Lesson 9 – The King’s Power over Sin
Read Matthew 9 – www.bible.com/bible/59/mat.9

In the chapter we study today, Matthew 9, we will see the King’s power over sin. In verses 1 through 8 we watch as Jesus heals a paralytic man. However, Jesus did not heal his body first, He first dealt with this man’s spiritual needs. How often do we come to Jesus asking only for the physical needs in our lives, hoping He will give us what we want without us having to deal with our relationship with Him?

In verses 9 through 17 we see Jesus’ power over sin in our individual lives. Jesus called Matthew, a hated tax collector who was considered someone who could never be restored to relationship with God, to be one of His followers. The fact that Matthew became a believer in Jesus is seen in the immediate change in his life – he simply left everything behind to follow Jesus. He did not, however, leave his friends; instead, he invited them to meet the same Jesus he had just learned to trust. Verse 13 is important in this passage, because Jesus states that no amount of sacrifice we might give can ever replace repentance in our heart.


In the rest of the chapter we see a series of different people encountering Jesus. As you read these verses, beginning with 18, please mark in your Bible every time you see the word “faith” or “believe.” Healing for the physical body was directly connected to healing in their spirit – faith and believing. Does this mean that every disease we have will be cured if we only believe enough or have strong enough faith? No. It only means that any healing we DO receive is because we have believed God’s promises. But just as we saw in the last chapter, Jesus does not promise to keep every storm out of our life. Jesus could have stopped the storm on the sea, but He didn’t. Instead, He went to sleep and let the storm build so His disciples would be able to see Him in action. Sometimes He also allows the storm of illness into our life so we will be able to see His miracle in us as He helps us become people of faith in spite of the storm we endure. His promise to us is always that His grace is sufficient for all our needs, for His strength is displayed perfectly in our weaknesses – 2 Corinthians 12:9.

*If you are experiencing physical or financial problems, which would you consider the greater miracle – for Jesus to instantly calm the storm, or for Him to see you through the storm over a long period of time?