Bible Commentaries

V

The miracle of the call of Matthew to the Apostolate; the feast of the Lord with the publicans; twofold stumblingblock of the Pharisees and disciples of John: or, Christ’s gracious working despite the contradiction of legal piety.

Matthew 9:9-17 ( Mark 2:13-22; Luke 5:27-39)

9And as Jesus passed forth [on] from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom [custom-house]: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat [reclined at table] in the house, behold, many publicans⁴ and sinners came and sat down [reclined] with him and his disciples 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples,Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? 12But when Jesus⁵ heard that, he said unto them, They that be [are] whole need not a physician, but they that are sick 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.: for I am not come to call the righteous⁶, but sinners to repentance.⁷

14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft [often], but thy disciples fast not? 15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days⁸ will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast 16 No man putteth a piece [patch] of new [unwrought] cloth unto [on] an old garment;⁹ for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is madeworse 17 Neither do men put new wine into old [skin.] bottles: else the bottles break [the skins burst], and the wine runneth out, and the [skin.] bottles perish:¹⁰ but the, put new wine into new [skin.] bottles, and both are preserved [together].¹¹

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Matthew 9:9. On the identity between Matthew and Levi, comp. the Introduction; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27. Probably Matthew had already, at a former period, entered into closer relationship with the Lord.

Ἐπὶ τὸτε λώνιον.—The place where custom was levied, toll-house, custom-house, collector’s office. His way led Him past the receipt of custom (παράγων) .

Matthew 9:10. As Jesus sat, better: lay, or reclined, at table in the house—according to Eastern custom. It was the practice to recline on divans, resting upon the left arm. The house, which is here designated with the article, was, no doubt, that of the publican. Meyer maintains that it was the house of Jesus,¹² since we read in the former verse that Matthew followed Him, as if to follow the Lord meant to accompany Him across the street! Luke relates that the feast took place in the house of Levi (Matthew). We cannot see any difficulty, unless, like Fritzsche and Meyer, we were to take in its gross literality an expression which evidently means, that from that moment Matthew followed Christ as His disciple in the narrowest sense. De Wette correctly remarks that it is not likely that Christ ever gave dinner-parties.¹³

And sinners.—Meyer: Worthless persons generally (!). We should rather say, in general, those whom the Pharisees had excommunicated from the synagogues.

Matthew 9:12. The whole—the sick,—i. e, according to Matthew 9:13, the righteous and sinners. De Wette supposes that the former referred to persons who were really righteous in the Jewish and legal sense; while Meyer takes it ironically, as applying to their boasted righteousness. We would combine the two ideas. They imagined that they were righteous, regarding legal righteousness as sufficient before God. On the other hand, those who in the text are called sinners, were not merely such from the Jewish point of view, but felt themselves guilty when brought in contact with the righteousness of Christ. Most aptly, therefore, does Calvin designate this as an ironica concessio.

Matthew 9:13. I will have mercy.—I take pleasure, I desire. Hosea 6:6, after the Septuagint. The opinion of de Wette, that the term חֶסֶד, in Hosea, means piety, is ungrounded.—And not sacrifice. The comparison may be relative; but when mercy and sacrifice are placed in opposition to each other, it becomes absolute, because the sacrifice then loses all its value, and becomes an act of hypocrisy. The expression, πορευθεντες μάθετε, go and learn, answers to the rabbinical formula, צא וּלְמֹד. Schöttgen.

Matthew 9:14. The disciples of John, etc.—St. Luke represents the Pharisees as in this case also urging the objection, and Schleiermacher considers this the authentic version of the event. De Wette regards the narrative of Luke as a correction upon Matthew, and deems it improbable that the disciples of John should have come forward as here related. Meyer decides simply in favor of the account of Matthew. Luke may have represented the Pharisees as putting the question proposed by the disciples of John, because the latter shared many of the views of the Pharisees, and were in danger of going further in that direction, from their attachment to John and to his asceticism. These were the disciples of John who would not be guided by their master’s direction to the Lamb of God.

Matthew 9:15. The children of the bride-chamber, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμ φῶνος.—On the day of marriage, the bridegroom went, adorned and anointed, to the house of the bride, attended by his companions (מֵרֵעים, Judges 14:11), and led her, attended by her maidens, in festive procession, with music and dancing, at even, by torchlight, into the house of his father. The marriage feast, which was defrayed by the bridegroom, lasted seven days. (See the Bibl. Encyclops. sub Marriage.)

Mourn.—The Lord here indicates that fasting must be the result of πενθεῖν. The other Evangelists have νηστεύειν. “Fasting should be the expression of sorrow; not merely an outward exercise, but the expression of an inward state.” De Wette. The primary object of our Lord, therefore, was to show the impropriety of those fasts which had no proper motive, and hence were untrue. The present was the festive season for the disciples; and it was theirs to show this by their outward gladness. “The Roman Catholics infer from this verse, that, since the death of Christ, it is necessary to fast.” Heubner. If this were to be consistently carried out, we should have to fast the whole year round.

