(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Jesus heals a paralyzed man
- And having stepped into a boat, He crossed over the sea and came to His own city.
- And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralyzed man *lying on a bed mat. And having seen their faith, Jesus told the paralyzed man: “Have courage child; your sins are forgiven.”
- And behold, some of the scribes1“scribes” In the New Testament, this word is often used of those learned in the Mosaic Law. said to themselves “This man blasphemes!”
- And *knowing their thoughts, Jesus said: “Why do you ponder evil in your hearts?
- “For which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say: ‘Get up and walk’?
- “However, so you might *know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Then He tells the paralyzed man: “Get up, pick up your bed mat, and go to your house.”
- And after getting up, he went to his house.
- And having seen this, the crowds were alarmed and they glorified God, the One who gave such authority to men.
Jesus and the Tax Collectors
- And passing on from there, Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting in a tax-collector’s office. And He says to him: “Follow Me.” And having stood up, he followed Him.
- And it happened that He’s reclining2“reclining” is literal. In ancient times, they didn’t sit at a table, they “reclined” at a low table. Thus, reclining often meant eating together. at the table in the house and behold: many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining at the table with Jesus and His disciples.
- And having seen this, the Pharisees were saying to His disciples: “Why is your teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”
- But having heard this He said: “Healthy men don’t have a need of a doctor, but sick men do.
- “But having departed, learn what is true: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice‘,3quotation/allusion to Hosea 6:6 for I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Fasting and Wineskins
- Then the disciples of John come to Him, saying: “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
- And Jesus told them: “The groomsmen4“groomsmen” is literally “sons of the bridal chamber”. In that age, this referred to the men who helped the groom prepare whatever was needed for the wedding, especially the “bridal chamber” (honeymoon suite). The closest modern equivalent is groomsmen. aren’t able to mourn as long as the groom is with them, are they? But the days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
- And no one puts an unshrunk cloth patch on an old cloak, for its patch pulls away from the cloak and it becomes a worse tear.
- Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins.5“wineskins” is literal, and refers to a leather “bag” used to hold liquids. The phrase “new wine” refers to un-fermented grape juice. As it ferments, it releases gas which causes the wineskin to stretch. However, if an “old wineskin” is used with “new wine” (unfermented grape-juice), the gasses from the fermentation will stretch the already stretched leather bag so that it splits. This makes the leather bag useless and the wine is spilled out and lost. Old wineskins could be used for already fermented wine or other liquids, and thus were still useful. And if they do, the wineskins tear, and the wine spills out, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.
Raising the Dead and healing an issue of blood
- While He’s telling them these things, behold, one of the Jewish elders came. He was bowing low on his knees before Him, saying: “My daughter died just now. But come lay your hand on her and she will live.”
- And having stood up, Jesus and His disciples were following him.
- And behold, there was a woman suffering from constant menstrual bleeding6“suffering from constant menstrual bleeding” is one word in the Greek. It refers to a continuous flow of blood, aka: a hemorrhage. It doesn’t specifically mean menstrual blood, but this exact word is used to refer to a menstrual blood in the Septuagint in Leviticus 15:33 and by medical writers. for twelve years. Having approached from behind, she touched the edge of His cloak,
- for she was saying within herself: “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.”7In Malachi 4:2, it says that “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.” The Hebrew word translated “wings” in that verse is “כָּנָף” (kanaph). It means any extremity, including wings and also the edge of a garment. It could be accurately translated “healing in the edge of His clothes”. This woman likely knew this verse, and that’s probably why she specifically touched the edge of His cloak. The Jews believed Malachi 4:2 was a prophecy about the Messiah, so by touching His cloak, she was almost certainly expressing her faith that Jesus was the Messiah. This is quite possibly why Jesus said her faith healed her.
- And having turned and seen her, Jesus said: “Have courage daughter; your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour on.
- And having come to the house of the Jewish elder, and having seen the flute players and the crowd making a noisy outcry,
- Jesus was saying: “Leave. For the girl didn’t die, but is sleeping.” And they were laughing at Him.
- And, when the crowd was sent outside, He entered, grabbed her hand, and the girl was raised up.
- And the news of this went through that whole land.
Jesus Heals the Blind and Demon Possessed
- And passing on from there, two blind men followed Jesus, crying out and saying: “Show us mercy, Son of David8“Son of David” was a title of the promised messiah in Jewish eyes. This stems from 2 Samuel 7:12-13, in which God promised David would have a descendant who would sit on the throne forever. This could be construed as an act of faith by the blind men..”
- And having come into the house, the blind men approached Him and Jesus says to them: “Do you believe that I’m able to do this?” They say to Him: “Definitely Lord.”
- Then He touched their eyes, saying: “Let it happen to you according to your faith.”
- And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying: “See that you let no one know.”
- But after going out, they spread the news about Him in that whole land.
- And while they are leaving, behold, they brought a mute, demon-possessed man to Him.
- And when the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying: “Something like this was never seen in Israel.”
- But the Pharisees were saying: “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
The Harvest
- And Jesus was going around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every chronic disease and every sickness.
- And having seen the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them because they were *troubled and *cast away, like sheep not having a shepherd.
- Then He says to His disciples: “Truly, the harvest is great but the workers are few.”
- “Therefore, implore the Lord of the harvest so that He might send out workers into His harvest.”
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