Matthew Chapter 9 continues showing the authority of Jesus.

In Matthew Ch8, Jesus showed authority over sickness, uncleanness, storms, demons, and discipleship. In Matthew 9, that authority becomes even more personal.

Jesus has authority to forgive sins.

He calls sinners.

He shows mercy to the unclean.

He raises the dead.

He opens blind eyes.

He casts out demons.

And He looks at the crowds with compassion because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9 shows us the heart of Christ.

He is not only powerful.

He is merciful.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

The chapter begins with people bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus.

Jesus sees their faith and says to the paralytic:

“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

That is surprising.

The man is paralyzed, but Jesus first speaks to his deeper need.

This does not mean the man’s paralysis was definitely caused by a specific sin. The text does not say that. But Jesus knows the man’s greatest need is not merely physical healing. His greatest need is forgiveness before God.

The scribes hear this and say to themselves:

“This man is blaspheming.”

In one sense, they understand the seriousness of the claim. Only God can forgive sins in the ultimate sense.

But they do not see who is standing before them.

Jesus knows their thoughts and asks why they think evil in their hearts. Then He says:

“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?”

Both are easy to say.

But forgiveness is invisible.

Healing is visible.

So Jesus heals the man outwardly to prove His authority inwardly.

He says:

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”

Then He tells the paralytic to rise, pick up his bed, and go home.

The man rises and goes home.

This connects closely with Mark Ch2, where the same event shows that Jesus has authority to forgive sins. The miracle is not only a display of power. It is a sign pointing to who Jesus is.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this matters deeply.

Our greatest problem is not weakness, sickness, poverty, or suffering, though those things are real and painful.

Our greatest problem is sin.

And our greatest need is forgiveness from God.

Jesus has authority to give it.

Jesus Calls Matthew

After this, Jesus sees a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth.

He says:

“Follow me.”

Matthew rises and follows Him.

This is a short sentence, but it is full of mercy.

Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were often hated because they worked within the Roman tax system and were associated with greed, compromise, and betrayal.

Yet Jesus calls him.

He does not wait for Matthew to become respectable first.

He calls him out of his old life and into discipleship.

This connects with Luke Ch5, where Jesus calls Levi and then eats with tax collectors and sinners.

The call of Christ is not a reward for the already clean.

It is mercy for sinners.

Matthew rises and follows because grace has interrupted his life.

I Desire Mercy, and Not Sacrifice

Jesus then reclines at table with many tax collectors and sinners.

The Pharisees see this and ask the disciples:

“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus hears and answers:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

Then He says:

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

That is one of the central statements of the chapter.

Jesus is not saying sacrifice did not matter in the Old Testament. God Himself commanded sacrifices. But the Pharisees had missed the heart of God’s law. They could be careful with religious separation while lacking mercy toward sinners.

Jesus quotes Hosea to show that God desires mercy, not empty religious performance.

The issue is not that holiness does not matter.

The issue is that true holiness is not cold contempt toward sinners.

Jesus is the physician.

Sinners are sick.

And the physician does not heal by standing far away.

He comes near.

From a Reformed lens, this destroys pride. The church is not a gathering of people who healed themselves. It is a gathering of people who needed the Great Physician.

Jesus did not come to call people who think they are righteous.

He came to call sinners.

That does not mean He leaves sinners in sin.

He calls them out.

But He calls them by mercy.

A Question About Fasting

Then the disciples of John come to Jesus and ask why they and the Pharisees fast, but Jesus’ disciples do not fast.

Jesus answers with the image of a wedding.

“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”

The point is that the presence of Jesus brings joy. The bridegroom is here.

But Jesus also says the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away, and then they will fast.

That points ahead to His death.

So fasting is not rejected, but the timing matters. The presence of Christ changes everything.

Jesus then gives the images of new cloth on an old garment and new wine in old wineskins.

He is teaching that His coming cannot simply be patched onto old religious expectations as if nothing has changed.

The kingdom has come in Him.

The bridegroom is here.

The old patterns are being fulfilled, and fulfillment cannot be treated like a small addition to the old way of life.

This connects with Matthew Ch6, where Jesus teaches about fasting in secret. Fasting still has a place, but it must be shaped by the presence, mercy, and mission of Christ.

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

While Jesus is speaking, a ruler comes and kneels before Him.

He says:

“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

This is remarkable faith.

He does not merely believe Jesus can help the sick.

He believes Jesus can raise the dead.

Jesus rises and follows him.

As Jesus goes, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years comes behind Him and touches the fringe of His garment.