Matthew 9:16. No man putteth a patch of un-wrought [or unfulled] cloth.—Two similes taken from common life to illustrate the principles of the Divine economy. In both cases, it is not so much the unsuitableness of adding the new to the old which is brought out, as the folly of bringing together what is not only new, but fresh, with that which is not only old, but antiquated. Hence, in the first example, we have not only a piece of new cloth, but of raw and unwrought material, which will shrink. Accordingly, the piece inserted to fill it up (πλήρωηα) will make the rent worse by the strain upon the old cloth. Similarly, the new wine which is still fermenting, expands, and will thus burst the old skin bottles. The antagonism between the old and the new arises, therefore, not merely from the imperfectness of the old, but also from that of the new, which, however, from its inherent nature, must develop and expand. An arrangement of this kind were, therefore, not merely unsuitable, but even destructive,—making matters worse, instead of improving them. The result in both cases would be, that the old and the new would perish together. A careful examination shows that the two similes are intended to supplement each other. The first meets the case of the disciples of John, with whom the old was the principal consideration, and the new only secondary; i. e, they regarded Christianity merely as a reformation of the Old Covenant, as a piece of new cloth to fill up a rent in the old garment. The second simile applies more especially to the disciples of Jesus. Here, Christianity is the primary consideration (the new wine from the Vine of Israel), whilst the old forms of the theocracy were secondary. In both cases, the result is the same. But, besides its special lessons, the second simile is also intended to show how entirely false the view alluded to in the first simile was, that Christianity was only a piece of new cloth to mend the torn garment of the old theocracy.

Matthew 9:17. Bottles, or lit.: skins, ἀσκοί.—In the East, water, milk, wine, oil, and similar commodities, were, and are still, preserved and transported in leathern bottles, which were commonly made of the hides of goats, rarely of camels, and asses. The exterior of the skin, after having been suitably prepared, was generally used as the interior of the bottle. See the quotations of Heubner (p128) from Lucian and Aulus Gellius.¹⁴

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. It is important to study the external and internal connection between the call of the publican to the apostolate, and the commencement of open hostility to the gracious forgiveness of sins by Jesus on the part of the Pharisees. When they who had a historical claim upon the Gospel rejected its provisions, they were offered to those who had a spiritual claim upon the glad tidings, by being prepared and ready to receive them. Christ, the Saviour of sinners, reviled by the Pharisees, turns to the publicans, and calls one of their number to the apostolic office. Thus, at a later period, the hostility of the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem led to His entering a heathen country, when He passed into the territory of Tyre and Sidon, there to display His grace in the case of the Syrophenician woman, Matthew 15. In an analogous manner, also, the Lord interpreted the Old Testament narratives concerning Elijah and the heathen widow of Sarepta, and Elisha and Naaman the Syrian ( Luke 4:25, etc.). The conduct of Paul was precisely similar. When the Jews in their unbelief rejected the Gospel, he turned to the Gentiles ( Acts 13:46; Acts 18:6). Hence, while the conversion of the publican was a grand sign that the Lord now turned to the outcasts, the call of Matthew to the apostolate was a miracle of grace.

2. The quotation of Christ from the prophecies of Hosea, is generally adduced as expressing the contrast between the New Covenant and the degenerate form which the Old had assumed. Similarly, it may be applied to the contrast between Evangelical Protestant Christianity and the secularized mediæval Church. Nor are we, perhaps, mistaken in tracing a like difference between a devout and living piety and a fanatical orthodoxy, which too often contravenes the demands of the heart, and is radically opposed to Christian humanity.

3. Perhaps the circumstances in which John the Baptist was placed, may in part account for the gloomy disposition of his disciples. For some time past John had been in prison, and they looked to Jesus for help in this emergency; nor could they understand how, in the meantime, He could take part in festive entertainments.

4. It is significant, that even at that period the objections of the disciples of John were allied to those of the Pharisees. But there was this difference between them, that while the latter questioned the disciples, as if to turn them from their Master, the followers of John addressed themselves directly to the Master Himself. Even in their case, however, we miss that full παῤῥησία which should characterize the Christian. They do not venture to blame Christ openly. The Pharisees had questioned the disciples, “Why eateth your Master?” etc.; while the disciples of John ask the Master, “Why do Thy disciples fast not ?” Fanaticism assumes only the appearance of παῤῥησία, especially when, kindled by the sympathy of an excited majority, it is arrayed against a minority. Then those flaming declamations of self-satisfied eloquence burst forth, which the multitude regard as the voice of an archangel, while they are utterly opposed to that deep calm engendered by the Spirit of adoption, who inspires even a weak minority to speak with παῤῥησία. Finally, this occurrence seems to form the turning-point in history at which the later disciples of John separated from their teacher. The difference, which was afterward fully established, continues even to this day.

5. The reply of the Lord to the disciples of John contains a canon perpetually binding, in respect of the relation between form and substance. The principles itself has never been sufficiently appreciated. Even Master Philip [Melanchthon] seemed always prone to put the new wine of Gospel truth into the old bottles. The same attempt was made at a later period by the Jansenists, and gave rise to the tragic history of the Port Royal. In our own days, also, some seem still to be of opinion that the unwrought cloth may be put upon the old garment, and the new wine be preserved in decaying bottles. “The warning of Christ applies to all times, that the life of His Church is not to be surrendered by forcing it into antiquated forms. But it also implies that genuine Christian forms should be preserved, along with the truth which they convey.”

