the situation looked too final to imagine any other outcome.
Isn’t that what we do?
When a relationship seems ruined…
When a dream collapses…
When hope feels gone…
When life takes a turn so sharp you can’t breathe through it…
We assume finality.
We assume God is late.
We assume the story is over.
But Jesus does not speak from the view of circumstance.
He speaks from the view of sovereignty.
He takes her by the hand—
the hand of someone who was beyond human help—
and she rises.
Here is the message:
What looks dead to people is often only sleeping in God’s hands.
You may think it’s too late.
But Jesus still walks into rooms where hope has flatlined…
and breathes life again.
THE TWO BLIND MEN — FOR EVERY PERSON PRAYING BUT NOT SEEING RESULTS YET
Then come two men who are blind.
They cry out: “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
But Jesus doesn’t heal them immediately.
He takes them indoors—away from the crowd—
and asks them a question that echoes through your own faith:
“Do you believe I am able to do this?”
Not “Do you believe I will?”
Not “Do you believe you deserve it?”
Not “Do you believe you’ve earned it?”
But simply:
“Do you believe I am able?”
There are seasons when you pray…
and nothing changes.
You ask…
and Heaven feels silent.
You keep walking…
and the darkness doesn’t lift.
But Jesus is forming a deeper question inside you:
“Do you believe I am able even before you see it?”
Their answer was simple:
“Yes, Lord.”
And their eyes were opened.
This is the pattern of Matthew 9:
Not power for power’s sake…
but restoration for trust’s sake.
Jesus wants relationship, not transactions.
THE MUTE DEMON-POSSESSED MAN — FOR EVERY PERSON WHO LOST THEIR VOICE
Finally, a man who cannot speak is brought to Jesus.
This is symbolic for so many people today:
trauma stole their voice
shame silenced them
fear muted them
grief shut them down
life broke something inside them that used to speak freely
Jesus casts out the demon, and the man speaks again.
He doesn’t just regain a voice—
he regains identity, agency, dignity.
When God heals you, He doesn’t just remove the darkness.
He restores the voice the darkness tried to take.
THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL — FOR EVERY BELIEVER WHO FEELS OVERWHELMED
The chapter ends with something beautiful.
Jesus looks at the crowds—not with frustration, not with judgment, not with disappointment. The Scripture says:
“He had compassion on them.”
Why?
Because they were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Jesus sees the brokenness of the world clearer than we do.
He sees the confusion, the exhaustion, the spiritual hunger.
And His response is not discouragement—
it is calling.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.”
In other words:
“There is so much healing to do.
So many hearts to restore.
So many people who need hope.
And I want you to be part of it.”
Not because you're perfect.
Not because you're strong.
Not because you're impressive.
But because healed people become healers.
Restored people become restorers.
Redeemed people become ambassadors of redemption.
Matthew 9 is the story of Jesus walking into every form of human suffering…
and bringing transformation every single time.
You are living inside that same story today.
If you sit with Matthew 9 long enough, you begin to notice a pattern woven through every miracle, every conversation, every interruption:
Jesus moves toward the wounded.
Jesus moves toward the forgotten.
Jesus moves toward the impossible.
Jesus moves toward the overlooked.
Jesus moves toward the ones who think they don’t deserve Him.
And the more you read, the clearer it becomes:
Jesus is always moving toward you.
Not because you got it all together.
Not because you pray perfectly.
Not because your faith never shakes.
Not because you’ve mastered spiritual discipline.
But because He knows the truth that you often forget:
You are the very reason He came.
Matthew 9 is not a chapter about people who had strong faith.
It is a chapter about people who had strong need.
And Jesus never ran from need—He ran toward it.
Let’s bring this into real life.
Into your life.
Into the places you wish God would hurry up and fix.
WHEN YOU FEEL PARALYZED BY LIFE
Maybe you’re like the paralyzed man—
alive but not moving, breathing but not progressing, surviving but not thriving.
Maybe something in your life feels stuck:
a mindset
a habit
a relationship
a fear
a disappointment
a wound you’ve never told anybody about
Matthew 9 whispers this:
Bring your paralyzed places to Jesus.
He still says “Get up.”
Healing isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it begins with the smallest shift inside your spirit—
a spark of hope,
a breath of courage,
a willingness to believe that the future does not have to look like the past.
You are not as stuck as you feel.
Jesus is already standing over the places that paralyzed you,
and one word from Him can restore what years tried to destroy.
WHEN YOU FEEL DISQUALIFIED
If you’ve ever felt unworthy of God’s attention…
If you’ve ever thought your past disqualifies you…
If you’ve ever wondered why God would choose you when others seem more “spiritual”…
Stand next to Matthew the tax collector.
The religious world wrote him off.
Jesus wrote him into history.
That’s what grace does—
it rewrites stories people gave up on.
Jesus is not intimidated by your past.
He’s not shocked by your mistakes.
He’s not analyzing your résumé before deciding if He wants you.
He looks at you the same way He looked at Matthew:
“Follow Me.”
Not a command.
An invitation.
And everything changes the moment you say yes.
