Mateus 9

Mateus 9

Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission Another Chart from Swindoll THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED BY MATTHEW (shaded area) Source: Ryrie Study Bible Matthew 9:1 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. My Amplified Paraphrase: And getting into a boat, Jesus deliberately left the region where He had been ministering; He crossed over the lake again, returning across the Sea of Galilee, and came into His own city—the town that served as His ministry headquarters (Capernaum), the place where He taught, healed, and manifested His authority. Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over - Mt 7:6 Mk 8:18,23 Mk 5:21 Lu 8:37 Rev 22:11 came to His own city - Mt 4:13 Related Passages: Mark 5:21+ When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. Luke 8:37+ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. BACK TO HOME BASE Evans - Matthew has rearranged the narrative sequence. Because the episode that immediately precedes the healing of the paralytic is the healing of the Gadarene (or Gerasene) demoniac(s), it is necessary to mention Jesus’ crossing of the Sea Galilee before the new story can begin. (See The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew - allows access to all notes on Sermon on the Mount) Getting (embaino) into a boat (ploion) This recalls a familiar pattern in the Gospels that Jesus often moves by boat to escape crowds, to transition to new ministry zones (as in this passage), to seek rest or solitude, or to intentionally position Himself for the next divine appointment. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is always purposeful, never random, a great pattern for all of us to imitate as His disciples so that we most effectively redeem the short time we have on earth to carry out the Father's purposes. Jesus (not in Greek but added) crossed over the sea - Jesus had just left the region of the Gadarenes/Gerasenes (Matt 8:28–34), where He delivered two demon-possessed men, the demons entered pigs but the townspeople begged Him to leave. The net effect was they rejected Him. Now He crosses back to an area where the people will (mostly) receive Him. This transition highlights 3 significant contrasts - (1) Rejection versus Acceptance. (2) Hostility versus Hospitality. (3) Spiritual darkness versus spiritual Light. This transition sets the stage for one of the greatest revelations in the Gospels, the truth that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins (Matt 9:6). The Sea of Galilee. Matthew does not say Capernaum (as in Mark 2:1), but there is little doubt that Matthew’s His own city is the equivalent of Mark’s at home. He was going to Capernaum on the northern coast of the sea. Why did Jesus get into a boat? Is this just a random event? Context is always "king" in interpretation (Keep Context King) and so we read in Mt 8:34+ "And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region." Woe! They want the Lord of the universe GONE! G-O-N-E! His casting out of the demons into the swine had destroyed their unlawful swine business. 🙏 THOUGHT- Beloved, if you do not want God around, He will leave (of course He is omnipresent, but this refers to personal interaction or communion). But make no mistake about it, His leaving will be judgment, because to not have the presence of God is a great curse on society (cf "away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" - 2 Th 1:8-9). Does this truth not make you tremble as a believer in America? Our godless society is doing everything it can to chase all remnants of God's influence out of America (it began in the 1962 taking prayer out of schools, etc, as an aside Steven Engel is now facing the real "Supreme Court Judge!"). And do we not see the consequences of "telling God to leave America?" That's a rhetorical question! Moses so valued the presence of God that he did not want to travel without God's presence, declaring “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here." (Exodus 33:15). O God raise up a generation of men and women like Moses who will seek Thy face and pray for revival while we still have time. In Jesus' Name. Amen. And came to His own city - His own city is a designation for Capernaum which was Jesus' "base of operations" (fulfilling prophecy in Isa 9:1-3, Mt 4:13-16) in the Galilean campaign that began in Mt 4:12+. Lk 4:30-31+ records Jesus leaving His home town of Nazareth "But passing through their midst, He went His way. And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath." His own city = Capernaum - Capernaum (Kfar = village + Nahum = "Nahum's Village) was a city of Galilee (Lk 4:31+), in the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas on the border of his brother Philip’s