Matthew 9:1-38

Matthew’s Good News

Matthew’s *Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 9

3. The man who could not walk 9:1-8

v1 Then Jesus stepped into a boat. He went back across the lake and arrived at his own town. v2 Some men brought a sick man to him. The man could not walk and he was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that these men believed him. So he spoke to the man who could not walk. ‘Cheer up, son’, he said to him. ‘God has forgiven your *sins.’

v3 Some men who taught the *Law were angry. ‘This person must think that he is God!’ they said to themselves.

v4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he spoke to them. ‘You should not have such evil thoughts in your minds. v5 Is it easier to say “God has forgiven your *sins?” Or is it easier to say “Stand up and walk”? v6 I want you to know that the Son of Man really has authority on earth to forgive *sins.’ Then he said to the man who could not walk, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and go home.’ v7 The man stood up and went home. v8 When the crowd saw this, they were afraid. They felt great respect for Jesus. So they praised God because he had given such authority to men.

Mark and Luke also record this *miracle (Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26). They give much more information, but Matthew has included the essential facts. He showed that the incident was very important.

Verse 1 We know that Jesus returned to Capernaum (Mark 2:1). Matthew also tells us that Jesus lived there (Matthew 4:13). This town was the main place where he taught. So it was his ‘own town’.

Verses 3-4 Jesus told the man that he had forgiven his *sins. But the teachers of God’s law thought that Jesus was insulting God. The teachers believed correctly that only God can forgive *sins. But Jesus was God’s Son. Therefore, he had the authority to forgive *sins. He had shown his authority over the wind and the waves already (Matthew 8:27).

Verses 5-8 Jesus could easily say that God had forgiven the man. But that was difficult to prove. The *Jews believed that the man was ill as the result of his *sin. So, Jesus showed his authority and healed the man. And that was how he proved that God had forgiven the man.

Jesus called himself ‘Son of Man’ again. (See Matthew 8:20.) He had many different names.

Jesus calls Matthew 9:9-13

v9 As Jesus continued on his journey, he saw a man called Matthew. Matthew was sitting in the office where he collected taxes. ‘Follow me’, Jesus told him. So Matthew stood up and followed him.

v10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many other men who collected taxes were there. And many people who did not obey the law came too. They all ate with Jesus and with his *disciples. v11 The *Pharisees saw this, so they spoke to the *disciples. ‘Why does your teacher eat with people who collect taxes? And why does he eat with people who *sin?’ they asked. v12 Jesus heard this and he replied to them. ‘The people who are healthy do not need a doctor. Those who are ill do need a doctor’, he said. v13 ‘ “I want you to pity people. I do not just want you to give presents to me”, God said long ago. Go and learn what God meant. I have not come to call people who are good already. I have come to call bad people to follow me.’

Verse 9 Mark and Luke give Matthew’s other name, Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Only Matthew calls himself ‘Matthew’. Mark and Luke both have a list of the 12 *disciples. Matthew’s name is in these lists. But only Matthew calls himself: ‘Matthew, the man who collected taxes’. Matthew was probably collecting taxes on goods that people were importing. Or perhaps they were exporting the goods into Herod Antipas’ territory. Men who collected taxes were able to cheat other people. So they became rich. People hated them because they worked for the foreign authorities (the *Romans). Matthew may have heard about Jesus before this. He may even have listened to Jesus when he publicly talked to the people in Capernaum. Proud people who obeyed the law thought that they were ‘good’ people. And they refused to respect some people in their society. But Matthew knew that Jesus was everybody’s friend. So when Jesus called Matthew, he gave up his job immediately. And he followed Jesus.

Verses 10-11 Matthew invited his friends to meet Jesus. He invited them to have a meal with him. The *Pharisees saw them all there together. They would not eat with people like that. They believed that it was wrong. The *Pharisees said that people like Matthew’s friends did not obey God’s laws. But the *Pharisees also meant all the extra rules that the teachers had added through the years. The teachers had invented those extra rules. The *Pharisees did not come into Matthew’s house to ask their question. But Jesus heard them and he answered them publicly.

Verse 12 Sick people need a doctor. Jesus meant that bad people need help.

Verse 13 Jesus reminded them about a verse from the book of Hosea (Hosea 6:6). God wants people to love each other and to be kind to each other. God wants more than presents from people. These ‘presents’ were usually special animals that people brought to the *Temple. These presents were called ‘sacrifices’. The officials killed them and offered them to God. Sometimes people brought these presents because they were really sorry about their *sins. Sometimes they just wanted to pay God so that he would forgive them. True religion is not just about ceremonies. It is the right kind of life when people care about other people. Jesus said that he had come into the world to rescue people who needed his help (Matthew 18:11). Some people thought that they did not need God. Such people thought that God approved of them. The *Pharisees were like that and they did not recognise their own *sins. They were proud and they only saw faults in other people. So Jesus could not help them.

