Matthew 9:33-34 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils
We are often told that talk is cheap, that actions speak louder than words. I think that is the truth, but there is something that speaks louder than actions and that is reactions. When I am thinking about something I am going to say or do, I can script that based on who I am going to be addressing or what I am going to be doing. I can put my best foot forward, and that may be appropriate. On the other hand, reactions are not actions I am taking. Reactions are actions I am taking in response to actions that have been taken on or around me. So, what comes from that is automatic and unthought. We don’t have time to script it. Sometimes reactions are the truest picture of our character.
In Matthew 9 we have a number of pictures of Jesus Christ. These are not just a nice little collection of stories to help Sunday School teachers have a lesson or for people like me to have a devotional thought. No, there is a purpose, and the purpose of Matthew and all these stories is that Jesus is Who He claims to be. God sent His Son the Messiah just like He said He would through the ancient prophets like Jeremiah. So, through a whole series of stories you find Jesus healing people of different ailments and calling people to follow Him. You find Jesus as the Messiah and you also find people’s responses to Jesus in every story.
For instance, in verse 8 it says, “But when the multitude saw it [Jesus healing a man sick of the palsy], they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” They didn’t know everything, but they knew that Jesus had some kind of connection to Jehovah. That is because He is God, God the Son. So, they marveled and glorified God.
Later, there is an example that gives a good contrast. In verse 33 when Jesus had restored speech to a man who could not speak, the Bible says, “And the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.” They were amazed and they realized that Jesus was not just the carpenter’s son, another person. Verse 34 starts, “But the Pharisees…” Generally, when you see those three words “but the Pharisees” together in the Bible you know that something scornful is about to come. The Pharisees are going to rain on the parade. It continues, “But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of devils.”
Now, your response to life is your response to Jesus. I realize that in the case of all these stories, Jesus was physically standing in front of each of these people who responded, but they were responding to some aspect of life and were not self-conscious about it. They were just reacting to Jesus and what He had done.
So, then as now, your response to life is your response to Jesus. You have something happen and you may either praise God and spread the good news or you may doubt and scorn. You may respond in despair or pride. Maybe something good happens and instead of realizing there is a living God, you attribute it all to yourself. It’s funny, bad things we attribute to the cosmos; good things we attribute to self. Both are missing the point entirely. Even in boredom, responding to what has happened when nothing has happened, we tend to be ignorant of and indifferent to the presence of the living God. So, your response to life is largely your response to the Lord. It is a response to Jesus.
Don’t fail to see providence in your life in the good or the bad. Don’t fail to see God’s seeing ahead and providing for you. One other attribute of many of these stories is Jesus’ response to people. Jesus says, “According to your faith be it unto you.” In other words, Jesus sees faith. We see providence, and God sees faith. Many times, in the gospels, people marveled at Jesus because only God could do what Jesus does. On the other hand, Jesus never marveled at someone’s ability. How could you impress the One Who was there at the day of creation? How could you impress someone with such power by what you do? No, you can only impress such a person by whom you trust. Jesus is often found marveling not at people’s strength but at their faith even in their weakness.
Today, whatever life may throw at you, remember that your response to life is largely your response to Jesus.