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Matthew Chapter 9

Chapter IX.

1. And entering into a ship, He passed over, and came into His own city.
2. And, behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Son, be of good cheer, your sins be remitted to you.
3. And, behold, some of the scribes said in themselves, This [man] blasphemes.
4. And Jesus seeing their thoughts said, Wherefore think you evil things in your hearts?
5. For whether is easier, to say, [Your] sins be remitted to you, or to say, Rise up and walk?
6. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to remit sins, [then He says to the paralytic], Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
7. And arising he departed to his house.
8. But the multitudes seeing, marvelled, and glorified God, who gives such power to men.
9. And Jesus passing forth from there, saw a man sitting at the receipt of custom, called Matthew; and He says to him, Follow me; and rising up, he followed Him.
10. And it came to pass, as He sat in the house, that behold many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples.
11. And when the Pharisees saw, they said to His disciples, Why eats your Master with publicans and sinners?
12. But Jesus hearing, said to them, They that are healthy need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13. But go you and learn what that means, I will mercy and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the just, but sinners, to repentance.
14. Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Your disciples fast not?
15. And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast.
16. But no one puts a piece of unwrought cloth upon an old garment; for that which is put in to fill it up, takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17. Neither do they put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles burst, and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
18. While He spoke these things to them, behold a ruler coming, worshipped Him, saying, My daughter is now dead; but come, lay Your hand upon her, and she shall live.
19. And Jesus arising followed him, and His disciples.
20. And behold, a woman who was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, coming behind, touched the hem of His garment;
21. For she said in herself, If I may only touch His garment, I shall be healed.
22. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Be of good courage, daughter, your faith has saved you; and the woman was healed from that hour.
23. And Jesus coming into the ruler's house, and seeing the pipers, and the multitude making a noise, says to them,
24. Give place; for the damsel is not dead, but sleeps; and they laughed Him to scorn.
25. But when the multitude was put forth, entering in, He laid hold of her hand, and the damsel arose.
26. And this fame went forth into all that land.
27. And Jesus departing thence, two blind [men] followed Him, crying, and saying, Have mercy on us, Son of David.
28. And when He was come to the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus says to them, Believe you that I am able to do this? They say to Him, Yea, Lord.
29. Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it to you.
30. And their eyes wore opened, and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See you let no one know.
31. But they departing spread abroad His fame in all that land.
32. But as they went out, behold they brought to Him a man dumb possessed with a demon.
33. And when the demon was cast out, the dumb spoke, and the multitudes wondered, saying, That it was never so seen in Israel.
34. But the Pharisees said, In the prince of demons He casteth out demons.
35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every malady, in the people.
36. But seeing the multitudes He was moved with compassion concerning them, because they were dissolved and scattered abroad, as sheep not having a shepherd.
37. Then says He to His disciples, The harvest truly is much, but the labourers are few.
38. Pray you, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He will put forth labourers into His harvest.

EXPOSITION.

verse 2. Behold they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith, &c. - By this faith whereby the sick were healed, is understood no other faith than that which is called historical, which also at that time was miraculous; wherefore by that faith many then performed miracles; the faith was, that the Lord was Almighty, because He was able to do miracles of Himself, wherefore also He allowed Himself to be worshiped, which was not the case with the prophets of the Old Testament, who were not worshipped; but this historical faith in all cases precedes, before the same becomes saving with man, when he learns truths from the Word and lives according to them. AE 815.

Verse 6. Take up your bed. - To take up the bed signifies to be instructed in doctrinals. TCR 301. The origin of this signification is from the spiritual world, where every one has a bed according to the quality of his science and intelligence. AE 137.

Verses 12, 13. They that are healthy need not a physician, &c. - The Lord came into the world, not to save the celestial, but the spiritual; the most ancient church, which was called man,was celestial, and if this had remained in its integrity, there would have been no need for the Lord to be born as a man; wherefore as soon as this began to fail, the Lord foresaw that the celestial church would altogether perish on this globe, on which account prediction was immediately made concerning the Lord's coming into the world. Gen. iii. 15. After the time of that church there was no longer a celestial church but a spiritual church; the ancient church, which was after the flood, was a spiritual church, and this church, or they who are of the spiritual church, could not have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world: this is what is meant by the Lord's words, "They that are healthy have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the just, but sinners to repentance." AC 2661.

Verse 15. Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them, &c.-They are called the sons of the bride-chamber who are in the truths of the church, and receive good, for the good which is from the Lord is the bridegroom; the reason why the sons of the bride-chamber do not mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them is, because they are in a blessed and happy state, thus are with the Lord, when they are in truths conjoined to their good; their fasting, when the bridegroom is taken from them, denotes that they are in an unhappy state when good is no longer conjoined to truths; this latter state is the last state of the church, but the former is the first state. AC 9182. See also SS 87-89.