A question about not eating 9:14-17

v14 Then John’s *disciples came and spoke to Jesus, ‘Sometimes we do not eat because we want to obey the rules. Sometimes the *Pharisees do not eat. Why do your *disciples continue to eat every day?’ v15 Then Jesus answered them. ‘The bridegroom’s guests cannot be sad while he is still with them. The time will come when people will take the bridegroom away from them. Then they will be sad and they will stop eating.

v16 People do not sew a piece of new cloth on old clothes. When they wash the cloth, the new piece will pull away from the old cloth. That will make the hole much worse. v17 People do not pour new wine into old leather bottles. If they do, the leather bottles will burst. Then the wine will run out and the leather bottles will be of no use. No, people pour new wine into new leather bottles. Then both will be safe.’

Verse 14 Jesus had spoken about the right way to stop eating (Matthew 6:6-18). When people stop eating for a special purpose, this is also called a ‘fast’. Luke suggests that the *Pharisees also asked the question (Luke 5:32). They wanted another reason so that they could blame Jesus.

Verses 15-17 When Jesus replied, he gave three short *parables:

1. The guests at a wedding are happy so they eat a lot. Jesus was like a bridegroom. John the *Baptist had described Jesus as the bridegroom (John 3:29). The *disciples were like the friends of the bridegroom, and Jesus was still with them. So they should be happy like guests at a wedding. Jesus knew that people would take him away to die soon. The *disciples would be sad, so then they would stop eating. That would show how sad they were.

2. You cannot use a new strong piece of cloth to mend a hole in old clothes. Jesus came to offer something that was completely new. It was like new clothes to replace the old clothes completely. Jesus came to offer a new relationship with God, not just a set of *religious practices.

3. People stored wine in leather bottles made from animal skins. Old skins, that had contained wine before, became hard. New wine, as it continues to mature, pushes against the old, hard skin. So the skin bursts and the wine spills out. Jesus offered a new way of life, like new wine. The *Pharisees’ way of life was like a hard, old leather bottle. It could not contain what Jesus taught. The *Pharisees emphasised rules, but Jesus emphasised love.

The third set of *miracles shows that Jesus has authority over death:

1. He raised a girl to life and he healed a woman 9:18-26

2. He made two blind men able to see 9:27-31

3. He healed a man who could not talk 9:32-34.

1. Jesus raised a girl to life and he healed a woman 9:18-26

Matthew leaves out some details that are in Mark’s *gospel. But the main points are clear. The story about the woman who was bleeding comes in the middle of the account about the official’s daughter.

v18 While Jesus was saying this, an official came. He went down on his knees in front of Jesus. ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her. Then she will live again.’ v19 Jesus got up and went with him. His *disciples went too.

v20 Just then, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came up behind Jesus. She touched the edge of his coat. v21 She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his coat, I shall be well again.’ v22 Jesus turned and he saw her. ‘Be happy, daughter’, he said, ‘God has healed you because you believe in him.’ And from that very moment, the woman stopped bleeding.

v23 When Jesus entered the official’s house, he saw the musicians and a noisy crowd. v24 ‘Go away. The girl is not dead. She is asleep’, he said. But they all laughed at him. v25 After he had sent out the crowd, Jesus went into the girl’s room. He held the girl’s hand, and she stood up. v26 News about what Jesus had done spread through all that region.

Verse 18 Matthew says only ‘an official’. Mark tells us that his name was Jairus. He was a ruler or official in the place where the *Jews met together. This place was where they *worshipped God. It was called a ‘synagogue’. Jairus was responsible for arranging the ceremonies there. So he was an important person in the town. *Religious leaders had already begun to oppose Jesus. So Jairus needed courage to ask Jesus for his help. He loved his daughter so much that he came to Jesus in a humble way. Jesus started to go with Jairus to his house.

Verse 20 Because of her illness, the woman could not go into the house where the *Jews’ met together. If she obeyed the *Jewish rules, she should not have been in a crowd. The rules said that anything or anyone that she touched would no longer be ‘clean’.

Verse 22 Jesus encouraged the woman. He called her ‘daughter’, and he did not consider her as ‘dirty’. He was not angry because she had touched his clothes. He respected her. But he did not want anybody to think wrongly about him. There was no magic in his clothes. He said that God had healed her. He had made her well because she believed him. So she would not feel guilty as she went away. She knew that Jesus had healed her permanently.

Verse 23 It was the custom to hire musicians for a funeral. They often played a flute (a kind of musical pipe). Even a poor family would hire two people to play musical instruments. They also hired one woman to cry loudly. Jairus was an important man. So many people would go to his house. Probably many professional people went to play and to cry at his daughter’s funeral. So there would have been a great noise and much confusion.

Verse 24 Jesus sometimes referred to death as ‘sleep’. In John’s *gospel (John 11:11-13) Lazarus had died. But Jesus went to ‘wake him up’. When Christians die, the *New Testament letters sometimes refer to this as ‘sleep’ also (1 Corinthians 15:6; 1 Corinthians 15:10).

