48 – Withdrawal to the Sea of Galilee; Matthew 12:15-21, Mark 3:7-12

Matthew 12:15 But Jesus, [a]aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16 and warned them not to [b]tell who He was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

18 “Behold, My [c]Servant whom I [d]have chosen;

My Beloved in whom My soul [e]is well-pleased;

I will put My Spirit upon Him,

And He shall proclaim [f]justice to the [g]Gentiles.

19 “He will not quarrel, nor cry out;

Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.

20 “A battered reed He will not break off,

And a smoldering wick He will not put out,

Until He [h]leads [i]justice to victory.

21 “And in His name the [j]Gentiles will hope.”

Mark 3:7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to [a]tell who He was.

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 12:15 Lit knowing

b. Matthew 12:16 Lit make Him known

c. Matthew 12:18 Lit Child

d. Matthew 12:18 Lit chose

e. Matthew 12:18 Or took pleasure

f. Matthew 12:18 Or judgment

g. Matthew 12:18 Or nations

h. Matthew 12:20 Or puts forth

I. Matthew 12:20 Or judgment

j. Matthew 12:21 Or nations

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 3:12 Lit make Him known

Commentary

The last passage we studied in Matthew closes with the Pharisees devising a plot to kill Jesus. Therefore, this passage begins with the phrase, “But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there.” This foreshadows the Old Testament reference that follows, where Jesus is described as a gentle servant. Rather than taking the Pharisees and Herodians head on, Jesus withdrew to continue His ministry, peacefully converting believers. This quiet approach is consistent with His admonition to His followers not to tell anyone who He was: “He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.”

Matthew’s reference is to a passage from Isaiah chapter 42, in which Isaiah is speaking to the oppressed Israelites, giving them hope for relief from the oppression they have been experiencing. However, Isaiah also reveals to them that their savior will not only redeem their situation, but that of their oppressors (and Gentiles at large), as well. What a shock it must have been to them! But at least their fears were assuaged by the idea that God was sending someone to save them. They held onto this hope for generations, looking for their mighty savior, only to be confounded again when Jesus manifested first as a gentle servant and promised to return as almighty king. They wanted to make Him king right away (see John 6:15), which is another reason He wanted them to keep quiet about who He was.

I have often considered why God would choose a specific group of people to be His favorite, when all people are part of His creation. Why doesn’t He treat them equally? Studying this passage from Isaiah gave me some insight into that. “Throughout these closing chapters of Isaiah’s prophecy, it becomes more and more evident that he foresees a time of Gentile salvation. Therefore, the election of Israel as the chosen people of God is not viewed as an end in itself, but rather as a means toward the goal of the salvation of the nations” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 821). There are so many times, through my study of scripture and reflection on my own life, that I get a glimpse of God’s plan and humbly recognize how much higher God’s ways are than our ways. This is one of those times. I had felt a little slighted, not being part of God’s chosen people, and then, through closer study, I was able to recognize how far out of His way God went to win me. A whole people group to record and carry out His plans, a Son to die for my sins, and a history of Christian oppression that facilitated the growth of Jesus’s movement, resulting in the founding of America and the opportunity for me to be born here. Obviously, God’s plan doesn’t center around me, but when I think about all it took for me to be born into a Christian family where I can comfortably celebrate and share my faith in peace, I see that there is so much more to His love for the world than I can understand.

Moving on from the passage in Matthew to the passage in Mark, we get some further detail, with groups of people travelling long distances to track Jesus down and seek healing. So many people, in fact, that He had to start having boats ready for Him whenever He was out, since He couldn’t be effective with people pressing in on Him for healing. He still took the time to heal the afflicted, but His objective was to teach. The healing, as we have discussed previously, was a miracle that supported His legitimacy, but it was not his primary reason for coming.

Additionally, He interacted with evil spirits. So far in the study of the gospels, I have had several occasions to discuss demon possession. I have mentioned a number of reasons why the demons were acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God, but He wouldn’t allow them to speak. While reading a Bible commentary on Mark 3:11, I came across another insight into this phenomenon. (In this week’s study passage, Mark does not say Jesus wouldn’t allow them to speak, but based on other passages we have studied, as well as the commentary insight, I’m projecting the same conflict onto this situation.)

“Two facts should be mentioned regarding the words “fell down”. First, the Greek ‘prospipto’, being in the imperfect tense, signifies continuous action: “they kept on falling down before Him and crying.” Secondly, it may be that the reason for this action was not to worship, but to confuse the multitudes. If they heard unclean spirits announcing His title as the Son of God, they might think that good and evil in the spirit world are not totally opposite each other” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1241).

Jesus would not allow the evil spirits to feed into any superstition or perversion of the faith. He instead dealt with them efficiently, and moved on with His care of the multitudes.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2020/02/15/the-twelve/

Scripture References

Matthew 12:15

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Luke 5:22 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Luke 9:11 But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing.

Matthew 12:16

Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”

Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”

Matthew 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Matthew 12:18

Isaiah 42:1 Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Matthew 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

Luke 9:35 And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”

John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Matthew 12:19

Isaiah 42:2 He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.

Matthew 12:20

Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Matthew 11:7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?

Matthew 12:21

Romans 15:12 And once more, Isaiah says: “The root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”

Matthew 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.

Mark 3:7

Matthew 4:25 The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 3:20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.

Mark 4:1 Once again, Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

Luke 6:17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.

Mark 3:8

Joshua 15:1 Now the allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary:

Joshua 15:21 These were the southernmost cities of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

Ezekiel 35:15 As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you: you will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

Ezekiel 36:5 Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely in My burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all of Edom, who took My land as their own possession with wholehearted joy and with utter contempt, so that its pastureland became plunder.’

Matthew 4:25 The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Luke 6:17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.

Mark 3:9

Matthew 15:39 After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Mark 4:1 Once again, Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

Mark 4:36 After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.

Mark 5:2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

Mark 6:32 So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place.

Luke 5:1 On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

Luke 5:3 Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

Mark 3:10

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:21 She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.”

Matthew 14:36 and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

Mark 5:29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

Mark 5:34 “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

Mark 6:56 And wherever He went–villages and towns and countrysides–they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him to let them just touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

Mark 8:22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

Luke 5:3 Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

Luke 6:19 The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Luke 7:21 At that very hour Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind.

Mark 3:11

Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

1 Corinthians 11:34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.

Mark 3:12

Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”

Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”

Commentary

John 6:15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were [a]intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

47 – Healing a Withered Hand; Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

Matthew 12:9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned [a]Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “What man [b]is there among you who [c]has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do [d]good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to [e]normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and [f]conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Mark 3:1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, “[a]Get up and come forward!” 4 And He *said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began [b]conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there [a]whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. 8 But He knew [b]what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and [c]come forward!” And he got up and [d]came forward. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. 11 But they themselves were filled with [e]rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 12:10 Lit Him

b. Matthew 12:11 Lit will be from you

c. Matthew 12:11 Lit will have

d. Matthew 12:12 Lit well

e. Matthew 12:13 Lit health

f. Matthew 12:14 Lit took counsel

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 3:3 Lit Arise into the midst

b. Mark 3:6 Lit giving counsel

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 6:6 Lit and his

b. Luke 6:8 Lit their thoughts

b. Luke 6:8 Lit stand into the middle

c. Luke 6:8 Lit stood

d. Luke 6:11 Lit folly

Commentary

After setting the scene in the synagogue, all three passages immediately introduce the man with the withered hand. Some believe this man would typically have been hidden in the rear of the church because of his embarrassment regarding his deformity; however, the Pharisees, in an attempt to ensnare Jesus, placed the man in a position where he would be more visible to Jesus. It is unclear how the man came to be injured, but I found some interesting commentary in an article from a medical journal. While the doctor who authored the article will not acknowledge Jesus’s healing as a miracle, he has clearly done considerable research into the potential causes and remedies for the man’s condition. Dr. Lineaweaver mentions, “St. Jerome described the crippled man as a stonemason who wished to be restored to his livelihood” (https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2013&issue=12000&article=00084&type=Fulltext). Jerome was born circa A.D. 347, and it stands to reason there would still have been some oral tradition that carried over, informing Jerome of the man’s profession.

I am making some personal speculation, but based on the way ancient Jewish culture treated those with diseases, deformities, or other handicaps, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Jesus to see through the Pharisees’ plot when the man with the withered hand was so easily visible to Him in the synagogue. After all, not only would the man have wanted to stay hidden because of his own embarrassment, but he would also have been relegated to the outskirts of society by those who believed illness was a punishment for sin (see the commentary about John 9:2 https://biblehub.com/john/9-2.htm). The fact that the Pharisees allowed (let alone encouraged) him to stand in a prominent location in the auditorium was evidence they were up to something.

Jesus brings the man to the center of the room and puts him on display, probably making both the man and the audience very uncomfortable, laying the man’s “sin” bare in the vision of his outstretched arm. It also likely rubbed the Pharisees’ plot in their faces. “You wanted to put him close to the front? I’ll put him where everyone can see him, where you are forced to acknowledge him, and when I heal him, you will be embarrassed over your crude plot.”

Jesus then directly confronts the Pharisees with a question. Is it lawful to save a life (Jesus was about to save the life of this man, who would become able to support himself and his family once healed) or to kill (the Pharisees were attempting to plot Jesus’s death)? This is a very noisy recording, but it’s a good message related to that point https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTrjaTfSWRo. The Pharisees’ interpretation of the law would have prohibited Jesus from healing on the Sabbath, but meanwhile they have no problem conspiring to trap Him in some misdeed and have Him put to death. They attempted to enforce the fourth commandment at the expense of the sixth. I quoted 2 Corinthians in the post about healing the Invalid on the Sabbath, but it applies well here, also. “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” 2 Corinthians 3:6.

The Pharisees were blinded by their embarrassment, fear, and anger. Their opposition to Jesus wasn’t just on religious grounds, but also (possibly more so) on political grounds. The Pharisees “were concerned that His popularity might have political repercussions, drawing Roman troops to the area and causing the loss of what little independence the nation had” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1652). This raises some very interesting questions for us today. Are we promoting sin in the interest of self-preservation or “the greater good”? I’m not suggesting that, if Jesus were a false prophet with truly malicious intentions, it would have been a sin to mete out justice. However, the Pharisees were willing to set up and kill an innocent man in order to protect their position and the political stability of their countrymen. For a modern analogy, I’m thinking of arguments for abortion in which supporters claim abortion prevents overcrowding in the foster or penal systems down the road. All we have to do is snuff out the life before it becomes a threat to our comfort and security. I’m sure there are many more modern examples of prioritizing the “health” of our community over sins against individuals. May we all remember, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2020/01/31/withdrawal-to-the-sea-of-galilee/

Scripture References

Matthew 12:10

Matthew 12:2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Luke 13:14 But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

Luke 14:3 So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”

John 7:23 If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

John 9:16 Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

Matthew 12:11

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.

Luke 14:5 And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”

Matthew 12:12

Matthew 10:31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching Him closely.

Matthew 12:13

Matthew 8:3 Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor.

Acts 28:8 The father of Publius was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after praying and placing his hands on him, he healed the man.

Matthew 12:14

Matthew 26:4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.

Luke 22:2 and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the people.

John 7:30 So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

John 7:32 When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

John 7:44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.

John 8:59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.

John 10:31 At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him.

John 10:39 At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

John 11:53 So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.

Mark 3:1

Mark 1:21 Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and as soon as the Sabbath began, Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach.

Mark 1:39 So He went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Mark 2:28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Mark 3:2

Luke 11:54 waiting to catch Him in something He might say.

Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching Him closely.

Luke 20:20 So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.

John 8:6 They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.

Mark 3:5

Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Revelation 6:16 And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

Mark 3:6

Matthew 22:16 They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You defer to no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

Mark 12:13 Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.

Acts 4:25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

Luke 6:6

Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Luke 6:7

Matthew 5:39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;

Luke 6:8

Matthew 9:4 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

Luke 6:11

Matthew 16:7 They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

Luke 6:12 In those days, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.

2 Timothy 3:9 But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.

46 – The Disciples Pick Grain on the Sabbath, Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5

Matthew 12:1 At that [a]time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the [b]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [c]break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this [d]means, ‘I desire [e]compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:23 And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the [a]consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath [b]was made [c]for man, and not man [d]for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the [a]consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” 5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 12:1 Or occasion

b. Matthew 12:4 Or showbread; lit loaves of presentation

c. Matthew 12:5 Or profane

d. Matthew 12:7 Lit is

e. Matthew 12:7 Or mercy

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 2:26 Or showbread; lit loaves of presentation

b. Mark 2:27 Or came into being

c. Mark 2:27 Lit because for the sake of

d. Mark 2:27 Lit because for the sake of

Footnotes (Luke)

Luke 6:4 Or showbread; lit loaves of presentation

Commentary

Setting

All the passages open with the location of Jesus and the disciples in a grain field. Old Testament law generally allowed hand-picking grain from another person’s field (Deut 23:25), but specifically forbade gathering or preparing food on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:22-30). The question is whether plucking a few heads of grain can be considered ‘gathering’. As we’ve talked about in previous studies, the Pharisees had determined to persecute Jesus and followed Him endlessly to try to catch Him in some sin and thereby discredit Him. This is surely (in my opinion) the reason the Pharisees are present in the grain field where Jesus and His disciples are meandering and snacking on the heads of a few grains.

