Verse For Today

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Mt 8:11 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 8:12 "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

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This was the first occasion that Christ took to speak of the calling of the Gentiles, and rejection of the Jews.
 
Observe, here, That the unbelieving Jews are called  the children of the kingdom, because born within the pale of the visible church: they presumed that the kingdom of heaven was entailed upon them, because they were Abraham's seed; they boasted of, and gloried in, their external and outward privileges.
 
Note, thence, 1.  That gospel ordinances, and church-privileges enjoyed, are a special honour to a people admitted to the participation of them: our Saviour here stiles the Jews upon that account, The children of the kingdom.
 
2.  That such privileges enjoyed, but not improved, do provoke Almighty God to inflict the heaviest of judgments upon a people; The children of the kingdom shall be cast unto outer darkness; that is, into the darkness of hell, where shall be perpetual lamentations for the remembrance of the gospel kindly offered, but unthankfully rejected.

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Mt 8:14 ¶ Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.

Mt 8:15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.

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The next miracle which our Saviour wrought, was in curing Peter's wife's mother of a fever: the miracle was not in curing an incurable distemper, but in the way and manner of curing: for,
 
1.  It was by a touch of our Saviour;s hand.
 
2.  It was instantaneous and sudden:  immediately the fever left her.
 
3.  The visible effects of her recovery presently appeared: She instantly arose and ministered unto them, That she could arise, argued her cure miraculous; that she could and did arise and administer unto Christ, argued her thankfulness, and a great sense of his goodness upon her mind.
 
Note here, 1.  That marriage is the mistress of the gospel, yea, even in the apostles themselves and in Peter, the chiefest of them, was neither censured nor condemned by our Saviour.  St. Peter had a wife and family, which Christ condescends to visit.
 
Observe, 2.  That the first thing which Christ takes notice of in the house which he condescends to visit, is what aileth any in it; what need they stand in of his help and healing; and accordingly, together with his presence, he affords them relief.
 
Learn, 3.  That when Christ has graciously visited and healed any of his servants, it ought to be their first work and next care to administer unto Christ; that is, to employ their recovered health, and improve their renewed strength in his service; She arose and ministered.

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Mt 9:2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

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Observe, 1.  The patient,  One sick of the palsy; which being a resolution of the nerves, weakens the joints, and confines the person to his bed or couch.  As a demonstration of Christ's devine power, he was pleased to single out some incurable diseases (as the world accounts them) to work a cure upon, as the leprosy and palsy.
 
2.  The physician, Jesus Christ; he alone is that wise, faithful, and compassionate physician, that can and doth cure both soul and body.
 
Observe, 3.  The moving and impulsive cause of this cure, Jesus seeing their faith: that is, their firm persuasion that he was clothed with a divine power, and able to help; together with their confidence in his goodness, that he was as willing as he was able; and no sooner did they exercise their faith in believing, but Christ did exert his divine power in healing.  It was not the sick man's faith, but the faith of his friends: the faith of others may prevail for obtaining corporal benefits and temporal blessings for us; thus the centurion's faith healed his servant, and Jairus's faith raised his daughter.
 
Observe, 4.  The marvellous afficacy and power of faith: it obtained not only what was desired, but more than was expected; they desired only the healing of the body, but Jesus seeing their faith, heals body and soul too, saying, Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee; intimating, that diseases proceed from sin, because Christ first speaks of forgiving them; yet it is conceived that Christ rather speaketh here of the temporal remission of the punishment, than of the eternal; because that depends on our own faith, and not on others.

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Mt 9:3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"

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Observe, 1.  The patient,  One sick of the palsy; which being a resolution of the nerves, weakens the joints, and confines the person to his bed or couch.  As a demonstration of Christ's devine power, he was pleased to single out some incurable diseases (as the world accounts them) to work a cure upon, as the leprosy and palsy.
 
2.  The physician, Jesus Christ; he alone is that wise, faithful, and compassionate physician, that can and doth cure both soul and body.
 
Observe, 3.  The moving and impulsive cause of this cure, Jesus seeing their faith: that is, their firm persuasion that he was clothed with a divine power, and able to help; together with their confidence in his goodness, that he was as willing as he was able; and no sooner did they exercise their faith in believing, but Christ did exert his divine power in healing.  It was not the sick man's faith, but the faith of his friends: the faith of others may prevail for obtaining corporal benefits and temporal blessings for us; thus the centurion's faith healed his servant, and Jairus's faith raised his daughter.
 
Observe, 4.  The marvellous afficacy and power of faith: it obtained not only what was desired, but more than was expected; they desired only the healing of the body, but Jesus seeing their faith, heals body and soul too, saying, Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee; intimating, that diseases proceed from sin, because Christ first speaks of forgiving them; yet it is conceived that Christ rather speaketh here of the temporal remission of the punishment, than of the eternal; because that depends on our own faith, and not on others.

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Mt 9:4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Mt 9:5 "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?

Mt 9:6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" --then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

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Our Saviour here gives the Pharisees a twofold demonstration of his godhead: first, By letting them understand that he knew their thoughts; for to search the hearts, and to know the thoughts, of the children of men, is not in the power either of angels or men, but the prerogative of God only.
 
Secondly, By assuming to himself a power to forgive sins; the Son of man hath power to forgive sins.  Our Saviour here, by forgiving sins in his own name, and his own authority, doth give the world an undeniable proof and convincing evidence of his godhead: for,  Who can forgive sins, but God only?

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Mt 9:9 ¶ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.


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Observe here, The number of our Lord's apostles not being filled up, what a strange election and choice he makes; Matthew, a grinding publican is the man.
 
Learn, Such is the freeness of God's grace, that it chooses, and such is the efficacy of it, that it overpowers and brings in, the worst of  sinners unto God; Matthew, a publican; Zaccheus, an extortioner; Manasseh, a murderer; Paul, a persecuter; all these are brought home to God by the power of converting grave.
 
Observe, 2.  Matthew's ready compliance with God's call, He arose, and followed Christ.  When the inward call of the Spirit accompanies the outward call of the word, the soul readily complies, and presently yields obedience to the voice of God.
 
Christ oftentimes speaks by his word to our ears, and we hear not, we stir not: but when he speaks by his Spirit to our hearts, Satan shall not hold us down, the world shall not keep us back, but we shall arise, and follow our Lord and Master.

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Mt 9:10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

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Observe here, Christ invites Matthew to a discipleship, Matthew invites Christ to a feast; the servant invites his master, a sinner invited his Saviour.  We do not find, wherever Christ was invited to any table, that he refused to go; if a Pharisee, if a publican invited, he constantly went; not for the pleasure of eating, but for the opportunity of conversing and doing good; Christ feasts us when we feast him.
 
From Matthew's example, learn, That new converts are full of affection towards Christ, and very expressive of their love unto him.  Such as before conversion disesteemed him, do afterwards kindly and respectfully entertain him; Matthew touched with a sense of Christ's rich love, makes him a royal feast.
 
Observe farther, How at this feast many publicans and sinners were present, of Matthew's acquaintance no doubt, and probably invited by him, that they might also see Christ, and be partakes of the same grace with him.
 
Whence we learn, That grace teaches a man to desire and seek the conversion of others; and such as are truly brought home to Christ, themselves, will study and endeavour to bring in all their acquaintance to Christ also.

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Mt 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

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See here, what a grief it is to wicked men to find others brought in to Christ; the wicked pharisees murmur, repine, and envy, instead of admiring Christ's condescension, and adoring his divine goodness: they censure him for conversing with sinners; but Christ tells them in the following verses, that he conversed with them as their physician, not as their companion.

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Mt 9:12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

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As if our Lord had said "With whom should the physician converse, but with his sick patients?  Now I am come into the world to do the office of a kind physician unto men: surely then I am to take all opportunities to help and heal them: they that are sick need the physician: but for you Pharisees, who are whole and well in your own opinion and swelled with a conceit of your own righteousness, I have no hopes of doing any good upon you; for such as think themselves whole desire no physician's help.
 
Learn hence, 1.  That sin is the soul's malady, its spiritual disease and sickness.
 
2.  That Christ is the physician appointed by God for the cure and healing of this disease and malady.
 
3.  That there are multitudes spiritually  sick, who yet think themselves sound and whole.
 
4.  That only such as are sensible of their spiritual sickness, are subjects capable of cure, and the persons whom Christ is a healing physician to;  They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

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Mt 9:14 ¶ Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

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The Pharisees themselves had a contention with our Saviour in the foregoing verses; here they set on the disciples of John, to contend with him about fasting, alleging that the disciples of John fasted often, Christ's disciples not at all.
 
Our Saviour owns it, that his disciples did not fast at present, for two reasons.
 
1. Because it was unsuitable to them. 2. Because it was intolerable for them.
 
It was unsuitable to them, because of Christ's bodily presence to them; this made it a time of joy and feasting, not of mourning and fasting: whilst Christ the Bridegroom is with them, they must feast and rejoice; when removed from them, there will be cause enough to fast and mourn.
 
Christ is the bridegroom and his church the bride, which he has espoused and married to himself; and whilst his spouse did enjoy his bodily presence with her, it was a day of joy and rejoicing to her, and mourning and fasting was improper for her.
 
