[And He Walks With Me] Matthew 9
1-8 The parallel accounts in Luke 5:17-26 and Mark 2:1-12 include several details that Matthew omits. This reflects Matthew’s different audience, which necessitated a different focus. The polytheistic pagans Luke and Mark addressed had no problem adding someone else with the power to forgive sins to the panoply of gods. Jews, however, insisted that there was only one God, and he was the only one with the power to forgive sins. This passage, then, is key to our understanding of Christ because it reveals that he has the power to forgive sins. It is also key to our understanding of the Trinity because it shows that Christ is able to exercise the exclusive power of God without drawing God’s wrath. This presented an interesting conundrum for Jews because Jesus was clearly not the Father, who is purely spirit, but he is still able to do the things the Father does. It introduces the idea of distinct persons who are made of the same stuff and completely aligned in purpose.
2 Notice how Jesus overlooked the paralytic’s obvious physical need to address his deeper spiritual need. No doubt, the men who carried this paralytic man lying on a stretcher were focused on his physical issue. They knew he was a good guy and just wanted Jesus to heal the man’s legs. The scribes (3) who witnessed this, however, were almost certainly thinking that the paralysis was the result of sin, whether it was his parents’ sin or his own. Physical maladies were often attributed to the consequence of sin, resulting in ostracism and derision. By focusing first on the man’s spiritual condition, Jesus showed that physical maladies are not to be equated with spiritual maladies.
3 The scribes here accused Jesus of blaspheming because Jews understood that only God can forgive sins. By declaring the paralytic’s sins forgiven (2), then, Jesus was appropriating God’s exclusive power for himself. This was blasphemy of the highest order, and while Matthew records that they were speaking to themselves, one can imagine that what started out as an excited whisper was already rising quickly in pitch and volume as the scribes tripped over themselves to incite a mob and reaching for the stones to kill Jesus.
4-8 As the scribes’ commotion quickly escalated, Jesus addressed them directly, accusing them of thinking evil things in [their] hearts. This got their attention for an instant, but Jesus had only that long to change their minds.
Saying or doing something bold may open an opportunity, but you must be ready to seize upon it if it is going to have an evangelistic impact. Moreover, if you say or do something controversial, you must be prepared to back it up. Jesus backed up his controversial statement with a rhetorical question: Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Of course, was that it was easy enough to say either of these things. The difficulty is to actually accomplish it. There was no way Jesus could prove that his forgiveness was effective, but when the man got up and went home, he demonstrated two things. First, he was able and authorized to wield without consequences powers that only God can wield. Second, because physical and spiritual maladies were often conflated (see note on vss 1-8), the abilities to heal and forgive were intrinsically connected. That is, it indicated Jesus had the authority to forgive sins, too. Since Jesus had already demonstrated the ability to heal people, this is the authority the scribes awestruck and [giving] glory to God.
9-13 The introduction of Matthew sitting at the tax office presents an interesting paradox. From the parallel passages in Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-31, we learn that Matthew was also called Levi, a Jewish name. Thus, Matthew was a Jewish man employed by the Romans to collect taxes. This was not particularly unusual. Roman authorities often enlisted tax collectors from the native population because their knowledge of local people and customs made it difficult for them to be deceived.[174] In most of Rome, tax collectors were essentially contracted debt collectors, but in Palestine, these indigenous tax collectors functioned as local representatives of the Roman government. As such, they had two primary responsibilities. First, they were responsible for keeping public order.[175] This was less about enforcing civil laws than about preventing uprisings. Second, they were expected to meet a quota of tax revenue. Anything that they collected beyond the quota was theirs to keep as a commission. Therefore, tax collectors often resorted to extortion to increase their commission. Consequently, they were thoroughly despised by their neighbors as self-centered traitors.
The local tax office was generally located directly on a major trade route in order to collect tolls from commercial traffic passing through the area or near a common source of income so that workers could be taxed on their production. In Capernaum, the Via Maris was a major trade route roughly paralleling the Mediterranean coast and connecting Egypt with the Levant and Mesopotamia. It is likely that Matthew’s tax office stood on this route along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Such a location would allow Matthew to collect both tolls from commercial traffic and taxes from the fisherman as they returned from the lake with their catch.
9 Jesus’ invitation to Matthew was direct: Follow me. Matthew’s response was equally decisive: he got up and followed Jesus. The brevity of this exchange suggests Matthew was observing Jesus for some time. Given the probably location of his tax office, he doubtless saw Jesus coming and going with the crowds that were following him. He likely overheard some of what Jesus was teaching, and he was able to glean the rest by asking questions of those he saw in the crowd who later stopped to pay taxes. It would seem that Matthew was eager to follow Jesus, but because his obligation to the Romans and his neighbors’ disdain prevented him from doing so. When Jesus issued this direct, personal invitation, however, Matthew could no longer remain. Like Andrew, Peter, James, and John, months of observing Jesus finally culminated in a decisive resolve to leave behind the wealth and power of the tax office to follow Jesus wherever he went, regardless of his fellow followers’ disdain.
10-11 No doubt, Matthew expected to follow Jesus away from the tax office and his former way of life. That would happen, but not immediately. In fact, the house where Jesus was reclining at the table belonged to Matthew (Mark 2:15; Luke 8:29). This represented a serious breach of social protocol by Jesus. Jews did not associate with tax collectors. They and their houses were considered unclean. Therefore, anyone who entered would be unclean and therefore temporarily excluded from the synagogue and temple. Reclining at a tax collector’s table to eat and enjoy an evening in the company of many tax collectors was outrageous. Moreover, because they were ostracized, tax collectors often hung out with others who were ostracized: sinners. One must, therefore, hear the derision in the Pharisees’ question: Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? This was utterly scandalous!
12-13 Jesus’ response to the Pharisees should not be interpreted to mean that the Pharisees and others did not need the gospel. It was more a matter of receptivity. There are many people in this world who are gravely ill, but because they do not perceive the symptoms of their illness assume that they are healthy and therefore do not go to the doctor. Indeed, there are many who go to the doctor, are told they are sick, and yet decline to heed the doctor’s advice or prescription. No, Jesus’ response is more about receptivity. Those who recognize that they are sick and desperate for a cure earnestly seek out a doctor and implement the advice they receive. Likewise, those who recognize they are sinners and desperate for repentance eagerly seek out the Savior and receive the gospel, however challenging it may be, as good news. We should focus our evangelistic efforts on people who are receptive to the good news.
13 I desire mercy and not sacrifice is a quote from Hosea 6:6. The same concept can be found in multiple places throughout the Old Testament. For example, Psalm 51:16-17. The point is that God is not nearly as interested in the rituals and motions of religion as he is in the heart and life that aligns with his.
14-15 Fasting was a regular part of life for many Jews. Pharisees typically fasted at least one day each week, and John’s disciples apparently picked up a similar practice as they were looking forward to the one whose sandals John was not worthy to remove (Matthew 3:11). Jesus, however, compares the season when he was present on earth with a wedding and himself to the groom. The promises which were made by God to his people – namely, that he would send a savior to deliver them from the oppression of sin – were finally coming to fruition. Like all weddings, though, this moment was only temporary. After the wedding, the couple must build and live a life together, and so must we in the church. It is imperative to notice that Jesus assumed that, between his ascension and return, then they will fast. Fasting should therefore be a part of the Christian life. Indeed, Christians may fast for any number of reasons, but the primary reason should always be to see Christ’s kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Fasting is often closely associated with mourning. In fact, the loss of appetite is a natural part of grief and stress. By comparing his earthly ministry to a wedding, Jesus made clear that this was a moment for celebration. God’s kingdom was at hand! Fasting in that moment was inappropriate.
16-17 Pharisaism and even John’s teachings were still fundamentally Jewish. Therefore, they continued to utilize Jewish traditions such as fasting. Jesus, however, here pronounced that he came not just to tweak Judaism but “to offer an entirely new approach to God.”[176] No longer was God to be shrouded in smoke and veils as in the tabernacle and temple. Jesus walked among the people, and the Holy Spirit would eventually take up residence within his followers, providing them each with direct access to God. Therefore, it was appropriate to offer new traditions which were appropriate to this new paradigm.