Verse 25 Matthew says that Jesus sent the crowd out of the house. Mark tells us more detail. Jesus allowed Peter, James and John to go with him into the girl’s room. They were witnesses as well as her parents.

Verse 26 Jesus told the parents to say nothing (Mark 5:43). But this kind of news spreads quickly. Many people knew that the girl had died. And then she appeared alive again, so many people would soon know about this.

2. Two blind men can see 9:27-31

v27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out to him. ‘Son of David, pity us!’ they shouted. v28 When Jesus went into the house, the blind men came to him. Then Jesus spoke to them, ‘Do you believe that I can heal you?’ he asked them. ‘Yes *Lord’, they replied. v29 Then Jesus touched their eyes. ‘It will happen to you because you believed me’, he said. v30 Then they were able to see, so Jesus gave them a strict order. ‘Make sure that nobody knows about this’, he said. v31 But they went out and spread the news all over the region.

Verse 27 ‘Son of David’ was another name for the *Messiah. Long ago God’s servant, Isaiah, spoke about when the *Messiah would come. He had said that blind people would be able to see then (Isaiah 35:5). We see here that Isaiah’s message was true.

Verse 28 Jesus wanted to discover whether the men had really believed him. So they had to follow Jesus and go away from other people.

Verse 30 Jesus did not want the news about this *miracle to spread. He was not a political leader like the people wanted the ‘Son of David’ to be. He did not want to be just a doctor either. He had come to tell people God’s message. He wanted to forgive their *sin and to change them into God’s citizens. People had to learn what type of *Messiah he was.

3. Jesus heals a man who could not talk 9:32-34

v32 While the men were going out, some people brought another man to Jesus. The man could not talk because he had an evil *spirit in him. v33 Jesus sent the evil *spirit out of the dumb man, and then the man could speak. All the people were astonished. ‘Nobody has ever seen anything like this in Israel!’ they said.

v34 But the *Pharisees did not like it. ‘He sends out evil *spirits because the prince of the evil *spirits has given him power’, they said.

Verses 32-33 The crowds saw what Jesus did. They had not seen anything like this before. Jesus had freed the dumb man from an evil *spirit so that the dumb man could speak again. People often refer to such an evil *spirit as a ‘demon’. This news could not remain a secret.

Verse 34 The *Pharisees accused Jesus. They did not believe that his authority over evil *spirits came from God. They said that his authority came from the chief evil *spirit. The *Pharisees said this again in Matthew 12:24-28. But then, Jesus showed that this idea was very silly.

There are only a few workers 9:35-38

v35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in the buildings where the *Jews met. He told them the good news about where God rules. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. v36 When he saw the crowds, he really pitied them. They worried a lot and they were very weak. They were like sheep without anyone to look after them. v37 Then Jesus spoke about this to his *disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but there are only a few workers. v38 Ask the *Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field’, he said.

Verse 35 People usually refer to the buildings where the *Jews met as ‘synagogues’. Matthew repeats the words that he wrote in Matthew 4:23. From the end of chapter 4 to the end of chapter 9, Matthew shows how Jesus did that work.

Verse 36 In the *Old Testament, Israel’s people were often called ‘sheep’. The kings and the *religious leaders had the duty to look after their ‘sheep’ for God. They often failed. (See 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:1-10.) In Jesus’ time, the people were weak and worried. They were like tired sheep that wanted to eat some grass. They wanted to know God. But the *religious leaders could not guide them. All the laws that they had made were like a great weight. That weight pushed people down so that they were more worried. Jesus cared deeply about these ‘sheep’. He wanted the *disciples to care about the people too.

Verse 37 Jesus could not speak to everyone himself. He needed other people to help him. The *disciples were like farm workers who harvest the grain. They must bring a harvest of people to God. Great crowds were ready to hear the good news. They were like a big field of ripe grain (John 4:35-38). But the people needed workers to tell them. Jesus told the *disciples to pray to God for more workers. Many people still pray to God for workers. Sometimes God calls them to become workers too.

These verses show that Jesus needed more workers. These verses also introduce what Jesus taught in the next section. This starts with chapter 10, when Jesus sends his *disciples on their journey. Matthew describes the instructions that Jesus gave to them.

gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
miracle ~ a great thing that only God can do.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
disciples ~ those who follow another person to learn from him.
Pharisee ~ one of a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So, they thought that they were very important and clever.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
parable ~ a story with a hidden meaning.
Baptist ~ someone who baptises people.
baptise ~ to put a person under water or put water on a person to show that they want to follow Christ.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.

'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
spirit ~ the part of us that lives when our body dies; a being that is alive, even without a body; the part of a person that will always be alive, even after their body is dead. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
being ~ a person or animal that is alive.
angels ~ God's special messengers.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.