Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20120530.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Matthew: Jesus As Israel's Messiah And His Kingdom
Part X: Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Works
(Matthew 4:23-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Jesus Christ is the Messiah from God, the Jew would ask, "Can this One claiming to be Messiah perform the works of Messiah?" (Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament , p. 28), and, by "works" the Jew would mean the works predicted in the Old Testament that Messiah was predicted to perform.
    2. Matthew 4:23-25 reveals Christ abundantly performed these works, with a rich application for us today:
  2. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Works, Matthew 4:23-25.
    1. First, Jesus performed His ministry among the Hebrew people, traveling throughout Galilee, Matthew 4:23a. He did not try to deceive Israel by functioning in a corner, but traveled to do His works before all!
    2. Second, Jesus performed His ministry among devout Hebrews, going from synagogue to synagogue, from one religious meeting place to the next, performing before religious leaders and devout Jews throughout Galilee, Matthew 4:23b. He did not shy away from examination by those who knew what the Scriptures said about the Messiah as though He had anything to hide, but He disclosed Himself to all, John 18:19-21.
    3. Third, as He was traveling about, Jesus was teaching (didasko) in the synagogues and publicly heralding, preaching (kerusso) outdoors, Matthew 4:23c; U. B. S. Greek N. T. , 1966, p. 11; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the N. T., 1967, p. 191, 432. He was fulfilling the ministry of "the Prophet" Moses said would come like himself, Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
    4. Fourth, Jesus was thus communicating the good news, gospel (euangelion) of the "Kingdom," Matthew 4:23d; Ibid., U. B. S. Greek N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 318. To Matthew's Jewish readership (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 16), this message concerned God's "moving to fulfill His covenantal program with Israel and to establish His kingdom on the earth" (Ibid., p. 28), what every religious Hebrew realized was the Kingdom over which the Messiah would rule, and which would concern the Messiah.
    5. Fifth, Jesus was simultaneously healing every "disease" and every "affliction" among the people, Matthew 4:23e ESV. According to known Old Testament passages like Isaiah 35:5-6, Messiah's arrival would be accompanied by the healing of the blind, the deaf, the lame and the mute, but Jesus went beyond just these problems to heal every kind of issue, be it a disease (nosos, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 545) or weakness, ailment (malakia , Ibid., p. 489).
    6. Sixth, Jesus' ministry was overwhelmingly effective, beyond what was even predicted of the Messiah:
      1. News of His ministry spread over "Syria," the area north of Galilee (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.) so that people were bringing to Him all who were afflicted with various diseases, people with "severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed," maladies beyond the scope of what the Old Testament had predicted that the Messiah would address, Matthew 4:24a NIV.
      2. Nevertheless, Jesus healed them all, demonstrating that the power of Almighty God was with Him to address all of these needs, Matthew 4:24b.
      3. Consequently, throngs of people came to Him not only from Galilee, but from the Decapolis, the ten cities east and south of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:25a,b; Ibid.), from Jerusalem seventy miles to the south (Matthew 4:25c; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, map 12, "The Ministry of Jesus"), from Judaea, the region around Jerusalem in its hill country (Matthew 4:25d; Ibid., Ryrie) and the region west of the Jordan River, Matthew 4:25e; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
    7. Seventh, Jesus' ministry was very gracious: Israel was under the Law that promised no maladies to those who obeyed it, Deut. 28:1-6. The presence of these great needs in such abundance signaled the presence of great sinfulness (Deut. 28:15, 21-22), so Jesus in great grace ministered to the needy nation of Israel.
Lesson: In His works, Jesus went above and beyond the calling of even the Old Testament's predictions about the Messiah, demonstrating the power of God in abundant grace unto the nation Israel.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as Messiah for salvation. (2) May we trust His great power and abundant grace to address all of the problems of sin in us or in others, and so tell the world about Him.