How do the recorded calls, disputes and healings differ from later explanations?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The chapter joins forgiveness, Matthew’s call, mercy and fasting replies with specific healings and a final request for harvest workers.

Chapter breakdown

Jesus crosses the water by boat to his own city. People bring a man sick of palsy on a bed. Seeing their faith, he tells the man to take heart because his sins are forgiven. Some scribes inwardly say he blasphemes. Seeing their thoughts, Jesus asks why they think evil and which is easier to say: forgiveness or rise and walk. To demonstrate the Son of man’s power on earth to forgive sins, he tells the man to rise, take his bed and go home. He rises and goes. The multitude fears and glorifies God for such power given to men. The city is not named here, nor are medical hopelessness or the scribes’ further reasoning supplied.

Passing onward, Jesus sees Matthew in a custom house and calls him to follow; he rises and follows. Later, while Jesus eats in the house, many publicans and sinners sit with him and his disciples. The Pharisees ask the disciples why he eats with them. Jesus hears and replies that the healthy do not need a physician but the ill do; they should learn mercy rather than sacrifice, for he comes to call sinners rather than the just. The house is not expressly identified as Matthew’s in these verses, and no assertion that he leaves all or is appointed an apostle is added to this call.

John’s disciples ask why they and the Pharisees fast often while Jesus’s disciples do not. Jesus asks whether the bridegroom’s children can mourn in his presence, saying they will fast when he is taken away. The separate note explains that Hebraism as his friends or companions. Raw cloth on an old garment takes away its fullness and increases the tear. New wine in old bottles breaks the bottles, spilling wine and destroying them; new wine in new bottles preserves both. The comparisons are preserved without supplying fermentation mechanics or an explicit theory of replaced religious institutions.

During this speech a ruler comes in adoration, says his daughter is even now dead and asks Jesus to lay his hand on her so she lives. The editorial heading names her father Jairus; the verses say a certain ruler. Jesus follows with his disciples. A woman troubled with an issue of blood for twelve years comes behind and touches his garment’s hem, thinking that its touch will heal her. Jesus turns, tells her to take heart and says her faith made her whole; she is made whole from that hour. This recorded encounter is not a general guarantee that illness reflects the measure of anyone’s faith.

At the ruler’s house he finds minstrels and a noisy multitude, tells them to make room because the girl is sleeping rather than dead, and they mock him. With the multitude put out, he enters, takes her hand and she rises. Fame spreads throughout that country. Two blind men then follow, appealing to the Son of David’s mercy. In the house Jesus asks whether they believe he can act; they say yes. He touches their eyes and speaks of their faith. Their eyes open; he strictly requires secrecy, but they depart spreading his fame through the country.

After their departure people bring a man unable to speak and possessed by a devil. Upon the expulsion he speaks. Multitudes say nothing like it was seen in Israel; Pharisees attribute the exorcism to the prince of devils. Their accusation is reported without supplied envy or a clinical diagnosis. Jesus travels cities and towns, teaching in synagogues, preaching the kingdom’s gospel and healing every disease and infirmity. He feels compassion for distressed multitudes lying like shepherdless sheep, says the harvest is great and workers few, and tells disciples to pray the harvest’s Lord to send workers. Lying is retained rather than rewritten as aimless wandering.

The story inside

The forgiveness demonstration precedes the call. The bridegroom note remains separate. Each encounter retains its stated response and timing; the blind men’s publicity conflicts with the secrecy command. The ending describes distressed sheep and prayer for workers.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Jairus belongs to the editorial heading; the verses say ruler.
2
The house owner, apostleship and leaving all are not given here.
3
Do not generalize individual faith statements into a medical causal rule.

Test your recall

What do the two healed blind men do after the secrecy command?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 111230–111294
Matthew Chapter 9 Christ heals one sick of palsy: calls Matthew: cures the issue of blood: raises to life the daughter of Jairus: gives sight to two blind men: and heals a dumb man possessed by the devil. 9:1. And entering into a boat, he passed over the water and came into his own city. 9:2. And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. 9:3. And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth. 9:4. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? 9:5. Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk? 9:6. But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. 9:7. And he arose, and went into his house. 9:8. And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men. 9:9. And when Jesus passed on from thence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he saith to him: Follow me. And he arose up and followed him. 9:10. And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11. And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners? 9:12. But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. 9:13. Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners. 9:14. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying: Why do we and the Pharisees, fast often, but thy disciples do not fast? 9:15. And Jesus said to them: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast. Can the children of the bridegroom.... This, by a Hebraism, signifies the friends or companions of the bridegroom. 9:16. And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth unto an old garment. For it taketh away the fulness thereof from the garment, and there is made a greater rent. 9:17. Neither do they put new wine into old bottles. Otherwise the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But new wine they put into new bottles: and both are preserved.
Lines 111296–111358
9:18. As he was speaking these things unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 9:19. And Jesus rising up followed him, with his disciples. 9:20. And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. 9:21. For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. 9:22. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 9:23. And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout, 9:24. He said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 9:25. And when the multitude was put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose. 9:26. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country. 9:27. And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David. 9:28. And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus saith to them, Do you believe, that I can do this unto you? They say to him, Yea, Lord. 9:29. Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith, be it done unto you. 9:30. And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know this. 9:31. But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all that country. 9:32. And when they were gone out, behold they brought him a dumb man, possessed with a devil. 9:33. And after the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes wondered, saying, Never was the like seen in Israel. 9:34. But the Pharisees said, By the prince of devils he casteth out devils. 9:35. And Jesus went about all the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every infirmity. 9:36. And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. 9:37. Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. 9:38. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.