What does a thriving church look like? As we approach the end of Matthew 9, we’re going to find out that Matthew has been answering that question for us for some time now.
By the end of Matthew 9, we’ve been following Jesus for a good while now, and we’re given a nice little summary of what Jesus’ ministry entails. “Then Jesus went about all their cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness” (Matthew 9:35). This is not just a convenient overview of the ministry, but also a picture of what Jesus is doing to us as we journey alongside him through the pages of Matthew’s Gospel. He is teaching us, proclaiming good news to us, and healing/renewing us.
If we’ve been paying close attention, something is echoing in our ears right about now. Matthew gave us, practically verbatim, the same brief statement back in 4:23. Is Matthew repeating himself on accident? No. Matthew is alerting us to everything that has come in the middle of this “sandwich.” Sure enough, teaching and proclaiming and healing are a spot-on description of everything we read in between Matthew 4:23 and 9:35.
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus teaches us how to be a non-angry, non-anxious, non-judgmental presence. He teaches us how to love, how to pray, and how to relinquish the things we once thought we needed. In Matthew 8, he proclaims (both with and without words) the good news of his kingdom, which is wide open to the “untouchables” that are often told they don’t belong. In Matthew 9, he heals one person after another. He makes people able to walk, to see, to speak, to have their health and their very life back.
This is the experience of being his disciples. He teaches us. He opens our eyes to his kingdom all around us. He heals and renews us.
Let’s return to this question – what makes for a thriving church? Or, put another way, what makes a church worthy of the title “Church of Christ?” Beyond simply having the words plastered somewhere on the front of the building, what would a church actually look like that belongs to Jesus Christ and imitates Jesus Christ?
Well, I suppose Matthew 9:35 is as good an answer as there is. Jesus teaches, proclaims the kingdom, and heals. So should the church. To be the Church that belongs to and imitates Christ cannot mean anything other than being people who teach each other how to be a non-angry, non-anxious, non-judgmental presence; how to love, how to pray, and how to relinquish. It means proclaiming (both with and without words) the nearness, openness, and power of God’s kingdom reality. And it will mean being a source of healing and renewal for one another. We help each other to approach Jesus, to walk with Jesus, to see Jesus, to speak the name of Jesus.
That is what it looks like to be the Church of Christ and not just call ourselves by the title. And if that’s what we will actually do for each other within the church, it will organically spill out of the church into the world around us. No wonder Jesus’ next words in Matthew 9 are, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”