Matthew 9:1–13

God can forgive everyone

Jesus showed that he can forgive sins. He does not send anybody away.

This was the last in the set of three stories about miracles.

Pick up your bed! (Matthew 9:1–8)

Jesus now began a new part of his work. Before this time, people could think that he was just a teacher. He could even do miracles. But this was different. He forgave sins. No ordinary teacher could do that.

The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees could choose. They could agree with Jesus’ claims. Or they could refuse to accept him. They made the wrong choice. Their started to oppose him when he did this miracle. They were against Jesus until he died on the cross.

In the next verses, we read about how they opposed him. The teachers of the Law said things against Jesus:

They accused Jesus of all these things. This would lead to his death.

Sometimes, illness can be the result of personal sin. (Read Matthew 8:17.) The man here seemed to believe that this was true about him. But his friends tried very hard to get him to Jesus. The man was lying on his bed. This was because he could not move. Many people wanted to get near to Jesus. And this meant that his friends could not get into the house. So, they took away part of the roof. Then they put him in front of Jesus.

Jesus saw the man’s greatest need. Jesus was very gentle with the man. He called him ‘son’ (verse Matthew 9:2). Then he told the man that he forgave his sins. Jesus may have meant to teach the man that he was now a child of God too.

Only God can forgive sin. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees knew this. They realised that Jesus was claiming to be God. To them, this was a most serious sin. They never even thought that Jesus’ claim might be right. They just accused him. Jesus showed them how wrong they were. He asked them a question (verse Matthew 9:5). Is it easier to heal, or is it easier to forgive someone? They would think that it was harder to heal this man. So, Jesus healed him. He just spoke and the man was completely well. (Compare Matthew 8:15. Jesus healed by a touch.)

The ordinary people who were in the room saw this miracle. Matthew tells us about their reactions in verse Matthew 9:8. They knew that they had seen God’s great power. They praised God for what he had done.

The call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9–13)

Jesus came to forgive sins. Matthew had made this clear. But this must lead to two more questions. First, whom will Jesus forgive? Second, how will he forgive? In these 5 verses, Matthew spoke about himself. He recorded how Jesus called him to be his disciple. Then Matthew told about a meal that he had for his friends. He wanted them to meet Jesus too. (Read Mark 2:13–17 and Luke 5:27–32.)

Matthew was a tax official. Tax officials were called ‘tax collectors’. There was a main route for trade. It was from the country called Syria to Egypt. This route went through the district called Galilee. The city called Capernaum was a tax station. It was the boundary between two districts. There would be a tax as goods went from one district to another. The leaders of the two districts were Philip and Herod Antipas. Matthew worked for Herod.

The Jews did not like these tax officials.

  • The tax officials often took extra money from other Jews. In this way, they became rich.
  • They were working for the people who had defeated the Jews.
  • They did not obey the laws of the Jews. This was why the Pharisees called them ‘ sinners’ (verse 11). They did not follow the Pharisees’ ideas of the Law. Many tax collectors did not care about God. But this was not always true.

Jesus and his disciples were at Matthew’s meal. This was why the Pharisees accused Jesus. They said that his religious practices were wrong. (Read Matthew 9:1–8.) The Pharisees believed that any link with a bad person made them bad too. They did not understand how Jesus could have a meal with bad people. Jesus heard their remarks and gave his answer. He showed them that they had made two mistakes. First, they had not understood what the Messiah’s work would be. Second, they had the wrong idea about how God could forgive them. They thought that to please God depended on ceremonies. They thought that they must work to please God too. (Read Matthew 5:17–6:18.)

Jesus gave an answer to the Pharisees’ wrong idea. He told them that:

  • He had come like a doctor. A doctor cares about sick people and those in need. Jesus had come to help sinners. The Pharisees thought that they did not have any needs. And they had no interest in people who did have needs. Jesus meant that they were neglecting their duty.
  • He used one of the religious leaders’ phrases. Jesus said: ‘Go and learn what it means.’ He used the phrase against them. Jesus repeated Hosea 6:6. Real religion must have spiritual attitudes. The Pharisees knew the OT well. But they had never understood this basic truth.

Jesus’ final words were a test. Salvation is an invitation. Some people think that they are good. So, salvation is not for them. It is for those whose needs are desperate. Jesus came to help people who have no hope or help. (Note: Everybody needs salvation. But Jesus cannot help anyone who does not want his help.)

Questions

  • Jesus died so that he could forgive your sins. How can you be sure that your sin has gone?
  • The church is a place for sinners. What does this mean about our churches? Do we expect a standard that is too high from each other?
  • The church exists for those who are not its members. No other organisation is like this. Think about Jesus’ work in this passage. How could we copy him as we try to bring people to Jesus today?

(Note: ‘Church’ refers to the people, not to the building.)