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Jesus forgives sins
1 So getting into the boat He crossed over and came into His own city. 2 And then, they came to Him carrying a paralytic lying on a pallet. And seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, son; your sins are forgiven you!” 3 But then, some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemes!” 4 So Jesus, knowing their thoughts,* Jesus could read people's minds. said: “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 So which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say ‘Get up and walk’?† Obviously it is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” because no one can see if it happened or not; but “get up and walk”—if he doesn't, you look silly! 6 But so that you may know that the Son of the Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—then He says to the paralytic, “On your feet, pick up your pallet and go to your house!” 7 So he got up and went off to his house. 8 And seeing it the crowds marveled and glorified God, the one giving such authority to the people.‡ This way of putting it intrigues me. The people were getting the benefit from just one person who was using God's authority. How many people do you know who use God's authority on a regular basis? What would happen if a few appeared on the scene?
Matthew called
9 And going on from there Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He says to him, “Follow me.” So getting up he followed Him. 10 Now it happened, as He was reclining at the table in the house,§ Matthew's; see Luke 5:27-29. Matthew prepared a special meal and invited all his colleagues. He would have to turn his responsibilities as tax collector over to them. that many tax collectors and sinners had also come and were reclining at the table with Jesus and His disciples! 11 Upon seeing this the Pharisees said to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat and drink* I follow the best line of transmission that has ‘and drink’, although 70% of the Greek manuscripts omit the words. with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But Jesus heard it, so He said to them: “Those who are strong do not need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”† Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “to repentance” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
Fasting
14 Then the disciples of John come to Him saying, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast about many things, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 So 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.
Old wineskins
16 “And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear becomes worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst and the wine spills out, and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”‡ What are the implications here for established ecclesiastical structures? How many churches have been split by ‘new wine’? But, so, how should we go about trying to renew a dead church? Or should we just pull out and ‘leave the dead to bury their dead’?
Jesus raises the dead
18 While He was saying these things to them, there he was; a certain ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus got up and followed him, with His disciples. 20 And then—a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she kept saying to herself, “If only I may touch His garment I will be healed.”§ It is clear from Mark 5:27-30 that the woman was healed before Jesus turned around. At other times contact with the shadow or a handkerchief brought healing. There is a principle at work here that we no longer understand, but satanists use all the time. 22 But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that very hour. 23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house and saw the flutists and the crowd making a commotion, 24 He says to them, “Go away, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” So they began to ridicule Him.* They knew that the girl was dead. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and grasped her hand, and the girl got up. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.
Jesus restores sight and speech
27 As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 And arriving in the house, the blind men approached Him; so He says to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They say to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them saying, “See to it that no one knows!” 31 But going out they spread the news about Him in all that country.
32 As they were going out, well, they brought to Him a mute man, demonized. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the crowds marveled saying, “Never was it seen like this in Israel!”† I take it that the events recorded in verses 10-33 happened one right after the other, probably within two or three hours—the Lord had very little time to Himself; someone was clamoring for attention constantly. To be alone with the Father He had to slip away at night. 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”‡ At this point the Pharisees committed the unpardonable sin; see Mark 3:29-30.
The harvest needs workers
35 Then Jesus went around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people. 36 Seeing the crowds He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and prostrated, like sheep without a shepherd.§ Who or what did the harassing? Sheep without a shepherd have no protection. 37 Then He says to His disciples: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workers into His harvest.”* Not everyone is supposed to go, and not everyone can give, but we can all pray—or can we? To pray that prayer honestly, we have to be prepared to be one of the workers He will send!

*9:4 Jesus could read people's minds.

†9:5 Obviously it is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” because no one can see if it happened or not; but “get up and walk”—if he doesn't, you look silly!

‡9:8 This way of putting it intrigues me. The people were getting the benefit from just one person who was using God's authority. How many people do you know who use God's authority on a regular basis? What would happen if a few appeared on the scene?

§9:10 Matthew's; see Luke 5:27-29. Matthew prepared a special meal and invited all his colleagues. He would have to turn his responsibilities as tax collector over to them.

*9:11 I follow the best line of transmission that has ‘and drink’, although 70% of the Greek manuscripts omit the words.

†9:13 Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “to repentance” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡9:17 What are the implications here for established ecclesiastical structures? How many churches have been split by ‘new wine’? But, so, how should we go about trying to renew a dead church? Or should we just pull out and ‘leave the dead to bury their dead’?

§9:21 It is clear from Mark 5:27-30 that the woman was healed before Jesus turned around. At other times contact with the shadow or a handkerchief brought healing. There is a principle at work here that we no longer understand, but satanists use all the time.

*9:24 They knew that the girl was dead.

†9:33 I take it that the events recorded in verses 10-33 happened one right after the other, probably within two or three hours—the Lord had very little time to Himself; someone was clamoring for attention constantly. To be alone with the Father He had to slip away at night.

‡9:34 At this point the Pharisees committed the unpardonable sin; see Mark 3:29-30.

§9:36 Who or what did the harassing? Sheep without a shepherd have no protection.

*9:38 Not everyone is supposed to go, and not everyone can give, but we can all pray—or can we? To pray that prayer honestly, we have to be prepared to be one of the workers He will send!

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD