The two groups of miracles that Matthew presented so far demonstrated Jesus' ability to heal (8:1-17) and to perform miracles with supernatural power (8:23-9:8). This last cluster demonstrates His ability to restore. These miracles show that Jesus can restore all things as the prophets predicted the Son of David would do. Furthermore He can do this in spite of opposition.
9:18-19 This incident evidently happened shortly after Jesus and His disciples returned from Gadara on the east side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:21-22; Luke 8:40-41). The name of this Capernium synagogue ruler was Jairus (Mark 5:22). He was a Jew who enjoyed considerable prestige in his community. It is noteworthy that someone of his standing was believing in Jesus. This ruler humbly knelt before Jesus with a request (cf. 2:2; 8:2). According to Matthew he announced that his daughter had just died. Mark and Luke have him saying that she was near death. Since she died before Jesus reached her Matthew evidently condensed the story to present at the outset what was really true before Jesus reached his house.415
The ruler had probably seen or heard of Jesus' acts of healing with a touch (e.g., 8:2, 15). However, his faith was not as strong as the centurion's who believed that Jesus could heal with a word (8:5-13). Jesus arose from reclining at the table and proceeded to follow the ruler to his house.416
9:20-21 A hemorrhage is an uncontrolled bleeding. This woman had suffered with one somewhere in her body for 12 years. Many commentators assume it had some connection with her reproductive system. In any case bleeding rendered a Jewish person ritually unclean. She should have kept away from other people and not touched them since by doing so she made them unclean. However hope of healing led her to push her way through the crowd so that she might touch Jesus. She apparently believed that since Jesus' touch healed people if she touched Him she would get the same result. The fringe of Jesus' cloak (v. 20) was probably one of the four tassels that the Jews wore on the four corners of their cloaks to remind them to obey God's commands (Num. 15:37-41; Deut. 22:12; cf. Matt. 23:5).
9:22 Jesus encouraged the woman and commended her faith (i.e., her trust in Him). It was her faith that was significant. Her touching Jesus' garment simply expressed her faith. Faith in Jesus is one of the themes Matthew stressed in his Gospel.
The Greek word translated "made you well"or "healed you"is sozo, which the translators often rendered as "save."The context here clarifies that Jesus was talking about the woman's faith resulting in her physical deliverance, not in her eternal salvation. Salvation is a broad concept in the Old and New Testaments. The context determines what aspect of deliverance is in view in every use of the verb sozoand the noun soteria, "salvation."417
Why did Matthew include this miracle within the account of the healing of Jairus' daughter? I suspect the answer is the common theme of life. The woman's life was gradually ebbing away. Her hemorrhage symbolized this since blood represents life (cf. Lev. 17:11). Jesus stopped her dying and restored her life. In the case of Jairus' daughter, who was already dead, Jesus restored her to life. Both incidents show His power over death.
9:23-26 Perhaps Matthew of all the Gospel writers who recorded this incident mentioned the flute players because he wanted to stress Jesus' complete reversal of this situation. Even the poorest Jews hired flute players to play at funerals.418Their funerals were also occasions of almost unrestrained wailing and despair, which verse 23 reflects.
The crowd ridiculed Jesus by laughing at His statement (v. 24). They thought He was both wrong and late in arriving, too late. They apparently thought He was trying to cover up His mistake and would soon make a fool of Himself by exposing His only limited healing power. "Sleep"is a common biblical euphemism for death (Dan. 12:2; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18; 1 Thess. 4:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:4).
Jesus touched another unclean person. His touch rather than defiling Him restored life to the girl. Other prophets and apostles also raised the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:17-37; Acts 9:36-42). However, Jesus claimed to be more than a prophet. This miracle showed He had supernatural power over man's last enemy, death. The Old Testament prophets predicted that Messiah would restore life (Isa. 65:17-20; Dan. 12:2).
"The raising of the dead to life is a basic symbolism of the gospel (e.g., Rom 4:17; Eph 2:1, 5; Col 2:13). What Jesus did for the dead girl he has done for all in the Church who have experienced new life. There is too, beyond this life, the Church's confidence that Jesus will literally raise the dead (cf. 1 Thess 4:16; 1 Cor 15:22-23)."419
Matthew recorded that everyone heard about this incident (v. 26). Consequently many people faced the choice of believing that Jesus was the Messiah or rejecting Him.
Jesus' power to bring life where there was death stands out in this double instance of restoration, two witnesses for the benefit of Jewish readers.
9:27-28 This is the first time in Matthew's Gospel that someone called Jesus the "Son of David"(cf. 1:1; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15). This was a messianic title, and the blind men's use of it undoubtedly expressed their belief that Jesus was the Messiah.420
"The use of the Davidic title in address to Jesus is less extraordinary than some think: in Palestine, in the time of Jesus, there was an intense messianic expectation."421
Ironically these physically blind men saw who Jesus was more clearly than most of their seeing contemporaries. Isaiah had prophesied that Messiah would open the eyes of the blind (Isa. 29:18; 35:5-6). Frequently in the Synoptics the desperately needy cried out to Jesus calling Him the Son of David.422There seems to be a relationship between the depth of a person's felt need and his or her willingness to believe in Jesus.
Probably Jesus did not heal them outdoors for at least two reasons. He had already done two miracles outdoors before many witnesses that day and may have wanted to keep the crowd under control (cf. v. 30). By bringing the blind men indoors He heightened their faith since it involved waiting longer for a cure. Jesus' question furthered this aim (v. 28). It also clarified that their cries for help came from confidence in Him rather than just out of desperation, and it focused their faith on Jesus and not just God.
9:29-31 Perhaps Jesus touched the eyes of the blind men to help them associate Him with their healing as well as because He was compassionate. However it was Jesus' word, not His touch, that resulted in their healing (cf. Gen. 1). "According to your faith"does not mean "in proportion to your faith"but "since you believed"(cf. v. 22).
Jesus "sternly warned"them against telling anyone about the miracle. The verb embrimaomaioccurs only five times in the New Testament (Mark 1:43; 14:5; John 11:33, 38). Jesus wanted to avoid the masses of people that would have dogged His steps and hindered Him from fulfilling His mission (cf. 8:4). He wanted people to hear about Him and face the issue of His messiahship, but too much publicity would be counterproductive. Unfortunately, but understandably, these beneficiaries of Messiah's grace disobeyed Him and broadcast what He had done for them widely. They should have simply joined the band of disciples and continued to follow Jesus faithfully.
This incident shows that some people in Galilee beside the Twelve were concluding that Jesus was the Messiah.423The emphasis in the incident is Jesus' ability to restore sight where there was blindness.
9:32-33 The Greek word translated "dumb"(NASB, kophos) refers to deaf people, mutes, and people who were both deaf and dumb. This man's condition was the result of demonic influence, though that was not the cause in all such cases (cf. Mark 7:32-33). The crowd's reaction here climaxes their reaction in this entire section of the text. Here was someone with more power than anyone who had ever appeared before. Messiah would heal the dumb (Isa. 35:5-6). The natural conclusion was that Jesus was the Messiah.
9:34 The reaction of the Pharisees contrasts with that of the crowd in the sharpest possible terms. They attributed Jesus' power to Satan, not God. They concluded that He came from Satan rather than from God. Instead of being the Messiah He must be a satanic counterfeit. Notice that the Pharisees did not deny the authenticity of Jesus' miracles. They could not do that. They accepted them as supernatural acts. However they ascribed them to demonic rather than to divine power.
This testimony contrasts, too, with the opinion of the Gentile centurion (8:5-13), who saw that Jesus' operated under God's authority.424
The incident illustrates Jesus' ability to enable people to speak who could not formerly do so. This was important in people confessing Jesus as the Son of God and the disciples bearing witness to Jesus.
One of the main themes in this section (8:1-9:34) is the spreading of Jesus' fame. This resulted in an increasing number to people concluding that Jesus was the Messiah. It also resulted in increasing opposition from Jesus' enemies, Israel's religious leaders, and even some of John the Baptist's disciples. However some religious leaders believed in Jesus, Jairus being one. Opposition to Jesus was mounting among those who suffered economically because of His ministry as well as those who suffered religiously. Matthew's primary purpose, however, was to present Jesus as the promised Messiah who could establish God's kingdom on earth.
All of this material also prepares the reader for the next events, Jesus' self-disclosure to His disciples in His second major discourse.
Chapters 8-9 seems to be a chiasm focusing the reader's attention on Jesus' power to overcome Satan (8:28-34).
AJesus' power to heal (8:1-17; three incidents and a summary [8:16-17])
BJesus' authority over His disciples' persons (8:18-22; two lessons)
CJesus' supernatural power (8:23-9:8; three incidents with victory over Satan in the middle)
B'Jesus' authority over His disciples' work (9:9-17; two lessons)
A'Jesus' power to restore (9:18-38; three incidents and a summary [9:35-38])
