Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 9:23-24

"And when Jesus came into the ruler`s house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult, he said, Give place: for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn." — Matthew 9:23-24 (ASV)

The funeral wailing had already begun. “The minstrels” had started their hideous discords. Mistrustful friends are eager to bury us before the due time, and we ourselves are too apt to fall into the same error about others. Unbelief calls in the undertakers and the hired mourners to bury those who will yet live for years. We surrender to hopelessness those whom Jesus will save, or we begin “making a noise” where a gracious, silent work would be far better.

Jesus will have the death-music quieted, for it is premature and even false in its significance. He says to the minstrels, “Give place.” Many things have to give place when Jesus comes on the scene, and He takes care that they do give place, for He puts them out of the room. To Him the maid is asleep rather than dead, for He is about to call her back to life. He sees the future as well as the present, and to Him in that light, “the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.”

The Lord Jesus does not want pipers, flute players, and wailers. His own still voice is more fit for work in the death chamber with a young girl. Jesus is going to do wonders, and the hired performances of those who mimic woe are not in tune with it.

When Jesus tells the hired performers that there will be no need to proceed with the funeral, for the girl will live, they answer with scoffs, for they are sure that she is dead. It is a shameful thing to laugh at Christ. Yet “he endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,” and was not angry. We need not be dismayed when we are ridiculed, for “they laughed HIM to scorn.” Nor should we stop our work because of derision, for Jesus went on with His resurrection work despite the mockers.