We Must All Decide

We must all decide who Jesus is. That is an inevitable fact of life. Even if that decision is made hastily or dismissively, it must still be made. Jesus’s name is known far and wide across the earth. Most people, especially in more affluent countries, are familiar with Jesus at some level. We all must decide who he is. In this Gospel, we see two groups of people come to very different conclusions.

We Must All Decide

Gospel - Matthew 9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,

and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.

The crowds were amazed and said,

“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees said,

“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,

teaching in their synagogues,

proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,

and curing every disease and illness.

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them

because they were troubled and abandoned,

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Scriptural Analysis

Through the eighth and ninth chapters of his Gospel, Matthew recounts ten miracles of Jesus, culminating in the healing of the mute demoniac. The ten miracles are:

1. Jesus Cleanses a Leper

2. Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

3. Jesus Heals Many at Peter’s House

4. Jesus Stills the Storm

5. Jesus Heals the Gadarene Demoniacs

6. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

7. Jesus Heals A Woman

8. Jesus Restores A Girl To Life

9. Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

10. Jesus Heals One Who Was Mute

This is an amazing sequence of miracles done by one man who was proclaiming the coming of God’s kingdom. Therefore, at the site of this tenth miracle, the crowds responded in amazement as nothing like this had ever been seen in Israel before.

However, not all are impressed. The Pharisees are not able to deny that Jesus has access to some supernatural power, but given his propensity to eat with sinners and tax collectors, showing a disregard for the ritual purity laws, and his offering of forgiveness of sin apart from Temple worship, it is clear that he must not be sent from God. They allege that his work is the result of some dark power. The Pharisees do not simply disagree with Jesus but take it a step further and accuse him of working with the devil.

We have seen the concern that Jesus has for those who are sick, sinners, possessed, outcasts, or afflicted. Now Jesus will show compassion towards the crowds who come to him. His heart was moved by pity. Matthew draws upon Ezekiel’s imagery to describe the people as being like sheep without a shepherd: “My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.” (Ezekiel 34:6) The prophet foretold that God himself would come to shepherd his people. Matthew’s portrayal implicitly criticizes the leadership in Jesus’ day. Instead of guiding the people to their Messiah, some leaders accuse him of blasphemy, while others claim he colludes with Satan.

Jesus says the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. The crowds are excited about Christ’s kingdom, but there are no leaders to reap the spiritual harvest. Since many leaders opposed him, Jesus tells the disciples to pray for new leaders so that the Lord can send laborers for His harvest.

Daily Application

In our Gospel, we see two groups of people, the crowds and the Pharisees. The crowds look upon Jesus, his works, and his teachings with amazement. The Pharisees look upon Jesus with suspicion. Both groups had to decide who Jesus was, and both came to markedly different conclusions.

Purchase Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

In his famous work, Mere Christianity, author C.S. Lewis presented what is known as the Lewis Trilemma. In Lewis’s estimation, there are only three possible options for who Jesus is. Either he is a Liar, a Lunatic, or the Lord. If he is either of the first two, we should run from him. If he is the last, we should run to him. Lewis argues that it must be one of these three choices based on what Jesus claims about himself. In our modern world, there is a tendency to say that Jesus was a good man or a philosopher. As long as you apply one of those labels to him, then you don’t truly have to decide who he is. However, Jesus did not claim to be merely a philosopher or a nice guy. He claimed to be God. We don’t get to decide for ourselves who Jesus is, but rather determine whether the claim he makes regarding his identity, that he is indeed God, is valid or not.

If you decide it is valid, then you must change your life, as Jesus has given us very clear instructions and an example of what our life must be. That is why this decision is so critical and why so many delay it. When we come to terms with the truth that he is God, then we must face our own life, our sins, repent, and change our ways. The truth is that it is hard and sometimes downright painful. We are called to carry our cross, which is not easy. Yet, the rewards are so worth it. We all have a choice to make. We must all decide who Jesus is.