NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHAPTER NINE

Part III

Verse 12: As soon as Jesus heard them say this, He said to them, “It is the sick people who need a physician, not those who are healthy.”

It is noteworthy here that Jesus uses the term “physician.” Yes, He was a healer, but not according to the traditional medical customs of His day. Rabbi Ashi had a saying similar to this: “Do we need Scripture to tell us this?¹ Is it not common sense that if a man has pain he visits the doctor?”² In the case of Matthew, and others like him, Jesus had the healing ministry for what a Jewish philosopher called, “the diseases of the soul.”³ It is also remarkable that these doubting Jews did not adhere to what one of their venerable Rabbis spoke of: “Whoever lives in the Land of Israel will have his sins forgiven as Isaiah states: ‘The inhabitants will not say “I am sick,” because the people who dwell there have been forgiven of their sins.’⁴”⁵

Then Jesus blithely told them to go study the Scriptures again, perhaps hoping they might read where Micah says: “This is what He wants from you: Be fair to other people with love and kindness.”⁶ Solomon also had something to say on this subject: “Do what is right and fair. The Lord loves that more than sacrifices.”⁷ We have a similar problem today in some of our churches. So many are ready to do their duty on Sunday morning by attending worship, but don’t want to be bothered during the week about being kind or helping others. That’s why every Christian should pay close attention to this saying of our Lord. Many Christians know all about commitments – this is what sacrifices to God in the temple represented, but little about compassion – this is what sacrifices for God is all about.

Verse 13: “You need to go and learn what this Scripture means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; but being kind to people.’ I did not come to restore the saints but the sinners.

Here Jesus quotes from Hosea in the context of the Pharisees’ objection to Him eating with these low-life tax collectors.⁸ By pointing to this Scripture and advising His critics to revisit it for better understanding, Jesus uses a common phrase employed by teachers in His day. We see this in the following command by the Rabbis: “Go and learn from the thirteen principles whereby the Torah is interpreted”.⁹ Also, in the KJV, verse 13 ends with: “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” However, neither the Latin Vulgate, Munster’s Hebrew Gospel, nor the Syrian, Ethiopian or Persian versions end that way. The Aramaic version reads: “I came to call on the sinners rather than on the righteous.” The oldest Hebrew version of Matthew reads: “I have not come to restore the righteous but the wicked.”¹⁰

Prioritizing the ministry to such as these was not new to the way of thinking because it was already part of their tradition. The Rabbis said: “Come and hear: ‘For shepherds, tax collectors and revenue farmers it is difficult to make repentance, yet they must make restitution of the articles in question to all those whom they know they have robbed. It may, however, also be said here that though they have to make restitution, it would not be accepted from them. If that’s true, why should they make restitution? — To make it quite evident that out of their free will they are prepared to fulfill their duty before God. But if that is true, then should it be difficult for them to make repentance?”¹¹

Here the point is made that only those who have been guilty of doing wrong need to repent. In the minds of these religious leaders they needed no repentance because they were living according to the law. So why then should they be so upset if Jesus goes to the very ones this Rabbi is talking about? Couldn’t they see that Jesus was following one of their own teachings? Believe it or not, in our own day and age people have been refused entrance into some churches because they did not dress right or had the smell of alcohol on their breath or were known to be of questionable character, when that is the whole purpose for the church to be there. So it seems that things have not changed all that much since Jesus day.

That should have been enough to quiet these skeptics, but things were only getting more intense for our Lord. In one polemic work against the gospels the writer points to this saying of Jesus and complains that Christians say all sinners will wind up in hell. He writes: “Moreover, the view that all were damned is untenable in light of the verse, ‘I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify your name for evermore; for great is your mercy toward me, and you have delivered my soul from the lowest hell.’¹²”¹³ It is remarkable that he didn’t notice the attitude of the Pharisees and how they objected to Christ reaching out to sinners with the same mercy to deliver them spoken of by the Psalmist.

Jerome talks about Jesus attending the banquet of sinners, and says: “The Lord went to the banquet of sinners that He might have an opportunity to teach and to offer spiritual food to His hosts. In effect, when He is mentioned as frequently going out to attend feasts, nothing is said other than what He did there and taught there. Thus, we see both the Lord’s humility in reaching out to sinners and the force of His teaching in converting the repentant. What follows: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’ and ‘I came not to call the righteous but sinners’ (as he cites testimony from the prophet) challenged the scribes and Pharisees, who considered themselves righteous and shunned both publicans and sinners.”¹⁴

So here our Lord shows us another factor in personal evangelism. He did not wait for Matthew to come to Him, but He went to Matthew. But He did not go as a complete stranger. I’m sure that on those occasions when Jesus saw Matthew sitting there as He spoke to the crowds that gathered, He knew that this tax-collector wanted to become a follower but was hesitant and unsure. As ministers we must also be sensitive when to go and share with someone the Gospel and Christ’s call for all those who believe to follow Him. Too often we wait for them to come to us or show up at our door. And when we don’t see them in attendance anymore, it hurts our spirit because we know that we did not reach out when we should have. Then all we can do is hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will find another servant who is more willing to go and find this lost soul.