When patching old clothing, using new cloth would only make things worse. When the patch was washed, it would shrink and pull away from the old garment. At best, this would result in a hole reappearing. At worst, it could further damage the original garment. Jesus represented a new patch between people and God. It was time to rethink the old garment of Judaism.
Wine was typically stored in bladders made of animal skins. Gases produced during the fermentation process caused the wine to expand, forcing the wineskin to stretch. Then, over time, the wineskin dried out, becoming stiff and losing its elasticity. Consequently, if one poured new wine into an old wineskin, the fermentation expansion which occurred during the fermentation process would case the skin to burst. Jesus’ point, again, is that he was bringing a fundamentally different approach to God, and that approach demanded new traditions.
18-26 In this account, Matthew highlights Jesus’ willingness to be interrupted. Twice in these verses, Jesus was in the middle of doing something with people when someone else approached and interrupted. In vs 18, he was telling them these things, referring to the conversation recorded in vss 14-17, when suddenly one of the leaders came. Then, in vss 19-20, as Jesus followed the leader in order to heal his dead daughter – an urgent mission if there ever was one – just then, a woman… approached from behind and touched the end of his robe. The language emphasizes the unplanned, unexpected nature of these interruptions. Yet, Jesus’ response in both cases was gracious. Rather than rebuking the leader for interrupted, he went with the man. And rather than ignoring the bleeding woman, he stopped the whole procession and pointed her out. Jesus valued people and their needs above his own schedule and agenda, and this produced a willingness to be interrupted. In fact, one could observe that much of his earthly ministry was comprised of unplanned, unexpected interruptions. This is not to say that he was not focused. Indeed, his ability to be focused on and moving toward a larger goal despite the interruptions is epic. Rather, it is to say that we should not be so focused that we miss the ministry opportunities the present themselves as interruptions.
18 In the parallel passages of Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-46, we learn that the leader who approached Jesus was named Jairus, and when he initially approached Jesus, his daughter was merely dying. That is, she was not yet dead when he left the house to find Jesus, but after Jesus paused to address the woman who was healed, someone arrived to announce she had died. Matthew truncates the account by reporting the daughter just died. In either case, this presents a profound urgency. Either Jesus must rush to be with the girl before she expires, or Jesus must rush to raise her before her soul leaves for Sheol. There is a clock.
20-21 Even though Matthew skips many of the details shared by Mark and Luke (see note on vs 18), these verses effectively reveal the woman’s desperation. She had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. That is, she had experienced menstrual bleeding for twelve years straight. The problem may not have been as acute as the dead girl Jesus was going to save (vss 18-19), but it was miserable nonetheless. It is tempting for modern readers to focus on the physical discomfort of having a period for more than a decade. This was not insignificant, but the real impact of this is found in Leviticus 15:19-27. There, the Mosaic law pronounced that a woman who was bleeding past her period will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation. Adding to this, any bed or furniture she touched was also unclean, and any person who came into contact with her was unclean until evening and had to wash his clothes and bathe with water himself. Consequently, most people avoided contact with her altogether.
22 Again, the parallel passages (see note on vs 18) ramp up the suspense by recording that Jesus stopped in the middle of the road and looked around for the person who touched him. Matthew records only that Jesus turned and saw her and spoke a few words to her. If Matthew is to be believed, the pause lasted only a matter of seconds, a couple of minutes at most. Yet, do not overlook the significance of this. When you are already on an urgent mission, it is tempting to think that even a few seconds is a nuisance. Yet, Jesus made the time to stop, turn, see the woman, and address her and her need. In light of the social ostracization she had experienced for a dozen years (see note on vss 20-21), this gesture must have had profound significance for the woman.
23-24 The presence of flute players and a crowd suggests professional mourners, which was a staple of ancient Jewish culture, especially among community leaders such as this. These people made their living going from one deathbed to the next. Therefore, they were eminently qualified to recognize death when they saw it. This is why they laughed at him. They knew the girl was dead, and Jesus’ suggestion that she was not dead but asleep was utterly preposterous.
It is tempting to think Jesus was either crazy or lying. He would have to be crazy to believe the dead girl was just sleeping. Alternatively, he could be hoping that a little lie saved him from unwanted publicity. Yet, it should be remembered that falling asleep was a common biblical euphemism for death. In fact, Jesus used this in John 11:11 when he described Lazarus as have fallen asleep, and Paul used the same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 4:14.
25 Notice the subtle act of faith. In verse 18, the leader knew his daughter was dead, but he appealed to Jesus nonetheless. Now, the family had called in the professional mourners because they knew the daughter was dead. Yet, he and the family put the crowd outside. They told them to leave because there would be no funeral today. So strong was their faith in Jesus, and it was rewarded when the girl got up. Our faith may not be rewarded so quickly, but may it be so strong!
26 Mark 5:43 and Luke 8:56 record that the girl’s parents were given strict orders to keep her healing a secret. No doubt, this was to avoid a sensationalized report that would only contribute to confusion regarding Jesus’ identity and mission. People would assume that, because Jesus could wield God’s power to do such miracles, he would wield God’s power to overthrow the Romans, install himself as king, and restore Israel to global political prominence. It is therefore interesting to note that news of this spread throughout that whole area. Even if the leader and his family remained quiet about the matter, the professional mourners would see the girl on the street and realize what happened. This was news that could not be contained. It is paradoxical, then, that we who are commissioned to tell everyone the good news about what Jesus did for us often fail to do so.
27 Again, Jesus is interrupted. See note on 9:18-26.
28 Notice that Jesus did not stop on the street to heal the men. Rather, he entered the house, where there was no crowd. Again, Jesus actively endeavored to avoid sensationalism (see note on 9:26).
28-29 These men present an interesting contrast to the man in Mark 9:24. There, the father of a boy possessed by a demon cried, I do believe; help my unbelief! In this case, though, the men exhibit no sign of doubt or unbelief. They do not hesitate or waffle in their response. Neither is there a hedging of their bets. Jesus is their only hope, and they are confident he can deliver.
30-31 Again, Jesus commands the formerly blind men to tell no one about what he did for them, but they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area anyway. See note on 9:26 for a possible explanation.
32-34 Once again, Matthew skips over extraneous details – namely, how Jesus drove out the demons – and skips straight to the point, which is found in the exchange between the crowds and the Pharisees. The crowds recognized that Jesus demonstrated unprecedented healing powers. They were beginning to connect the dots to realize that Jesus must have direct access to God’s power (i.e., he must be God incarnate), but the Pharisees squash their train of thought before it can even leave the station by asserting, He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons. When a similar claim was made in Matthew 12:22-32, Jesus pointed out the absurdity of the ruler of the demons driving out his own demons by telling about the kingdom divided. Here, though, Matthew’s intention was to show the genesis of the effort to discredit Jesus. The Pharisees could not reproduce the miracles Jesus was performing. Neither could they deny their reality. So they attempted to attribute them to something nefarious. This sort of ad hominem attack is very typical in the world today. Believers should not be surprised if their character is attacked because of the good things they are doing on God’s behalf.
35-38 Rather than recording every incident in every town, Matthew summarizes. The important thing here is that, over the next weeks and months, Jesus took his show on the road, doing exactly the same things he had been doing in Capernaum in all the towns and villages of the area. As he did, the crowds continued to grow, and Jesus felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Several things should be noticed here. First, compassion is not a sin or weakness. Second, sheep without a shepherd are desperate to find someone or something to lead them. They are therefore susceptible to deception and abuse, and there are many who would step forward to provide those things. Third, Jesus’ response to this situation remains as true today as it was in the first century: The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. The harvest has always been plentiful. The challenge has always been the shortage of people committed to living a holy life and doing the work of an evangelist. Those of us who follow Jesus must, therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest recognizing that (a) more Christians are needed to accomplish the mission and (b) we have plenty of work to do!
[174] Arnold 2011, Matthew 9:9-13
[175] (Arnold 2011, Matthew 9:9-13
[176] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 9:16