Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 9

St. John Chrysostom: Christ had previously shown His excellent power in several ways: through His teaching, when he taught them as one having authority; in healing the leper, when He said, I will; be you clean; through the centurion, who said to Him, Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed; by calming the sea with a word; and by the demons who confessed Him.

Now again, in another and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the equality of His honor with the Father. To this end, the text continues that Jesus entered a ship, passed over, and came into His own city. He who could have crossed the sea on foot entered a boat, for He did not always work miracles, so as not to detract from the reality of His incarnation.¹

St. Peter Chrysologus: The Creator of all things, the Lord of the world, having for our sakes confined Himself within the bonds of our flesh, began to have His own country as a man. He began to be a citizen of Judea and to have parents—though He Himself is the parent of all—so that affection might draw in those whom fear had driven away.²

St. John Chrysostom: By "his own city," Capernaum is meant here. For one town, namely Bethlehem, had received Him at His birth; another, Nazareth, had raised Him; and a third, Capernaum, received Him to live there continually.

St. Augustine of Hippo: That Matthew here speaks of "his own city" while Mark calls it Capernaum would be more difficult to reconcile if Matthew had named Nazareth. But as it is, all of Galilee might be called Christ's city because Nazareth was in Galilee, just as the entire Roman empire, though divided into many states, was still called the Roman city.ⁱ

Who, then, can doubt that the Lord, in coming to Galilee, is rightly said to have come into "his own city," whatever the town was in which He dwelt? This is especially true since Capernaum was elevated to be the metropolis of Galilee.³

St. Jerome: Alternatively, this city may be none other than Nazareth, from where He was called a Nazarene.

St. Augustine of Hippo: If we adopt this supposition, we must conclude that Matthew omitted everything that happened from the time Jesus entered His own city until He came to Capernaum, proceeding at once to the healing of the paralytic. This is similar to many other places where the evangelists pass over intervening events and carry on the thread of the narrative to something else without noting any interval of time.

So here, the account says, And, behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed.

St. John Chrysostom: This paralytic is not the same as the one in John's Gospel. For that man lay by the pool, while this one was in Capernaum; that man had no one to help him, while this one was carried "on a bed."

St. Jerome: He was "on a bed" because he could not walk.

St. John Chrysostom: He does not always demand faith from the sick—for example, when they are insane or, due to some other severe illness, are not in their right minds. This is the case here, as the text says, seeing their faith.

St. Jerome: He saw not the sick man's faith, but the faith of those who carried him.

St. John Chrysostom: Seeing, then, that they showed such great faith, He also shows His excellent power, forgiving sin with full authority. As the text continues, He said to the paralytic, "Be of good courage, son; your sins are forgiven you."

St. Peter Chrysologus: How powerful a person's own faith must be with God, when the faith of others here was enough to heal a man both inwardly and outwardly! The paralytic hears his pardon pronounced but remains silent, offering no thanks, for he was more anxious for the healing of his body than his soul. Christ, therefore, with good reason accepts the faith of those who carried him rather than the man's own hardness of heart.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, we may suppose that even the sick man had faith; otherwise, as the other Evangelist relates, he would not have allowed himself to be let down through the roof.

St. Jerome: O, what wonderful humility! This man—feeble, despised, and crippled in every limb—He addresses as "son." The Jewish priests did not deign to touch him. He calls him "son," therefore, because his sins were forgiven.

From this we may learn that diseases are often the punishment for sin. Perhaps, then, his sins are forgiven first so that, with the cause of his disease removed, his health may be restored.

St. John Chrysostom: The Scribes, in their desire to spread a bad report about Him, unintentionally made what was done more widely known. Christ used their envy to publicize the miracle. For it is a mark of His surpassing wisdom to reveal His deeds through His enemies. Thus, the text continues: Behold, some of the Scribes said among themselves, "This man blasphemeth."

St. Jerome: We read in prophecy, "I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions" (Isaiah 43:25), so the Scribes, regarding Him as a man and not understanding the words of God, charged Him with blasphemy. But He, seeing their thoughts, showed that He is God, who alone knows the heart. And so, in a sense, He said, "By the same power and authority with which I see your thoughts, I can forgive men their sins. Learn from your own experience what the paralytic has received." When Jesus perceived their thoughts, He said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?"

St. John Chrysostom: He did not, in fact, contradict their suspicion that He had spoken as God. If He had not been equal to God the Father, it would have been fitting for Him to say, "I am far from having this power to forgive sin." But He confirms the opposite with His words and His miracle: "Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and walk’?"

Inasmuch as the soul is superior to the body, it is a greater thing to forgive sin than to heal the body. But since the healing of the body can be seen with the eyes, while the forgiveness of sin cannot be perceived by the senses, He performs the lesser, more visible miracle as proof of the greater, imperceptible one.

St. Jerome: Whether or not his sins were forgiven, only He who forgave could know. But whether he could rise and walk, not only he himself but also those who looked on could judge. The power that heals, however, is the same, whether it heals the soul or the body. And since there is a great difference between saying and doing, the outward sign is given so that the spiritual effect may be proven: But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins...

St. John Chrysostom: Previously, He said to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," not, "I forgive you your sins." But now, when the Scribes resisted, He shows the greatness of His power by saying, "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." To show that He was equal to the Father, He did not say that the Son of Man needed anyone to grant forgiveness, but that "He has power."

Glossa Ordinaria: The words "But so that you may know..." could be either Christ's words or the Evangelist's. If they are the Evangelist's, it is as if he had said: They doubted whether He could remit sins, "but so that you may know that the Son of Man has the power to remit sins, He says to the paralytic..." If they are the words of Christ, the connection is as follows: You doubt that I have the power to remit sins, "but so that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins..."—the sentence is left incomplete, but the action supplies the missing clause when "He says to the paralytic, ‘Rise, take up your bed.’"⁴

St. Peter Chrysologus: That which had been proof of his sickness now becomes proof of his recovered health. He is told, "And go to your house," so that, having been healed by Christian faith, he might not die in the faithlessness of the Jews.

St. John Chrysostom: He added this command so that it might be seen that there was no illusion in the miracle. The text then follows to establish the reality of the cure: And he arose, and went away to his own house. But those who stood by still groveled on the earth, as the text continues: But the multitude seeing it were afraid, and glorified God, who had bestowed such power among men.

If they had considered this rightly among themselves, they would have acknowledged Him to be the Son of God. In the meantime, it was no small thing for them to esteem Him as someone greater than other men and to believe He had come from God.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Mystically, when driven out of Judea, He returns to His own city. The city of God is the people of the faithful, and He entered this city by a boat, which represents the Church.

St. Peter Chrysologus: Christ has no need of the vessel, but the vessel has need of Christ. For without heavenly guidance, the ship of the Church cannot cross the sea of this world to its heavenly harbor.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: In this paralytic, the entire Gentile world is presented for healing. He is therefore brought by the ministry of angels. He is called "Son" because he is God's creation. The sins of his soul, which the Law could not remit, are remitted for him, for faith alone justifies. Lastly, by taking up his bed, he shows the power of the resurrection, teaching that all sickness will then no longer be found in the body.

St. Jerome: Figuratively, the soul, sick in the body with its powers palsied, is brought by the perfect doctor to the Lord to be healed. For everyone who is sick ought to ask others to pray for his recovery.

Through them, the halting footsteps of our actions may be reformed by the healing power of the heavenly word. These helpers are spiritual guides who raise the soul of the hearer to higher things, even though it is sick and weak in the outer body.

St. Peter Chrysologus: In this world, the Lord does not require the consent of those who lack understanding, but instead looks to the faith of others, just as a physician does not consult the wishes of a patient when his illness requires a different course of action.

Rabanus Maurus: His rising up signifies drawing the soul away from carnal lusts. His taking up his bed signifies raising the flesh from earthly desires to spiritual pleasures. His going to his house signifies his return to Paradise, or to a state of inner watchfulness over himself against sin.

St. Gregory the Great: Alternatively, the bed denotes the pleasure of the body. Now that he is made whole, he is commanded to carry that on which he had lain when sick. This is because every person who still takes pleasure in vice is, as it were, laid down sick in carnal delights. But when made whole, he carries this bed because he now must endure the impulses of the flesh in whose desires he had previously rested.⁵

St. Hilary of Poitiers: It is a very fearful thing to be seized by death while one's sins are still unforgiven by Christ, for there is no way to the heavenly house for a person whose sins have not been forgiven. But when this fear is removed, honor is rendered to God, who by His word has given such power to men: the power for forgiveness of sins, for the resurrection of the body, and for the return to Heaven.

St. John Chrysostom: After performing this miracle, Christ would not remain in the same place, so that he would not arouse the envy of the Jews. Let us also do this, not obstinately opposing those who lie in wait for us. "And as Jesus departed thence," (that is, from the place where he had performed this miracle) "he saw a man sitting at the receipt of custom, Matthew by name." ¹

St. Jerome: Out of respect for Matthew, the other Evangelists have not called him by his common name, but say "Levi" here, for he had both names. Matthew himself, in keeping with what Solomon says, The righteous man is the first to accuse himself (Proverbs 18:17), calls himself both Matthew and "publican" to show readers that no one who turns to better things needs to despair of salvation, seeing that he went from being a publican to an Apostle.

Glossa Ordinaria: He says, "sitting at the receipt of custom," that is, in the place where the tolls were collected. He was called a telonarius, from a Greek word meaning "taxes." ²

St. John Chrysostom: In this, he shows the excellent power of the one who called him. While Matthew was engaged in this dangerous office, Christ rescued him from the midst of evil, just as he rescued Paul while he was still raging against the Church. He says to him, Follow me. As you have seen the power of the one who calls, so learn the obedience of the one who is called; he neither refuses nor asks to go home and inform his friends.

Remigius of Auxerre: He thought little of the human dangers that might come to him from his masters for leaving his accounts in disorder. Instead, he arose, and followed him. And because he gave up earthly gain, he was rightly made the dispenser of the Lord's talents.

St. Jerome: Porphyry and the Emperor Julian argue from this account that either the historian must be charged with falsehood, or those who so readily followed the Savior did so with rashness and recklessness, as if he called anyone without reason.

They also forget the signs and wonders that had preceded, which the Apostles had undoubtedly seen before they believed. Indeed, the radiant brightness of the hidden divinity that shone from his human face might have attracted them at first sight. For if a magnet, as it is said, can attract iron, how much more can the Lord of all creation draw to himself whomever he wills!

St. John Chrysostom: But why did he not call him at the same time as Peter, John, and the others? Because Matthew was then still in a hardened state. But after many miracles and after Christ's fame had spread, the one who knows the inmost secrets of the heart perceived that he was more disposed to obedience, and then he called him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, perhaps it is more probable that Matthew here goes back to relate something he had omitted. We may suppose Matthew to have been called before the Sermon on the Mount, for on the mountain, as Luke relates, the twelve, whom he also named Apostles, were chosen. ³

Glossa Ordinaria: Matthew places his calling among the miracles, for it was a great miracle: a publican becoming an Apostle. ⁴

St. John Chrysostom: Why then is nothing said about how or when the rest of the Apostles were called, but only about Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew? Because these men were in the most humble and lowly positions, for nothing can be more disreputable than the office of a publican, and nothing more common than that of a fisherman.

Glossa Ordinaria: As a fitting return for this heavenly mercy, Matthew prepared a great feast for Christ in his house, giving his temporal goods to the one from whom he expected to receive eternal goods. ⁵

It follows, And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew does not say in whose house Jesus was eating on this occasion. From this, we might suppose that the event is not told in its proper order, but that something that took place at another time is inserted here as it came to his mind. However, Mark and Luke, who relate the same event, show that it was in Levi's house—that is, in Matthew's. ⁶

St. John Chrysostom: Matthew, being honored by Jesus's entrance into his house, called together all who were in the same profession as himself: Behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus, and with his disciples.

Glossa Ordinaria: The publicans were those who were engaged in public business, which can seldom, if ever, be carried on without sin. It is a beautiful sign of the future that he who was to be an Apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, at his first conversion, draws a great multitude of sinners to salvation with him—already performing by his example what he would shortly perform by his word. ⁷

Tertullian says that these must have been Gentiles, because Scripture says, There shall be no payer of tribute in Israel, as if Matthew were not a Jew. But the Lord did not eat with Gentiles, being especially careful not to break the Law, just as he also gave the commandment to his disciples below, Go not into the way of the Gentiles. ⁸

St. Jerome: But they had seen the publican turning from his sins to better things and finding an opportunity for repentance, and for this reason they did not despair of salvation.

St. John Chrysostom: In this way, they came near to our Redeemer, not only to converse with him but to eat with him. For not only by debating, healing, or convincing his enemies, but also by eating with them, he often healed those who were poorly disposed. By this, he teaches us that all times and all actions can be used for our benefit.

When the Pharisees saw this, they were indignant. "And the Pharisees, seeing it, said to his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" It should be observed that when the disciples seemed to be doing what was sinful, these same people addressed Christ, saying, Behold, thy disciples are doing what it is not allowed to do on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:2). Here, they speak against Christ to his disciples—both actions being characteristic of malicious people, seeking to separate the hearts of the disciples from their Master.

Rabanus Maurus: They are in a twofold error here. First, they considered themselves righteous, though in their pride they had departed far from righteousness. Second, they accused of unrighteousness those who, by recovering from sin, were drawing near to righteousness.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke seems to have related this a little differently. According to him, the Pharisees say to the disciples, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? (Luke 5:30), not being unwilling for their Master to be understood as included in the same charge, thus insinuating it against both him and his disciples.

Therefore, Matthew and Mark have related it as being said to the disciples, because it was just as much an objection against their Master, whom they followed and imitated. The meaning, therefore, is the same in all three, and it is conveyed all the better, as the words are changed while the substance remains the same.

St. Jerome: For they do not come to Jesus while they remain in their original condition of sin, as the Pharisees and Scribes complain, but in penitence, as what follows proves. When Jesus heard that, he said, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Rabanus Maurus: He calls himself a physician because, by a wonderful kind of medicine, he was wounded for our iniquities so that he might heal the wound of our sin. By "the whole," he means those who, seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3). By "the sick," he means those who, bound by the awareness of their frailty and seeing that they are not justified by the Law, submit themselves in penitence to the grace of God.

St. John Chrysostom: Having first spoken in accordance with common opinion, he now addresses them from Scripture, saying, Go ye, and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.

St. Jerome (on Hosea 6:6): This text from Hosea is directed against the Scribes and Pharisees, who, considering themselves righteous, refused to keep company with publicans and sinners.

It is as much as to say, "How can you accuse me for reforming sinners? In this, therefore, you accuse God the Father also. For as he wills the amendment of sinners, so also do I." And he shows that what they blamed was not only not forbidden but was even set by the Law above sacrifice. For he did not say, "I will have mercy as well as sacrifice," but chose the one and rejected the other.

Glossa Ordinaria: Yet God does not condemn sacrifice, but rather sacrifice without mercy. The Pharisees often offered sacrifices in the temple so that they might appear righteous to men, but they did not practice the deeds of mercy by which true righteousness is proven. ⁹

Rabanus Maurus: He therefore warns them that by deeds of mercy they should seek for themselves the rewards of the mercy that is from above, and not, by overlooking the necessities of the poor, trust to please God merely by offering sacrifice. Therefore, he says, "Go"—that is, go from the rashness of foolish fault-finding to a more careful meditation on Holy Scripture, which highly commends mercy. He proposes to them his own example of mercy as a guide, saying, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke adds the words to repentance, which explains the meaning, so that no one should suppose that sinners are loved by Christ because they are sinners. This comparison to the sick shows what God means by calling sinners: just as a physician calls the sick to be saved from their iniquity as from a sickness, which is done by repentance.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Christ came for all, so how is it that he says he did not come for the righteous? Were there those for whom he did not need to come? But no man is righteous by the Law. He shows how empty their boast of justification is, for since sacrifices were inadequate for salvation, mercy was necessary for all who were placed under the Law.

St. John Chrysostom: From this we may suppose that he is speaking ironically, as when it is said, Behold now Adam is become as one of us (Genesis 3:22). For Paul shows that there is no one righteous on earth: All have sinned, and need glory of God (Romans 3:23). By this saying he also consoled those who were called, as though he had said, "So far am I from abhorring sinners, that for their sakes alone I came."

Glossa Ordinaria: Or, those who were righteous, such as Nathanael and John the Baptist, were not to be invited to repentance. Or, when he says, I came not to call the righteous, he means the falsely righteous—those who boasted of their righteousness like the Pharisees—but rather those who acknowledged themselves as sinners. ¹⁰

Rabanus Maurus: The call of Matthew and the publicans prefigures the faith of the Gentiles, who first eagerly pursued worldly gain and are now spiritually refreshed by the Lord. The pride of the Pharisees prefigures the jealousy of the Jews at the salvation of the Gentiles.

Or, Matthew signifies the man intent on temporal gain; Jesus sees him when he looks on him with the eyes of mercy. For "Matthew" is interpreted as "given," and "Levi" as "taken"; the penitent is taken out of the mass of the perishing and, by God's grace, given to the Church. And Jesus says to him, Follow me, either by preaching, by the admonition of Scripture, or by internal illumination.

Glossa Ordinaria: After He had replied to them concerning eating and associating with sinners, they next challenged Him on the matter of fasting: Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not?¹

St. Jerome: What a boastful inquiry and a blameworthy display of fasting! Nor can John's disciples be excused for siding with the Pharisees, whom they knew had been condemned by John, or for bringing a false accusation against Him whom they knew their master had proclaimed.

St. John Chrysostom: What they are saying comes to this: Granted, you do this as a Physician of souls, but why do your disciples neglect fasting and approach such tables? To add weight to their charge, they mention themselves first and then the Pharisees. They fasted as they learned from the Law, as the Pharisee said, I fast twice in the week (Luke 18:12); the others learned it from John.

Rabanus Maurus: For John drank neither wine nor strong drink, increasing his merit by abstinence because he did not have power over nature. But the Lord, who has power to forgive sins, why should He avoid sinners who eat, since He has the power to make them more righteous than those who are not able to do so? Yet Christ does fast, so that you will not disregard the command; but He eats with sinners, so that you may know His grace and power.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Although Matthew mentions only the disciples of John as having made this inquiry, the words of Mark seem to imply instead that other people were speaking about others—that is, the guests spoke concerning the disciples of John and the Pharisees. This is even more evident from Luke (see Luke 5:33). Why then does Matthew say here, Then came unto him the disciples of John, unless it was because they were there among the other guests, all of whom unanimously raised this objection to Him?

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, Luke relates that the Pharisees said this, but Matthew that the disciples of John did, because the Pharisees had brought them along to ask the question, just as they later did with the Herodians. Observe how when strangers, like the tax collectors before, were to be defended, He heavily accuses those who blamed them; but when a charge was brought against His disciples, He answers with mildness. And Jesus saith unto them, Can the children of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Before, He had styled Himself Physician; now, He is the Bridegroom, calling to mind the words of John, who had said, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom (John 3:29).

St. Jerome: Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride. The Apostles were born from this spiritual union; they cannot mourn as long as they see the Bridegroom in the chamber with the Bride. But when the wedding is over, and the time of the passion and resurrection has come, then the children of the Bridegroom will fast.

The days shall come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

St. John Chrysostom: He means this: The present is a time of joy and rejoicing, so sorrow should not be brought forward now. Fasting is naturally a hardship, especially for all those who are still weak; for to those who seek to contemplate wisdom, it is pleasant. He therefore speaks here according to the common understanding. He also shows that what His disciples did was not out of gluttony, but part of a specific divine plan (a dispensation).

St. Jerome: Hence, some think that a fast ought to follow the forty days of the Passion, even though the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit immediately bring back our joy and festival. Accordingly, from this text, Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla enjoin a forty-day abstinence after Pentecost. However, it is the custom of the Church to approach the Lord's passion and resurrection through the humbling of the flesh, so that by physical abstinence we may be better prepared for spiritual fullness.

St. John Chrysostom: Here again, He confirms what He has said with examples from common life: No man putteth a patch of undressed cloth into an old garment; for it taketh away its wholeness from the garment, and the rent is made worse. This is to say, My disciples have not yet become strong but are in need of much consideration; they are not yet renewed by the Spirit. It is not fitting to lay a burden of precepts on people in such a state. In this, He establishes a rule for His disciples: that they should receive disciples from all over the world with leniency.

Remigius of Auxerre: By the "old garment," He means His disciples, who had not yet been renewed in all things. The "patch of undressed," that is, new cloth, signifies the new grace—the Gospel doctrine, of which fasting is a part. It was not fitting that the stricter ordinances of fasting should be entrusted to them, lest they be broken down by their severity and forfeit the faith they had. As He adds, It taketh its wholeness from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Glossa Ordinaria: This is as much as to say that an undressed patch, a new one, ought not to be put on an old garment, because it often takes away the garment's wholeness, that is, its integrity, and then the tear is made worse. For a heavy burden placed on someone who is untrained often destroys the good that was in him before.²

Remigius of Auxerre: After making two comparisons—that of the wedding and that of the undressed cloth—He adds a third concerning wineskins: Neither do men put new wine into old skins. By the "old skins," He means His disciples, who were not yet completely renewed. The "new wine" is the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the depths of the heavenly mysteries, which His disciples could not bear at that time. But after the resurrection, they became like new wineskins and were filled with new wine when they received the Holy Spirit in their hearts. From this, some also said, These men are full of new wine (Acts 2:13).

St. John Chrysostom: In this, He also shows us the reason for the accommodating words He often addressed to them on account of their weakness.

St. Jerome: Alternatively, by the "old garment" and "old skins," we must understand the Scribes and Pharisees; and by the "piece of new cloth" and "new wine," the Gospel precepts, which the Jews were not able to bear, so the rent was made worse. The Galatians sought to do something similar: to mix the precepts of the Law with the Gospel and to put new wine into old skins. Therefore, the word of the Gospel is to be poured into the Apostles, rather than into the Scribes and Pharisees, who, being corrupted by the traditions of the elders, were unable to preserve the purity of Christ's precepts.

Glossa Ordinaria: This shows that the Apostles, who were hereafter to be filled with the newness of grace, ought not now to be bound to the old observances.³

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, everyone who fasts correctly either humbles his soul in the groaning of prayer and bodily discipline, or suspends the impulse of carnal desire through the joys of spiritual meditation. And the Lord here answers concerning both kinds of fasting. Regarding the first, which is in the humbling of the soul, He says, The children of the bridegroom cannot mourn.⁴

Of the other kind of fasting, which involves a feast of the Spirit, He next speaks when He says, No man putteth a patch of undressed cloth. Then we must mourn because the Bridegroom is taken away from us. And we mourn rightly if we burn with desire for Him. Blessed are those to whom it was granted to have Him present with them before His passion, to ask Him whatever they wished, and to hear what they needed to hear.

The fathers before His coming sought to see those days and did not, because they were placed in another dispensation—one in which He was proclaimed as coming, not one in which He was heard as present. For in us was fulfilled what He speaks of: The days shall come when ye shall desire to see one of these days, and shall not be able (Luke 17:22). Who, then, will not mourn this? Who will not say, My tears have been my meat day and night, while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God? (Psalm 42:3). With reason, then, did the Apostle seek to die and to be with Christ.

The fact that Matthew writes "mourn" here, where Mark and Luke write "fast," shows that the Lord spoke of the kind of fasting that pertains to humbling oneself in discipline. In the following comparisons, He may be supposed to have spoken of the other kind, which pertains to the joy of a mind wrapped in spiritual thoughts and therefore turned away from the food of the body. This shows that those who are preoccupied with the body, and because of this retain their former desires, are not fit for this kind of fasting.⁵

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Figuratively, His answer—that His disciples did not need to fast while the Bridegroom was present with them—teaches us the joy of His presence and the sacrament of the holy food, which no one will lack while He is present; that is, as long as one keeps Christ in the mind's eye. He says they will fast when He is taken away from them, because all who do not believe that Christ has risen will not have the food of life. For the sacrament of the heavenly bread is received in the faith of the resurrection.

St. Jerome: Or, when He has departed from us because of our sins, then a fast is to be proclaimed, and mourning is to be put on.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: By these examples, He shows that neither our souls nor our bodies, being so weakened by the deep-rootedness of sin, are capable of the sacraments of the new grace.

Rabanus Maurus: The different comparisons all refer to the same thing, and yet they are different. The garment by which we are covered externally signifies our good works, which we perform externally. The wine with which we are refreshed internally is the fervor of faith and charity, which re-creates us internally.

St. John Chrysostom: After His instructions, He adds a miracle that would powerfully confound the Pharisees. The man who came to request this miracle was a ruler of the synagogue, and the mourning was great, for she was his only child and twelve years of age—that is, when the flower of youth begins. While he spoke these things to them, behold, there came one of their chief men to him. ¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: This narrative is given by both Mark and Luke, but in a different order. They place it after the casting out of the demons and their entrance into the swine, when Jesus had returned across the lake from the country of the Gerasenes. Mark does indeed tell us that this happened after He had recrossed the lake, but he does not specify how long after.

If there had not been some interval of time, what Matthew relates concerning the feast in his house could not have taken place. After this feast, the account of the ruler of the synagogue's daughter immediately follows. If the ruler came to Him while He was still speaking about the new patch and the new wine, then no other speech of His intervened. In Mark's account, the place where these events could be inserted is clear.

Similarly, Luke does not contradict Matthew. For what he adds, And behold, a man whose name was Jairus (Matthew 8:41), should not be taken as if it immediately followed what had been related before. Instead, it likely happened after the feast with the tax collectors, just as Matthew relates. ²

While he spoke these things to them, behold, one of their chief men—namely, Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue—came to him, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, my daughter is even now dead.

It should be observed, to avoid any apparent discrepancy, that the other two Evangelists represent her as at the point of death, but not yet dead. They later report that messengers came saying, She is dead, trouble not the Master. For the sake of brevity, Matthew represents the Lord as having been asked at first to do what He manifestly did do: raise the dead.

He is not looking at the father's words, but rather at his state of mind. For he had so despaired of her life that he was essentially asking for her to be brought back to life, thinking it impossible that she, whom he had left dying, would be found still alive.

The other two, then, have recorded Jairus's actual words, while Matthew has conveyed what Jairus wished and thought. Indeed, if either of them had related that the father himself said that Jesus should not be troubled because she was now dead, then the words Matthew recorded would not have corresponded with the ruler's thoughts. But we do not read that he agreed with the messengers.

From this we learn a crucial lesson: in anyone's words, we should look not at the words themselves, but at the meaning they are intended to serve. A person does not give a false account when he conveys someone's meaning using different words than were actually spoken.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, the ruler says she is dead, exaggerating his calamity. As is the custom of those who make a request, he magnifies his distress and represents it as something more than it really is to gain the compassion of the one to whom he is pleading. This is why he adds, But come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Notice his lack of perception. He asks two things of Christ: to come, and to lay His hand on her. This is what Naaman the Syrian required of the Prophet. For those who are so hard of heart need to see things with their own eyes and experience them through their senses.

Remigius of Auxerre: We ought to admire and, at the same time, imitate the humility and mercy of the Lord. As soon as He was asked, He rose to follow the one who asked: And Jesus arose, and followed him. Here is instruction for both those in authority and those under authority. To those under authority, He has left an example of obedience. To those set over others, He shows how earnest and watchful they should be in teaching. Whenever they hear of anyone being dead in spirit, they should hasten to them. And his disciples went with him.

St. John Chrysostom: Mark and Luke say that He took only three disciples with Him: Peter, James, and John. He did not take Matthew, in order to sharpen his desires and because he was not yet perfectly minded. For this reason, He honors these three, so that others might become like-minded. Meanwhile, it was enough for Matthew to see what was done for the woman who had the issue of blood, about whom the narrative continues: And behold, a woman who had suffered an issue of blood twelve years, came behind and touched the hem of his garment.

St. Jerome: This woman with the hemorrhage came to the Lord not in the house or in the town, for she was excluded from them by the Law, but along the way as He walked. Thus, as He goes to heal one person, another is cured.

St. John Chrysostom: She did not approach Christ openly out of shame for her disease, believing herself to be unclean; for in the Law this disease was considered highly unclean. For this reason, she hides herself.

Remigius of Auxerre: In this, her humility must be praised: that she did not come before His face, but from behind, and judged herself unworthy to touch the Lord's feet. Indeed, she did not touch His whole garment, but only the hem, for the Lord wore a hem according to the command of the Law. The Pharisees also wore hems, which they made large, and in some they inserted thorns. But the Lord's hem was not made to wound, but to heal.

Therefore, it follows, For she said within herself, If I can but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. How wonderful her faith! Though she despaired of health from the physicians, on whom she had nevertheless exhausted all her resources, she perceived that a heavenly Physician was at hand and therefore focused her whole soul on Him. This is why she deserved to be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Be of good cheer, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.

Rabanus Maurus: Why does He bid her, Be of good cheer, since if she had not had faith, she would not have sought healing from Him? He requires strength and perseverance from her, so that she may come to a sure and certain salvation.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, it was because the woman was fearful that He said, Be of good cheer. He calls her “daughter,” for her faith had made her one.

St. Jerome: He did not say, Thy faith shall make thee whole, but, hath made thee whole. For in that you have believed, you are already made whole.

St. John Chrysostom: She did not yet have a perfect understanding of Christ, or she would not have supposed that she could be hidden from Him. But Christ would not allow her to go away unobserved, not because He sought fame, but for many reasons. First, He relieves the woman's fear, so that she would not be pricked in her conscience as though she had stolen this gift. Second, He corrects her error in supposing she could be hidden from Him. Third, He displays her faith to all for their imitation. And fourth, He performed a miracle by showing He knew all things, which was no less a miracle than drying up the source of her bleeding. It follows, And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Glossa Ordinaria: This must be understood as the time when she touched the hem of His garment, not when Jesus turned to her. For she was already healed, as the other Evangelists testify and as may be inferred from the Lord's words. ³

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Here we should observe the marvelous power of the Lord: that the power dwelling in His body could give healing to perishable things, and the heavenly energy extended even through the hems of His garments. For God is not so containable that He should be enclosed within a body. His taking a body to Himself did not confine His power; rather, His power took on a frail body for our redemption. Figuratively, this ruler is to be understood as the Law, which prays for the Lord to restore life to the dead multitude it had prepared for Christ by preaching that His coming was to be expected.

Rabanus Maurus: Alternatively, the ruler of the synagogue signifies Moses. He is named Jairus, meaning “illuminating” or “one who will illuminate,” because he received the words of life to give to us and by them to enlighten all, being himself enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The ruler's daughter is the synagogue itself. Being in its twelfth year, the age of puberty when it should have borne spiritual children to God, it fell into the sickness of error. While the Word of God is hurrying to this ruler's daughter to heal the sons of Israel, a holy Church is gathered from among the Gentiles, which, while perishing from inward corruption, received by faith the healing that was prepared for others. ⁴

It should be noted that the ruler's daughter was twelve years old, and this woman had been afflicted for twelve years. Thus, she had begun to be diseased at the very time the other was born. So in the same era that the synagogue had its birth among the Patriarchs, the nations outside began to be polluted with the plague of idolatry. The issue of blood may be taken in two ways: either for the pollution of idolatry or for slavery to the pleasures of flesh and blood. Thus, as long as the synagogue flourished, the Church languished; the falling away of the former became the salvation of the Gentiles.

The Church also draws near and touches the Lord when it approaches Him in faith. She believes, spoke her belief, and touched—for by these three things (faith, word, and deed) all salvation is gained. She came behind Him, as He said, If any one serve me, let him follow me (John 12:26). Or, it is because, not having seen the Lord present in the flesh, she came at last to the grace of knowing Him after the sacraments of His incarnation were fulfilled.

Thus she also touched the hem of His garment, because the Gentiles, though they had not seen Christ in the flesh, received the news of His incarnation. The garment of Christ represents the mystery of His incarnation, with which His Deity is clothed. The hem of His garment represents the words that are connected to His incarnation. She does not touch the garment, but the hem of it, because she did not see the Lord in the flesh but received the word of the incarnation through the Apostles. Blessed is he who touches even the outermost part of the word by faith.

She is healed while the Lord is not in the city but is still on the way, just as the Apostles cried, Because ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). And from the time of the Lord's coming, the Gentiles began to be healed.

Glossa Ordinaria: After the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, the raising of the dead follows: And when Jesus came into the ruler's house...¹

St. John Chrysostom: We may suppose that He proceeded slowly and spoke longer to the woman He had healed, so that He might allow the girl to die. In this way, an evident miracle of restoring her to life could be performed. In the case of Lazarus, He also waited until the third day.

The verse, And when he saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, was a proof of her death.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For by ancient custom, minstrels were hired to make lamentation for the dead.²

St. John Chrysostom: But Christ put out all the pipers and took in the parents, so that it could not be said that He had healed her by any other means. Before restoring her to life, He raised their expectations with His words, saying, Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.

The Venerable Bede: It is as though He had said, "To you she is dead, but to God, who has the power to give life, she is only sleeping in both soul and body."³

St. John Chrysostom: By this saying, He soothes the minds of those present and shows that it is easy for Him to raise the dead. He did the same in the case of Lazarus, saying, Our friend Lazarus is sleeping (John 11:11). This was also a lesson for them not to be afraid of death. Since He Himself would also die, He taught His disciples confidence and patient endurance of death through the experiences of others, for when He was near, death was merely like sleep.

After He said this, they mocked him. Yet He did not rebuke their mockery, so that their laughter, the pipes, and everything else might serve as proof of her death. Often, at His miracles, when people would not believe, He convicted them by their own answers. For example, in the case of Lazarus, when He asked, Where have you laid him?, those who answered, Come and see, and, He stinks, for he has now been dead four days, could no longer disbelieve that He had raised a dead man.

St. Jerome: Those who had mocked the Reviver were not worthy to behold the mystery of the revival. Therefore, it follows, And when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

St. John Chrysostom: He restored her to life not by bringing in another soul, but by recalling the one that had departed, raising it from sleep, as it were. Through this sight, He prepared the way for belief in the resurrection. And He not only restores her to life but, as the other Evangelists relate, commands that food be given to her, so that what was done might not be seen as a delusion. And the fame of this spread throughout all that country.

Glossa Ordinaria: This fame was about the greatness and novelty of the miracle and its established truth, so that it could not be supposed to be a forgery.⁴

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Mystically, the Lord enters the ruler's house, which is the synagogue. Throughout the synagogue, a strain of wailing resounded in the songs of the Law.

St. Jerome: To this day, the girl lies dead in the ruler's house, and those who seem to be teachers are merely minstrels singing funeral dirges. The Jews are not the crowd of believers, but of people making a noise. But when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: But so that the number of the elect might be known to be few out of the whole body of believers, the crowd is put outside. The Lord indeed wished for them to be saved, but they mocked His sayings and actions, and so were not worthy to be made participants in His resurrection.

St. Jerome: He took her by the hand, and the girl arose; because if the hands of the Jews, which are defiled with blood, are not first cleansed, their synagogue, which is dead, will not revive.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: His fame spread throughout all that country. This means that the salvation of the elect—the gift and works of Christ—are preached.

Rabanus Maurus: Morally, the girl dead in the house is the soul dead in thought. He says that she is sleeping because those who are now asleep in sin may yet be roused by penitence. The minstrels are the flatterers who cherish the dead.

St. Gregory the Great: The crowd is put outside so that the girl may be raised. For unless the multitude of worldly cares is first banished from the secrets of the heart, the soul that lies dead within cannot rise again.⁵

Rabanus Maurus: The girl is raised in the house with few to witness; the young man, outside the gate; and Lazarus, in the presence of many. This is because a public scandal requires a public expiation, a less notorious sin requires a lesser remedy, and secret sins may be done away with through penitence.