Verses 1-8: Forgiveness and Healing Under the Son of Man’s Authority

¹ He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. ² Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you.” ³ Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.” ⁴ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk?’ ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins-” (then he said to the paralytic), “Get up, and take up your mat, and go to your house.” ⁷ He arose and departed to his house. ⁸ But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

• Jesus addresses the deeper human need—sin—alongside suffering:

  The paralytic’s visible weakness becomes the setting for Jesus to declare, “Your sins are forgiven you,” teaching that humanity’s most fundamental problem is not merely physical frailty but moral and spiritual guilt. The healing that follows does not replace forgiveness; it confirms that the kingdom’s mercy reaches the whole person—conscience, body, and community.

• The Son of Man possesses divine authority exercised in history:

  Jesus frames the miracle “that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” grounding forgiveness not in a vague sentiment but in the personal authority of Christ acting within time and place. This anchors Christian assurance in who Jesus is and what he has the right and power to do, not in human achievement.

• Faith is real and visible, yet Jesus remains the effective Savior:

  Jesus responds to what he sees—“seeing their faith”—yet the decisive act is his word of pardon and command of healing. The passage honors genuine trust (including the support of others) while keeping the focus on Christ as the one who forgives and restores, so that faith is neither treated as a mere technique nor reduced to a passive idea.

• Unbelief can be moral as well as intellectual:

  The scribes’ inward accusation and Jesus’ reply, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” shows that opposition to Christ may arise not only from lack of information but from a resistant heart. Theological discernment must therefore involve humility and repentance, not only debate.

• God’s work in Christ leads to worship and public testimony:

  The crowd “marveled and glorified God,” indicating that miracles in Scripture are not ends in themselves but signs meant to lead people to praise the living God. The wonder of Jesus’ acts is intended to awaken reverence, gratitude, and recognition that God has visited his people with saving power.

Verses 9-13: The Call of Matthew and Mercy Toward Sinners

⁹ As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him. ¹⁰ As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹³ But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

• Discipleship begins with Christ’s call and a real human response:

  Jesus’ command, “Follow me,” is direct and personal, and Matthew’s response—“He got up and followed him”—shows the transforming power of that call. The passage holds together God’s initiating grace (Christ seeks and summons) and meaningful human obedience (Matthew truly rises and follows), portraying conversion as both gift and response.

• Jesus welcomes sinners without endorsing sin:

  Table fellowship with “tax collectors and sinners” reveals the posture of the kingdom: Christ draws near to the morally compromised to reclaim them. Yet the purpose is explicit—“sinners to repentance”—so mercy is not permissiveness but restorative love that aims at changed life.

• Mercy stands at the heart of faithful religion:

  “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” exposes a recurring religious temptation: to substitute external observance for compassionate love. Jesus teaches that ritual and discipline are not abolished, but they are judged by whether they express God’s merciful character toward real people.

• The gospel is for the spiritually needy who know they are sick:

  Jesus’ physician image—“Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do”—reveals that self-sufficiency blocks grace. The kingdom comes as healing for those who acknowledge their need, inviting honest confession and humble dependence on Christ.

Verses 14-17: The Bridegroom’s Presence and the Newness of the Kingdom

¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” ¹⁵ Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. ¹⁷ Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”

• Spiritual practices must fit God’s redemptive moment:

  Jesus does not reject fasting; he locates it properly: “the days will come… and then they will fast.” This teaches that devotion is not merely rule-keeping but discerning participation in God’s unfolding work—rejoicing in the Bridegroom’s presence and later expressing longing and dependence when he is “taken away.”

• Jesus identifies himself as the Bridegroom, redefining covenant joy:

  By speaking of “the bridegroom,” Jesus places his presence at the center of the community’s spiritual life. Theologically, this signals that communion with Christ is not an accessory to religion but the heart of it: where he is received, joy is fitting; where his absence is felt, yearning prayer is fitting.

• The kingdom is not a minor adjustment but a renewing reality:

  The images of unshrunk cloth and new wine teach that Jesus’ work cannot be contained as a mere patch on an unchanged framework. God’s renewal requires “fresh wine skins”—hearts, communities, and patterns of life made pliable by grace—so that the life of the kingdom is preserved rather than forcing Christ into forms that cannot bear his transforming presence.

Verses 18-26: Faith in Desperation—Death Overcome and the Unclean Restored

¹⁸ While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples. ²⁰ Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; ²¹ for she said within herself, “If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. ²³ When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴ he said to them, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” They were ridiculing him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ The report of this went out into all that land.

• Worship and petition belong together in true faith:

  The ruler “came and worshiped him” and simultaneously pleads for life, showing that Christian prayer is not treating Jesus as a tool but approaching him as one worthy of reverence. Need drives the request, but worship frames it—an enduring model for the church’s intercession.

