Matthew 9
9
The Son of Man Forgives and Heals
1So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. # Mt 4:13; Mk 5:21 2Just then # Mk 2:3-12; Lk 5:18-26 some men # Lit then they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” # Mt 4:24; 8:10,13; 9:22; Lk 7:48; Jn 16:33
3At this, some of the scribes said among themselves, “He’s blaspheming! ” # Mt 26:65; Jn 10:36
4But perceiving their thoughts, # Mt 12:25; Lk 6:8; 9:47; 11:17 Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts? # Or minds 5For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7And he got up and went home. 8When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck # Other mss read amazed # Lit afraid and gave glory # Mt 5:16; 15:31; Lk 7:16; 13:13; Jn 15:8; Ac 4:21 to God who had given such authority to men.
The Call of Matthew
9As Jesus went on from there, # Mk 2:14-22; Lk 5:27-38 He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me! ” So he got up and followed Him. # Mt 10:3; Mk 2:14; 3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13
10While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat # Lit came, they were reclining (at the table); at important meals the custom was to recline on a mat at a low table and lean on the left elbow. with Jesus and His disciples. # Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? ” # Mt 11:19; Lk 5:30; 15:2; Gl 2:15
12But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. # Mk 2:17; Lk 5:31 13Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. # Hs 6:6; Mc 6:6-8; Mt 12:7 # Hs 6:6 For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” # Other mss add to repentance
A Question about Fasting
14Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast? ” # Mt 11:2; 14:12; 15:2; Lk 11:1; 18:12
15Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests # Lit the sons of the bridal chamber be sad while the groom is with them? The time # Lit days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17And no one puts # Lit And they do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
18As He was telling them these things, # Mk 5:22-43; Lk 8:41-56 suddenly one of the leaders # A leader of a synagogue; Mk 5:22 came and knelt down before Him, saying, “My daughter is near death, # Lit daughter has now come to the end but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” # Mt 8:2-3; Mk 5:23 19So Jesus and His disciples got up and followed # Lk 5:11; Jn 8:12 him.
20Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe, # Lv 15:25; Nm 15:38; Dt 22:12; Mt 14:36; 23:5 21for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well! ” # Or be delivered # Mt 14:36; Mk 3:10; Lk 6:19
22But Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” He said. “Your faith has made you well.” # Or has saved you # Mt 15:28; Mk 10:52; Lk 7:50; 17:19; 18:42 And the woman was made well from that moment. # Lit hour
23When Jesus came to the leader’s house, He saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly. # 2Ch 35:25; Jr 9:17; 16:6; Ezk 24:17; Rv 18:22 24“Leave,” He said, “because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” # Jn 11:13; Ac 20:10 And they started laughing at Him. 25But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. # Mk 9:27; Ac 3:7; 9:40-41 26And this news spread throughout that whole area. # Mt 4:24; 9:31; 14:1; Mk 1:28; Lk 4:14
Healing the Blind
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David! ” # Mt 1:1; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; Mk 10:47; Lk 18:38-39
28When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe # Mk 11:24; Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8-10 that I can do this? ”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered Him.
29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith! ” 30And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out! ” # Lit no one knows # Mt 8:4,13; 9:22; Mk 8:25; Jn 9:26 31But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.
Driving Out a Demon
32Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. # Mt 12:22-24; Lk 11:14-15 33When the demon had been driven out, the man # Lit the man who was unable to speak spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel! ”
34But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons! ” # Mk 3:22; Jn 7:20
The Lord of the Harvest
35Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, # Mt 4:23; Mk 1:15 and healing every # Or every kind of disease and every sickness. # Other mss add among the people 36When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, # Mt 14:14; 15:32; Mk 6:34; 8:2 like sheep without a shepherd. # Nm 27:17; 1Kg 22:17; Ezk 34:5; Zch 10:2 37Then He said to His disciples, # Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Currently Selected:
Matthew 9: HCSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Matthew 9
9
Who Needs a Doctor?
1-3Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!”
4-8Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.
9Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.
10-11Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?”
12-13Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”
Kingdom Come
14A little later John’s followers approached, asking, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting, but your followers don’t?”
15Jesus told them, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to exercise moderation, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!”
16-17He went on, “No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don’t put your wine in cracked bottles.”
Just a Touch
18-19As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.
20-22Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.
23-26By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Clear out! This girl isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” They told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl’s hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.
Become What You Believe
27-28As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!”
29-31He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met.
32-33Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”
34The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”
35-38Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.