Matthew 9:32 Kommentar

We have in this chapter remarkable instances of the power and pity of the Lord Jesus, sufficient to convince us that he is both able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him, and as willing as he is able. His power and pity appear here in the good offices he did, I. To the bodies of people, in curing the palsy (Mat 9:2-8); raising to life the ruler's daughter, and healing the bloody issue (Mat 9:18-26); giving sight to two blind men (Mat 9:27-31); casting the devil out of one possessed (Mat 9:32-34); and healing all manner of sickness (Mat 9:35). II. To the souls of people; in forgiving sins (Mat 9:2); calling Matthew, and conversing freely with publicans and sinners (Mat 9:9-13); considering the frame of his disciples, with reference to the duty of fasting (Mat 9:14-17); preaching the gospel, and, in compassion to the multitude, providing preachers for them (Mat 9:35-38). Thus did he prove himself to be, as undoubtedly he is, the skilful, faithful Physician, both of soul and body, who has sufficient remedies for all the maladies of both: for which we must, therefore, apply ourselves to him, and glorify him both with our bodies and with our spirits, which are his, in return to him for his kindness to both.

And he entered into a ship,.... Or "the ship", the selfsame ship he came over in, with his disciples. The Gergesenes, or Gadarenes, or both, having desired him to depart their coasts, showing an unwillingness to receive him, and an uneasiness at his company, he immediately turned his back upon them, as an ungrateful people, being no better than their swine; and who, by their conduct, judged themselves unworthy of his presence, ministry, and miracles: he returned to the sea side, took shipping, and passed over the sea of Tiberias again, and came into his own city; not Bethlehem, where he was born, nor Nazareth, as Jerom thought, where he was educated, but Capernaum, as is clear from Mar 2:1 where he much dwelt, frequently conversed, and his disciples: here he paid tribute as an inhabitant, or citizen of the place, which he was entitled to by only dwelling in it twelve months, according to the Jewish canons; where it is asked (d), "how long shall a man be in a city ere he is as the men of the city? It is answered, "twelve months"; but if he purchases a dwelling house, he is as the men of the city immediately;'' that is, he is a citizen, and obliged to all charges and offices, as they are: though they seem to make a distinction between an inhabitant and a citizen (e). "A man is not reckoned , "as the children of the city", or as one of the citizens, in less than twelve months, but he may be called, or accounted, , "as one of the inhabitants" of the city, if he stays there thirty days.'' One or other of these Christ had done, which denominated this city to be his, and he to be either an inhabitant, or a citizen of it. (d) Misn. Bava Bathra, c. 1. sect. 5. (e) Gloss. in T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 112. 1.

But the Pharisees said,.... Who were the sworn enemies of Christ, and were filled with envy at him, and malice against him: these men could not bear, that so much honour and glory should be given to Christ; and therefore said, he casteth out the devils through the prince of the devils: they could not deny matter of fact, that he had cast out a devil; nor could they say he had done an ill thing in so doing; they could not but own that it was a preternatural action, more than human; nor could they contradict what the multitude said, that no such thing had been ever seen, or known, in Israel: but that Christ might not have the glory of the action, and to fix a mark of infamy upon him, foolishly impute it to a diabolical influence, as if one devil would eject another; and to Christ's familiarity with, and the assistance he had from, not a common devil, but the prince of them. In Beza's most ancient manuscript, and in some others, this whole verse is wanting; and were it not, for the general consent of copies, one should be tempted to think these words were not said at this time, because Christ returns no answer to them; and what is observed by Luk 11:15 as following this miracle, is the selfsame as was spoken by Christ in Mat 12:24 and where this passage is more thoroughly considered.

By the dumb and deaf, and dæmoniae, is signified the Gentile world, needing health in every part; for sunk in evil of every kind, they are afflicted with disease of every part of the body.

The natural order of things is here preserved; the dæmon is first cast out, and there the functions of the members proceed. And the multitude marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

"And as they went out," it is said, "behold, they brought unto Him a dumb man possessed with a devil." For the affliction was not natural, but the device of the evil Spirit; wherefore also he needs others to bring him. For he could neither make entreaty himself, being speechless, nor supplicate others, when the evil spirit had bound his tongue, and together with his tongue had fettered his soul. For this cause neither doth He require faith of him, but straightway heals the disease.

What is called in Greek kophos is more commonly known as deaf rather than dumb, but the Scriptures indiscriminately use kophos to mean dumb or deaf. Spiritually, just as the blind men receive light, so too the dumb man’s tongue is loosened that he may speak and give glory to him whom he once rejected.

(Verse 32) And when they had departed, behold, they brought to Him a man who was mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”

The Greek word here (κωφὸς) is more frequent in common speech in the sense of 'deaf,' but it is the manner of Scripture to use it indifferently as either.

