The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 9

[뉴맨]

The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 9

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.9.NIV

Miracles & Calling Workers

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.

2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith (faith of some men who brought him to Jesus), he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Salvation from sin is more important than physical salvation.)

3 At this, some of the teachers of the law (Rabbis) said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” (They thought that Jesus has no divine authority to forgive sin.)

4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? (Both should be difficult without proper power.)

6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. (Jesus revealed His divine authority to forgive sin.) ”So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” (Jesus now heals the seek after forgiveness.)

7 Then the man got up and went home. (Healing has been done.)

8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. (Some of those spectators came to know that Jesus has divine power of heeling and forgiving. But many of them denied His Messiahship and left Him eventually.)

The Calling of Matthew

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Jesus called tax collector who was working for Roman Empire to be His disciple and Matthew obeyed Him abandoning his imperial job.)

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

11 When the Pharisees (religious leaders) saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Associating with sinners- law-breaking Jews and gentiles- was not acceptable for those legalists.)

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ (Hos. 6:6) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners need Jesus as sick people need medical experts. It justifies medicinal needs for those sick.)

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” (Tradition dictated that there were specific times and circumstances for fasting, but Jesus didn't seem to mind.)

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. (There is a time to mourn (when Jesus crucified) and time to enjoy.)

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.

17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (New pattern in new time.)

Fasting remains a way of dedicating oneself to God even nowadays. However, habitual fasting without spiritual commitment can become a form of self-justification and is undesirable. Jesus came to show us a new level of life and faith that is not bound by obligated law but by voluntary love.

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” (The synagogue leader- who was a reputable leader believed that Jesus can revive his dead daughter.)

19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.

21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,”he said, “your faith has healed you.”And the woman was healed at that moment. (On Jesus' way to the house, a bleeding lady's wish for heeling has been answered by Jesus.)

23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. (Jesus spoke of death as a "sleep," implying that death can be reversed, just as sleep can be awakened.)

25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. (The dead girl came back to life temporarily until her natural death. We don't call it resurrection but this miracle shows some hidden mechanism of resurrection: The reunion of body energy and spirit energy.)

26 News of this spread through all that region. (People talked about it but they couldn't reach the deeper implication of eternal life.)

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (Expectation)

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. (Action)

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” (Result)

31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. (He was involuntary, but neighboring people brought him to Jesus.)

33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

Blindness and mute are serious incurable structural/spiritual problems but healing is possible within God's Physics.

The Workers Are Few

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (We must pay attention and helping hand to those in needs but not being able to solve their problems.)

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Seeing those needed, Jesus wants more workers/disciples. Workers are not talkers. There are many talkers and wanna be talkers but workers commit, mobilize all their efforts and do what is needed in Kingdom Project with many sacrifices.