• Faith reaches for Christ, and Christ personally answers:

  The woman’s inward conviction—“If I just touch his garment, I will be made well”—shows faith as a movement toward Jesus in hope. Yet Jesus turns, speaks, and names her “Daughter,” revealing that salvation is not anonymous power but personal grace from the Savior who sees and addresses the one who comes.

• “Your faith has made you well” honors trust without making it the source of power:

  Jesus explicitly connects her healing with faith, affirming that trust is the fitting means of receiving God’s help. At the same time, the narrative keeps Jesus as the active healer; faith is not portrayed as self-generated force but as reliance on the one who can make whole.

• Jesus’ authority extends even over death, despite ridicule:

  When Jesus says, “the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping,” the crowd mocks him, highlighting how human perception often limits expectation. Yet Jesus takes her hand and “the girl arose,” displaying a sovereignty that overturns the finality of death and anticipates the fuller hope that God gives his people.

• Christ’s works become public witness that spreads:

  “The report of this went out into all that land,” illustrating how God’s saving acts create testimony. Theologically, this underscores mission: what Jesus does is not meant to remain hidden but to be spoken of, stirring faith, inquiry, and accountability.

Verses 27-34: Mercy Requested, Sight Given, Deliverance Granted—And Opposition Exposed

²⁷ As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” ²⁸ When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.” ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” ³⁰ Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land. ³² As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. ³³ When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons.”

• Jesus is the promised King who invites cries for mercy:

  The blind men address him as “son of David,” a confession that ties Jesus to God’s promised kingship. Their plea—“Have mercy on us”—shows that the proper posture before the Messiah is not entitlement but appeal to compassion, trusting that the King’s reign brings healing and restoration.

• Jesus elicits confession of faith and then acts decisively:

  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” calls for a clear entrusting of the heart, and “Yes, Lord” expresses that trust. Jesus then says, “According to your faith be it done to you,” showing that his gifts are received through believing reliance—faith that looks away from self and toward his ability.

• Obedience matters, yet even imperfect disciples can still spread true fame:

  Jesus “strictly commanded” secrecy, but “they went out and spread abroad his fame,” revealing how zeal can outpace obedience. Theologically, this warns believers that sincerity is not the same as submission, while also showing that Christ’s renown advances even through flawed witnesses.

• Deliverance from demonic oppression displays the kingdom’s invasion of darkness:

  When “the demon was cast out,” the mute man speaks, demonstrating that Jesus’ reign is not only moral instruction but liberation. The crowd’s amazement—“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”—signals that Jesus brings a decisive new act of God’s saving power.

• Hardened hearts can mislabel God’s work as evil:

  The Pharisees’ accusation, “By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons,” shows how persistent resistance can distort moral vision. This is a sober theological point: opposition to Christ can become so entrenched that people reinterpret evident good as sinister, revealing the danger of pride and spiritual blindness.

Verses 35-38: Compassionate Mission and Prayer to the Lord of the Harvest

³⁵ Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. ³⁶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

• Kingdom ministry is word and deed together:

  Jesus teaches, preaches “the Good News of the Kingdom,” and heals, showing that the gospel is proclaimed with truth and embodied with mercy. The church learns here that faithful ministry must hold together doctrinal instruction, evangelistic announcement, and compassionate care, rather than isolating one from the others.

• God’s compassion is the motive force of mission:

  Jesus is “moved with compassion” because the people are “harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.” This reveals God’s heart toward the vulnerable and spiritually leaderless, grounding Christian mission not in triumphalism but in pity, patience, and shepherd-like responsibility.

• Mission depends on God’s sending and the church’s praying:

  “Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers” teaches that laborers are not merely self-appointed; they are sent by God. Yet God commands his disciples to pray—showing that divine initiative and human participation belong together: God sovereignly supplies workers, and believers actively ask, obey, and go when called.

• The harvest is truly plentiful, calling for urgency and hope:

  Jesus declares abundance—“The harvest indeed is plentiful”—even while noting scarcity of workers. Theologically, this establishes hopeful realism: there is real need and limitation, but also real readiness in God’s field, inviting the church to persistent prayer, wise preparation, and courageous engagement.

Conclusion: Matthew 9 unveils Jesus as the merciful and authoritative Son of Man who forgives sins, heals bodies, restores the marginalized, defeats oppression, and calls disciples into a mission shaped by compassion and sustained by prayer. The chapter invites believers to come to Christ in repentant faith, to practice mercy over mere outwardness, to embrace the newness of his kingdom, and to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his saving work.