The Lord here calls Himself the Bridegroom, and the men of the church He calls the sons of the bride-chamber; by fasting is signified to mourn, on account of the defect of truth and good. AE 1189.

Verses 16, 17. No one puts a piece of unwrought cloth on an old garment, &c.-Inasmuch as garment signifies truth, therefore the Lord compares the truths of the former church, which was a church representative of spiritual things, to the piece of an old garment, and the truths of the New Church, which were spiritual truths themselves, to the piece of a new garment; in like manner He compared those truths to bottles of wine, because by wine, in like manner, is signified truth, and by bottles are meant the knowledges which contain it. AE 195.

Verse 17. Neither do they put new wine into old bottles, &c. - Inasmuch as all comparisons in the Word are grounded in correspondences, so also is this comparison; and by wine is signified truth, by old wine, the truth of the old or Jewish church, and by bottles are signified those things which contain, by old bottles, the statutes and judgements of the Jewish church, and by new bottles, the precepts and commandments of the Lord; that the statutes and judgements of the Jewish church, which were principally concerning sacrifices and representative worship, do not accord with the truths of the Christian church, is meant by the words, "They do not put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles burst, and the wine runs out; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved;" that they who are born and educated in the external things of the Jewish church, cannot immediately be brought into the internal things of the Christian church, is signified by what is said in another place, "No one drinking old wine immediately desires new, for he says, The old is better." AE 376.

Verse 18. Lay Your hand upon her. Inasmuch as communications, translations, and receptions, were signified by the imposition of hands, it may be known what is signified by the imposition of hands in Matt 9:18. AC 10023.

That the New Jerusalem, that is, the New Church, cannot descend from heaven in a moment, but in proportion as the falses of the former church are removed; for what is new cannot gain admission where falses before have been implanted, unless they be eradicated, the Lord teaches when He says, "No one puts new wine into old bottles," &c. TCR 784.

The new wine is the Divine Truth of the New Testament, thus of the New Church, and the old wine is the Divine Truth of the Old Testament, thus of the Old Church. AE 316.

Verse 20. And behold a woman who was diseased with an issue of blood, &c. - Diseased with an issue of blood signifies those who are in natural love separate from spiritual. AE 163. It signifies also the profanation of the good of love. AC 9014.

And touched the hem of His garment, &c. - The hem [or borders] of the garment denote the extremes where the natural principle is; by being healed, therefore, through touching the hem of the Lord's garment, is signified, that health went forth from the Divine in the extremes or ultimates. AC 9917. See also AE 195.

Verses 20, 22. That the woman labouring with an issue of blood, when she touched the border of the Lord's garment was healed, and in general, as many as touched the border of His garment were healed, signified that from the Divine [being or principle], in the extremes or ultimates, health went forth; for that in the ultimates of good and truth, which are from the Divine [being or principle], there is strength and power, see AC 9836, and also that responses are there, AC 9905. AC 9917.

Verses 27-31. And Jesus departing thence, two blind men followed Him, &c. - By all the blind, whom the Lord healed, are understood those who are in ignorance, and receive Him, and are illustrated by the Word from Him; and, in general, by all the miracles of the Lord are signified such things as appertain to heaven and the church, thus spiritual things; from which circumstance His miracles were Divine, for it is Divine to act from first [principles], and so to present or exhibit those things in ultimates. AE 239.

Verses 32, 33. Behold they brought to Him a man dumb, &c. - By utterance is meant confession of the Lord, and the preaching of faith in Him, for this utterance is spiritual; hence it is evident what is signified in the internal sense by the dumb, namely, that they are signified who cannot confess the Lord, thus neither preach faith in Him, by reason of ignorance, in which state are the nations out of the church, and also the simple within the church; that such are signified by the dumb, is evident from Isaiah, "Then shall the lame leap as the hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing," Is 35:6; the tongue of the dumb shall sing, denotes that they shall confess the Lord, and the things which relate to faith in Him; by the dumb whom the Lord healed are also signified the nations, which by His coming into the world were delivered from falses and consequent evils, as by the dumb in Matthew 9:32, 33. AC 6988.

Verse 35. Jesus went about, &c.-That by God is understood the essential Divinity, from whom are all things, which is called Jehovah the Father; and by Christ. His Divine Humanity, which is called the Son of God, may be seen above, AE 500, and because the essential Divinity. and the Lord's Divine Humanity are one, like soul. and body, it follows that the Lord alone reigns. This is what is meant by the gospel of the kingdom, Matt 9:35. AE 553.