Again, this discipline of fasting was at present intolerable for the disciples; for they were raw, green, and tender, and could no more bear the severities of religion at present, than an old garment could bear a piece of new stiff cloth to be set into it, which will make the rent worse, if the garment comes to a stretch; nor no more than old bottles can keep new wine.  Thus, says Christ, my disciples are young and green, tender and weak, newly converted, they cannot bear the severer exercises of religion presently; but when I am ascended into heaven, I will send down my Holy Spirit, which shall enable them to do all the duties which the gospel enjoins.
 
Hence we may gather, That young converts, till grown up to some consistency in grace, must not be put upon the severer exercises of religion; but handled with that tenderness and gentleness which becomes the mild and merciful dispensation of the gospel.  Our Saviour here commends prudence to his ministers; that they put not their people upon duties beyond their strength, but consult their progress in Christianity, and the proficiency they have made in religion, and treat them accordingly.

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Mt 9:20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

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While Christ is on his way to the ruler's house, a diseased woman comes behind him, touched his garment, and is instantly healed; the virtue lay not in her finger, but in her faith; or rather in Christ, which her faith instrumentally drew forth.
 
Observe here, how faith oft-times meets with a sweeter welcome than it could expect.  this poor woman came to Christ trembling, but went away triumphing; Christ bids her  be good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole.

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Mt 9:34 But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

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See here the dreadful and sad effects of blindness, obstinacy, and malice: the Pharisees charge Christ with making a contract with the devil, affirming that he derived his power from him; but how unlikely was this, that Satan should lend our Saviour a power against himself, and for the destruction of his own kingdom? O how dangerous is a wilful and obstinate oppostion of the truth! It provokes God to deliver a person up to final obduracy.

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Mt 9:35 ¶ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

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Observe here, 1.  Our Saviour's great work and business in this world; it was doing good both to the bodies and souls of men; the most pleasant and delightful, the most happy and glorious work that a person can be employed about.
 
2.  His unwearied diligence and industry, in this great and good work;  He went about all the cities and villages, preaching the gospel, and healing diseases; he travelled from place to place, to seek occasions, and to lay hold upon all opportunities, of being useful and beneficial to mankind.
 
Observe, 3.  The particular instance of our Lord's goodness and compassion towards the people in those cities and villages where he travelled: they wanted the preaching of the gospel, that is, faithful dispensers of it.  For though they had the scribes and Pharisees to teach them, they instructed them rather in their own traditions than in the simplicity of the gospel; Christ pities the people as sheep without a shepherd.
 
Thence learn, That idle and lazy, unskilful and unfaithful, labourers in Christ's harvest, are no labourers in his account.  They were as sheep having no shepherd.  He who doth not instruct his flock, and feed them with the sincere milk of the word, from a heart full of love to God and of compassion to souls, deserves not the name of a true shepherd.

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Mt 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Mt 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

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As if Christ had said, "There is a great number of people that are willing and prepared to receive instructions, but there are but few who are able to instruct these poor people in the ways of righteousness and truth; therefore pray and plead with God, that he world provide skilful and faithful ministers to be sent out to preach the gospel throughout the world."
 
Note here, 1.  That God's church is an harvest-field.
 
2.  That the ministers of God are labourers in his harvest under God, the Lord of the harvest.
 
3.  That to God alone doth it belong to send forth labourers into his harvest; and none must thrust themselves in, till God sends them forth.
 
4.  That the number of faithful labourers in God's harvest is comparatively small and few.
 
5.  That it is the church's duty to pray, and that earnestly and incessantly, to the Lord of the harvest to increase the number of faithful labourers, and also to increase their faithfulness.

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Mt 10:1 ¶ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.


As the Jewish church arose from twelve patriarchs, so did the Christian church become planted by twelve apostles; the person commissionating them, was Christ.  None are to undertake the work and calling of the ministry, but those whom Christ appoints; and the persons commissioned were disciples before they were apostles.  To teach us, that Christ will have such as preach the gospel to be disciples before they are ministers; trained up in the doctrine of the gospel, before they undertake a public charge.
 
Note farther, The power here delegated by Christ to his apostles, over unclean spirits, and for healing diseases, in his name.  And after Christ's resurrection, they were enabled to confer this miraculous power upon others, by laying their hands upon them; an eminent demonstration of the truth of the christian faith.
 
Learn hence, That to the intent the apostles might preach the gospel with more authority and greater efficacy, Christ gave them a power of working miracles; namely, to cast out devils, and heal all manner of diseases, in his name.   When he had called together his disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits.