Matthew
9:9-17
Lesson 16
9:9-17
Lesson 16
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. |