God chooses to help man by man, that all may be firmly knit together in brotherly love. All such wonders were done effortlessly by the Son of God. V, p. 109. There are twelve kinds of fasts among the Hindoos: -. And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. As Jesus passed by ... (See under Matthew 9:9). But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. were in no sense either easier or more difficult than raising the dead. Christ tested the faith of the two men by waiting until he had entered the house and they had followed, and also by asking them if they believed he was able to do it. A number of examples of Jesus' restoring sight to the blind are recorded and were prophetically included as a positive mark of the Messiah's power when he should be revealed. (5) There was no agonizing. Snobbishness is still a reality in many hearts, and its effect of spiritual blindness are just as real and fatal now as then. The refraining from every kind of nourishment or carnal indulgence. Thirdly, He should lay open his wants with a holy earnestness - he besought him greatly. And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. That the whole sacrificial system was intended only to point out the infinite mercy of God to fallen man, in his redemption by the blood of the new covenant. To be successful in our applications to God by prayer, four things are requisite; and this ruler teaches us what they are. - There was one annual fast observed in the primitive Church, called by our ancestors the spring fast, and, by us, Lent; by the Greeks τεσσερακοϚη, and by the Latins, Quadrigessima. Thus one miracle becomes the proof and establishment of another. Trench explained it thus: "They felt truly that what was given to one man, to him who had just set himself forth under the title of `the Son of man,' was given for the sake of all, and given ultimately to ALL, that thus it was indeed given `unto men'. How much more simple and effectual is the way of salvation taught in the Bible! Peter raised Dorcas from the dead, acting under this commission (Acts 9:40). And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? Here is an absolutely perfect miracle wrought; and here are absolute incontestable proofs that the miracle was wrought; and the conclusion is the fullest demonstration of the Divinity of the ever-blessed Jesus. The illustration in this place is simply that of trying to patch an old garment with a piece of new, that is, unshrunken, cloth which, if attempted, would prove unavailing as soon as the garment was washed. Nothing tends more to humble pretenders to devotion than to show them that they understand neither Scripture nor religion, when, relying on external performances, they neglect love to God and man, which is the very soul and substance of true religion. In all probability this was the θορυβουμενον, the making a violent outcry, mentioned here by the evangelist. He who is thoroughly sensible of God's mercy cannot long contain his acknowledgments. That we should not rest in the sacrifices, but look for the mercy and salvation prefigured by them. The chorus of the first stanza being ended, the chief bard of the foot semichorus sung the second stanza, the strain of which was taken from the concluding note of the preceding chorus, which ended, the head semichorus began the Gol, or lamentation, in which they were answered by that of the foot, and then, as before, both united in the general full chorus. 2d. Isaiah said of the Messiah and his times, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Isaiah 35:5). 3. Matthew Henry :: Commentary on Matthew 9 ← Back to Matthew Henry's Bio & Resources . Different Churches also were divided concerning the length of the time, some keeping it three, others five, and others seven weeks; and the historian himself is puzzled to know why they all agreed in calling these fasts, differing so much in their duration, by the name of Quadrigessima, or forty days' fast: the plain obvious reason appears to me to have been simply this: They put Days in the place of Hours; and this absurdity continues in some Christian Churches to the present day. One of the profoundest statements in Holy Writ is Mark 6:56. They passed the test, and Jesus healed them. That Jesus Christ was generally and incontestably acknowledged as coming from this stock. The application of these observations I leave to others. The place of the harvest is the whole earth: it signifies little where a man works, provided it be by the appointment, in the Spirit, and with the blessing of God. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying. They say unto him, Yea, Lord. And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. [2] Adam Clarke, Commentary (New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. The days in which a man was obliged to give his property to what was called The Church, for the salvation of his soul, Christ being left out of the question, are, thank God, nearly over and gone. Regarding Jairus' daughter, the quibble is raised that she might not have been dead but had merely swooned; however, the statement of the damsel's father, the presence of the hired mourners, and their laughing Jesus to scorn, knowing her to be dead, remove any thought that only a swoon had occurred. God sounds the secrets of all hearts - no sin escapes his notice; how senseless then is the sinner to think he sins securely when unseen by men! And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven. Secondly, He should humble himself sincerely before God - he fell down before him - at his feet. Of course, one of these is as easily "said" as the other; but the overwhelming impact of this lies in the plain truth, presented here by Christ, that a person who cannot do BOTH can do NEITHER! The reference to the relaxation of rules during a wedding, however, was the most devastating of all. Foolish and irrevocable as their decision was, it does not stand by itself, because countless souls are continually making decisions just as tragic. He lights a fire, and sits at a door where there enters a hot wind, which he draws in with his breath. 12. He who comes in this way to God, for salvation, is sure to be heard. I have seen a number of women, sometimes fourteen, twenty-four, or more, accompany the deceased from his late house to the grave-yard, divided into two parties on each side the corpse, singing the Ullaloo, alternately, all the way. Whereas the preceding narrative introduces the notion that forgiveness is a primary focus of Jesus' mission (v... View the entire commentary. Divine things make a deeper impression on the hearts of the simple multitude than on those of the doctors, who, puffed up with a sense of their own wisdom, refuse to receive the truth as it is in Jesus. How comforting is the thought that the Saviour always saw (and sees) the man, whatever the outward circumstances that may disguise him from his fellows! A man gives proof of his conversion from sin to God who imitates this paralytic person. That was the tuft,Matthew 9:22 (Brooklyn, New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), p. And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. 3dly. Thy sins be forgiven thee - Moral evil has been the cause of all the natural evil in the world. Ever afterwards, it must have been a source of remorse to some of that company that their conduct had made it impossible for them to witness one of the great wonders of all time, and to see that remarkable outflashing of the glory from the Majesty on high. (4) There were no incantations. Seeing their faith - The faith of the paralytic person, and the faith of those who brought him; see on Mark 2:4 (note). Then, as in all ages, scorners proved witnesses only against themselves. Go ye and learn - צא ולמד tse velimmed, a form of speech in frequent use among the rabbins, when they referred to any fact or example in the Sacred Writings. Their great annual fast is kept on the month Ramzan, or Ramadhan, beginning at the first new moon, and continuing until the appearance of the next; during which, it is required to abstain from every kind of nourishment from day-break till after sun-set of each day.