Raising the Dead – Matthew 9:18-26

Pastor David Platt, pastor and former head of the Southern Baptist Mission Board, shared a story with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee on September 19, 2016, in Nashville, of a man being raised from the dead. Southeast Asian believers were sharing the Gospel in a village and many villagers responded. Many brought idols, necklaces and amulets connected with pagan worship to the center of the village to be burned, but in a strange reversal some began taking back their occult-linked objects.

The village leader had died and a few superstitiously believed his death was caused by evil spirits upset about the destruction of the sacred objects.  The Christians went to express their condolences and began praying “that God would show His mercy to the people in the village.” As they were praying over the man, he coughed! Everybody in the house got really still. Then the man coughed again. People rushed to the man’s side as he started breathing once more. Everyone looked at the Christians in amazement, wondering how this happened. So the believers preached the gospel and many more were saved.

Raising the dead gets your attention. Jesus got extraordinary attention by doing this.

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district. (Matthew 9:18-26 ESV)

Matthew now begins his third triad of miracles performed by Jesus, to be followed, again, by a pronouncement about discipleship. But this triad actually becomes a quartet, as a miracle gets sneaked in while Jesus is on the way to doing a mighty miracle.

Sometimes our intentions get sidetracked by something more urgent.  The ruler of the synagogue came begging Jesus to restore his dead daughter to life.  He believes Jesus can do it.  He has read the accounts in the Old Testament about Elijah and Elisha raising dead people to life.  But his emergency gets interrupted by urgency, by another emergency. 

A woman, at the end of her rope over a debilitating disease suffered for 12 years, has faith that Jesus can heal.  Jesus says her faith was the key to her healing. She was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, without Jesus even giving her any attention. Some, including the ruler, must think it not worthy of interrupting Jesus’ deliberate and earnest purpose of rescuing this man’s daughter by stopping to talk to this woman. But Jesus’ delay is undoubtedly directed by the Father to help this woman understand what has occurred in her life and why. It is also essential for teaching the crowd about faith and miracles.

Jesus does then move on to raise the ruler’s daughter from the dead despite the derision of the crowd.  And everybody hears about it.  This is one of three occasions in which Jesus raises someone from the dead, the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7) and Lazarus (John 11) being the others. Nothing had been seen like this since the days of Elijah and Elisha.

Are people being raised from the dead today? There have been credible reports (investigated by Christianity Today magazine here and here) from Africa of people being raised from the dead in Jesus’ name.  They seem to be substantiated.  Jesus is still able to do anything he desires.  Nothing is too difficult for him since he is the creator God.  But here in this instance he was depending upon the power of the Holy Spirit in him, who is also God, and we have that same Holy Spirit living in us. The key is listening to the Spirit of God and how He might direct us in this matter.