Matius 9:9-13

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him. 9:10 As ²  Jesus ³  was having a meal ⁴  in Matthew’s ⁵  house, many tax collectors ⁶  and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11 When the Pharisees ⁷  saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ⁸  9:12 When ⁹  Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹⁰  9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ¹¹  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matius 9:18-26

Restoration and Healing

9:18 As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 9:19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. 9:20 But ¹²  a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage ¹³  for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge ¹⁴  of his cloak. ¹⁵  9:21 For she kept saying to herself, ¹⁶  “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.” ¹⁷  9:22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” ¹⁸  And the woman was healed ¹⁹  from that hour. 9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, 9:24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they began making fun of him. ²⁰  9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region. ²¹ 

[9:9]  ¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[9:9]  sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Matthew (also named Levi [see Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.

[9:10]  ² tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:10]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “was reclining at table.”

[9:10]  sn As Jesus was having a meal. 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[9:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “in the house.” The Greek article is used here in a context that implies possession, and the referent of the implied possessive pronoun (Matthew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ⁶ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[9:11]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:11]  ⁸ sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.

[9:12]  ⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:12]  ¹⁰ sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.

[9:13]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[9:20]  ¹² tn Grk “And behold a woman.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[9:20]  ¹³ sn Suffering from a hemorrhage. The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage which would make her ritually unclean.

[9:20]  ¹⁴ sn The edge of his cloak refers to the kraspedon, the blue tassel on the garment that symbolized a Jewish man’s obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.

[9:20]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (Jimation) denotes the outer garment in particular.

[9:21]  ¹⁶ tn The imperfect verb is here taken iteratively, for the context suggests that the woman was trying to find the courage to touch Jesus’ cloak.

[9:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “saved.”

[9:21]  sn In this pericope the author uses a term for being healed (Grk “saved”) that would have spiritual significance to his readers. It may be a double entendre (cf. parallel in Mark 5:28 which uses the same term), since elsewhere he uses verbs that simply mean “heal”: If only the reader would “touch” Jesus, he too would be “saved.”

[9:22]  ¹⁸ tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.

[9:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “saved.”

[9:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been taken ingressively.

[9:26]  ²¹ tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.