Verse 14: Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “We and the Pharisees fast often, but your followers don’t ever fast. Why?”

Apparently, some days went by before another issue came to the surface. This time it was raised by fellow believers who followed John the Baptizer. They pointed out that they were still keeping some of their old Jewish traditions while the followers of Jesus were not. This may have been done out of jealousy by the Baptizer’s followers because Jesus’ ministry was growing so fast while theirs was dwindling. But also the Pharisees may have chosen this method of urging John the Baptizer’s followers to ask this question in order to find another way to get into the mind of Jesus who would look more favorable on John the Baptizer’s disciples than on them.

It is also reasonable to believe that the question did not pertain to the public fasts that accompanied their sacred holidays, but private fasts. Of course, it may not have dawned on them that they were asking the man who fasted 40 days and nights. Such unscheduled fasts were often brought on by needs or disasters. In one case the Rabbis tell us it often occurred because of needed rain. When this was the case, most committed Torah Scholars began to fast Monday, Thursday and again the following Monday. If the rains still did not come, they would then call on the entire community to fasts those same days. If it still didn’t rain, then the local court would order three more fast days.¹⁵ Also, in a city if there was an epidemic, or collapse of sturdy buildings, or other catastrophes, the city would fast and blow the shofar (trumpet) as a sign of repentance.¹⁶

One Jewish expert on fasting instructed the people that if anyone asks about fasting, tell them: “Fasting is permitted on all days except the Sabbath and festival days, New Moons and the intermediate days of a festival, Hanukkah and Purim.”¹⁷ Other Rabbis taught: “Fasting is as potent against a dream as fire is against straw.¹⁸ Jewish scholars tell us that dreams were believed to be omens foreshadowing the future. This was often because the evil foretold in the dream might then be averted. Normally fasting was forbidden on the Sabbath, but a dream-fast was permitted”.¹⁹

In fact, one highly respected Jewish teacher stated: “A person who has a disturbing dream must fast on the following day, so that he will be motivated to improve his conduct, inspect his deeds, and turn to God in repentance. He should undertake such a fast even on the Sabbath, reciting the passage asking for forgiveness in each of the prayer services. This applies even though he did not resolve on the previous day to fast. When a person fasts on the Sabbath, he must fast on another day as well, to atone for nullifying the law by indulging in pleasurable activities on the Sabbath.”²⁰

There is much more in the commentary on this teaching in the same location. But by now we all can see how important fasting was to the Jews, and apparently to the disciples of John the Baptizer. But Jesus gave them a novel answer. In other words, Jesus wanted His listeners know that fasting was not to be done to impress God or one’s fellow believers. Fasting is a method whereby the believer can bring his or her own body under more spiritual control. After all, if you cannot control what you eat that is not good for you physically, then how do you expect to control your desire for things that are not good for you spiritually? It is also another way of showing submission to God’s will by denying oneself in order to be available for God’s use.

Early church preacher Peter Chrysologus gives his thoughts on this verse when he said: “What did John’s disciples have in common with the Pharisees if not a common bond of ill will uniting those who were separated by different spiritual lifestyles? In this case jealousy loses its direction: Accustomed to separating people, it now united them. The Jews were not disposed to esteem Moses less than the Lord, and John’s disciples were by no means willing to prefer Christ to John. Thus they grumbled in common malice against Christ. ‘Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, whereas Your disciples do not fast?’ Why? Because with you Pharisees and disciples of John, fasting is a matter of the law and not of the will. Fasting does not reflect the one who fasts but the One who orders the fast. And what do you expect to get out of fasting when you really don’t want to?”²¹

One scholar explained fasting for believers this way: “Christian fasting isn’t some kind of a ‘work’ that’s commanded by Christ or required by Scripture. However, that doesn’t mean that fasting isn’t recommended as a part of our spiritual growth. The Book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions.²² Fasting and prayer are often linked together.²³ Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. However, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast.²⁴ Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is from food. Extended periods of time without eating are harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.”²⁵

Oh how many believers not only fast, but also pray, attend worship, participate in praise and worship, and volunteer for ministries, not because they want to but because they feel they have too? It’s a matter of spiritual pride. And yet they somehow expect the same blessing as those who do it willingly and out of love for their Master and the body of Christ that unites them. Jesus must have seen that these people would only understand what He wanted to tell them if He used an illustration to explain it.