The timing of this event is, once again, on the Sabbath. The King James Version of the passage in Luke begins with the phrase “the second Sabbath after the first,” which is an expression not found in all ancient manuscripts. It may be “a reference to the second of the seven Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost (Lev 23:15-16). If it is… then it helps to fully establish Christ’s ministry as being about three and a half years in duration” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1272). John mentions 3 Passover festivals in 2:13, 6:4, and 12:1. If this passage in Luke refers to another Passover, it would fall between the ones in John 2:13 and 6:4, making 4 Passover celebrations altogether (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1272).

Old Testament References

The first Old Testament reference Jesus makes in these passages is to 1 Samuel chapter 21, when David ate the show bread. “These loaves were placed on the table in the holy place in the Tabernacle each Sabbath. They were to be eaten only by the priest and his family (cf. Lev 14:5-9; Num 28:9). The priests prepared the sacrifices on the Sabbath in spite of the general prohibition of work. If the necessities of temple worship permitted the priests to ‘profane the sabbath’, there was all the more reason why the service of Christ would allow a similar liberty” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1197). After all, Jesus and His disciples were in full-time ministry.

The context of the story in 1 Samuel was that David was fleeing from Saul, who was trying to kill him. He found himself in the city of Nob, where the priest Ahimelech recognized him. Believing that David was on the king’s errand, Ahimelech gave David the only food he had, which was the leftover showbread. Although Ahimelech did not know David was running from Saul, Saul interpreted Ahimelech’s kindness to David as treachery to the king and had all the priests in Nob executed, along with many of the other residents and livestock. Later when David became king, he appointed Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, as his high priest.

Jesus’s point with the story of David and the ceremonial showbread is that necessity can supersede ceremonial law at times. David knew he had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king and that God’s favor was with him, despite Saul’s crazed pursuit. His survival was God’s desire, as well as his own, and justified the means he used.

The second Old Testament reference is to the fact that priests are able to break Sabbath law without punishment. The Jewish people revered the temple and its service, so priests were allowed to minister in the temple and perform many of the duties of their position on the Sabbath day without rebuke from the leaders.

The final Old Testament reference Jesus makes is from Hosea in the passage that says “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” His point is that He values ethics over rituals and observes the spirit of the law, rather than the literal application (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1197). Jesus has also already referred to this Hosea passage in Matthew 9:13, so we can see it’s growing in importance. As we discovered in a previous study, Jewish people committed long sections of scripture to memory, and Jesus’s short statements were typically understood by His audience to imply the context of the entire passage. In the case of Hosea, the theme of the book includes the condemnation of legalism:

Hos 5:1-2; 6:9 Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, For you have been a snare at Mizpah And a net spread out on Tabor. 2 The revolters have gone deep in depravity, But I will chastise all of them. 6:9 And as raiders wait for a man, So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they have committed crime.

If this accusation were not enough to put the Pharisees in their places, Jesus then asserts His position as equal with God. He had begun to build His case with the illustration of David and the show bread, demonstrating that God can choose when it is appropriate to deviate from the letter of the law. Then, in an overt statement of His own deity, He says, “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”. “By definition He must be above any law which He establishes” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1241).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2020/01/24/healing-a-withered-hand/

Scripture References

Matthew 12:1

Deuteronomy 23:25 When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Matthew 12:2

Matthew 12:10 and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Luke 13:14 But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

Luke 14:3 So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”

John 7:23 If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

John 9:16 Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

Matthew 12:3

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Matthew 12:4

Leviticus 24:9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD–his portion forever.”

1 Samuel 21:4 “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread–provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Hebrews 9:2 A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place.

Matthew 12:5

Leviticus 24:8 Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a perpetual covenant.

Matthew 12:6

2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

Isaiah 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?

Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being, declares the LORD. This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.

Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 12:7

1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 12:33 and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Matthew 12:8

Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

Matthew 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Matthew 12:40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 2:23

Deuteronomy 23:25 When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Mark 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.”

Mark 2:25

Matthew 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

Mark 2:26

Leviticus 24:9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD–his portion forever.”

1 Samuel 21:1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

2 Samuel 8:17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was the scribe;

1 Chronicles 24:6 The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and the officers Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites–one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.

Mark 2:27

Exodus 23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

Deuteronomy 5:12 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work–neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a festival, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.

Mark 2:28

Mark 3:1 Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there.

Luke 6:1

Deuteronomy 23:25 When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Luke 5:39 And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.'”

Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

Luke 6:2

John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”

Luke 6:3

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Matthew 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

Luke 6:4

Leviticus 24:9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD–his portion forever.”

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Luke 6:5

Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

Commentary

Ex 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said to them, This is that which Yahweh has said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath to Yahweh: bake that which you will bake today, and boil that you will boil; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Ex 16:27 And it came to pass, that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, and they found none. 28 And Yahweh said to Moses, How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, For Yahweh has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days; every man of you abide in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

45 – The Equality of the Father and the Son, John 5:16-47

John 5:16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever [a]the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is [b]the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

31 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not [c]true. 32 There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for [d]a while in his light.

36 But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.

37 And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.

39 [e]You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive [f]glory from one another and you do not seek the [g]glory that is from the one and only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Footnotes

a. John 5:19 Lit that One

b. John 5:27 Or a son of man

c. John 5:31 I.e. admissible as legal evidence

d. John 5:35 Lit an hour

e. John 5:39 Or (a command) Search the Scriptures!

f. John 5:44 Or honor or fame

g. John 5:44 Or honor or fame

Commentary

Verse 16 opens with the phrase “for this reason”, so for a quick reminder, the previous passage is an account of Jesus healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. The Pharisees were dismayed, not only because Jesus was healing on the Sabbath, but also because He was telling others to break Sabbath laws (i.e. telling the lame man to carry his mat). Verse 16 reiterates this point and further states that the Pharisees began to persecute Jesus from this point. The original term translated here as persecute indicated an ongoing pursuit, intended to drive Jesus away (https://biblehub.com/lexicon/john/5-16.htm), to the extent in verse 18 that they wanted to kill Him.

Jesus’s statement in verse 17 about the Father continuing to work [implication: on the Sabbath] may seem strange; after all, the Father is the one who observed and designated the Sabbath in the first place. However, from the time of creation, God carried on the work of maintenance and provision for His existing creation every moment, and as Jesus points out in Luke 13:10-17 and 14:1-6, it was common practice for men to care for their families and livestock, even on the day of rest. If Jesus has dominion over all people, they are His to provide for, no matter the day or the hour, and He must act in the same way the Father has done, since the Father is passing all responsibility to Him.