She says to herself:

“If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”

Jesus turns and says:

“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”

And instantly the woman is healed.

This does not mean faith is a magic force.

The power is not in the woman’s hand, the fabric, or faith as a thing by itself.

The power is in Christ.

Faith receives Him.

The woman comes unclean, needy, and desperate, and Jesus does not shame her. He calls her “daughter.”

That word is beautiful.

The crowd may see her as unclean.

Jesus calls her daughter.

This connects with Mark Ch5 and Luke Ch8, where the same event shows the difference between crowding around Jesus and touching Him in faith.

Many were near Him.

She came believing.

Then Jesus arrives at the ruler’s house.

The mourners are already there. The flute players and crowd are making commotion.

Jesus says:

“Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.”

They laugh at Him.

They know she is dead.

Jesus is not denying the reality of death. He is showing that death is not final before Him.

He takes the girl by the hand, and she rises.

This is authority over death.

The One who forgives sins also raises the dead.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

As Jesus passes on, two blind men follow Him, crying out:

“Have mercy on us, Son of David.”

That title matters.

“Son of David” points to the promised King.

These blind men see more clearly than many who have physical sight.

Jesus asks:

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

They say:

“Yes, Lord.”

Then He touches their eyes and says:

“According to your faith be it done to you.”

Their eyes are opened.

Again, this is not teaching that faith controls Jesus. It is not saying people can create miracles by believing hard enough.

Jesus is showing mercy to those who come to Him in faith.

Faith does not command Christ.

Faith receives Christ.

The blind men cry for mercy, and the Son of David opens their eyes.

This is both physical healing and a sign of spiritual reality.

Only Christ can make the blind see.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak

Then a demon-oppressed man who cannot speak is brought to Jesus.

Jesus casts out the demon, and the man speaks.

The crowds marvel and say:

“Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees say:

“He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

That is a terrible accusation.

They see the mercy and power of God, but they call it demonic.

This connects with Mark Ch3, where Jesus warns about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit after the scribes accuse Him of working by demonic power.

Matthew 9 does not give the full teaching on that warning here, but it does show the same kind of hardness beginning to appear. The Pharisees cannot deny that something powerful has happened, so they attack the source.

That is spiritual blindness.

The crowds marvel.

The Pharisees accuse.

The same miracle reveals different hearts.

The Harvest Is Plentiful

Matthew then gives a summary of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus goes through all the cities and villages, teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction.

Then Matthew says Jesus sees the crowds and has compassion on them because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

That phrase matters.

Jesus does not look at needy sinners with annoyance.

He looks with compassion.

They are harassed.

Helpless.

Scattered.

Shepherdless.

Then Jesus says to His disciples:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

This is a major turning point.

Jesus has been teaching, healing, forgiving, calling, cleansing, and restoring.

Now He tells His disciples to pray for laborers.

The mission belongs to God.

The harvest belongs to God.

The workers are sent by God.

That keeps us humble.

The church does not own the harvest.

The Lord does.

And the first command is not “build your own kingdom,” but “pray.”

Pray to the Lord of the harvest.

The Message of Matthew Chapter 9

Matthew Chapter 9 shows Jesus as the merciful King with authority to forgive, heal, call, restore, and send.

He forgives the paralytic.

He calls Matthew the tax collector.

He eats with sinners.

He says the sick need a physician.

He desires mercy, not empty sacrifice.

He brings the joy of the bridegroom.

He heals the bleeding woman.

He raises the dead girl.

He opens blind eyes.

He frees the mute man from demonic oppression.

And He looks on the crowds with compassion.

From a Christian Reformed lens, this chapter humbles us and comforts us.

It humbles us because we are not the healthy who merely need advice.

We are sinners who need forgiveness.

We are sick who need a physician.

We are blind who need sight.

We are sheep who need a shepherd.

But it comforts us because Christ is exactly that Savior.

He does not wait for sinners to become clean before He comes near.

He comes near to cleanse.

He does not call the worthy.

He calls sinners.

He does not ignore the unclean woman.

He calls her daughter.

He does not panic before death.

He takes the girl by the hand and raises her.

Matthew 9 teaches us that mercy is not weakness.

Mercy is the heart of the King.

And this King has authority.

Authority to forgive sins.

Authority to heal.

Authority to raise the dead.

Authority to call sinners.

Authority to send laborers.

The harvest is His.

The mercy is His.

The glory is His.

And sinners like us are invited to come to the Physician who came not to call the righteous, but sinners.