1 And hee entred into a ship, and passed ouer, and came into his owne citie.
2 And behold, they brought to him a man sicke of the palsie, lying on a bed: and Iesus seeing their faith, said vnto the sicke of the palsie, Sonne, be of good cheere, thy sinnes be forgiuen thee.
3 And behold, certaine of the Scribes said within themselues, This man blasphemeth.
4 And Iesus knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore thinke yee euill in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier to say, Thy sinnes be forgiuen thee: or to say, Arise, and walke?
6 But that yee may know that the sonne of man hath power on earth to forgiue sinnes, (Then saith hee to the sicke of the palsie) Arise, take vp thy bed, and goe vnto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marueiled, & glorified God, which had giuen such power vnto men.
9 ¶ And as Iesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receite of custome: and he saith vnto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
10 ¶ And it came to passe, as Iesus sate at meate in the house, behold, many publicanes and sinners, came and sate downe with him and his Disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said vnto his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicanes & sinners.
12 But when Iesus heard that, hee said vnto them, They that be whole neede not a Physicion, but they that are sicke.
13 But goe ye and learne what that meaneth, I will haue 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 Iohn, saying, Why doe we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15 And Iesus saide vnto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourne, as long as the bridegrome is with them? But the dayes will come when the bridegrome shall bee taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth vnto an olde garment: for that which is put in to fill it vp, taketh from the garment, & the rent is made worse.
17 Neither doe men put new wine into old bottels: else the bottels breake, and the wine runneth out, and the bottels perish: but they put new wine into new bottels, and both are preserued.
18 ¶ While hee spake these things vnto them, beholde, there came a certaine ruler and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is euen now dead: but come, and lay thy hand vpon her, and she shall liue.
19 And Iesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
20 (¶ And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelue yeeres, came behinde him, and touched the hemme of his garment.
21 For she said within her selfe, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Iesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, bee of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that houre.)
23 And when Iesus came into the rulers house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
24 He said vnto them, Giue place, for the mayd is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorne.
25 But when the people were put foorth, he went in, and tooke her by the hand: and the mayd arose.
26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
27 ¶ And when Iesus departed thence, two blinde men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou sonne of Dauid, haue mercy on vs.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blinde men came to him: and Iesus saith vnto them, Beleeue ye that I am able to doe this? They said vnto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith, bee it vnto you.
30 And their eyes were opened: and Iesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that countrey.
32 ¶ As they went out, beholde, they brought to him a dumbe man possessed with a deuill.
33 And when the deuil was cast out, the dumbe spake, and the multitudes marueiled, saying, It was neuer so seene in Israel.
34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out the deuils through the prince of the deuils.
35 And Iesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdome, and healing euery sickenesse, and euery disease among the people.
36 ¶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moued with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheepe hauing no shepheard.
37 Then saith he vnto his disciples, The haruest truely is plenteous, but the labourers are few.
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the haruest, that hee will send foorth labourers into his haruest.
Jesus returns to Capernaum, and heals a paralytic. (1-8) Matthew called. (9) Matthew, or Levi's feast. (10-13) Objections of John's disciples. (14-17) Christ raises the daughter of Jairus, He heals the issue of blood. (18-26) He heals two blind men. (27-31) Christ casts out a dumb spirit. (32-34) He sends forth the apostles. (35-38)1-8 The faith of the friends of the paralytic in bringing him to Christ, was a strong faith; they firmly believed that Jesus Christ both could and would heal him. A strong faith regards no obstacles in pressing after Christ. It was a humble faith; they brought him to attend on Christ. It was an active faith. Sin may be pardoned, yet the sickness not be removed; the sickness may be removed, yet the sin not pardoned: but if we have the comfort of peace with God, with the comfort of recovery from sickness, this makes the healing a mercy indeed. This is no encouragement to sin. If thou bring thy sins to Jesus Christ, as thy malady and misery to be cured of, and delivered from, it is well; but to come with them, as thy darlings and delight, thinking still to retain them and receive him, is a gross mistake, a miserable delusion. The great intention of the blessed Jesus in the redemption he wrought, is to separate our hearts from sin. Our Lord Jesus has perfect knowledge of all that we say within ourselves. There is a great deal of evil in sinful thoughts, which is very offensive to the Lord Jesus. Christ designed to show that his great errand to the world was, to save his people from their sins. He turned from disputing with the scribes, and spake healing to the sick man. Not only he had no more need to be carried upon his bed, but he had strength to carry it. God must be glorified in all the power that is given to do good.
9 Matthew was in his calling, as the rest of those whom Christ called. As Satan comes with his temptations to the idle, so Christ comes with his calls to those who are employed. We are all naturally averse from thee, O God; do thou bid us to follow thee; draw us by thy powerful word, and we shall run after thee. Speak by the word of the Spirit to our hearts, the world cannot hold us down, Satan cannot stop our way, we shall arise and follow thee. A saving change is wrought in the soul, by Christ as the author, and his word as the means. Neither Matthew's place, nor his gains by it, could detain him, when Christ called him. He left it, and though we find the disciples, who were fishers, occasionally fishing again afterwards, we never more find Matthew at his sinful gain.