domain. (map of Jesus' Ministry in Galilee) and was 680 feet below sea level (cf Nazareth at 1200 ft above sea level so Nazareth to Capernaum is "straight downhill" so to speak), located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee and began Jesus' "headquarters" during His Galilean ministry. Mt 4:13+ tells us after "leaving Nazareth (BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF - READ ABOUT HIS RECEPTION AND REJECTION IN Lk 4:24-27, 28, 29+), He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali."Capernaum was the largest city on the lake because it was a crossroads of a major trade routes. It had a customs tax office and a Roman garrison because it was a potential area of crime because there was so much action, so much trade, so much travel traffic. One modern source refers to Capernaum as "a ruined town in northern Israel, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee." If you click the aerial view of Capernaum above, you will see all that is left of this city once the headquarters of the Light of the world. Why is this once prosperous city now in ruins? In Lk 10:15+ Jesus warned the city that because it had rejected the Light (Jesus actually lived there), "you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!" In a parallel statement by Jesus in Matthew He warned "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” (Mt 11:23-24, cf Jn 1:11+, Mk 6:11) Jesus the Light of the World (Jn 1:4-9+, Jn 8:12, Jn 9:5) had resided in Capernaum and shed much spiritual light in the city, speaking the word with authority (Mk 1:22+), healing illness and casting out demons (Mk 1:34+, cf Mk 2:1-12+) and yet for the most part there is only an occasional mention of belief (see Mk 2:5-12+). John spoke about the danger of rejecting the spiritual light of Jesus So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke (IN JERUSALEM), and He went away and hid Himself from them. 37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. (Jn 12:35-37) 🙏 THOUGHT - The present ruins of the physical city of Capernaum are but a dim metaphorical picture of the spiritual doom that ultimately befell the souls of those who lived there and are now "ruined" forever in Hades and who have a future appointment to experience the Second Death when they are thrown into the Lake of fire, the place of eternal punishment in Gehenna (Rev 20:15+), "into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt 8:12), "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." (Mk 9:48). Dear reader, may God grant you the fear of the Lord and a proper fear of His righteous wrath and if you have not yet done so, that you by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9+) receive Jesus as YOUR Savior, Redeemer and Lord. If you steadfastly refuse His offer of grace, one day that day of grace and the door of grace will be closed and you too will be suffer the fate of Capernaum, for you too are consciously choosing (volitionally) to continually reject the Light, even as that ancient city did! (read 2 Cor 6:2, Acts 16:31+, Ro 10:9-10+) 1. The Arrival of the Men (Matthew 9:1) 2. The Ailment of the Man (Matthew 9:2a) 3. The Ability of the Master (Matthew 9:2b) 4. The Anger of the Mumblers (Matthew 9:4) 5. The Ascertainment of Their Mindset (Matthew 9:4-6) 6. The Arising of a Miracle (Matthew 9:7) 7. The Applause of the Multitude (Matthew 9:8) Cantrell's Bible Commentary Snapshots Getting (1684) embaino from en = in + baino = to step) means to step into, to embark. In certain contexts embaino occurs without a specific indication of a ship or boat in the immediate context, for example, "again embarking, he left for the other side'" Mk 8.13. In a number of languages it is necessary to introduce into the context some specific reference to a boat or ship. This verb is found 18 times in the New Testament, almost exclusively in passages speaking of the act of stepping into a boat (cf. Matthew 8:23; 9:1; Mark 4:1; 5:18; Luke 5:3; 8:22; John 6:17,24; Acts 21:6). The word is also found in John 5:4 about the healing of a sick man at the pool of Bethesda. EMBAINO - 18V - embarked(1), entered(1), get(2), getting(3), got(9), stepped(1), went on board(1). Matt. 8:23; Matt. 9:1; Matt. 13:2; Matt. 14:22; Matt. 15:39; Mk. 4:1; Mk. 5:18; Mk. 6:45; Mk. 8:10; Mk. 8:13; Lk. 5:3; Lk. 8:22; Lk. 8:37; Jn. 5:4; Jn. 6:17; Jn. 6:24; Jn. 21:3; Acts 21:6 EMBAINO IN THE SEPTUAGINT - Jonah 1:3, Nahum 3:14 Boat (4143) ploion from pleo = to sail) can refer to a rather large seagoing craft (Acts 20:13, 38; Acts 21:2f, 6; 27 Jas 3:4; Rev 8:9; Rev 18:19) or a small fishing craft boat as used on the Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:21f; Mt 9:1; Mk 1:19f; Mk 6:51, 54; Jn 6:19, 21f; Jn 21:3). See Wikipedia description of the "Jesus Boat" discovered