As the Father elevates the Son to His rightful position, the Son will do greater works than the healing of the lame man; He will raise the dead and pronounce judgment. In verses 21 and 22, “the raising of the dead and the judgment are closely related eschatological matters. One day all the dead will be raised to stand before Christ in judgment (the saved through the rapture to the Bema Judgment, and the unsaved through the final resurrection to the Great White Throne Judgment, Rom 14:10; Rev 20:11-15)…” When Christ refers to raising the dead in this passage, it “refers both to a physical and spiritual accomplishment. The former occurs through resurrection and the latter through regeneration” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1306).

Verses 24-30 are reminiscent of the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus (see John 3:16-20 in the scripture reference section below), but it occurred to me that John 3:17 says “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world”, so why does our passage in verse 5 say God gave Jesus the responsibility of judgment? If you look at verses 3:18 and 5:30, it becomes a little clearer. Even though Jesus came to save those who believe, those who don’t believe have been judged already. Jesus’s presence is judgment in itself, so that when people believe or don’t believe, they have committed themselves to their fate.

What follows is a central passage to the arguments we can make for Jesus’s credibility as the Messiah. He cites several proofs, including the testimony of John the Baptist (verses 31-35), the works He has done, which can only be by the power of God (verse 36), the testimony of the Father (verses 37-38), and the Messianic prophecy scriptures, with which all His audience are familiar (verses 39-47). In fact, knowing those scriptures, they were all waiting for the Messiah to arrive and take His throne. If they were waiting for a Messiah, did they not expect that person to announce Himself? Why then did they create a rule against the type of statements Jesus made? They are holding Jesus to this standard they have created, wherein it is illegal to claim equality with God, but their own law is keeping them from believing in Jesus’s statements, the same way other aspects of their man-made laws are keeping them from faith and true worship. Meanwhile, another of their man-made laws, the Jewish law requiring two witnesses for proof, is fulfilled by the corroborating witness of John the Baptist, but they conveniently ignore this observation by Jesus. Further, their persistent pursuit of eternal life through study of the scriptures is a lost cause because they can’t bring themselves to truly believe what the scriptures are telling them.

In particular, they hold reverence for the scriptures written by Moses. “They claimed to be Moses’ disciples (9:28), and yet they did not accept what Moses has said (Deut 18:15-18)” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1307). Since they hold Moses in such high esteem, Jesus says Moses will be the one to accuse them in the end because they betray him by failing to believe his messianic prophecy when they see it fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus predicts that the Jews will instead accept men who come in their own name, and this was later fulfilled through their belief in “false messiahs such as Theudas and Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:36-37). They will also accept antichrist (2 Thess 2:8-10)” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1307). They had every proof they needed to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, but they couldn’t overcome their personal bias. However, they will ironically be drawn in by men whose intent is malicious. This is because they have committed the scriptures to their minds, but not their hearts, and they are unable to weigh the claims of men against the truth of the Word of God.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2020/01/10/the-disciples-pick-grain-on-the-sabbath/

Scripture References

Verse 16

John 1:19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”

John 5:15 And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

John 7:21 Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished.

Verse 17

John 10:36 then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we continually thank God that in receiving the word of God from us, you did not accept it as the word of men, but as the true word of God–the word now at work in you who believe.

Verse 18

John 1:19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

John 5:15 And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

John 7:1 After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.

John 10:33 “We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”

John 19:7 “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

Philippians 2:6 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

Verse 19

Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.

John 12:49 I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.

John 12:50 And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.

Verse 20

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.

John 14:12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

2 Peter 1:17 For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Verse 21

John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.

Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

1 Corinthians 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

Verse 22

John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”

Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

Acts 17:31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Verse 23

Matthew 15:8 These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Verse 24

Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

John 3:18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 4:36 Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

John 6:47 Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.

John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your forefathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 12:44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.

John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

1 John 5:13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Verse 25

Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

John 4:21 “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

John 4:23 But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.

John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

John 9:27 He replied, “I already told you and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

Verse 26

John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

John 10:18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

Hebrews 1:2 But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

Verse 27

Matthew 9:6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

John 5:22 Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,

John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”

Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.

Acts 17:31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Hebrews 1:2 But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

Verse 28

Daniel 12:2 And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.

John 4:21 “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

John 4:23 But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

John 11:24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Acts 24:15 and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

1 Corinthians 15:52 in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Verse 29

Jeremiah 32:19 the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward each one according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds.

Daniel 12:2 And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Luke 14:14 and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Acts 24:15 and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Hebrews 10:27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

Verse 30

Isaiah 28:6 a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s king, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

John 4:34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

John 8:16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone when I judge; I am with the Father, who sent Me.

Verse 31

John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”

John 8:14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.

Verse 32

1 John 5:9 Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.

Verse 33

John 1:7 He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.

John 1:15 John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'”

John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about–He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

Verse 34

1 John 5:9 Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.

Verse 35

2 Samuel 21:17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”

Daniel 12:3 Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Mark 1:5 People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

2 Peter 1:19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Verse 36

Matthew 11:4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see:

Luke 2:49 “Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

John 2:23 While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

John 4:34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

John 10:25 “I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf.

John 10:38 But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”

John 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me–or at least believe on account of the works themselves.

John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

Verse 37

Isaiah 26:10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

John 8:18 I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”

1 John 5:9 Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son.

Verse 38

Isaiah 26:10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

1 John 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Verse 39

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

Luke 24:25 Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

John 7:52 “Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

Acts 13:27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

Romans 2:17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the Law and boast in God;

Verse 40

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

Verse 41

John 7:18 He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.

John 8:50 I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge.

John 12:43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

1 Thessalonians 2:6 Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

Verse 43

Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Verse 44

1 Samuel 15:30 “I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.”

John 12:43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

Romans 2:29 No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.

1 Thessalonians 2:6 Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Jude 1:25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.

Verse 45

Luke 16:29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

John 9:28 Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.

John 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

Romans 2:17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the Law and boast in God;

Romans 2:23 You who boast in the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law?

Verse 46

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

Verse 47

Luke 16:29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

Luke 16:31 Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”

2 Timothy 3:15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Commentary

Luke 13:10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? 16 And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

Luke 14:1 It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. 2 And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5 And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” 6 And they could make no reply to this.

Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Acts 5:36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

2 Thess 2:8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

John 9:28 They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

Deut 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 16 This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ 17 The Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

44 – Healing an Invalid on the Sabbath, John 5:1-15

John 5:1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Footnotes

a. John 5:2 Some manuscripts Bethzatha; other manuscripts Bethsaida

b. John 5:4 Some manuscripts include here, wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. ⁴ From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.

Commentary

The setting for this miracle is Jerusalem, where Jesus has gone for a festival. Jewish tradition observes many feasts, but if this were the Feast of Passover, the original script would have employed the grammatical use of the definite article. Some scholars believe this feast may rather have been the Feast of Tabernacles (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1306). Since Jesus was last in Jerusalem in John chapter 2 for Passover (which is in the spring), this festival may be later in the same year, since the Feast of Tabernacles is in the fall.

As Jesus was moving about the temple with His disciples, He made His way to the healing pool near the Sheep Gate. The Sheep Gate “is usually where sheep were sold for sacrifice in the Temple (Neh 3:32; 12:39). It was located on the NE side of the city near the Temple” (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1 pg. 551). Remember Jesus drove out the merchants in the temple court the last time He was there (https://onthepath.online/2019/05/31/first-temple-cleansing/), so I wonder if He was checking on the state of things since His last visit.

He instead discovers a different type of heresy, a legend about an angel stirring the water and imparting healing properties. The reason verse 4 is omitted in the main text and rather included in the footnotes is that “all the oldest manuscripts were copied without the latter part of verse 3 and all of verse 4” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1306). In 1880, a “painting depicting an angel troubling the water was discovered on the wall of the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem” where many now believe the pool at Bethesda was located (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1306). It’s clear, since some translations assert an angel stirred the water, that many people believed angelic activity to be the cause of the water’s healing property. Most scholars attribute this to superstition, and we can look at some of the Biblical context to support that assertion.

Ironically, the paralyzed man was still committed to the healing of the pool, even in the presence of Jesus. Through the verses that follow, we see the man didn’t know who Jesus was, but based on verse 14, it seems Jesus thought the man should have known better than to spend his entire existence chasing a myth, anyway. Rather than interpreting Jesus’s question in verse 6 as an offer to help and course correct, he interprets it as an affront against his lack of effort to get into the pool. Jesus heals him, anyway, demonstrating His supremacy over superstition and sickness and overshadowing the man’s mystical fascination with the pool. He further tells the man to carry his load and move on from that place.

Verse 9 foreshadows the controversy ahead (see Jeremiah 17:21). Notice the Pharisees who question the man in verse 10 do not ask in verse 12, “Who healed you”, but “Who told you to do this thing on the Sabbath?” Practically speaking, if Jesus had healed the paralytic, and he couldn’t have taken his mat with him, what would his options have been? Stay there by the pool as a captive for yet another day, not able to take advantage of his healing? Leave all his worldly possessions behind to be stolen or litter the ground? Also, what is the point of the Sabbath? Rest. The disabled man had spent 38 years in an incapacitated state. He did not have need of rest in the same prescriptive manner that able-bodied people need to rest every 7 days. This is the difference between observing the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. The Pharisees had enforced dictates for the entire Jewish population, without regard to the purpose of the law. “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” 2 Corinthians 3:6. Jesus had given the paralytic new life, through both physical healing and the commission to stop sinning.

After the initial inquiry by the Pharisees, the healed man sees Jesus again and finds out who He is. During this exchange, Jesus tells him to stop sinning lest something worse should befall him. When I first read this statement, I found myself rereading the beginning of the passage, trying to discern what sins the man had committed. The sin is unnamed by Jesus and could have been any number of things Jesus saw in the man’s heart. However, there may be some lessons for us through the actions and statements John recorded. The first, of course, was that the man placed his faith entirely in folklore, rather than God, but we also read notes of self-pity and self-justification in the dialogue. This lifestyle of sin was surely part of Jesus’s urgency in telling the man to leave the pool area, even on the Sabbath. We are to flee from sin, no matter the cost. “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell” Matthew 5:29-30.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/12/27/the-equality-of-the-father-and-the-son/

Scripture References

Verse 1

Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

John 2:13 When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Verse 2

Nehemiah 3:1 At the Sheep Gate, Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests began rebuilding. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated the wall.

Nehemiah 3:32 And between the upper room above the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Nehemiah 12:39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

John 7:21 Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished.

John 19:13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Aramaic is Gabbatha.

John 19:17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Acts 21:40 Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Aramaic:

Revelation 9:11 They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.

Revelation 16:16 And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Verse 3

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Verse 8

Isaiah 35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

Matthew 9:6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

Mark 2:11 “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

Luke 5:24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

Verse 9

Isaiah 35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

Jeremiah 17:21 This is what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

John 7:23 If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

John 9:14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.

Verse 10

Nehemiah 13:19 When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no goods could enter on the Sabbath day.

Jeremiah 17:21 This is what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

Matthew 12:2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Matthew 12:10 and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

John 1:19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

John 5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.

John 7:23 If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

John 9:16 Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

Verse 14

Ezra 9:14 shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

John 8:11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

Verse 15

John 1:19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

John 5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.

John 5:18 Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Commentary

Neh 3:32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Neh 12:39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.

Parables for Feasting and Fasting, Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39

Matthew 9:14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Mark 2:18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Luke 5:33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” 36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Commentary

I was very interested to learn more about these passages, in particular about Jesus’s views on fasting. I have felt led to fast one day a week over the last several weeks, and I will probably carry on doing it into the foreseeable future. However, it seems fasting is not always appropriate or desirable. Jesus Himself fasted at other times in the gospel accounts, “but the principle taught by our Lord here is that fasting is not an end in itself, but is to be practiced only under appropriate circumstances. The Pharisees’ fasting was part of the righteousness of men, which the Lord condemned” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1193). While there may be some physical benefits to occasional fasting, denying oneself physically is not the same as communing with God. What I have found through fasting is that I can use hunger as a reminder to talk to God, as well as listen, and my fasting days are often productive physically and spiritually, without the distractions of food preparations and dining.

Rather than being a religious requirement, New Testament fasting is always voluntary. With regard to appropriate reasons for fasting, many people fast in order to have a closer communion with God, but often, the reasons for fasting are decision-making or desperation. For instance, John the Baptist was in jail at the time Jesus told these parables, and his disciples were therefore fasting, in their grief, on his behalf. However, Jesus’s disciples were able to be with Him and therefore were not fasting or beseeching God, but celebrating (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1241). However, Jesus’s followers would fast after Jesus’s death, as we see recorded throughout the New Testament (Acts 10:30; 13:2; 14:23; and 1 Corinthians 7:5).

“Fasting lent itself to external show and it is this feature of the practice which the prophets attack” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 2 pg. 503). See Isaiah chapter 58 for a specific example. Commonly, fasting in the Old Testament was accompanied by a requirement not to bathe or anoint oneself or even wear sandals (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 2 pg. 503). Jesus later encourages men not to fast for show, but in secret, where only God sees (Matt 6:16-18) (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 2 pg. 504).

Jesus’s second and third parables in the study passages are further metaphors for religiosity, which may be how they relate to Jesus’s response to the question about fasting. The old Jewish law had boundaries and limits, and Jesus had come to expand on those. “For instance, murder in the Old Testament is physical, but Jesus said that a man can murder by hating” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1241).

The metaphors would have been easily understood by His audience, since winemaking and patching garments were both regular practices. Wine expands while it ferments, and new wineskins are supple, stretching along with the wine. However, old wineskins have already been stretched to their limit when they were new. Therefore, if you fill them to capacity with new wine, they will burst when the wine expands because they have no elasticity left. Conversely, unshrunk fabric will get smaller after it is washed. If you patch a garment with unshrunk fabric, the first time you wash it the new fabric will retreat from the seams where it was sewn on, and the original fabric will pucker around it and tear away. In both cases, it is inappropriate to marry the old with the new because they simply aren’t compatible.

Jesus’s ministry focused on the heart, rather than on law and liturgy. He did not come to nullify God’s requirements of people; He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17), which means He came to bring that period of God’s history to completion by serving as the final rite on behalf of men. What He introduced during His time on Earth was grace, free for the asking, to those whose hearts were truly repentant. In this way, obedience to God became an overflow of the heart, rather than an inventory of calculated behaviors.

If God is unchanging, why would He have given the law and then released humanity from its burden after thousands of years? I heard a saying a long time ago, and it says something to the effect that “fundamentals are the building blocks of fun”. This applies to all sorts of pursuits, but let’s use music as a specific example. If you’ve ever taken music lessons, you know that the early lessons focus heavily on practicing scales and learning music theory, and those lessons do not allow for any creativity – only rehearsal. However, in order to be able to spread your wings as a creative musician, you must have an understanding of these basic principles (whether they were taught to you or you are a savant who innately understands them). For most people, they have to spend years and years on rote memorization before they can deviate from what is on the page and create their own beautiful music. I see this as a metaphor for God’s establishment of the law and His requirements for people to practice it. I’ve often marveled at the faith of the early church and how it was so much greater than the faith of many Christians today, but those who were part of the early church were in good practice; they had been preparing over generations for a day they didn’t know was coming when they would not practice the law as a prescription, but as a form of worship. Once your eyes are opened and things click, you can make your own beautiful music using the principles you have written on your heart through practice.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/12/07/healing-an-invalid-on-the-sabbath/

Scripture References

Matthew 9:14

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I receive.’

Matthew 9:15

Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

John 3:29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

Matthew 9:16

2 Corinthians 9:12 For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.

Matthew 9:17

Job 32:19 Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin.

Mark 2:20

Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

Mark 2:22

Mark 2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.

Luke 5:33

Luke 2:37 and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Luke 5:35

Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

Luke 5:39

Matthew 5:40 if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;

Luke 6:1 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.

Commentary

Acts 10:30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 14:23 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Commentary

Matt 6:16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Banquet at Matthew’s House, Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-32

Matthew 9:10 Then it happened that as [a]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [b]sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn [c]what this means: ‘I desire [d]compassion, [e]and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:15 And it *[a]happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and [b]sinners [c]were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and [d]sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 5:29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and [a]sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 9:10 Lit He

b. Matthew 9:10 I.e. irreligious Jews

c. Matthew 9:13 Lit what is

d. Matthew 9:13 Or mercy

e. Matthew 9:13 I.e. more than

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 2:15 Lit happens

b. Mark 2:15 I.e. irreligious Jews

c. Mark 2:15 Lit were reclining with

d. Mark 2:16 I.e. irreligious Jews

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 5:30 I.e. irreligious Jews

Commentary

The capitalization of the pronoun referring to Jesus in these passages is a good demonstration of why it’s helpful to differentiate. I know a lot of people capitalize their pronouns any time they’re referring to a member of the Godhead, and they most often do it out of reverence. While this isn’t a Biblical commandment, I do think it’s a nice way to show honor and respect. However, I have made it a habit in my own writing primarily because there are so many times when there are other men who are also referred to as ‘he’ and ‘him’ within the stories I’m reading, and it is virtually seamless to read when Jesus’s pronouns are capitalized, whereas I find myself rereading text multiple times in versions or articles which don’t use the deferential capital.

Moving on to the study, as I mentioned in the last post, Mark and Luke refer to this tax collector as Levi, and Matthew refers to himself as Matthew. I’ve seen in multiple commentaries that some scholars believe Matthew (which means “Gift from God”) may have been a name given to Levi by Jesus, similar to the way He gave Simon the nickname Peter (https://www.biblehub.com/luke/5-29.htm). This is also just trivia, but I saw on the same page, in one of the literal translations, that Lewis is the English version of Levi (for those of you who find that sort of thing interesting). Matthew, as the author of his gospel account, proves that he so forfeited his former existence that he does not even know himself by his former name. Further, his humility is demonstrated by the fact that he does not call the gathering a “great feast” as does Luke, and his heart for his friends in inviting them to meet Jesus is consistent with the theme of his whole account, which focuses on convincing Jews of Jesus’s messiahship. This is evidenced in 9:13, where Matthew is the only author to quote the passage from Hosea (https://biblehub.com/matthew/9-10.htm).

Also in Matthew 9:13, the word righteous may be used “in an ironic sense, meaning self-righteous. Ultimately, as the Scripture tells us, “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10)” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1193). By contrast, if you look at the footnotes about the literal translation of “sinners” it says irreligious Jews. This spoke to me, since I live in the South, where anyone who doesn’t go to church is a heathen, and the term sinners in this context refers to people who don’t strictly keep Jewish law. But this concept of irreligious Jews also supports the theme of Matthew; these were not necessarily people who were unfamiliar with Jewish teaching and law, but they had either fallen out of practice or had consciously decided not to attend the scriptures any longer. When these people met Jesus and recognized familiar scriptural prophecy, as well as their own deviance, the truth must have hit them like a ton of bricks.

Further, Jesus’s statement of purpose in the study passages (that He did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance) seems to deviate from what Jewish people had come to expect from God in the Old Testament. To give the Pharisees a little credit, they had been studying all the laws and rituals laid out by God over thousands of years, and to shift their mindset from God’s expectation of precision in obedience to what Jesus claimed was the new standard must have been unthinkable, to the extent that it discredited Jesus’s actual relationship to God in their eyes. This doesn’t mean their legalistic interpretation of Old Testament scripture was representative of the true nature of God or that Jesus’s teaching was inconsistent with God’s original plan for humanity. In fact, the Pharisees and scribes had simply gotten it wrong. They had lost sight of the spirit of the law, and Jesus came to breathe new life into humanity’s relationship to God, showing them God’s love and mercy, despite their shortcomings.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/11/15/parables-for-feasting-and-fasting/

Scripture References

Matthew 9:10

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

Matthew 9:11

Isaiah 65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Acts 11:3 and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Matthew 9:12

Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

Matthew 9:13

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 12:7 If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Mark 12:33 and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Mark 2:15

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Mark 2:14 As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.

Mark 2:16

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Acts 23:9 A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

Mark 2:17

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure–who can understand it?

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Luke 5:29

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

Luke 15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to listen to Jesus.

