Explore the Bible
Every Life Valued Session 8 25 JAN 26
MATT 9:10 (Mat 9:10 RSV) “And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.”
Jesus ate with the common folk. His was an every person message. Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs in his Studying Life and Work Lessons, January-March 1980, page 57 "Peter was ready with an answer. He called for repentance, the same call issued by Jesus and by John the Baptist before Him. [It is the same repentance as in Acts 20:21.] "Repent" translates a Greek word meaning a change of heart, mind, and attitude… they had to undergo a complete change regard to Jesus and what they had done to Him.
MATT 9:11 (Mat 9:11 RSV) “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"”
What the Jews didn't like was helping to pay for an occupation army in their land. Matthew had previously had a salvation encounter with Jesus and then went back to his business of collecting taxes for Rome. The tax system consisted of the income or poll tax collectors and the customs house tax collector. The latter position had greater power and was more hated. Rome worked the system on a contract basis. Contracts were let to private citizens to collect certain taxes for Rome with them being paid by a surplus over the amount Rome required. That was a reason system but did lead itself to much abuse by those who sought a high profit for themselves. Matthew left the moment Jesus called and (Greek) rose up to follow and keep on following Jesus. He had quit this money-making work for a new vocation with Jesus. Certainly money was not the reason Matthew went with Jesus.
If Jesus just said nothing to them, the Pharisees could make a charge against Him before Pilate.
MATT 9: 12-13 (Mat 9:12-13 RSV) “But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {13} Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."”
The Pharisees were the orthodox party of Judaism who accepted the entire Old Testament and believed in angels, miracles and the resurrection. They opposed deviating from the Jewish faith in any manner toward pagan religions and customs. Their zeal to achieve this caused them to reduce their faith to “a myriad of rote rules by which to interpret and obey the Scriptures.” From the earliest encounter, the Pharisees opposed Jesus.
Jesus heard that the Pharisees were questioning Him to His disciples. Jesus responded in a manner that both His guests and disciples should understand. We do not have what the Pharisees thought.
Some would say that they should have resisted all such learning, and should not have served their rulers. This was the stance by Jews in the time of Jesus against such Jews who were tax collectors. But Jesus never said such and did say the Jews were to pay taxes to Rome.
MATT 9:14 (Mat 9:14 RSV) “Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"”
John the Baptist was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, and the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who were peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. This passage shows (1) that the followers of the John the Baptist continued to form a separate body (as in Matthew 11:2; Matthew 14:12); and (2) that they obeyed rules which John had given them, more or less after the pattern of those of the Pharisees. They had their own days of fasting (the context makes it probable that the feast in Matthew’s house was held on one of them), their own forms of prayer (Luke 11:1). They, it would seem, acting with the Pharisees, and perhaps influenced by them, were perplexed at conduct so unlike that of the master they revered, and came therefore with their question. But they were, at least, not hypocrites, and they are answered therefore without the sternness which had marked the reply to their companions.
MATT 9:15 (Mat 9:15 RSV) “And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Jesus gave them a parallelism answer so they might better have a joint understand of what Jesus was doing eating with tax collectors and sinners as seen in MATT 9:15-17.
Jesus speaks of Himself here as the bridegroom.
MARK 2:16-17 Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs in his book an exposition of the gospel of Mark, Baker Book House, 1970, page 47 wrote “This was a strange coalition. The Pharisees had no love for John the Baptist who had called them a brood of vipers (Matt. 3:7). He had even dared to call them to repentance. And yet we find this mixed group of their learners allied against Jesus. Their only common cause was their criticism of Him.
Why this coalition? It is possible that this occurred during a fast period. Certainly John's disciples would resent Jesus going to a banquet when their leader was in prison. So ascetic was John that he would not have attended such an occasion had he been free. On the other hand, Jesus was a social being. And His con-duct made Him the target of criticism from these disciples.
Jesus replied by reminding them that His disciples had no reason to fast. Fasting was a sign of mourning. So why should "the children of the bride-chamber" mourn while the "bridegroom" was still with them (v. 19) ? Doubtless Jesus chose His figures of speech deliberately. For John's disciples had heard him call Jesus the "bridegroom" (John 3:29). But the time will come when He will be taken from His disciples. Then they will fast (v. 20). Of course, Jesus here spoke of His death. But their fasting would be of short duration. With His resurrection fasting will give place to unspeakable joy.”
MATT 9:16 ( (Mat 9:16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
This second illustration was drawn from a well-known fact, showing also that there was "a propriety or fitness of things." None of you, Jesus said, would mend an old garment expecting it to take the place of entire new garment. There would be a waste in it. An old piece, or a piece like the garment, would be better. The word here translated "new," in the original means "rude, undressed, not fulled" by the cloth-dresser. In this state, if applied to an old garment, and if wet, it would "contract" and draw off a part of the garment to which it was attached, and thus make the tear worse than it was. Jesus said His "new" doctrines do not match with the old rites of the Pharisees. Their doctrines require much fasting. In His system it would be incongruous; and if His new doctrines were to be attached to their old ones, it would only make this spiritual matter even worse.