WHEN YOU’RE EXHAUSTED BY RELIGIOUS EXPECTATIONS
There’s a reason Jesus said you can’t put new wine into old wineskins.
He wasn’t talking about wine.
He was talking about life.
The Pharisees followed God with rules.
Jesus calls you to follow God with relationship.
Religion says:
“Earn it.”
Jesus says:
“Receive it.”
Religion says:
“Behave right, then you belong.”
Jesus says:
“You belong—and that belonging will change you.”
Matthew 9 releases you from the prison of perfectionism.
It frees you from spiritual anxiety.
It reminds you that God’s presence is not a test to pass—it’s a gift to embrace.
You don’t have to achieve your way into God’s love.
You only have to accept the invitation.
WHEN YOU’RE HIDING PAIN NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
The bleeding woman teaches us something tender and fierce:
You can bring Jesus the wound you don’t bring anyone else.
She didn’t walk up boldly.
She didn’t make a speech.
She didn’t approach Him with confidence.
She crawled.
She whispered.
She hoped.
And that was enough for Jesus to turn around.
Maybe you’ve been carrying a private heartbreak—
the kind that sits under your smile,
the kind no one asks about because you hide it well,
the kind you’ve learned to live with even though it drains you daily.
Hear this:
Jesus turns toward quiet pain.
Even if you can only reach for the hem of His garment.
Even if your prayer is barely a whisper.
Even if you can’t explain the depth of your hurt.
He sees your reach.
He hears your hope.
He honors your courage.
And like the woman in Matthew 9, you will rise again—not just healed, but restored.
WHEN IT FEELS TOO LATE
Some situations in life look like that little girl’s room:
cold
silent
final
People assume it’s over.
Your own mind tells you it’s finished.
Your emotions start grieving what you think you’ll never get back.
But Jesus speaks a radical truth into funerals of hope:
“She is not dead but asleep.”
Translation:
“This looks final to you, but not to Me.”
There are dreams, callings, relationships, passions, and parts of your heart that you thought were dead.
Jesus calls them “asleep.”
In His hands, anything can rise again.
Anything can be restored.
Anything can be breathed back into life.
You serve a God who is not intimidated by impossibility.
You serve a Savior who steps into graves and calls people forward.
You serve a King whose timing is perfect even when it feels late.
Do not give up on what God has not declared finished.
WHEN YOU’RE NOT SEEING ANSWERS YET
The two blind men cry out for mercy.
Jesus waits.
He doesn’t answer immediately.
He brings them indoors, where faith is not shaped by visibility, applause, or emotion.
He asks:
“Do you believe I am able to do this?”
That question is the furnace where real faith is forged.
Maybe you’ve been praying for something—
direction
healing
breakthrough
clarity
strength
provision
peace—
and it feels like nothing is happening.
But something is happening.
God is forming your faith in the unseen.
Faith is not believing God will do it.
Faith is believing God can—before you ever see the evidence.
And when Jesus touches your life in His timing, the scales will fall from your eyes and you’ll understand something profound:
Delay was never denial.
Delay was preparation.
WHEN LIFE HAS STOLEN YOUR VOICE
The man who couldn’t speak represents anyone who has been silenced—
by trauma,
by shame,
by heartbreak,
by discouragement,
by the opinions of people,
by seasons that crushed your spirit.
Jesus restores voices.
He restores confidence.
He restores dignity.
He restores the ability to speak truth, hope, and purpose into the world again.
If life has muted you, hear this with your heart:
Jesus is restoring your voice.
Not just so you can speak—
but so you can testify.
WHEN THE WORLD LOOKS BROKEN
Matthew 9 ends with Jesus looking at crowds of hurting people.
Not criticizing.
Not rolling His eyes.
Not frustrated by their weakness.
The Scripture says He was moved with compassion.
Then He said something astonishing:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”
Meaning:
“There is so much healing to be done—and I want you in the middle of it.”
You are not just someone Jesus heals.
You are someone Jesus sends.
Not because you’re strong.
But because you know what it’s like to need Him.
The world doesn’t need perfect Christians.
It needs healed ones.
Restored ones.
Compassionate ones.
Christ-centered ones.
People who have met Jesus in the middle of their own pain and now carry His hope to others.
That’s the real end of Matthew 9.
Not just transformation—
but multiplication.
Jesus heals you so you can become part of His healing movement in the world.
CONCLUSION — WHAT MATTHEW 9 MEANS FOR YOU TODAY
If Matthew 9 could speak directly to your life, it would say this:
You are not too stuck for Jesus.
You are not too broken for Jesus.
You are not too late for Jesus.
You are not too quiet for Jesus.
You are not too complicated for Jesus.
You are not too far for Jesus.
Your story is not over.
Your hope is not dead.
Your faith is not empty.
Your future is not ruined.
Your calling is not canceled.
Every place of hurt—
He can heal.
Every place of shame—
He can restore.
Every place of impossibility—
He can resurrect.
Every place where you feel small—
He can speak identity.
Matthew 9 is not just a chapter you read.
It is a chapter you live.
A chapter that breathes inside you when everything feels impossible and God feels far away.
Jesus is not done moving in your life.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
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Douglas Vandergraph
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