Luke 5:30

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Acts 23:9 A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

Luke 5:32

Luke 5:33 Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

Commentary

Romans 3:10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;

41 – Call of Matthew, Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:13-14; Luke 5:27-28

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

Mark 2:13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the [a]people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. 14 As He passed by, He saw [b]Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

Luke 5:27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named [a]Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 2:13 Lit crowd

b. Mark 2:14 also called Matthew

Footnotes (Luke)

Luke 5:27 Also called Matthew

Commentary

As we read these passages, the first part of this event seems to be the setting detailed by Mark. As we recall from Mark 1:45 and Mark 2:2, Jesus was unable to make His way around in the city anymore, so He had to find alternative places to teach. Enter the seashore. At some point, while He is moving about between teaching and necessities of life, such as eating and sleeping, He comes across a tax collector.

Tax collectors of the day were a despised group of traitors to their race who were employed by the Roman government to collect and submit taxes to remote government headquarters, with no restrictions on the overcharges they could collect for their own income. Therefore, unscrupulous agents could extort untold sums with the support of the government behind them. “Tax collectors collaborated with the enemy; in fact, they became the real enemy because the people did not actually see the government of Herod and Rome” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 122). There were many types of taxes, the most lucrative of which were the customs or duties levied on goods being imported, exported, or transported through an area (since many of these taxes were charged to foreigners who had no way of knowing what standard charges were). In the King James translation, it says Matthew was at the “receipt of custom”, which was a “toll booth in the street where tax collectors sat to receive various taxes” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1193). This indicates Matthew was almost certainly involved in the highway robbery that was duty taxation, and the fact that he and other tax collectors are counted among “harlots, thieves and murderers, not only by Biblical writers but by secular writers as well (Matt. 21:31, 32; Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:30; Cicero, De Officiis, I. 42)”, is no surprise (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 122). Also, because of their purpose to catch people coming or going, they would have likely stationed themselves at the perimeter of the city.

The tax collector Jesus saw is the disciple we have come to know as Matthew, although both Mark and Luke refer to him here as Levi. As you may know, the authorship of many of the books of the Bible is uncertain, and the book of Matthew is no exception. Some scholars use Matthew 9:9 and 10:3 as support for the idea that Matthew authored the gospel attributed to him, especially since the book of Matthew refers to this disciple as Matthew (and specifically in 10:3, as Matthew the tax collector), whereas the other gospel writers refer to him as Levi when they recount Jesus’s commission (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4 pg. 122). Also, in the passage we will study next week, Matthew says Jesus was “in the house”, which would have been stated differently if Jesus had been in someone’s house, other than the author’s. Tradition has long held Matthew as the author, and as an infrequently recorded supporting character in the story of Jesus’s ministry, his history in the book of Matthew is his primary lasting legacy.

In addition to his identity as a tax collector, Matthew may also have been the brother of another disciple – James, son of Alphaeus. Compare Mark 2:14 to Matthew 10:3, referenced below. Both men are listed as “son of Alphaeus”. Arguments against this conclusion are that Alphaeus was a common name, and the two men are never referred to as brothers, whereas James and John are regularly called brothers. However, Matthew and James, son of Alphaeus, are still listed right next to each other in the list of disciples in Matthew 10:3, as are the other brothers in the list. While it’s not a critical theological point whether or not we know these two men were brothers, I did want to point out the possibility because the call of Matthew is another one that may seem abrupt, as if Matthew dropped everything to follow a stranger. If, however, he had been exposed to Jesus’s teaching in advance and had a zealous brother (similarly to the way Peter had Andrew), he would have been much more inclined to follow Jesus, whose legitimacy had already been proven to him. However, as I said, it is not a critical point of theology, and Matthew certainly would have been exposed to Jesus in at least some capacity because of His overwhelming fame.

As Jesus encountered Matthew, He said “follow me.” The verb tense used in Mark for “follow me” is a tense which implies an ongoing action. This was not an errand, but a lifestyle change which required Matthew to leave a government position and substantial wealth (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1241). Matthew was willing, and is not only counted among the twelve disciples, but is also believed to possibly have been martyred by stabbing in Egypt, after having devoted many years to international missions and to writing his account of Jesus’s time on Earth.

The book of Matthew has a unique approach to the gospel story, in that its purpose seems to be to offer credible proof of Jesus’s messiahship to the Jews. In keeping with that purpose, I thought I would take a moment to expand on support for the reliability of the New Testament accounts for today’s reader. Below is a chart adapted from “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist” by Norm Geisler and Frank Turek. This chart demonstrates the historicity of the New Testament writings, from the perspective of historical and archeological validation.

Furthermore, in terms of the New Testament writings validated by secular history, the events match up quite well. As far as the existence of a person named Jesus, that fact is well-documented. Geisler and Turek also have this to say about proof of Jesus’s existence:

“Just how many non-Christian sources are there that mention Jesus? Including Josephus, there are ten known non-Christian writers who mention Jesus within 150 years of his life. By contrast, over the same 150 years, there are nine non-Christian sources who mention Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus. So discounting all the Christian sources, Jesus is actually mentioned by one more source than the Roman emperor. If you include the Christian sources, authors mentioning Jesus outnumber those mentioning Tiberius 43 to 10!” (I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, pg. 222).

Consider the overwhelming number of Christian writings about Jesus, as compared to the secular writings. Many people might discount the credibility of Christian writings because of their bias. However, I would ask whether it makes Jesus more or less credible that most everyone who came in contact with Him was compelled to believe in Him. As an analogy, there are some people who believe the 1969 moon landing was a giant hoax. However, the vast majority of the world believes NASA is telling the truth and that the evidence is consistent with an actual moon landing. You may find some volumes that agree there was a rocket that took off, as well as astronauts named Armstrong and Aldrin, and even photographs (supposedly doctored). While they support a few of the facts, they do not support the conclusion that a moon landing occurred. However, on the whole, our history books promote the idea that Americans walked on the moon. Are the vast majority of history books invalid because of their bias toward the reality of a moon landing, or does it make the account more credible that most sources agree this momentous event took place?

Likewise with the supernatural presence and power of Jesus. If we see so many stories of people who were not believers encountering Jesus and then coming to faith – a faith that compelled them to create a written record and later to die for their beliefs – are they less believable because there are so many more converts than skeptics among the authors of Jesus’s history? Or does it rather create mounting evidence that real, sane people met Jesus, witnessed His miracles, teaching, death, and resurrection, and were rightly awed and persuaded of His deity?

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/11/08/banquet-at-matthews-house/

Scripture References

Matthew 9:9

Ezra 4:13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Matthew 9:10 Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples.

Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,

Luke 5:29 Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot,

Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

Mark 2:13

Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.

Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 2:2 they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.

Mark 4:1 Once again, Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

Mark 10:1 Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.

Mark 2:14

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Mark 2:15 While Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples–for there were many who followed Him.

