Matthew 9:18-34 Lesson 17

Matthew 9:18-34
Lesson 17

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

More miracles!

Jesus resurrects Jairus' daughter (9:18-26).
Blind men see (9:27-31), and a devil is cast out (9:32-34).

Study Tip:

"Write down what you learn. Don't forget the things the Bible has to teach you! Use a journal or notebook to keep track of the insights you pick up as you study."

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 9:18-34
Jesus raises the dead

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

Margin notes:

"While he spake these things," (9:18) - Remember, Jesus was finishing teaching in parables (patching an old garment and old versus new wineskins) as lesson 16 ended (Matthew 9:16-17).

"There came a certain ruler." (9:18) - This was Jarius, a Jewish leader from the synagogue (Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41).

"Diseased with an issue of blood twelve years." (9:20) - Not only did this anonymous woman suffer from the blood disease, she was also considered unclean and shunned by Jewish society (Leviticus 15:25-27).

"I shall be whole." (9:21) - Means, "I will be cured." This woman had tremendous faith in Jesus.

"The woman was made whole that hour." (9:22) - For a more detailed account of this miracle, read Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48.

"The minstrels and the people making a noise." (9:23) - In New Testament times, the more wailing and noise made at a funeral, the deeper the grief. So, professional mourners and musicians were often hired to grieve for the deceased.

"Give place." (9:24) - "Leave this place."

"When the people were put forth." (9:25) - "When the people were put out."

"Son of David." (9:27) - A Messianic title for Jesus, who was a direct descendant of King David (Isaiah 9:6-7).

"Yea, Lord." (9:28) - The blind men saw what many with perfect vision could not; that Jesus was the Messiah.

"Their eyes were opened." (9:30) - Jesus could give sight to the blind, just as Isaiah 35:5 predicted seven hundred years earlier. In Mark 8:22-26 we see Jesus giving sight to yet another man.

"Jesus straitly charged them." (9:30) - "Jesus sternly warned them."

"They brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil." (9:32) - "They brought a mute man possessed with a demon to Jesus."

"It was never so seen in Israel." (9:33) - This was not the only time Jesus did something that had never been done (Mark 2:11-12).

"He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils." (9:34) - This is the first time the Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with Satan, but not the last (12:24).

New Living Translation

Matthew 9:18-34
Jesus Heals in Response to Faith

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.

Jesus Heals the Blind

27 After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?"

"Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do."

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen."

30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, "Don't tell anyone about this."

31 But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

32 When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn't speak was brought to Jesus.

33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed.

34 But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons."

The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Questions:

1. Can a believer be healed of disease or disability simply because they have faith? (9:22; 9:29)

2. What is the spiritual lesson taught in this passage?

Putting verses into your own words helps you get more meaning out of them.

Answers: (Do you agree?)

1. "Jesus never teaches that faith automatically brings healing. In Christ's 35 miracles recorded in the Gospels, no formula to guarantee healing can be found."

("The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1397.)

2. The spiritual lesson in this passage is to have faith (9:22). Everyone, from a simple blind man to the most powerful leader, must believe. Even if we've suffered for years (9:20) and are tempted to abandon hope, we must remain faithful (9:29). Faith is what saves us (Luke 7:50); it is our path to heaven.

Application thought for the day:

Is your faith in Jesus Christ sincere?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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