(De Cons. Ev. ii. 29.) This account of the two blind men and the dumb dæmon is read in Matthew only. The two blind men of whom the others speak are not the same as these, though something similar was done with them. So that even if Matthew had not also recorded their cure, we might have seen that this present narrative was of a different transaction. And this we ought diligently to remember, that many actions of our Lord are very much like one another, but are proved not to be the same action, by being both related at different times by the same Evangelist. So that when we find cases in which one is recorded by one Evangelist, and another by another, and some difference which we cannot reconcile between their accounts, we should suppose that they are like, but not the same, events.

Observe the beautiful order of His miracles; how after He had given sight to the blind, He restored speech to the dumb, and healed the possessed of the dæmon; by which He shows Himself the Lord of power, and the author of the heavenly medicine. For it was said by Isaiah, Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, and the tongue of the dumb loosed. (Is. 35:6.) Whence it is said, When they were gone forth, they brought unto him a man dumb, and possessed with a dæmon. For the Gentiles were dumb; not being able to open their mouth in the confession of the true faith, and the praises of the Creator, or because in paying worship to dumb idols they were made like unto them. They were afflicted with a dæmon, because by dying in unbelief they were made subject to the power of the Devil. They who brought the dumb to be healed by the Lord, signify the Apostles and preachers, who brought the Gentile people to be saved before the face of divine mercy.

Figuratively; As in the two blind men were denoted both nations, Jews and Gentiles, so in the man dumb and afflicted with the daemon is denoted the whole human race.

"As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a mute man possessed with a demon. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spake." The disease was not a natural one, but from the demon. This is why others brought him forward. He himself was not able to call upon Jesus, as the demon had bound his tongue. Therefore Jesus does not require faith of him, but immediately heals him by casting out the demon which had prevented his speech. And the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. The multitude marvelled, placing Christ even above the prophets and the patriarchs. For He healed with authority, unlike those who first had to pray.

As they were going away, a dumb demoniac was brought up to him. After restoring sight to the blind, he now restores speech to a dumb man. Those two incidents are fittingly joined, because speech is the sign of inward sight: "He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped" (Is 35:4-5). Here he does three things: first, the infirm man is described; secondly, the cure (v. 33); thirdly, the effect of the cure (v. 33b). He says, therefore, As they were going away... Faith is not asked of him as of the others, because he was possessed by a devil; therefore, he was not in control of his mental faculties. That is why he was not tested about his faith. And he signifies the gentiles, who are mute in regard to praise: "Pour out your anger on the nations which do not know you" (Ps 79:6). Furthermore, they have a devil, because they sacrificed to devils: "All the gods of the nations are devils" (Ps 96:5). First, therefore, as a good physician he cured the cause and then the disease, because he cast out the devil first.

MATTHEW'S CALL AND FEAST. ( = Mar 2:14-17; Luk 5:27-32). (Mat 9:9-13) And as Jesus passed forth from thence--that is, from the scene of the paralytic's cure in Capernaum, towards the shore of the Sea of Galilee, on which that town lay. Mark, as usual, pictures the scene more in detail, thus (Mar 2:13): "And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them"--or, "kept teaching them." "And as He passed by" he saw a man, named Matthew--the writer of this precious Gospel, who here, with singular modesty and brevity, relates the story of his own calling. In Mark and Luke he is called Levi, which seems to have been his family name. In their lists of the twelve apostles, however, Mark and Luke give him the name of Matthew, which seems to have been the name by which he was known as a disciple. While he himself sinks his family name, he is careful not to sink his occupation, the obnoxious associations with which he would place over against the grace that called him from it, and made him an apostle. (See on Mat 10:3). Mark alone tells us (Mar 2:14) that he was "the son of AlphÃ&brvbrus"--the same, probably, with the father of James the Less. From this and other considerations it is pretty certain that he must at least have heard of our Lord before this meeting. Unnecessary doubts, even from an early period, have been raised about the identity of Levi and Matthew. No capable jury, with the evidence before them which we have in the Gospels, would hesitate in giving a unanimous verdict of identity. sitting at the receipt of custom--as a publican, which Luke (Luk 5:27) calls him. It means the place of receipt, the toll house or booth in which the collector sat. Being in this case by the seaside, it might be the ferry tax for the transit of persons and goods across the lake, which he collected. (See on Mat 5:46). and he saith unto him, Follow me--Witching words these, from the lips of Him who never employed them without giving them resistless efficacy in the hearts of those they were spoken to. And he--"left all" (Luk 5:28), "arose and followed him." The Feast (Mat 9:10-13).

As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil--"demonized." The dumbness was not natural, but was the effect of the possession.