MATT 9:17 (Mat 9:17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
“Bottles, in Eastern nations, were made, and are still made, of skins of beasts. Generally the skin was taken entire from a sheep or a goat, and, properly prepared, was filled with wine or water. Such bottles are still used, because, in crossing deserts of sand, they have no other conveyances but camels, or other beasts of burden. It would be difficult for them to carry glass bottles or kegs on them. They therefore fill two skins, and fasten them together and lay them across the back of a camel, and thus carry wine or water to a great distance. These bottles were, of course, of different sizes, as the skins of kids, goats, or oxen might be used. Bruce describes particularly a bottle which he saw in Arabia, made in this manner of an ox-skin, which would hold 60 gallons, and two of which were a lead for a camel. By long usage, however, bottles of skins became tender and would be easily ruptured. New wine put into them would ferment, and swell and burst them open. New skins or bottles would yield to the fermenting wine, and be strong enough to hold it from bursting. So, says Christ, there is "fitness" or propriety of things. It is not "fit" that my doctrine should be attached to or connected with the old and corrupt doctrines of the Pharisees. New things should be put together, and made to match.” Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Jesus meant that His doctrine could not be attached to or connected with the old and corrupt doctrines of the Pharisees. New things should be put together with new containers.
. Jesus said of the Pharisees (Mat 23:15 RSV) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”
MATT 9:18 (Mat 9:18 RSV) “While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
Matthew gave Reader’s Digest type version of this situation. Further details can be obtained from Mark and Luke. This always needs to be done when reading Matthew. And again Matthew is grouping by topic and time sequence.
The ruler did not come while Jesus was talking to the disciples of John and the Pharisees. Luke states it happened when Jesus returned from casting the demons out of the two cave men and letting them go into the swine herd. (Luke 8:40 RSV) "Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him." (Greek) “While Jesus was speaking” the ruler came to him. The KJV has “these things” which would seem to connect to Matt 9:14-17. The RSV has “thus.” The RSV is better because he was probably speaking about the events in the Decapolis. Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs in his The Life and Times of Jesus, page 77 wrote that after casting out the demons: “The next day Jesus and the Twelve returned to Capernaum. There he healed….” [the people of this lesson.] [We must remember Hobbs is no longer writing this current Hobbs Commentary and we must be more careful as to its content.]
Luke tell us that this (Greek) “one ruler” of Matthew was (Luke 8:41 RSV) "And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus' feet he besought him to come to his house,"
Jairus was desperate. Matthew says he (Greek) “suddenly” came into Jesus’ discussion. The KJV says he “worshipped him.” Luke says he KJV “fell down.” Luke use the Greek pipto that means to fall (lit. or fig.):--fail, fall (down), light on. The ruler burst in and fell at Jesus’ feet to get his attention. The Greek in Matthew is proskuneo meaning to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore). Strong adds worship. However, Luke has the accurate idea and the KJV should read “prostrate” or as the RSV “knelt.” It certainly was not worship. But even knelling was quite something for “The Ruler of the Synagogue was one of the most important and the most respected men in the community” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark). The ruler selected those who taught and read in the worship activity. Again Matthew condenses the event.
Jairus had let his house with his daughter deathly sick but still alive. So when he spoke to Jesus this is what he believed. Thus he implored Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter who was [Luke] 12 years old and only daughter. Mark and Luke state he was not told that his daughter had thought to have died until he was on his way back home with Jesus. Here we see the literary license of Matthew in saying in the Greek aorist tense that “My daughter has just now died” and then Jesus got up from his teaching and followed him. By doing so Matthew fails to tell us that Jairus first asked Jesus to heal his alive daughter and on the way back apparently he changed this to ask to that she be brought back to life. However Luke states (Luke 8:50 RSV) "But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well."" It was Jesus who told Jairus all was not lost and from this he held enough belief. But when he originally asked Jesus (probably as a last resort), he was asking that she not die. This is quite different from asking she be brought back to life. But he probably knew of Jesus arising the widow’s son from death in Luke 7:11-17.
MATT 9:19 (Mat 9:19 RSV) “And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.”
Jesus personally went to Jairus’ house. His disciples followed along.
MATT 9:23-26 Funerals of that area, even today, were noisy affairs. Even the Mishnah, the Jewish legal law, required the poorest families to hire at least two flute players and one professional wailing woman. When Jesus got there he had them ejected from the house. All three Gospels have Jesus saying “she is not dead, but sleep.” However many commentaries say Jesus raised her from the dead. However, the Greek for “not dead” is “not in death”. “Sleeps” in Greek means to lie down to rest, i.e. (by impl.) to fall asleep (lit. or fig.):--(be a-) sleep. It is true that this word is also used for dead (Matt 27:52), but it cannot be so here. Even though she appeared to be dead she was not, according to Jesus. Let us believe Jesus.
Even today we occasionally hear of doctors pronouncing a person as dead, yet they revive in the Morgue. This is probably why Jesus threw the mourners out, because there was no need for these professional mourners. The girl was not dead!
So taking in only the parents, Peter, James and John into her room, Jesus took her by the hand and by the power of His word as Lord, he healed her. Luke does say (Luke 8:55 RSV) "And her spirit returned, and she got up at once; and he directed that something should be given her to eat." “Returned” in Greek means to revert (lit., fig. or mor.):--come (go) again, convert, (re-) turn (about, again). It should read in context “And her spirit turned about” meaning it was leaving but came back. Jesus healed her and did not raise her from death.
She only appeared dead. Jesus wanted to keep this private, yet the word spread like a wild fire “in all the land.” “The word” was Jesus brought this dead girl back to life. Jesus never wanted false information to be broadcast!
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Best Study Guide: How to Study the Bible Principles with Bible, A Study Sources by Orin T. Binkley.
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