Luke 5:27

Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

Luke 5:28

Luke 5:11 And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

Luke 5:29 Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

40 – Paralytic Forgiven and Healed, Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

Matthew 9:1 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. 2 And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, [a]son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And some of the scribes said [b]to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and [c]went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were [d]awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Mark 2:1 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they *came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to [a]get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof [b]above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “[c]Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [d]but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware [e]in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, *said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Luke 5:17 [a]One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a [b]bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “[c]Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, [d]aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” 25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 [e]They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 9:2 Lit child

b. Matthew 9:3 Lit among

c. Matthew 9:7 Or departed

d. Matthew 9:8 Lit afraid

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 2:4 Lit bring to

b. Mark 2:4 Lit where He was

c. Mark 2:5 Lit child

d. Mark 2:7 Lit if not one, God

e. Mark 2:8 Lit by

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 5:17 Lit On one of the days

b. Luke 5:18 Or stretcher

c. Luke 5:20 Lit Man

d. Luke 5:22 Or perceiving

e. Luke 5:26 Lit Astonishment took them all

Commentary

Notice when Jesus came to His own city that the city was not Nazareth, but Capernaum. We learned that Jesus had moved there in Matthew 4:13. If you read our study passage in the context of the end of Matthew chapter 8, it seems the reason Jesus returned to Capernaum at this time is that He had been asked to leave the country of the Gergesenes. The chronology here gets a little tricky, but for now, I’m following the account in Mark, since he so specifically says the healing of the paralytic was a few days after the leper was healed. The more I’m reading in Matthew, the more it seems his account jumps around from one story to another, as you might if you were reminiscing with an old friend; you don’t necessarily tell stories in the order in which they occurred, but in the order in which they come up in conversation.

Since we are following Mark’s chronology here, after reading Mark chapter 1, we can see this is the first time when Jesus experiences any pushback or hostility from His audience. The crowd is amazed by Jesus’s healing power, but there is no comment that they were awestruck when He forgave the man’s sins (which is the far more significant feat). However, the Pharisees and scribes recognize the implication, and they don’t seem to even consider the possibility that Jesus had been granted authority by God to forgive sins or question why Jesus saw forgiveness as the man’s most urgent need. I watched a really moving and profound sermon on this scene, and I highly recommend you take 30 minutes to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Glfn3KG_k

This story skillfully shows us the tenderness and trustworthiness of Jesus. He sees beyond the man’s obvious physical condition to his deeper and more immediate need for justification before God. In the same way Jesus sees the disbelief in the hearts of the Pharisees, He also sees into the heart of the paralytic man and perceives faith in Jesus as Lord. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” John 5:24. “They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household”” Acts 16:31. In the sermon I linked above, Pastor Keller mentions that God doesn’t forgive sin unless the sinner asks and that Jesus must have perceived an unspoken request in the paralytic’s heart. If we look at the text, we see that all three gospel writers who reported the story said Jesus was compelled to forgive the man’s sins after He saw the FAITH of the group of men. Based on the verses I copied here from John and Acts, we can see faith as the prerequisite for salvation from judgment. But, just as James (the brother of Jesus) said faith without works is dead, may I suggest that true faith is more than just a belief, but a lifestyle, and it encompasses a host of thought processes, including repentance. (Again, I’ll also refer back to my previous posts regarding John the Baptist’s message to repent, for the kingdom of God is near. Why does the imminence of the kingdom of God inspire repentance? An honest belief in the reality of the Messiah NECESSARILY produces repentance. The faith and the repentance can’t be separated.)

Jesus then asks a question that we may have interpreted as rhetorical, but if you really take the time to consider it, which is harder: to forgive sins or to heal? God can heal even the most debilitating disease out of hand, but He cannot forgive without sacrifice. Only the savior of the world who is about to die on the cross can forgive sins. The Pharisees thought it was presumptuous for Jesus to offer to forgive the man’s sins, but think about how a false prophet would even conceive of making that statement. In front of Jesus was a man who obviously needed healing, and the physical healing is what led the crowd to awe and hopefully faith. Any person whose objective was simply to claim followers would have healed the man and never even thought of saying anything about the man’s spirit. Or if a wild thought like that had occurred to the healer, the repercussions would have been so quickly identified that the words would never have been uttered. But Jesus not only has the enlightened perspective to consider the man’s separation from God, but the boldness to proclaim the man’s forgiveness, knowing it will cause dissention. Out of love for the man, however, He is compelled to do it even before He heals him physically.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/10/31/call-of-matthew/

Scripture References

Matthew 9:1

Matthew 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mark 5:21 When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea.

Luke 8:40 When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

Matthew 9:2

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was cured from that very hour.

Matthew 14:27 But Jesus immediately spoke up: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Mark 6:50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Mark 10:49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.”

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood by Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”

Matthew 9:3

Numbers 15:30 But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from his people.

Mark 3:28 Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.

Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”

Matthew 9:4

Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

Luke 6:8 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.

Luke 9:47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.

John 2:25 He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

Matthew 9:5

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 9:6

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

John 5:8 Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

John 5:27 And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

Matthew 9:8

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 15:31 The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 7:16 A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

Luke 13:13 Then He laid His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.

Luke 17:15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice.

Luke 17:18 Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?”

Luke 18:43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.

Luke 23:47 When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

John 15:8 This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.

Acts 4:21 So the Council members threatened them further and let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened.

Acts 11:18 When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

Acts 21:20 When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the Law.

2 Corinthians 9:13 Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others.

Galatians 1:24 And they glorified God because of me.

1 Peter 2:12 Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

Mark 2:1

Matthew 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 3:20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.

Mark 7:17 After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

Mark 9:28 After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

Luke 4:23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.'”

Mark 2:2

Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 2:13 Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

Mark 2:3

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Mark 2:4

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Mark 2:5

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

John 5:14 Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

Mark 2:7

Isaiah 43:25 I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.

Mark 2:8

Matthew 12:15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,

Matthew 16:7 They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

Mark 2:9

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 2:11

John 5:8 Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

Mark 2:12

Matthew 9:33 And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

Luke 5:17

Matthew 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,

Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 5:30 At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My clothes?”

Luke 2:46 Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

Luke 6:19 The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Luke 8:46 But Jesus declared, “Someone touched Me, for I know that power has gone out from Me.”

John 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?

Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time.

Luke 5:18

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed–and He healed them.

Luke 5:19

1 Samuel 9:25 And after they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house.

Matthew 24:17 Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.

Luke 5:20

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 5:21

Isaiah 43:25 I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.

Luke 3:8 Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Luke 7:49 But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Luke 5:22

Matthew 12:15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,

Luke 5:23

Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 5:24

Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the

John 5:8 Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

Luke 5:26

Luke 1:65 All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events.

Luke 7:16 A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said. “God has visited His people!”

Commentary

James 2:26 The body is dead when there is no spirit in it. It is the same with faith. Faith is dead when nothing is done.