A Nonstop Day of Miracles

In this message centering on Matthew 9:14–34, Chuck Swindoll guides listeners through a breathless, "non-stop" day in the life of Jesus, characterized by relentless demands, profound interruptions, and undeniable displays of divine power. The narrative begins with a confrontation regarding tradition, as the disciples of John the Baptist ask why Jesus’ followers do not fast. Swindoll explains Jesus’ response using the analogies of wedding guests and new wineskins, teaching that the new vitality of His presence cannot be contained by the rigid, old forms of religious legalism [8–11]. The sermon transitions into a series of miracles that demonstrate Jesus’ authority over death, chronic illness, blindness, and demonic oppression. Swindoll details the "sandwich miracle" where Jesus is interrupted on His way to heal the daughter of a synagogue leader named Jairus (referred to as a leader of the synagogue) by a woman suffering from twelve years of bleeding. Swindoll highlights the tenderness of Jesus, who stops to commend the woman’s faith even while on an urgent mission to raise the dead [15–18]. Following these events, Jesus restores sight to two blind men and casts a demon out of a mute man, prompting the crowds to marvel that "nothing like this has ever happened in Israel". Swindoll concludes by contrasting the amazed crowds with the cynical Pharisees, who attribute Jesus’ power to the prince of demons because they refuse to accept His authority. Drawing on the famous argument by C.S. Lewis, Swindoll challenges the audience to make a choice: Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He urges listeners not to dismiss Him as merely a "good moral teacher," but to bow in humble adoration and trust Him as the Savior [27–30].

Message Key Facts:

• Tradition vs. Traditionalism: Swindoll quotes historian Jaroslav Pelikan to distinguish between two concepts: "Tradition is the living faith of those now dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living." He warns the church against clinging to "dead faith" and stylistic preferences rather than the living Christ.
• The "Sandwich" Miracle: The healing of the woman with the issue of blood is described as a "sandwich miracle" because it occurs in the middle of another mission. Jesus is on His way to save a dying girl (the first need), is interrupted by the woman (the middle need), and then proceeds to raise the girl from the dead (the completion of the first need).
• New Wine in Old Wineskins: Swindoll explains the cultural context of Matthew 9:17. In ancient times, wine was stored in animal skins. New wine needed flexible, new skins to expand during fermentation; putting it in old, brittle skins would cause them to burst. This illustrates that Jesus' new message of grace could not be contained by the old legalistic systems.
• Defining a Miracle: Swindoll cautions against the casual use of the word "miracle" for mundane events like finding a parking space. He defines true miracles as rare events where God breaks the rules of reality to do the impossible, noting that he has seen perhaps only five or six genuine miracles in over 50 years of ministry [18–19].
• The Evangelistic Eye Chart: Swindoll shares a story of an ophthalmologist friend who replaced standard eye charts with the phrase, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." When patients realized they could see, the first thing they read was the Gospel [22–24].
• The "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" Trilemma: Citing C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, Swindoll argues that one cannot simply call Jesus a "great moral teacher." A man who claimed to be God and forgave sins would either be a lunatic (like a man saying he is a poached egg), the devil of hell, or exactly who He claimed to be. We are forced to choose [28–29].
• The Pharisees’ Illogic: Swindoll points out that the Pharisees were backed into a corner. They could not deny the miracles occurred, nor could they ignore the power involved. Therefore, to maintain their rejection of Jesus, they were forced to claim His power came from Satan, revealing their own spiritual blindness.

Message References:

• Matthew 9:14–17: The question about fasting and the parables of the cloth patch and new wineskins.
• Matthew 9:18–26: The raising of the synagogue leader's daughter and the healing of the woman with the issue of blood [3–4, 15].
• Matthew 9:27–31: The healing of two blind men who followed Jesus shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us".
• Matthew 9:32–34: The healing of the demon-possessed mute man and the Pharisees' accusation regarding the prince of demons [4–5, 26].
• Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God" (General Revelation).
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation".

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll