of man is this ? Even the winds and the waves obey him !”
Jesus Restores Two Demon- Possessed Men
8:28-34pp — Mk 5:1-17 ; Lk 8:26-37
28
When he ar rived at the oth er side in the re gion of the Gad a renes , a two de mon-pos sessed men coming from the tombs met him . They were so vi o lent that no one could pass that way . 29 “ What do you want with us , Son of God ?” they shout ed . “ Have you come here to tor ture us be fore the ap point ed time ?”
30
Some dis tance from them a large herd of pigs was feed ing . 31 The de mons begged Jesus , “ If you drive us out , send us into the herd of pigs .”
32
He said to them , “ Go !” So they came out and went into the pigs , and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the wa ter .
33
Those tend ing the pigs ran off , went into the town and re port ed all this , in clud ing what had hap pened to the de mon-pos sessed men . 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus . And when they saw him , they plead ed with him to leave their re gion .
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
9:2-8pp — Mk 2:3-12 ; Lk 5:18-26
9
Jesus
MattheW 9:8 | 1547
stepped into a boat , crossed over and came to his own town . 2 Some men brought to him a par a lyzed man , ly ing on a mat . When Jesus saw their faith , he said to the man , “ Take heart , son ; your sins are for giv en .”
3
At this , some of the teach ers of the law said to them selves , “ This fel low is blas phem ing !”
4
Know ing their thoughts , Jesus said , “ Why do you en ter tain evil thoughts in your hearts ? 5 Which is eas i er : to say , ‘ Your sins are for giv en ,’ or to say , ‘ Get up and walk ’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has au thor i ty on earth to for give sins .” So he said to the par a lyzed man , “ Get up , take your mat and go home .” 7 Then the man got up and went home . 8 When the crowd saw this , they were filled with awe ; and they praised God , who had giv en such au thor i ty to man .
a
28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes ; other manuscripts Gerasenes represented chaotic forces controllable only by God , Jesus ’ command of the waves serves as a sign of his deity . See note on Ge 1:2 .
8:28 – 34 Jesus briefly visits Gadara and heals two demonpossessed persons . His miracle there demonstrates his power over evil and the spiritual realm . It also creates such a stir that he is forced to leave .
8:28 from the tombs These men lived among tombs or in a graveyard . In Jesus ’ day , these places were considered to be the haunt of demons . 8:29 Son of God The demons ironically recognize Jesus for who he is ; Satan did the same and tried to keep Jesus from acting out God ’ s purposes ( Mt 4:3,6 ). before the appointed time Refers to the day of judgment , when God will judge evil spiritual powers ( compare Ro 16:20 ; Rev 20:7 – 10 ). Their question indicates an awareness of both Jesus ’ identity and their future judgment . It also reflects Matthew ’ s understanding that God ’ s kingdom is present but not yet finalized ( or fully arrived ). 8:31 send us into the herd of pigs The text does not indicate the reason for this particular request , but it is possible that Matthew means to suggest the suitability of unclean animals as dwelling places for unclean spirits ( see Lev 11:7 and note ). 8:32 died in the water This passage ultimately demonstrates Jesus ’ power over the spiritual realm . He expels the demons with one word , and they apparently are destroyed with the pigs . 8:33 Those tending These must have been Gentiles , since pigs were unclean to Jews . 8:34 to leave their region In contrast to the believing Gentile in Mt 8:5 – 13 , these Gentiles ( non-Jewish people ) want nothing to do with Jesus . In addition to suffering economic loss , they might have feared his power .
9:1 – 8 Jesus continues to display his power , including his authority to forgive sins . The scribes ( teachers of the law ) begin to express discontent and accuse Jesus of blasphemy .
9:1 his own town Refers to Capernaum , on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee . See the infographic “ The Synagogue at Capernaum ” on p . 1656 . 9:2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man Parallel accounts appear in Mk 2:3 – 12 and Lk 5:18 – 26 , both of which describe the man ’ s friends lowering him through the roof due to the large crowd . son A term of endearment . Jesus exercises his authority with compassion . your sins are forgiven People in ancient Israel commonly saw a relationship between sin and sickness ( or suffering ; e . g ., Jn 9 ). Although Matthew does not explicitly state this connection , it could explain why Jesus begins by announcing forgiveness for the paralytic . 9:3 This fellow is blaspheming This is the first time in Matthew the religious leaders accuse Jesus of blasphemy ( compare Mt 9:34 ; 12:24,31 – 32 ). Their objection is that , in proclaiming forgiveness , Jesus is doing something that only God could do ( compare Mk 2:7 ). 9:4 Knowing their thoughts The Greek idiom used here seems to emphasize Jesus ’ perceptive abilities — that he perceives the scribes ’ ( teachers of the law ) negative reaction — not necessarily that he is reading their minds . 9:5 Which is easier Because there was no way to determine whether the man ’ s sins were forgiven , it was an easy claim to make ( and dismiss ). The command to rise and walk , however , was subject to immediate verification — putting the speaker ’ s credibility on the line . 9:6 Son of Man See Mt 8:20 and note . authority on earth to forgive sins Jesus states that he is acting on God ’ s authority . 9:7 the man got up and went home By showing his power to heal , Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive . The healing also shows that Jesus truly is God ’ s representative . See the table “ Miracles of Jesus ” on p . 1741 . 9:8 authority A central theme throughout Matthew , especially as Jesus ’ authority is contrasted with established Jewish authorities such as the law , the temple and the religious readers ( e . g ., 5:17 – 20 ; 7:29 ; 12:6 ; 21:23 – 27 ; 23:1 – 36 ). See 28:18 and note .