6. “The reply of Jesus to His disciples appears the more striking, when we remember the last testimony of the Baptist concerning Him.” He that has the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice ( John 3:29). Jesus seems only to continue and to follow up the speech of their master when He replied to John’s disciples: “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn and fast, so long as the bridegroom is with them?” Lastly, the Lord here points forward to His future sufferings and death as a period for inward fasting. This fasting, which is to succeed the sufferings and death of Christ, consists in a complete renunciation of the world.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Jesus goes to all classes, into all streets, and to all men.—The greatness of Divine grace, which can make of a publican an Apostle1. According to Jewish traditionalism, the publican was an excommunicated person; but he is now called to assist in founding the communion of Christ2. He was an apostate from the people of God, but called to become one of the pillars of the Church of God3. An instrument of oppression, but becomes an instrument of glorious liberty4. A stumblingblock and a byeword, but becomes a burning and a shining light.—Grace is not stopped by any customhouse, and pays no toll.—High call of the Lord to the publican, and great faith of the publican in the Lord.—Matthew the Apostle relates, to the glory of God, that he had formerly been a publican.—The publican and the Apostle.—The Divine call must determine us to relinquish an ambiguous occupation.—Strange circumstance, that the Lord and His disciples should sit down at meat with publicans and sinners1. How can this be? Because the Lord does not conform to the publicans and sinners, but they to Him. He not only continues the Master, but becomes theirs2. What does it convey to our minds? Infinite compassion, manifesting itself in full self-surrender, despite difficulties and objections.—Christ and His disciples are still at meat with publicans and sinners.—When the Pharisees saw it, they said, Why? How this question has ever since been reiterated in the history of the Eucharist (Novatianism; refusal of the cup; Eucharistic Controversy).—The reply of Jesus, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick:” 1. A calm exposition: they that are whole are really whole, and they that are sick, really sick, in the legal sense2. A solemn warning: they that are whole are sick unto death, because they deem themselves whole; while a sense of their spiritual sickness renders the others capable of life3. A decisive judgment: salvation is for sinners who feet their need, not for the self-righteous.—Eternal import of the saying, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” 1. Rather mercy than sacrifice, if the two be put in comparison; 2. only mercy and not sacrifice, if the two are put in antagonism; 3. mercy exclusively, to the rejection of sacrifice, if the one is set up in contradiction to the other.—Mercy the most acceptable and holy sacrifice.—Sacrifices, to the exclusion of mercy, not offerings, but robbery.—Sad conflict between mercy and sacrifice, throughout the course of history.—Lessons derived from the declaration of Jesus, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance:” 1. Character and prospects of the sinners who listen to the call of Jesus2. Character of the religion which ignores Christ and His pardon.—Inquiry of the disciples of John, or characteristics of the legalist: 1. He would give laws to others as well as to himself; 2. he would give laws without heeding the requirements of the case; 3. he is ready to take the part of the worst legalism (“we and the Pharisees”), and to assail with his puny objections the holiest liberty (“but Thy disciples fast not”).—Arrogance of legalism: 1. The disciples of the Baptist assume the place of being the masters of the Lord; 2. they venture to censure Him according to the traditions of their school; 3. they adduce the Pharisees as authorities against Christ Himself.—The bridal and the mourning season of the disciples: 1. Wherein each consists; 2. the appropriate manifestation of each.—It is one of the first principles of true Christianity, that every outward manifestation must proceed from an inward state.—The Christian life a continuous marriage feast, which may be interrupted, but is not broken up, by the sufferings of this present world.—Christ the Bridegroom of the Church: 1. As such He came at first; 2. as such He went away; 3. as such He will return.—Sad mistakes in the kingdom of God, which can only entail harm: 1. To mend that which is antiquated by putting on it a piece of new cloth; 2. by forcing the new life into antiquated forms. Or, 1. To garnish legalism with the gospel; 2. to force the gospel into the forms of legalism.—All attempts at patching unavailing.—The law and the gospel cannot be mixed up: 1. Because the gospel is infinitely more strict than the law (the unwrought piece shrinks); 2. because it is infinitely more free than the law (the new wine bursts the mouldering bottles).—Hierarchism might learn many a lesson from those who patch, and from those who cultivate the vine.—The sentence of Christ upon ecclesiastical questions: 1. New cloth, a new garment; 2. new wine, new bottles.—The true principles of genuine ecclesiastical conservatism.—Above all, we must aim to preserve, 1. the life along with the forms; and then, 2. the forms with the life.—Consequences of false conservatism in the Church: 1. These attempts at tailoring in spiritual matters are opposed even to common sense and everyday practice2. The old forms are destroyed by the new life, and the new life by the old forms3. The work of destruction is continued while they clamor against destruction, until the new and the old are finally separated.—How the Lord prepares the wed ding garment and the new wine for the kingdom of God.—The threefold mark of the new life: 1. It assumes a definite outward form; 2. it cannot continue in the false and antiquated forms; 3. it must create for itself corresponding forms.

Starke:—Christ is not ashamed of the greatest sinners.—Osiander:—It is easier to convert open sinners than hypocrites. This is more difficult than to break through a mountain of iron.—Christ the highest Physician.—Difference in ecclesiastical usages is not incompatible with unity in the faith.—Zeisius:—Constraint and Christian liberty cannot well be combined.

Gerlach:—Marginal note of Luther: There are two kinds of suffering,—the one of our own choosing, such as the rules of the monks, just as the priests of Baal cut themselves ( 1 Kings 18:28). The world, the Pharisees, and the followers of John regard such sufferings as a great matter, but God despises it. The other kind of suffering is sent us by the Lord; and willingly to bear this cross, is right and well-pleasing in the sight of God. Hence Christ says that His disciples fast not because the Bridegroom is with them: i. e, since God had not sent them sufferings, and Christ was still with them to protect them, they neither sought nor invented sorrow for themselves, for such were without value before God; but when He was taken from them, they both fasted and suffered.

Heubner:—Compassion and love toward sinners is the sacrifice most acceptable to God—of far greater value than the most pompous worship.—Christianity is opposed to all slavish discipline.—The doctrine of Jesus cannot be combined with the old traditions of Pharisaism. This were only miserable patch-work.

Footnotes

VI

The woman with an issue of blood, and the dead maiden; or, the twofold miracle.—Miraculous working of the Lord in the face of despair and death

Matthew 9:18-26

(The Gospel for the 24th Sunday after Trinity.—Parallels: Mark 5:22-43; Luke 8:41-56.)

18While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain [there came in a]¹⁵ ruler [of the synagogue], and worshipped him, saying,¹⁶ My daughter is even now dead [has just now died]: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19, And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples 20 And, behold, a woman, which [who] was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem¹⁷ of his garment: 21For she said within herself, If I may but touch hisgarment, I shall be whole 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her,¹⁸ he said, Daughter, be of good comfort [cheer];¹⁹ thy faith hath made thee whole. Andthe woman was made whole from that hour 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels [pipers, flute-players, αὐλητάς] and the people [crowd]²⁰ making a noise, 24He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn [laughed at him]. 25But when the people [crowd]6 were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose 26 And the fame hereof [this fame, ἡ φήμη αὕτη] went abroad into all that land.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Matthew 9:18. Ruler, ἄρχων.—The president of a synagogue. His name was Jairus, see Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41; ἀρχισυναγωγός רֹאשׂ הַכְּנֶסֶת. Every synagogue had its president, who superintended and directed the services. The ruler of a synagogue was at the same time president of its college of elders. See Vitringa: Archisynagog, Franek, 1685.—Jairus was president of a synagogue at Capernaum.

The reading εἰσελθών, in Matthew 9:18, is not only best attested, but most suitable. The arrival of the ruler of the synagogue interrupted the conversation of the Lord with the Pharisees and the disciples of John, which took place during or after the meal in the house of the publican. It thus happened, that Jesus could prove to these objectors that He was able and willing to rise from the feast and to sympathize with the deepest suffering, nay, to enter the valley of death itself. This constituted both the fasting of Jesus and His mission to relieve the sick. The description of the conduct of Jairus is exceedingly vivid. His first appeal consists in falling down at the feet of Jesus, which he then explains by a few urgent words of entreaty, leading him at once into the midst of his domestic affliction. Accordingly, the Lord first calmed the excitement of the father by proceeding leisurely. In the circumstances, it was quite in accordance with His purpose that the woman afflicted with an issue of blood should have stopped Him by the way. This delay would serve both to try and to strengthen the faith of Jairus.

My daughter has just now died, ἄρτι [in this moment, opposed to πάλαι] ἐτελεύτησεν.—Meyer supposes that there is a difference between this account and those of Mark and Luke. But the latter has καὶ αὕτη ἀπέθνησκεν, which agrees with Matthew. According to these two accounts, the ἐσχάτως ἔχει of Mark must be explained. Jairus left his daughter dying, and hence might express himself either in this way, She was (when I went away) at the point of death, or else, She hat just dicd. The circumstances of the case account sufficiently for the difference in the narrative. (So Chrysostom, Theophylact, Grotius, Wolf, etc.).

Matthew 9:20. An issue of blood.—It is not necessary to enter into details as to the peculiar malady with which the poor woman was afflicted. “The long continuance of this disease not only endangered her general health, but was a direct cause of divorce, and rendered it necessary for her to avoid every public assembly.” Von Ammon. According to the law, it rendered unclean, Leviticus 15:19 sqq.

Came behind Him.—A sign of hopelessness. The rapid movements of the Lord, and the peculiar character of her disease, would lead her to come in this way—ashamed, as it were, and timorous. All the greater appears the faith of this woman: she takes hold of the fringes upon the border of Christ’s garment, in the conviction that she would thereby be restored. The Hebrews wore four fringes (zizith) on the four borders of their garments, in accordance with the commandment in Numbers 15:38.

Matthew 9:22. Jesus turned Himself about.—The other Evangelists report the event more fully. The Lord asks who had touched Him. The woman then comes forward, makes confession, and is dismissed with a word of comfort. Matthew gives a more brief account, satisfied to state the great fact, that this poor hopeless woman by her faith obtained recovery from the Lord, while He was hastening to the bedside of the daughter of Jairus. In this instance, her faith is extolled as the medium of her recovery, though it almost seems to stand in direct contrast to that of the palsied man, whose earnestness and energy overcame every obstacle. We might compare the one to a robber, and the other to a thief; but the difference is only in form,—their faith was the same, both in its strength and decision. Although the woman had obtained recovery by her quiet and retiring faith, yet the Lord constrained her to make public confession, partly to seal her faith and to strengthen her recovery, and partly to present her to the world as healed and clean. In ecclesiastical legend she bears the name of St. Veronica, and is said (Euseb. Matthew 7:18, and the Gospel of Nicodemus, ed. Thilo, p561) to have erected to her Deliverer a brass monument in front of her home at Paneas, by the sources of Jordan. But Dr. Robinson (New Bibl. Researches in Palestine) thinks it probable that the statue was erected in honor of some Roman emperor.—Owing to this delay by the way, a message could reach Jairus, that his daughter was now dead.

Matthew 9:23. The minstrels.—The appearance of these minstrels indicated that the preparations for the funeral ceremonies had commenced. (Comp. the corresponding articles in the Encyclops, Winer sub v. Trauer, Lightfoot ad loc, etc.)

Matthew 9:24. The maid is not dead.—The idea of a trance (Paulus, Schleiermacher, Olshausen) is entirely opposed to the spirit of the text. The words of Jesus are evidently metaphorical, and intended, on the one hand, to present death under a higher than the common aspect (see also the history of Lazarus), and on the other, to prepare for the raising of the maiden. The Lord first requested the hired mourners to leave the room; and then, when they laughed Him to scorn, He expelled them. Evidently those around Jairus shared not his faith,—a circumstance which we infer even from the messages brought him by the way (as recorded in Mark and Luke). All the greater was the faith of Jairus, and especially the miracle of the Lord.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. We notice a gradual progression even in the miracles of raising the dead. The maid upon her death-bed,—the youth on the bier,—the man (Lazarus) in the grave. The same progression may also be traced in the doctrine of the resurrection: First, the Lord; then the first resurrection of believers; and in the end the general resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15 Similarly, these instances of awakening from the dead may be regarded as an earnest of the coming resurrection. By His eternal power, Christ first recalled from death to this mortal life, and then to eternal life.

2. We behold the glory and majesty of the Lord, in that, on the way to the house of Jairus, He displayed no trace of excitement, but that in calm consciousness He is ready to receive any impression from without. Of this we have clear evidence, when, in the midst of the excited crowd, He perceives that one in the agony of faith has touched the fringe of His garment; and when He stops to comfort and confirm the trembling believer, whom His power and grace had restored.

3. The maid was not in a trance; she was dead. But she had died in the anticipation of help, and awaiting the return of her father. Such is the internal connection between the miraculous interposition of Christ, and her who was its subject. A similar connection appears in all the miracles of Christ, and especially in the raising of Lazarus.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

It is proof of a holy feast, and of holy joy, when we can immediately leave for the house of mourning.—We learn from Jairus, how parental affection may stimulate and strengthen faith and piety.—The disciples of the Pharisees and of John fast; they object and judge; but they cannot bring help to the weary, nor comfort to the afflicted.—The ruler of the synagogue must go to the house of the publican to find the Lord.—How felt need may drive many persons to the Lord, whom in ordinary circumstances obstacles around would have prevented from coming.—From an uncongenial controversy, the Lord forthwith proceeds to a conflict with death, the king of terrors.—To live in the Spirit, is to be always ready.—How the Lord can convert even interruptions into active duty, and an occasion for dispensing blessings.—Jesus, the Saviour of those also who are beyond human hope.—The Saviour of poor diseased woman.—These miracles prove that Christ was about to awaken the dead.—Jesus notices even that faith which is unperceived by men, and only finds utterance in sighs.—He blesses and strengthens retiring faith, so that it breaks forth into open profession.—“Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.”—Why Christ ascribes to faith the deliverance which He alone works: 1. Because faith alone can receive the deliverance of Christ; 2. because Christ is present in our faith, and works it; 3. because He would convert the act of faith into a life of faith.—“The maid is not dead, but sleepeth:” 1. She sleepeth according to her disease in this life; 2. under the eye of her God and Saviour; 3. till the hour when she shall be raised.—Death and sleep: 1. Sleep is a kind of death; 2. death is also a kind of sleep.—Greatness of the moment when Jesus declared that death was but sleep.—Opposition between the old mourning for the dead and the new life of the Lord.—Comparison between Jewish and Christian mourning: 1. Wherein they agree; 2. wherein they differ.—What is implied in the mysterious silence which the Lord enjoins before the performance of the miracle?—Jesus delivering from the lowest depths,—1. All who believe on Him, or wait for Him; 2. from the depth of guilt, of misery, of death, and of judgment.—The fame of Christ, as awakening the dead, going forth into all the world: 1. The preparation for Easter; 2. Easter itself: 3. the echo of Easter throughout Christendom; 4. the harbinger of the day of judgment, which shall usher in the eternal Easter.

Starke:—Zeisius: Woman, who has brought sin and misery into our world, should be distinguished, both inwardly and outwardly, by great humility, 1 Timothy 2:14; 1 Peter 3:3.—The Lord oftentimes delays long, but He always comes at the right moment, Psalm 22:2; Habakkuk 2:3.—God sometimes deprives us of all outward means, or renders them insufficient, in order to bring us to Himself.—When our faith has saved us, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost succeed.— 2 Corinthians 5:4; 1 Timothy 6:7; 2 Peter 1:14.—Zeisius: Leave the pomp and vanity of the world, if you would see the miracles and the glory of God and of Christ; for, in order to perceive them, you require quietness of soul, Psalm 62:2; Isaiah 30:15.—Cramer: Those who scorn the Lord and His benefits, are not deemed worthy to witness His miracles, Isaiah 33:1.—The fame of Christ spreads through the whole land, and it is vain to attempt suppressing the Gospel.

Gossner:—For Christ death is not death, but only a peaceful slumber.

Lisco:—Full of reverence for Jesus and of womanly modesty, and feeling herself unclean in the eye of the law, she seeks, in the fulness of her faith, help in secret.—In prayer we also touch the Lord, who, though invisible, is near to us.—Jesus, our Deliverer from sorrow and death.

Heubner:—Those who are in the higher ranks of life (the ruler of the synagogue) should not be ashamed to seek the help of Christianity.—He worshipped Him. The deeper our humiliation, the higher the aspirations of the soul.—What consolation does Christianity offer to parents on the loss of beloved children?—Christ still takes us by the hand.—And Jesus arose. This teaches His disciples that they should spare no trouble to help men and to save souls.—The woman a picture of modesty and humility.—Press through any obstacle that may intervene between Christ and thee.—Faith renders the weakest means effective.—Those who are most timid and shrinking, are oftentimes most gracious and near to Christ.—The scorn of worldly men need not disturb the faithful servant of God.—With His living hand did He take hold of the dead hand.—How we may rightly touch Jesus.—The certitude of Jesus, and of the believing soul.—Personal and domestic suffering leading us to Jesus.

Bretschneider:—The laughter of unbelief about the hope of immortality.—Theremin (in Zimmermann’s Collection, ii, 1827):—How sorrow and suffering abound on earth, but how the Lord is able to deliver from all suffering.—Rambach (Entwürfe, 1831):—Weep not for the dead.—Niemann (Sermons, p355):—Believing remembrance of those who have gone before, a rich blessing, as teaching us,—1. To love more purely; 2. to contend more faithfully; 3. to pray more penitently; 4. to die more joyfully.—Eylert:—Death under the picture of sleep.—Reinhard:—On the calmness with which Christians should Acts, even when surrounded by an excited multitude.—On the fact, that the conduct of true Christians frequently appears ridiculous to the men of the world.—Grüneisen:—The perfectness of the human life of the Redeemer.—Kraussold:—The dear cross: 1. It comes from the Lord; 2. it leads to the Lord; 3. it is blessed by the Lord.—C. Beck:—The power of faith: 1. Excited by affliction; 2. strong in confidence; 3. blessed in what it receives.—Bachmann:—Jesus Christ the true helper in every need.

Footnotes

VII

The cure of the blind men and of the dumb demoniac: or, the fame and the defamation of the defamation of the miracles of Jesus. The healing agency of the Lord, the earnest of coming salvation, in view of the hardening and the blasphemy of His enemies.

Matthew 9:27-34

27And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.²¹ 28And when he was [had] come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able todo this? They said [say, λέγουσιν] unto him, Yea, Lord 29 Then touched he their eyes,saying, According to your faith be it unto you 30 And their eyes were opened; andJesus straitly charged [threatened]²² them, saying, See that no man know it²³ 31But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32As they went out,²⁴ behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with adevil.²⁵ 33And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled,saying, It [he] was never so seen in Israel 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

General Remarks.—These two miracles are recorded by Matthew alone. They are here related, partly because they formed the close of a glorious day, and partly because in them the power of Christ appears in a new light. The distinguishing feature in the case of the two blind persons consisted in their invoking Jesus as the Son of David, or the Messiah; so that their supplication almost amounted to a distinct Christian profession. The opposite characteristic marked the case of the dumb demoniac, who was not dumb from any organic defect, but rendered such by the evil spirit of whom he was possessed. He was a demoniac without appearing to be such, since his condition remained concealed under a dumbness which originated either in unconquerable melancholy, or in malicious stubbornness. The dumb person was prevented by the demon from speaking, and the omniscience of the Saviour appeared in His immediately recognizing the source of the evil. The miracle was in so far extraordinary, as its only basis was the faith of those who brought the demoniac to the Lord; while, at the same time, the malice and blasphemy of the Pharisees served to confirm the power of the evil one over his victim. Thus the first of these miracles was, so to speak, enacted on the threshold of the kingdom of heaven; the second, at the gate of hell.

Matthew 9:27. Two blind men.—Blindness is a very common affliction in the East, especially in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine. It was caused by the strong reflection of light, by lightning, dust, hot days, cold nights, frequent sleeping in the open air, etc. The persons here spoken of were not blind by nature, but by disease. In John 9 the contrary was the case, and is so expressly stated.

Son of David.—The designation of the Messiah. See Matthew 12:23; Matthew 15:22; Matthew 20:30-31; Matthew 21:9; Matthew 21:15; Matthew 22:41-45.

Matthew 9:28. Into the house;—i.e, His dwelling at Capernaum. The circumstance, that the blind men followed Him thither, seems itself miraculous. They found their way in the train of Christ, as if some glimmer of light had already been granted. Similarly, the persistence with which they openly ascribed to the Lord a Messianic title which He had not yet publicly assumed, was a signal manifestation of their faith. They were not healed by the way, partly because Jesus would try their faith, and partly because as yet He would not in public reply to the address of Messiah.

[According to your faith be it done to you.—An important word, which shows the relation of man’s faith to God’s grace. Faith is the hand which takes what God offers, the spiritual organ of appropriation, the ὄργανον ληπτικόν, the connecting link between emptiness and God’s fulness. “It is the bucket let down into the fountain of God’s grace, without which the man could not draw up out of that fountain; the purse, which does not itself make its owner rich, but which yet effectually enriches him by the treasure which it contains.”—P. S.]

Matthew 9:30. Their eyes were opened,—i.e, they received their sight. A common Hebrew expression, as in 2 Kings 6:17; Isaiah 35:5, etc.

Straitly [sternly] charged [threatened] them.—Properly, He threatened them, full of indignation, ἐνεβριμήσατο. They had already publicly invoked Him as the Son of David, and He had holpen them. Accordingly, they would be still more prone to proclaim Him as Messiah, which might have led the people of Galilee into rebellion against their temporal rulers, and to a carnal movement, which was quite contrary to the purposes of Jesus. Hence the Lord now threatened them with all earnestness, although without succeeding in imposing silence upon hem. In all probability the fame of this miracle spread far beyond Capernaum. Hence the title, Son of David, became now generally known, and Jesus felt all the more inclined soon to leave the district.²⁶

Matthew 9:33. It [He] was never so seen, οὐδέ ποτ εἐφάνηοὕ τως.—Meyer: It, i.e, the expulsion of demons. Rettig, Fritzsche: He has never so appeared or shown Himself. (The common explanation is, that οὕτως stands for τοῦτο or τοιοῦτό τι, against which, see Meyer.) If it were necessary to limit the word it to that one peculiar kind of expelling demons, we should feel constrained to adopt the explanation proposed by Rettig and Fritzsche. But this does not seem requisite in view of the emphatic meaning attaching to the word ἐφἀνη. The Jews would necessarily connect the idea of appearing with the appearance of the Messiah. Hence the expression would imply: never before has the appearance (of the promised deliverance) been so fully realized. This also throws light on the expression, in Israel, which evidently implies that this had been the brightest Messianic appearance as yet vouchsafed to the theocracy. Perhaps the statement was intentionally couched in indefinite language from fear of the powerful party of Christ’s enemies.

Matthew 9:34. Through the prince of the devils, ἐντῷ ἄρχοντ ι, κ.τ.λ.—Afterward he is designated more particularly in Matthew 12:24. The particle ἐν indicates intimate connection and fellowship. He is in league with Satan and his power, to which the lower demons are subject. As mention is not made of any reply by the Lord, we conclude that on this occasion the Pharisees had uttered the sentiment behind the Lord, but in the presence of those who acknowledged His power.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. This is the first instance in which the Lord performed a miracle when invoked in His character as the Messiah. The expressions employed in the text are very remarkable. Jesus first asks, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?”—not, that I am the Messiah; and then adds, According to your faith be it unto you! But on this very account He insisted the more earnestly that the secret should be kept. He could not, indeed, prevent that the cure of the blind men should openly appear, nor that they should ascribe it to His power. But He sought to prevent their publishing in what name and character He had performed it. The patent secret of His dignity was now bursting forth with increasing clearness. Hence also the reviling and the blasphemy of His enemies.

2. The healing of the dumb demoniac affords a glimpse into a class of sufferings which are apparently physical and organic, but whose seat is really in the soul. The Spirit of Christ alone was able to light up this darkness, and thus to remove their affliction.

3. The blasphemy of the Pharisees gradually develops: 1. They blaspheme in their own minds; 2. then behind the Lord; 3. at last they venture openly to confront Him with their daring charge.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

How the two blind persons represent to us the work of evangelists. I. They resemble evangelists,—a. in that they openly invoke the Lord as Messiah; b. in that, in their blindness, they follow in His train to the house; c. in that they have faith and constancy, are tried and approved; d. in that they obtain help on making confession of faith. II. They differ from evangelists in wanting full obedience; and although their joy may plead their excuse, yet their spiritual sight was evidently still weak, though their bodily sight had been restored them.—Christ appearing as the Master in the carefulness of His dealings with sinners.—The light of the eye: I. a natural gift of God; II. a miraculous gift of the Lord; III. a symbol of the spiritual gift of God.—They brought to Him. Persons in such a state of depression must be brought to the Lord by their believing friends.—How the Master immediately descries the secret evil under which the demoniac labored.—If there be but a spark of faith, the Lord can remove the most desperate case of spiritual bondage.—Let us never lose sight even of those who suffer under melancholy and obstinate self-seclusion.—The highest achievements of faith always evoke the greatest revilings of unbelief.—It is a mark of the spirit of Satan to decry what the Lord achieves as the work of Satan.—There is always some patent self-contradiction about blasphemies.—The triumphs of the Lord in view of His enemies: the first manifestation of heaven and hell upon earth.—Christ lifting the veil of revelation in a twofold manner: by healing the blind in His character as Messiah; and the dumb, by unmasking and overcoming the demon who caused his disease.—At the threshold of Christ’s abode, precipitate evangelists and dumb demoniacs may meet.—Christ between precipitate professors and the obstinately dumb1. He bids the former be silent, and the latter speak; 2. He is obeyed by the latter, rather than by the former.—Christ healing us by removing our morbid sensations; more especially, a. excitement, in its imaginary heights; b. depression, in its dark depths.—The miracles of grace extend from the gates of heaven to those of hell.—Demoniac sins which we consciously commit, such as blasphemy, are infinitely more dangerous than demoniac sufferings, when we are deprived of liberty.—Christ first removes the storm at sea, and, last of all, the dark intricacies of settled melancholy.

Starke:—Faith of the heart and confession of the mouth always go hand in hand, Romans 10:9-10.—True faith is not deterred by delays.—According to thy faith shall it be unto thee.—Envy and reviling are not far removed from each other, 2 Corinthians 12:20.

Gerlach:—Christ Himself teaches us ( John 9:39) to regard the healing of the blind as an emblem of inward illumination, or of the conversion of the heart.

Heubner:—One deliverance after another.—One work of love leads to another.—Believe ye?—a question always addressed by the Lord to us when we seek help.—The deaf and dumb, the picture of a sinner whom the evil spirit within suffers not to confess his misery, or to pray.—Should we be moved by the judgment of schools, or parties, in opposition to true religion, when Jesus Himself experienced such contradiction from the learned?

Footnotes

VIII

Triumph of Christ over the reviling of the Pharisees. Royal preparation for the mission of the Apostles. The power of Christ unfolding in all its fulness, as also the misery of the people. The one Helper about to manifest Himself by many helpers.

Matthew 9:35-38

35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel [good news] of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and everydisease [weakness, infirmity, μαλακίαν] among the people.²⁷ 36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted [were harassed²⁸],and were scattered abroad [abandoned], as sheep having no shepherd 37 Then saith he unto [to] his disciples, The harvest truly [indeed] is plenteous [great, πολύς],²⁹ but the labourers are few; 38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

The general narrative given in the text serves as introduction to the following section, which describes the mission of the Apostles. At the same time, it also forms the conclusion of the preceding narrative. As the Lord unfolds His power, the misery and need of the people increasingly appear; He stretches forth His arms and raises up the Twelve Apostles, to carry on the work, and to spread its blessings. Thus His prophetic merges in His royal work.

Matthew 9:35. And Jesus went about.—From the parallel passages we gather that Jesus now travelled along the lake, through the cities and villages of Galilee. It is but natural that the popular misery should then unfold to His view in all its fulness. Accordingly, we distinguish three missionary journeys of Jesus in Galilee1. To the Mount of Beatitudes; 2. across the sea; 3. through the valley, along the shore, in the direction of Jerusalem. It is to the latter that the text refers.

