1And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
Jesus again crossed the Sea of Galilee and returned from the region of the Gergesenes to Capernaum, the place where he’d come to reside after leaving Nazareth (Matthew 4:12-13). Mark and Luke tell us that such a large crowd gathered to the house where Jesus was that the men bringing the man on the sickbed could not get him in. They resorted to making a hole in the roof to lower the sick man’s cot into the house (see Mark 2:4 and Luke 5:19).
Verse 2 says that Jesus saw their faith. Probably “their faith” means the faith of the four men carrying the one suffering from paralysis and the faith of the paralytic himself. Jesus’ words to the man lying on the sickbed may be surprising to us. He said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Some people might have said, “What the man needs is a way to walk!” But Jesus knew that the greatest need of every person is to have their sins forgiven. Every other problem, even physical paralysis, is lesser in comparison.
Luke tells us that on that day there were Pharisees and teachers of the Mosaic Law who had come from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem who were sitting and watching what was happening (Luke 5:17). In their minds, the Jewish scribes were accusing Jesus of blasphemy. Mark tells us what they were thinking; they were saying to themselves, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7) The Jewish scribes understood that Jesus was claiming the authority to forgive sins, a right that belongs to God alone.
4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
From the perspective of the unbelieving Jewish scribes, it was easy for Jesus to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” because there was no way that they could prove that what He said didn’t happen. But if Jesus said, “Arise, and walk,” then He would have to do a visible miracle. Since the scribes did not believe in Jesus’ deity, to them a visible miracle would be harder.
But really, if Jesus’ words are true, then nothing could be more difficult than for Him to say that someone’s sins are forgiven. Those words require that His lifeblood be shed to pay for that person’s sins. This is the same way that God forgave people throughout the Old Testament; He forgave them in anticipation of the death of Christ which would take place in the future.
6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Even though the Jewish scribes were wrong in their thoughts that Jesus had spoken blasphemy, Jesus did credit them with one legitimate question: Does the Messiah have authority on earth to forgive sins? That is, does the Son of God in His incarnation have the authority while still on earth to forgive sins?
Jesus told them that His healing of the paralytic would be proof to them that He did have that authority while He was on earth. Thus, Jesus also offered proof to them that He did not cease to be God while He was on earth.
7And he arose, and departed to his house. 8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
When Jesus said, “Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house,” the paralytic was immediately fully able to get up on his own and even carry his own bed out with him (see also Mark 2:12; Luke 5:25).
The response of the people watching was positive but still lacking in understanding. They marvelled at the miracle but failed to recognize who Jesus was.
9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Matthew was a tax collector for Rome, the occupying foreign power in Israel. The Jewish population in Israel considered people like Matthew to be traitors. We don’t know much about Matthew’s life before this point. He is called “Levi the son of Alphaeus” in Mark 2:14, and both names are used for him in the New Testament. Probably Matthew had previously heard about Jesus’ miracles and words and perhaps had witnessed these things himself because Matthew was ready to respond when Jesus called him. Luke tells us that Matthew left all, rose up, and followed him (Luke 5:28). We understand from the words “left all” that Matthew resigned from his work as a tax collector for Rome.
10And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
Luke records that Matthew prepared a great banquet for Jesus at Matthew’s own home (Luke 5:29). Probably Matthew wanted to personally introduce Jesus to his old tax collector friends. Many of these tax collectors and others came to Matthew’s banquet. But the Pharisees were watching all this happen and did not like it. After all, for a person to sit down at the same table with someone communicates acceptance. The Pharisees asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?” Their question itself was a good question, but the Pharisees didn’t really mean “Why?” They really meant, “He shouldn’t be doing this.”
12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In answer to the Pharisees’ “Why?” question, Jesus said, “I am the Doctor. Shouldn’t a doctor be with the sick?” By giving them that answer, Jesus also made clear that He was not condoning the actions of the tax collectors and sinners. Jesus said that they were sick.
Jesus pointed the Pharisees to the words of the prophet Hosea. In Hosea 6:6, God told Israel, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” The Hebrew word for “sacrifice” that Hosea used is only used for peace offerings in Leviticus 1-7, not for sin offerings. God was not saying that mercy can pay for sin. Rather, God said that He did not want a gift from anyone who did not value others as He does. When Jesus said this to the Pharisees, He was saying that God did not want their religious offerings until their heart was right. Specifically, God wanted the Pharisees to want the tax collectors and sinners to receive spiritual health. The Pharisees’ real problem was self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is not merciful because it has never recognized its own need for mercy.
Jesus then said, “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The first word here is “for.” Until the Pharisees understood about mercy, they would not understand why Jesus was doing what He was doing. The way that He the Physician healed people spiritually was by calling sinners to repentance. The Greek word for “repentance” means to change your mind. The tax collectors and sinners who came to the banquet that day were people who thought that a relationship with God was not as important as getting what they could get for themselves regardless of how they got it. They needed to change their minds.
Jesus did not say that He was born to call sinners to repentance. He said that’s why He came. He came from heaven where He was before He was born on earth. Jesus already existed before He came.
The self-righteousness of the Pharisees was a double problem for them. First, it kept them from showing mercy to others. Second, it kept them from receiving healing from Jesus in their own lives. As long as they thought they were righteous and healthy, His calling and healing were not for them. Jesus only calls sinners, and He only heals the sick.
Some Christians and churches today say, “We accept people just as they are.” They probably don’t want to be like the Pharisees, which is good. But in their desire to be accepting, some Christians and churches tell sinners that they’re not sick. That’s not mercy. That’s just leaving the person who is sick to die in their sickness. Mercy is to bring the sinner to the Physician the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and healing. But we must be sure that we’ve come to the Physician ourselves first.
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
This verse contains another “why?” question. The question in verse 11 was why did Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners. The question in verse 14 is why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast. It seems likely that the Pharisees had asked John’s disciples the second question just like they’d asked Jesus’ disciples the first question; then John’s disciples brought the question to Him.
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
In His answer to the earlier question Jesus said that He was the Physician and the tax collectors and sinners were His patients. In His answer to the second question Jesus says that He is the Bridegroom and His disciples are His attendants. He said that it would not be fitting for the attendants of the Bridegroom to fast while the Bridegroom was with them because that was not a time to mourn. But Jesus said that He would be taken away – apparently taken away before the wedding could take place. Then His disciples would fast.
From Jesus’ words in this verse we understand more about fasting. Fasting is for mourning. The Bridegroom was taken away when He was rejected by Israel, died at the cross, and ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection. Today fasting is appropriate for the church because we mourn the Bridegroom’s physical absence.
Jesus said that He was the Bridegroom and that His disciples were His attendants. So who was the bride? On one occasion John the Baptist was asked about the many people who had gone to follow Jesus instead of following John himself. John said, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled (John 3:29). John implied that the people who followed Jesus were His bride.
Jesus’ words in the coming verses will explain this more.
16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
In these verses Jesus moves from the metaphor of the wedding to one of new and old cloth and of new wine and old leather bottles. But He’s still answering the same question about fasting. And from these verses we can understand more about Jesus’ bride.
Jesus said that no one uses unshrunk cloth as a patch on an old garment because when the patch is washed and shrinks, it will tear away from the material of the old garment. Also, Jesus said that people don’t put fresh grape juice into old leather bottles. In those days fresh juice could be preserved only by fermentation. As fermentation takes place, carbon dioxide gas is released, which causes pressure to build up inside the container. An old wineskin container would break because of the pressure. Jesus said that fresh juice must be put into a new container.
What did Jesus mean? In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promised that He would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel. These verses from Jeremiah are quoted in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 8:8,10 say,
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people….
God said that He would change the people’s hearts and that their relationship with Him would be healed. He would do this by a new covenant. Verse 13 of Hebrews 8 says that if there is a New Covenant, then the previous covenant is now old. Thus, the old garment and the old wineskin Jesus spoke of in Matthew refer to the Old Covenant of Law. The new cloth and the new wine refer to the New Covenant which God had promised.
The New Covenant went into effect when Jesus died (Hebrews 9:15). Then, fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, He gave the Holy Spirit to regenerate the hearts of believers. The relationship between God and His people was healed. Believing Jews entered into a new relationship with God. Believing Gentiles were grafted into this tree of blessing (Romans 11:17). Together these believing Jews and Gentiles are the church, the bride of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13; II Corinthians 11:2). Jesus said that this New Covenant was not just a patch on the Law. He said that the New Covenant could not be contained by the Old Covenant of Law. Thus, He said that the legalistic fasting of the Pharisees did not fit with the New Covenant.
In the days of the Old Testament, God promised Israel, And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD (Hosea 2:19-20). God promised a day when His relationship with Israel would be healed and perfected like a marriage relationship. God also said, For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called….For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer (Isaiah 54:4,7-8). Hosea and Isaiah spoke of a day when the relationship between Israel and Yahweh would be renewed and perfected. That was made possible when the Redeemer Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant. The marriage relationship was perfected in a relationship with Yahweh the Son.
Jesus called Himself the Bridegroom, and He called His disciples His attendants. John the Baptist called himself “the friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). This tells us that the bride was not formed until Christ’s work of redemption took place. The bride of Christ is all those who have believed in Him since the blessings of the New Covenant began to be poured out at Pentecost and all who will yet believe in Him until the time of the future wedding (see John 14:3; I Thessalonians 4:16-17). Those who believe after the wedding will surely still have part in the God-people relationship but will not be part of the bride.
18While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
Mark tells us that this man who came to Jesus was one of the rulers of the synagogue and that his name was Jairus (Mark 5:22). Jairus is not said to be a priest but surely was a leader esteemed among the Jews. If we had been there that day, we probably would have seen him hurrying to get to Jesus and then struggling to explain the urgency he felt while still trying to catch his breath. Luke tells us that Jairus’ daughter was dying (Luke 8:42). Mark says that Jairus told Jesus that his daughter was lying at the point of death (Mark 5:23). Matthew records that Jairus said that his daughter “is even now dead.” It seems likely that Jairus said both things and maybe more in his desperation. Probably Jairus had seen his daughter slip into unconsciousness and had no hope of her recovery. His hopelessness makes his faith even more striking. Jairus said to Jesus, “but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.”
19And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Jesus responded to Jairus’ plea and followed him to go to his house. On the way He was thronged by a crowd of people (Mark 5:24; Luke 8:45). But out of the crowd a woman with a disease that had caused her to have a continual discharge of blood came and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Both the likeness and the difference between this woman and Jairus and his daughter are clear. The woman had been suffering from her disease for twelve years. Jairus’ daughter was dying at twelve years old. The woman was an unknown person who managed to break through the crowd to get to Jesus. According to the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 15:25), her issue of blood made her ceremonially unclean. In contrast, Jairus was a man held in esteem by the Jews and was a ruler of the synagogue. But the woman in the crowd and Jairus had one important thing in common: they both believed that Jesus could give them healing.
The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment was healed. And Jesus knew that she had done this in faith. He knew the difference between the thronging of the crowd around Him and the unseen touch by one person with faith. Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Jesus called her, “Daughter,” just as Jairus had come to plead for his daughter. Both daughters, one an unknown woman in the crowd and the other a young girl of prominent family, would receive the same care and healing from Jesus that day.
23And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Luke tells us that after Jesus spoke to the woman who’d touched the hem of His garment, someone came from Jairus’ home to tell Jairus that his daughter had died (Luke 8:49). When Jesus and Jairus and those with them got to the house, there was the sound of flute-players and others expressing distress over the girl’s death. Jesus told them all to leave and that the girl had not died but was sleeping.
Why did Jesus say that? Probably for two reasons. One, He knew what He was about to do. And second, He probably spoke to the people there according to their unbelief. Even the mourning of the mourners was apparently just a show because as soon as Jesus spoke, they stopped being upset and started laughing at Him. Proverbs 26:5 says, Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. The people in the crowd were neither genuine mourners nor people with genuine faith. Jesus gave them an explanation that fit their unbelief.
25But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
Jesus took the hand of the young girl, and she arose. Luke 8:55 says, And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. The daughter of Jairus had died but “her spirit came again.” Luke 8:53 says that the people had laughed, knowing that she was dead. Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from death back to life. The news of this miracle spread widely.
27And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 28And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
The two blind men that followed Jesus were crying out, “Thou son of David, have mercy on us!” Their cry acknowledged their need for Him to show compassion on them and also declared their belief that He would be the King of Israel that God had promised. Jesus allowed them to come into the home where He was and asked them one question: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” When they said, “Yes,” He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith be it unto you.” When Jesus asked the question He wasn’t unsure that they had faith, and when He touched their eyes He wasn’t unsure that they would be healed. Rather, His words were a lesson to these two men that God would bring blessing to them and to Israel by faith in Who Jesus was.
When Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, they became able to see. Jesus told them not to let anyone know what had happened. But they went and told everyone in that region. Jesus did not want to gather crowds of people who just wanted to witness a miracle or who would try to make Him a leader for their movement on their timetable with their agenda. He knew that He still had to be rejected and die at the cross. And He wanted only followers whose faith in Him was genuine.
32As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
After the two men who had been blind went out, a man who was mute because of the presence of a demon within him was brought to Jesus. Jesus cast out the demon, and the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. But the reaction of the Pharisees expresses the awful beginning of the end for old, unregenerate Israel. In contrast to the faith of the two blind men who addressed Jesus as “son of David,” the Pharisees said that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Satan. There is no worse rejection of Christ than that. And, the Pharisees will repeat these blasphemous words in chapter 12.
The two men who had never physically seen Jesus or His miracles believed in Him and received sight. The Pharisees, who had seen Jesus and His miracles and who prided themselves in their knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures rejected Him by choice. Even they did not try to deny that Jesus had done a miracle in the casting out of the demon. They just refused to receive Him as the awaited Messiah. The two blind men went away seeing. The Pharisees were confirmed in spiritual blindness by their own choice.
35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Jesus went through the region teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of heaven was near, and healing the diseases and illnesses of the people. He was moved with compassion for the people that He saw because they were troubled by predators and were not being looked after by their own spiritual leaders. They were like sheep that did not have a shepherd.
God spoke to the spiritual shepherds of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 34:2-6 God said,
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
The situation that Ezekiel wrote about was still present in Israel when Jesus came. The common people in Israel were like sheep that had no shepherd.
Then Jesus spoke of a harvest. He saw in these people a field to be harvested for God. In chapter 13 Jesus will speak of another harvest – a future harvest of judgment at the end of the age in which the reapers will be angels (Matthew 13:39). But the harvest He spoke of in chapter 9 is not a harvest of judgment. It is a harvest of compassion. In John 10, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (John 10:11). Jesus is the One who will faithfully protect His people from predators and look after them in their need. The harvest of compassion that He spoke of happens whenever a worker in the harvest brings someone to Jesus.
Jesus told His disciples to ask God to place workers in His harvest. As we will read in chapter 10, Jesus is about to send out the disciples themselves as harvesters in God’s field.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.