Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
He says Jesus’ healings in Matthew are “kingdom material” (eyes opened, ears unstopped) and that people respond, “Could this be the son of David?”; what present-day church practices reveal whether we expect the kingdom to be visible as restoration (including embodied mercy) rather than only as teaching or worship events?
Another way to ask: If Jesus’ healings show the kingdom showing up in real, physical restoration, what church practices today show whether we expect the kingdom to be seen through mercy and healing, not only through teaching and worship services?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript implies that if we expect the kingdom as Isaiah-described restoration, churches will value visible acts that embody healing and mercy as “signs” of God’s restoring reign, not only sermons and worship meetings.
- He says Jesus’ healings in Matthew are “very, very much part of the…kingdom of God material.”
- He connects healing to prophecy: in the restoration day “the eyes of the blind would be open and the ears of the deaf unstopped.”
- People seeing Jesus heal ask, “Could this be the son of David?”—they interpret embodied restoration as messianic/kingdom evidence.
- He calls healings “this little burst of the kingdom of God coming into the present…burst of healing.”
- He warns against truncating kingdom to “things like the Sermon on the Mount,” implying practices beyond teaching.