Matthew 9:14-26

14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. 17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”

19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

Comments

Our passage today begins with the third argument in a row between religious people and Jesus. In last Friday reading, the scribes argued that Jesus did not have the authority to forgive sins and the Pharisees argued that he should not have been hanging out with riff raff. Here John’s disciples take a turn, arguing that Jesus and his followers aren’t very serious about faith because they don’t fast. Jesus leaves room here for fasting as a spiritual discipline, but he undercuts its religious significance. As a religious practice, dietary restrictions are placed on a level with restrictions about who to associate with and whose sins to forgive. They give the appearance of piety, but they do not forward the neighbor-centered ethic Jesus brings. His is a New Way and is quite incompatible with the old way. Or, to put the same thing differently, people who would follow Jesus have to set aside their old religious ways and accept his New Way. They cannot bring along their favorite religious practices that restrict, exclude, and delimit.

The next part of chapter 9 reinforces this teaching by sharing three healing stories where people excluded in the old way are touched, healed, and included by Jesus. We’ll read the third one tomorrow. For today, bear in mind that both the bleeding woman and the dead girl were unclean. Jesus was forbidden by the Law from touching either one of them. He touches them both. He heals them both. He makes both of them whole and clean. This is not unique to Jesus, it is essential to the New Way he begins. His New Way touches those who can’t be touched. His New Way heals those who have been broken. His New Way brings back in those who have been cast out.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Matthew 9:1-13

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”

3 But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?”

4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for sending a man with such great authority.

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth.“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Comments

Jesus exercised his authority both in forgiving sins and in healing people. He also left this same authority – both to forgive and to heal – to his followers. That’s right, if you are Jesus’ disciple you can declare people forgiven of their sins and you can pray for them to be healed – actually physically and tangibly healed. It happens. Often. Of course, healings happen most often among sick people and forgiveness happens most often among sinners. Not much is going to happen if you only hang out with the healthy and (self) righteous. By the way, the day someone says to me, ‘why is your church full of such scum,’ will be one of the happiest days of my life.

Mike Raburn

God speaks to you. Listen. Act on what you hear.

Tag: Matthew

Red Letter Year: 4/1

Matthew 9:14-26

Red Letter Year: 3/29

Matthew 9:1-13