10-13 Some time after his call, Matthew sought to bring his old associates to hear Christ. He knew by experience what the grace of Christ could do, and would not despair concerning them. Those who are effectually brought to Christ, cannot but desire that others also may be brought to him. Those who suppose their souls to be without disease will not welcome the spiritual Physician. This was the case with the Pharisees; they despised Christ, because they thought themselves whole; but the poor publicans and sinners felt that they wanted instruction and amendment. It is easy, and too common, to put the worst constructions upon the best words and actions. It may justly be suspected that those have not the grace of God themselves, who are not pleased with others' obtaining it. Christ's conversing with sinners is here called mercy; for to promote the conversion of souls is the greatest act of mercy. The gospel call is a call to repentance; a call to us to change our minds, and to change our ways. If the children of men had not been sinners, there had been no need for Christ to come among them. Let us examine whether we have found out our sickness, and have learned to follow the directions of our great Physician.
14-17 John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, and the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who were peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts. Christ referred them to John's testimony of him, #Joh 3:29|. Though there is no doubt that Jesus and his disciples lived in a spare and frugal manner, it would be improper for his disciples to fast while they had the comfort of his presence. When he is with them, all is well. The presence of the sun makes day, and its absence produces night. Our Lord further reminded them of common rules of prudence. It was not usual to take a piece of rough woolen cloth, which had never been prepared, to join to an old garment, for it would not join well with the soft, old garment, but would tear it further, and the rent would be made worse. Nor would men put new wine into old leathern bottles, which were going to decay, and would be liable to burst from the fermenting of the wine; but putting the new wine into strong, new, skin bottles, both would be preserved. Great caution and prudence are necessary, that young converts may not receive gloomy and forbidding ideas of the service of our Lord; but duties are to be urged as they are able to bear them.
18-26 The death of our relations should drive us to Christ, who is our life. And it is high honour to the greatest rulers to attend on the Lord Jesus; and those who would receive mercy from Christ, must honour him. The variety of methods Christ took in working his miracles, perhaps was because of the different frames and tempers of mind, which those were in who came to him, and which He who searches the heart perfectly knew. A poor woman applied herself to Christ, and received mercy from him by the way. If we do but touch, as it were, the hem of Christ's garment by living faith, our worst evils will be healed; there is no other real cure, nor need we fear his knowing things which are a grief and burden to us, but which we would not tell to any earthly friend. When Christ entered the ruler's house, he said, Give place. Sometimes, when the sorrow of the world prevails, it is difficult for Christ and his comforts to enter. The ruler's daughter was really dead, but not so to Christ. The death of the righteous is in a special manner to be looked on as only a sleep. The words and works of Christ may not at first be understood, yet they are not therefore to be despised. The people were put forth. Scorners who laugh at what they do not understand, are not proper witnesses of the wonderful works of Christ. Dead souls are not raised to spiritual life, unless Christ take them by the hand: it is done in the day of his power. If this single instance of Christ's raising one newly dead so increased his fame, what will be his glory when all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and come forth; those that have done good to the resurrection of life, and those that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation!
27-31 At this time the Jews expected Messiah would appear; these blind men knew and proclaimed in the streets of Capernaum that he was come, and that Jesus was he. Those who, by the providence of God, have lost their bodily sight, may, by the grace of God, have the eyes of their understanding fully enlightened. And whatever our wants and burdens are, we need no more for supply and support, than to share in the mercy of our Lord Jesus. In Christ is enough for all. They followed him crying aloud. He would try their faith, and would teach us always to pray, and not to faint, though the answer does not come at once. They followed Christ, and followed him crying; but the great question is, Do ye believe? Nature may make us earnest, but it is only grace that can work faith. Christ touched their eyes. He gives sight to blind souls by the power of his grace going with his word, and he puts the cure upon their faith. Those who apply to Jesus Christ, shall be dealt with, not according to their fancies, nor according to their profession, but according to their faith. Christ sometimes concealed his miracles, because he would not indulge the conceit which prevailed among the Jews, that their Messiah should be a temporal prince, and so give occasion to the people to attempt tumults and seditions.
32-34 Of the two, better a dumb devil than a blaspheming one. Christ's cures strike at the root, and remove the effect by taking away the cause; they open the lips, by breaking Satan's power in the soul. Nothing can convince those who are under the power of pride. They will believe anything, however false or absurd, rather than the Holy Scriptures; thus they show the enmity of their hearts against a holy God.
35-38 Jesus visited not only the great and wealthy cities, but the poor, obscure villages; and there he preached, there he healed. The souls of the meanest in the world are as precious to Christ, and should be so to us, as the souls of those who make the greatest figure. There were priests, Levites, and scribes, all over the land; but they were idol shepherds, #Zec 11:17|; therefore Christ had compassion on the people as sheep scattered, as men perishing for lack of knowledge. To this day vast multitudes are as sheep not having a shepherd, and we should have compassion and do all we can to help them. The multitudes desirous of spiritual instruction formed a plenteous harvest, needing many active labourers; but few deserved that character. Christ is the Lord of the harvest. Let us pray that many may be raised up and sent forth, who will labour in bringing souls to Christ. It is a sign that God is about to bestow some special mercy upon a people, when he stirs them up to pray for it. And commissions given to labourers in answer to prayer, are most likely to be successful.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.