Matthew 9
Living Bible
9 So Jesus climbed into a boat and went across the lake to Capernaum, his hometown.[a]
2 Soon some men brought him a paralyzed man on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick man, “Cheer up, son! For I have forgiven your sins!”
3 “Blasphemy! This man is saying he is God!” exclaimed some of the religious leaders to themselves.
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5-6 I, the Messiah,[b] have the authority on earth to forgive sins. But talk is cheap—anybody could say that. So I’ll prove it to you by healing this man.” Then, turning to the paralyzed man, he commanded, “Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed.”
7 And the man jumped up and left!
8 A chill of fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. How they praised God for giving such authority to a man!
9 As Jesus was going on down the road, he saw a tax collector, Matthew,[c] sitting at a tax collection booth. “Come and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him, and Matthew jumped up and went along with him.
10 Later, as Jesus and his disciples were eating dinner at Matthew’s house,[d] there were many notorious swindlers there as guests!
11 The Pharisees were indignant. “Why does your teacher associate with men like that?”
12 “Because people who are well don’t need a doctor! It’s the sick people who do!” was Jesus’ reply. 13 Then he added, “Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of Scripture,
‘It isn’t your sacrifices and your gifts I want—I want you to be merciful.’[e]
For I have come to urge sinners, not the self-righteous, back to God.”
14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast as we do and as the Pharisees do?”
15 “Should the bridegroom’s friends mourn and go without food while he is with them?” Jesus asked. “But the time is coming when I[f] will be taken from them. Time enough then for them to refuse to eat.
16 “And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch would tear away and make the hole worse. 17 And who would use old wineskins[g] to store new wine? For the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be spilled and skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new wine. That way both are preserved.”
18 As he was saying this, the rabbi of the local synagogue came and worshiped him. “My little daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you will only come and touch her.”
19 As Jesus and the disciples were going to the rabbi’s home, 20 a woman who had been sick for twelve years with internal bleeding came up behind him and touched a tassel of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I only touch him, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned around and spoke to her. “Daughter,” he said, “all is well! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was well from that moment.
23 When Jesus arrived at the rabbi’s home and saw the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music, 24 he said, “Get them out, for the little girl isn’t dead; she is only sleeping!” Then how they all scoffed and sneered at him!
25 When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in where the little girl was lying and took her by the hand, and she jumped up and was all right again! 26 The report of this wonderful miracle swept the entire countryside.
27 As Jesus was leaving her home, two blind men followed along behind, shouting, “O Son of King 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 And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them not to tell anyone about it, 31 but instead they spread his fame all over the town.[h]
32 Leaving that place, Jesus met a man who couldn’t speak because a demon was inside him. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. How the crowds marveled! “Never in all our lives have we seen anything like this,” they exclaimed.
34 But the Pharisees said, “The reason he can cast out demons is that he is demon-possessed himself—possessed by Satan, the demon king!”
35 Jesus traveled around through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the Jewish synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went he healed people of every sort of illness. 36 And what pity he felt for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
37 “The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few,” he told his disciples. 38 “So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 9:1 his hometown, literally, “his own city.”
- Matthew 9:5 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 9:9 Matthew, the Matthew who wrote this book.
- Matthew 9:10 at Matthew’s house, implied.
- Matthew 9:13 I want you to be merciful, see Hosea 6:6.
- Matthew 9:15 I, literally, “the Bridegroom.”
- Matthew 9:17 old wineskins. These were leather bags for storing wine.
- Matthew 9:31 all over the town, literally, “in all that land.”
Matthew 9
Expanded Bible
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man(A)
9 Jesus got into a boat and went back across the ·lake [sea] to his own town. 2 [L And look/T behold] Some people brought to Jesus a man who was paralyzed and lying on a ·mat [cot; bed]. When Jesus saw ·the faith of these people [L their faith], he said to the paralyzed man, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·young man [son; child]. Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] said to themselves, “·This man speaks as if he were God. That is blasphemy [L This man blasphemes]!”
4 ·Knowing [Perceiving] their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil ·thoughts [L in your hearts]? 5 [L For] Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But ·I will prove to you [L so that you may know] that the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up, ·take [pick up] your ·mat [cot; bed], and go home.” 7 And the man stood up and went home. 8 When the ·people [crowds] saw this, they were ·amazed [filled with awe; afraid] and ·praised [glorified] God for giving ·power like this [such authority] to ·human beings [mankind; C the language echoes the Son of Man title just used by Jesus (v. 6), which the crowds misunderstand to mean simply “a human being”].