Matthew 9:36. They were ἐσκυλμὲνοι.—Explanations: 1. The common reading, ἐκλελυμένοι, faint, tired. So some. a. With reference to the people, who had travelled a considerable distance and were faint (Fritzsche). b. In a figurative sense, a flock without a shepherd, and hence tired by going astray (Kuinoel).—2. According to the meaning of σκύλλειν, to tear, to plague. a. Bretschneider: torn by wolves. b. De Wette: plagued by hunger, by cold, by ravening beasts, etc. c. Meyer and the Vulgate: vexati. But the first point to be ascertained is, whether the term refers to the difficulties of a flock without a shepherd, or to positive sufferings which it had to undergo. As the latter is evidently conveyed by the verb, we explain it as meaning afflicted, beaten down, and scattered by thorns, by anxiety, by ravenous beasts, and plagues of every sort.—Ἐῤῥιμμένοι (ῥίπτειν, to cast down, to stretch down), not scattered (Beza, Luther, Authorized Version), but cast down, beaten down by flight or by weariness (Kypke, de Wette); or stretched down as sheep that are worn out (Meyer).

Matthew 9:37. The harvest is great (occurs in Luke 10:2, at the sending forth of the seventy);—i.e, the number of people who are accessible to the Gospel, and ready to receive it, is great.—The laborers are few.—As yet, Jesus was the only laborer. Their prayers were intended to prepare them for their mission.

Matthew 9:38. The Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers.—His work is the work of God: ἐκβάλῃ, the urgent necessity existing, should determine the Lord of the harvest to drive forth, or to thrust forth, laborers.³⁰ De Wette calls attention to the circumstance, that it is God who is asked to send laborers. He is so far right, as the call of Christ ultimately proceeds from God, just as the kingdom of the Saviour is that of God.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. The deep need of the world determined the Lord to manifest His royal dignity. Neither the priesthood nor the kingdoms of the ancient world were capable of bringing any real help to men. Even chosen Israel, with its high priests, sanhedrim, rulers, and rabbins, were but a scattered, broken-down, hopeless, and helpless flock. Under these circumstances it was that Christ manifested Himself as the Shepherd of His people, which implied that He was the Shepherd of all nations.³¹ The deep moral misery of the people appeared most clearly in the rich and fertile district of Galilee, with its numerous and prosperous cities.

2. In the same moment, when Christ was about to manifest Himself as King, and in His compassion to condescend to the boundless misery of His people, He prepared to found the apostolic office, which He graciously endowed with His gifts and His Spirit, for the salvation of the world.

3. In the life and actings of Jesus, we always find these two elements combined: provision for what is future and distant, with provision for what is present and immediate—a due regard for what was general, and care for that which was special and urgent.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Jesus went about doing good to all ( Acts 10:38): 1. The extent of His labors (about all the cities and villages); 2. the order of His labors (teaching in their synagogues); 3. the characteristic feature of His labors (preaching the gospel of the kingdom); 4. the seal of His labors (healing every sickness, etc.).—While the Lord passed through rich cities and villages, His attention was mainly directed to the need and the sufferings of the people.—How wants seem to grow in proportion as the Lord gives help: 1. This help brings them to light; 2. it inspires with courage to make them known.—But when He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion on them.—Christ looking on the scattered flock of man: 1. A look of penetration; 2. a look of sorrow; 3. a look of saving mercy.—The impression which the people made on the Lord: 1. Not admiration, but pity; 2. not aversion, but pity; 3. not discouragement, but pity.—The Church under the hierarchical shepherds of older and more modern times: 1. Without a shepherd, and therefore without protection, and broken down; 2. without a shepherd, and therefore not led to the green pastures, and cast down.—Christ born to be the Shepherd of men, and in His compassion the Shepherd of His people.—Christ born to be the King of men, by His compassion the King of His people.—What induced Christ to manifest Himself as King instead of Prophet.—The compassion of Christ enlisting heaven and earth for our succor: 1. The grace of the Father; 2. the prayer of His people; 3. the service of His messengers.—The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.—How those who judge according to the letter reverse this saying; but those who judge according to the spirit feel its deep import.—The great need of man, the great harvest of God.—The prayer to God for laborers forming the commencement of the kingdom of heaven: 1. The commencement of the apostolate; 2. the commencement of the Church; 3. the commencement of missionary labors; 4. the commencement of the final completion of the Church of God.—The right laborers; 1. They are sent by God; 2. in answer to the prayers of His people; 3. furnished by Christ for the work; 4. consecrated for the spiritual and temporal wants of the people; 5. instruments of mercy in the hands of Christ.—Our Father in heaven, the Lord of the harvest: 1. The seed is His; 2. the field is His; 3. the harvest is His.—How Christ is employed about the harvest of God. He takes charge, 1. of the seed, as being the Word from the beginning; 2. of the field, as being the great Laborer and Servant of the Lord; 3. of the harvest, as being the Son and the Judge of the world.—How Christ summons His own to coöperate with Him, in order to spread through them His blessings over the earth.³²—The great King, in whom the grace of God itself has appeared to His people.

Rieger:—The Lord always looked upon the common people with pity, treated them with indulgence, and traced the cause of their misery to their leaders, who exclude others from the kingdom of heaven.

Starke:—Good shepherds are one of the most precious gifts of God, even as bad pastors are the greatest misfortune and plague of the world.—Quesnel:—The whole earth is the field where the harvest of the Lord is to be gathered.—Many labor in the name of the Lord; but few will He own as His servants.—Osiander:—Ministers are fellow-workers with God, 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1.—Successful laborers are obtained in answer to prayer.—Cramer:—This prayer enters into the three first petitions in the Lord’s Prayer.—The prayer of the pious members of the congregation is mightier than the protection of the state.

Heubner:—What an accusation against the scribes and priests!—Oh, if people would only pray as they ought for pastors!—That He send them (ἐκβάλῃ) by the mighty impulse of His Spirit.

Footnotes