Verse 36. Seeing the multitude, he was moved, &c. - Inasmuch as by bowels are signified interiors of thought, and these are what are affected with grief, therefore such grief is expressed in the Word by the moving of the bowels [compassion], as in Matt 9:36. AE 622.

Verses 37, 38. The harvest truly is much, but the labourers are few, &c. - Inasmuch as by the harvest are signified all things which spiritually nourish man, which have reference to truths of doctrine and goods of life,therefore, by harvest is signified the church in general and in particular; by labourers are understood all who will teach from the Lord. AE 911.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Chapter IX.

verse 4.And Jesus seeing their thoughts, &c. - In our common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered seeing is expressed by knowing;but the original term is idon, which manifestly applies to the organ of sight, and thus bespeaks a Divine Power of vision in the Redeemer's mind, by virtue of which He had an intuitive view of whatever was passing in the minds of others.

Verse 6. Arise, take up your bed, &c. - Another remarkable instance here occurs of the Divine Wisdom by which the Lord spake, as discoverable from the connection of ideas in the internal sense, where the things expressed in the literal sense appear unconnected; for to arise, according to the internal sense, has respect to the will in its elevation out of evil into good; to take up the bed has respect to the understanding and the elevation of its thoughts out of falses into truths; and to go to thine house implies the joint effect of each elevation, in producing in the man a fixed abode in the heavenly principles of love and life.

Verse 8. The multitude marvelled and glorified God.-To marvel has relation to the will, as affected by a perception of the Divine Mercy, Goodness, and Power; and to glorify God has relation to the understanding, as noting and making confession of that perception; thus both united have reference to the heavenly marriage so frequently alluded to in the Sacred Scriptures.

Verse 13.What that means. - In the original it is expressed ti estin,what it is. I will mercy. - It is to be lamented that the force of this expression is almost entirely lost in our English version, by the insertion of have between will and mercy;whereas in the original it is expressed Eleon thelo, which means literally what is here rendered I will mercy, being intended to express the Divine Will as it in itself, and not merely what it requires from others.

Verses 14, 15. Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft? &c. - It is remarkable that the question here proposed by the disciples of John is concerning fasting, whereas the reply made by the Lord is concerning mourning, for He says, "Can the sons of the bride-chamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them? Thus the natural idea suggested by the disciples of John, was instantly changed into a spiritual idea in the Lord's mind; for to fast is a natural act, but to mourn is a spiritual act. Hence it appears manifest how the natural expressions of the Word were intended to suggest spiritual ideas, and how they do suggest them in the spiritual mind, by an opening to the spiritual things which are involved in them.

Verse 16. No one puts apiece of unwrought cloth, &c. - What is here rendered unwrought, in the common version of the New Testament is called new, but the expression, in the original, is agnathon, which literally means unwrought, or which has not yet gone through the hands of the fuller or purifier, thus denoting truth in its first state of reception.

Verse 17. They put new wine into new bottles.-It is remarkable that the expression new, as here applied to wine, is in the original neon, but as applied to the bottles is kainous whence we may come to this conclusion, that the Greek term neon is used to express a more interior idea than the term kainous.

Verse 30. And Jesus straitly charged them.-The expression here rendered straitly charged is, in the original, enebrimesato, which, according to the best commentators, signifies to command with vehemence or earnestness.

Verse 35. Teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every malady, &c. - Another remarkable instance here occurs of the manner in which the Sacred Scriptures are written, in regard to the connection of ideas in the internal sense, whilst the ideas presented in the sense of the letter appear scattered and unconnected. See note above at chap. 4:23, where the same words occur.

Verse 36. He was moved with compassion.-It appears from what is recorded in this verse, that the Divine Compassion is excited by the corruptions, ignorance, and miseries of man; which consideration ought to be a lesson to a man, to instruct him concerning the manner in which he ought to be affected by the sins, the ignorance, and the distresses, both of himself and of his fellow-creatures.

Verse 36. Because they were dissolved and scattered abroad as sheep without a shepherd.-In the common English version of the New Testament, this passage is rendered because they fainted and were scattered abroad, but the original term, here rendered fainted is eklelumenoi, which literally, means were loosened or dissolved. The two expressions taken together supply us with another instance of the heavenly marriage, which we have had so frequent occasion already to point out, and likewise of the connection of ideas in the internal sense. For according to that sense, dissolved has reference to the want of heavenly good, scattered abroad to the want of heavenly truth, and as sheep without a shepherd to the want of both.

Verse 38. That He will put forth labourers.-The original term, here rendered will put forth, is ekbale, which literally signifies will put [or cast] forth.