Jesus Chooses Matthew(B)
9 When Jesus was ·leaving [walking along], he saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth [C probably a tariff booth for taxing goods in transit]. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and he stood up and followed Jesus.
10 As Jesus was ·having dinner [L reclining; C around a low table; the posture for a formal banquet or dinner party] at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ·ate [L reclined together] with Jesus and his ·followers [disciples]. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus’ ·followers [disciples], “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors [C despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard them, he said, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I ·want [desire; require; am pleased by] ·kindness [compassion; mercy] ·more than I want [L not] animal sacrifices [Hos. 6:6].’ [L For] I did not come to ·invite [call] ·good people [the righteous; C meaning the “self-righteous” who feel no need to repent] but to invite [call] sinners [C those who recognize their need to repent].”
Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized(C)
14 Then the ·followers [disciples] of John [C the Baptist] came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast [C giving up eating for spiritual purposes], but your ·followers [disciples] don’t?”
15 Jesus answered, “The ·friends of the bridegroom [or wedding guests; L children of the wedding hall] ·are not sad [L cannot mourn] while he is with them [C Jesus is referring to himself; John 3:29; Rev. 19:7]. But the ·time [L days] will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk [C new] cloth over a hole in an old ·coat [garment]. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the ·coat [garment], making the ·hole [tear] worse. 17 Also, people never pour new wine into old ·leather bags [wineskins]. Otherwise, the ·bags [wineskins] will ·break [burst; C because the fermenting wine expands], the wine will spill, and the ·wine bags [wineskins] will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into ·new [fresh] ·wine bags [wineskins]. Then both ·will continue to be good [are preserved].”
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(D)
18 While Jesus was saying these things, a ·leader of the synagogue [L leader; official; ruler; C Mark 5:22 identifies him as a synagogue leader] came to him. He ·bowed down [knelt] before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live again.” 19 So Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] stood up and ·went with [L followed] him.
20 ·Then [L And look/T behold,] a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [C probably a chronic menstrual disorder] came behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassels; see Num. 15:38–39] of his ·coat [cloak; garment]. 21 [L For] She was thinking, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].”
22 Jesus turned and saw the woman and said, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·dear woman [L daughter]. ·You are made well because you believed [Your faith has saved/healed you].” And the woman was ·healed [made well; saved] from that moment on.
23 Jesus continued along with the ·leader [ruler; official] and went into his house. There he saw the ·funeral musicians [L pipe/flute players] and ·many people crying [a noisy crowd]. 24 Jesus said, “·Go away [Get out; Leave]. [L For] The girl is not dead, only asleep.” But the people ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. 25 After the crowd had been ·thrown [sent; put] out of the house, Jesus went into the girl’s room and took hold of her hand, and she ·stood up [arose]. 26 The ·news [report] about this spread ·all around the area [L throughout that whole land/region].
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men(E)
27 When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “·Have mercy [Take pity] on us, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; 2 Sam. 7:11–16]!”
28 After Jesus went inside, the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can ·make you see again [L do this]?”
They answered, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “·Because you believe [L According to your faith], ·it will happen [L let it be done for you].” 30 Then ·the men were able to see [L their eyes were opened]. But Jesus warned them strongly, saying, “·Don’t tell anyone [L See that no one knows] about this.” 31 But the blind men left and spread the news about Jesus ·all around that area [L throughout that whole land/region].
Jesus Heals a Demon Possessed Man(F)
32 When the two men were leaving, [L look; behold] some people brought to Jesus ·another man who could not talk because he had a demon in him [a mute, demon-possessed man]. 33 After Jesus ·forced the demon to leave the man [drove/cast out the demon], he ·was able [began] to speak. The crowd was amazed and said, “·We have never seen anything like this [L Nothing like this has ever been seen/happened] in Israel.”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He forces [drives; casts] demons out by the power of the ·prince [ruler] of demons.”
The Harvest Is Great(G)
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. 36 When he saw the crowds, he ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them because they were ·hurting [distressed; confused; harassed] and ·helpless [discouraged; dejected], like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “·There are many people to harvest [L The harvest is great/large] but ·there are only a few workers [the workers/laborers are few]. 38 So pray to the Lord ·who owns [who is in charge of; L of] the harvest, that he will send more ·workers [laborers] ·to gather [L into] his harvest.”
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