in 1986. PLOION IN MATTHEW - Matt. 4:21; Matt. 4:22; Matt. 8:23; Matt. 8:24; Matt. 9:1; Matt. 13:2; Matt. 14:13; Matt. 14:22; Matt. 14:24; Matt. 14:29; Matt. 14:32; Matt. 14:33; Matt. 15:39; Matthew 9:2 And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven." My Amplified Paraphrase: And behold, unexpectedly and dramatically, some people brought to Him a paralytic—a man completely helpless, unable to move on his own—lying on a bed; and Jesus, seeing their faith—faith visibly expressed in determined action and persistent effort—said to the paralytic, “Take courage, My son; your sins are forgiven.” He first addressed the deepest need of the heart (sin) before the outward need of the body (paralysis). NET Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven." GNT καὶ ἰδοὺ προσέφερον αὐτῷ παραλυτικὸν ἐπὶ κλίνης βεβλημένον. καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν εἶπεν τῷ παραλυτικῷ, Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. NLT 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." KJV And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. ESV And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." NIV Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." they brought - Mt 4:24 Mt 8:16 Mk 1:32 Mk 2:1-3 Lu 5:18-19 Ac 5:15,16 19:12 seeing - Mt 8:10 Mk 2:4,5 Lu 5:19,20 Joh 2:25 Ac 14:9 Jas 2:18 Son - Mt 9:22 Mk 5:34 Joh 21:5 Take courage - Ps 32:1,2 Ec 9:7 Isa 40:1,2 44:22 Jer 31:33,34 Lu 5:20 7:47-50 Ac 13:38,39 Ro 4:6-8 5:11 Col 1:12-14 Related Passages: Mark 2:1-3+ When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they *came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Luke 5:18-19+ And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. SEEING THEIR VICARIOUS FAITH Jesus saw their invisible faith through their visible works (What works? Mk 2:4+ says "they removed the roof above Him and when hey had dug an opening, they let down the pallet.") And as John 2:23-25+ indicates He could see discern invisible faith (whether present or not) even without their works. And they brought (prosphero) to Him a paralytic (paralutikos) lying (ballo) on a bed (kline)- The NAS, NIV and NET unfortunately do not translate the Greek word "behold" (see idou) which is surprising for it is an important interjection used to call one's attention to what follows. It points to a new, remarkable event in which Jesus announces a paralytic's sins are forgiven. behold" (see idou) signals a dramatic moment, a “look at this!” event. Matthew uses idou to draw attention to something surprising, significant, or spiritually weighty. This is indeed noteworthy! These were faithful, "faith-full" friends indeed. Note their compassion. Mark and Luke describe the scene with more detail (roof removal, lowering; see below). Brought (prosphero is interesting as it is used elsewhere of bringing offerings to God!) is in the graphic imperfect tense so they more literally "were bringing" depicting it as ongoing. One writer adds that "Matthew vividly captures the manner of the coming as a kind of sacrificial gift which these men lay before the feet of Jesus (cf. same verb of magi in Mt 2:11+; Mt 5:23; 8:4; 9:32; 12:22; 14:35; 19:13)." Lying is ballo in the perfect tense tense indicating that he had been placed there and was fixed there so to speak. Louw-Nida says ballo and kline is an idiom, literally 'to throw on a bed" which means to make sick in Rev 2:22+. NET adds on a bed "Traditionally, could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, kline may be translated "bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier" (in the case of a corpse)." It is worth noting that three times in Matthew 9 (Mt 9:1-8, Mt 9:18-19,23-25, Mt 9:32) healings come about because of the concern of others for the afflicted who either pleaded with Christ for the miracle or brought the afflicted to Christ for the miracle. This is wisdom -- bringing men to Christ for their needs, the greatest being their spiritual paralysis! Note that Jesus had earlier healed the paralytic servant of the centurion in (Mt. 8:5-13) but that one was presumably a Gentile like his master and he was healed at a distance, whereas now a Jewish paralytic is brought into Jesus’ presence. Notice that the pattern of "vicarious faith" was similar in the healing of the Centurion's slave, Jesus commenting on the "great faith" (Mt 8:10) of the Centurion. Matthew then records that "Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment." (Mt 8:13) In that example of healing the paralyzed servant there is no mention of the servant's faith. And while there is no specific mention of the paralyzed man's faith in the account in Mt 9:1-8, the fact that his sins were forgiven would indicate that he had faith in addition to the faith of his four friends.