Matthew 9:9-17 Lesson 16

Matthew 9:9-17
Lesson 16

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

In this lesson:

Jesus calls Matthew (9:9-13).

A question about fasting (9:14-15).

Parable of the wineskins (9:17).

Matthew, the tax collector that followed Jesus.
By Doménikos Theotokópoulos, nicknamed El Greco (1541-1614)

Study Tip:

Look for something in each passage to apply to your life.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 9:9-17
The tax collector

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Margin notes:

"As Jesus passed forth from thence." (9:9) - "As Jesus went on from there." This means that Jesus left Capernaum where He had just healed the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8)

"Matthew." (9:9) - The author of this Gospel.  See lesson one for Matthew's biography.

"Sitting at the receipt of custom." (9:9) - "Sitting at the tax office." Matthew was a tax collector (publican) who manned a customhouse and collected duty on imported and exported trade goods. Publicans paid Rome for the right to collect taxes and then paid themselves by overtaxing (Luke 3:12-13). Because they worked for the oppressive Romans and overcharged taxpayers, they were disliked by the Jewish population and considered sinners (Luke 19:7) and were lumped together with harlots (Matthew 21:31-32). Matthew's fellow disciple, Simon, was a Zealot (Luke 6:15). The Zealots were strident defenders of the Mosaic Law and refused to yield to Gentile authority. They hated the Romans and the Jews who worked for them. Yet, these two men who opposed each other joined Jesus. With the Messiah there are no barriers.

"Jesus sat at meat." (9:10) - "Jesus sat eating."

"Many publicans." (9:10) - "Many tax collectors." These were no doubt Matthew's friends and co-workers.

"They that be whole need not a physician." (9:12) - "Those who are healthy don't need a doctor."

"Go ye and learn what that meaneth." (9:13) - Jesus is asking the Pharisees to learn the meaning of His words.

"I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." (9:13) - Jesus is paraphrasing Hosea 6:6. He emphasizes morality ("I will have mercy") over the rites and ceremonies (sacrificing) of Judaism. Jesus reinforces this message in verse 12:7.

"The righteous." (9:13) - "Righteous here alludes to that righteousness of God which is judicially reckoned to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." In some passages righteousness "alludes to legal righteousness or self-righteousness, the futile effort of man to work out under (Mosaic) law a character which God can approve" ("The New Scofield Reference Bible published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; page 1224).  Under Mosaic Law, God demands righteousness from man. Under Grace, God gives righteousness to man.

"Disciples of John." (9:14) - These are disciples of John the Baptist.

"Can the children of the bridechamber mourn." (9:15) - "Do the friends of the bridegroom mourn?"  No, they celebrate. Jesus is speaking metaphorically about time when He will no longer be with His disciples.  While the bridegroom (Jesus) was still with the apostles, there was joy and no need to mourn or fast.

"New cloth." (9:16) - New cloth has not be shrunk and will tear a garment when it shrinks.

"The rent is made worse." (9:16) - This phrase means "The tear is made worse."

"Old bottles." (9:17) - "Old wineskins." See "Today's Question" below.

To read Mark's account of this action, see Mark 2:14-22. Luke reports on it in Luke 5:27-39.

New Living Translation

Matthew 9:9-17
Jesus Calls Matthew

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?"

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do."

13 Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

A Discussion about Fasting

14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, "Why don't your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?"

15 Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 "Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

17 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved."

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 Question:

1. What does the parable of the wine bottle mean? (9:17)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

In Jesus' day, wine "bottles" were made of goatskins. The skins were sewn into soft, flexible, watertight bags that could stretch. As wine ferments, it gives off gases that expand. New soft wineskins would expand with the gases. Old wineskins with less elasticity will burst. Like old wineskins, the Pharisees were inflexible and locked into the old rites and ceremonies (like fasting) of the Mosaic Law. They could not accept Jesus (the new wine) or His message that salvation comes from God's Grace and not by obeying the Mosaic Law. Just as "new wine" needs new bottles, people need new attitudes.

"We, too, must be careful that our heart does not become so rigid that it prevents us from accepting the new ways of thinking that Christ brings." "We need to keep our heart pliable so we can accept Jesus' life-changing message."

(Life Application Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers; Carol Stream Illinois; page 1963).

Application thought for the day:

Are your attitudes inflexible? Are you able to accept the "new wine" offered by Jesus? With an open heart and mind, we can change our lives and become the person God wants us to be. Break free of your old ways, and Christ will fill you with the Holy Spirit.

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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