9:15 Sons of the bridechamber the death of Gods people in both Old and New
MATTHEW 9:11 32
at the table in the house, that many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?
run out and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
18 While he was speaking these things to them, suddenly a certain ruler came and worshipped him, saying, Just now my daughter has died, but come and put your hand on her, and she will live. 19 And Jesus got up and followed him, and so did his disciples.
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said to them, The ones who need a physician are not those who are well, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
20 And, suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 For she said to herself, If I can just touch his cloak, I will get well.
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples do not fast?
22 But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, take courage. Your faith has made you well. And the woman became well from that time.
15 And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast. 16 No man puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, and the tear will become worse. 17 And men do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wineskins will burst, the wine will
23 And when Jesus came into the rulers house, and saw the flute players and the people making a commotion, 24 he said to them, Go away, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping. And they laughed at him. 25 But when the people had been put out, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got
this Gospel which bears his name. Such is the grace of God. 9:11 Pharisees 3:7. Here once again they showed that they thought themselves better than other men. They could not begin to understand why a holy person would want to associate with sinners. Nor did they realize that in their unbelief and selfrighteousness they were far more objectionable to Jesus than those they called sinners. 9:12 What a beautiful answer! He means that all sinners are spiritually sick and that He has come to heal such. And as a doctor needs to be with his patients to help them, so He needed to be with sinners to heal them. It was not that He took pleasure in their company while they remained sinners or that He wanted to behave as they did. 9:13 Jesus refers to Hos 6:6. God wants people to be merciful to others, as He is merciful. This is far more important than any ritual of religion could ever be. See also Matt 5:7. The righteous here means those who think they are righteous and holier than other people. Actually all are sinners (Rom 3:23), but not everyone understands this as they should. And Jesus has come to call sinners to forgiveness and salvation (Luke 19:10; John 3:17; 1 Tim 1:15). 9:14 Disciples of John 3:1; John 3:2325. 9:15 Sons of the bridechamber the friends or attendants of the bridegroom. See what name the Lord Jesus gives Himself here bridegroom. Compare John 3:28-30; Rom 7:4; 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:2533. He is the spiritual bridegroom of the true Church and of the individual believer. See notes on Song of Songs. Compare psalm 45. Jesus does not deny the usefulness of
fasting (6:16). His disciples would fast after His departure (Luke 24:51). 9:16,17 The Lord Jesus had come to do a new thing on earth, to provide a new garment of righteousness, a new wine of joy. The old Jewish religious forms and ways were not suitable for His new work. They could not contain the new truth and life Jesus brought. Truth is of more importance than antiquity. 9:18 This ruler was a leader of a synagogue and his name was Jairus (Mark 5:22-43; Luke 8:41-56). 9:20,21 This disease made its sufferer unclean. See note at Lev 15:25-27. In Old Testament days it was one of the pictures or symbols of sin. 9:22 See the power of faith. Faith is the belief that God will act according to His Word and His nature as revealed in the Bible. It is confidence in Him as a person. See Heb 11:1,6. Faith saves by bringing us into the presence of the One who saves and opens the way for Him to work.
Courage a more accurate translation of the Greek word than comfort. 9:23 These players were musicians hired to play at funerals. 9:24 Sleeping if the ruler was right when he said the girl had just died, then Jesus meant that she was not permanently dead. Sleep is a word often used for the physical death of Gods people in both Old and New Testaments (notes at John 11:11-14). It suggests that they will awake and rise again from the temporary state of death 1 Thess 4:13-18. 9:25 The laughing crowd will not see the glory of His working. Scoffers will not experience his power. This is one of the three recorded occasions of Jesus raising the dead. The