SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 9:9-17
Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. Matthew did. They ate dinner at Matthew’s house with other tax collectors and sinners. This was much frowned upon, and the Pharisees asked why was Jesus doing this. Jesus responded that he has come to heal the sick and the sinners.
John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus why he does not fast like they do. He replied that since he is here on earth, everyone should be rejoicing, not fasting. He says you don’t patch up old garments, making the tear worse, nor do you pour new wine into old wineskins.
BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17
6a) That Matthew immediately gets up and walks away from his career and everything else.
b) First, many are curious about the author of the book, and it’s a great example of what you do when Jesus calls you. It also lends credibility to his words.
7a) The Pharisees asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This was deeply frowned upon in Jesus’s day; no one of faith mixed with known sinners.
b) Jesus responded that he has come to heal the sick and the sinners. Jesus is here to offer mercy and show God’s love.
c) Matthew 28:19-20 is the great commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” and teaching them about God and to obey God. John 17:14-19 says how Christians are not of the world and Jesus prays for protection from the evil one and that they (disciples) may be santified as they enter the world, spreading the gospel. 1 Peter 3:13-17 says that you are blessed for doing good and be prepared to tell everyone about Jesus. It is better to suffer doing God’s will than to do evil. Set Christ apart in your heart.
Matthew challenges Christians to go out into the world shining God’s light. To go against the grain for Jesus even if you suffer for it. He says to do good rather than evil. To spread the Good News.
8a) “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
b) He replied that since he is here on earth, everyone should be rejoicing, not fasting.
The wedding guests: no one should be mourning while the bridegroom is with them.
The patched garment and wineskins: He says you don’t patch up old garments, making the tear worse, nor do you pour new wine into old wineskins.
Isaiah 43:18-19 talks about doing a new thing and how Jesus is making a new way for the world.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17
Lots to think about in this lesson. We see how to follow Jesus: unequivocally. We see that with Jesus, it’s a new way. And, perhaps most importantly, we see it’s okay to go against the grain to follow Jesus and do things his way, not the world’s.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 10, Day 2: Matthew 9:9-17
Mark 2:14 reveals that Matthew as also known as Levi the son of Alphaeus. Matthew 10:3 tells us that there was another son of Alphaeus, James, who also was amongst the 12 disciples.
Tax Collectors in Jesus’s Day
Jews despised tax collectors (they aren’t liked now, either) because they collected taxes that then went to the Romans. This job pitted Jews against Jews, as they were seen as traitors. Tax collectors were paid on commission, which lead to many extorting others; whatever they collected over the tax amount, they got to keep. This meant the more they collected, the more they enriched themselves.
Jews considered a tax collector an outcast. They could not be a judge or a witness in a court of law, they could not attend synogogue, and they were most likely outcast by their immediate family, too. The price was high to be a tax collector in the 1st century A.D.
You will see the word “publican” used for tax collector in the King James Version, from the Latin word meaning “public revenue.”
Matthew left a lucrative career to follow Jesus. Out of all the disciples, he may have given up the most. Yet, he penned the first book in the Gospels. How cool!
Dinnertime
We see truly how Jesus came for sinners with his calling of Matthew. Odds are, Jesus used this opportunity to reach others who were sinners and needed Christ. This was most likely a large public gathering, not one in a home.
Jesus came for sinners, as seen in this scene. (Romans 5:8). Yet, the Pharisees don’t get it; they avoided sinners like the plague.
Jesus here quotes scripture Hosea 6:6 and essentially tells learned leaders to go back and read God’s word because they just don’t get it. “Go and learn” was a rebuke commonly used by religious leaders at the time to someone who should know better or learn more about what they are speaking about.
Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Jesus offers sinners righteousness.
“Why Not Fast?”
The disciples of John the Baptist were very strict on their religious followings. The Pharisees fasted regularly Luke 18:12), and Jesus already addressed how they only fasted for show, rather than for faith. (Matthew 6:16).
The day will come where fasting will be appropriate, but while Jesus is here, it’s not. Instead, it’s a time to celebrate.
The wineskins represent how Jesus will not repair the Old Covenant, but instead he’ll bring a new one. New wine into new wineskins means his new church will form a new body of Christ.(Ephesians 2:16).
There is no patch to the Old Testament; only new. Sometimes the old cannot be renewed.
Jesus as the bridegroom is another claim Jesus makes as God. In the Old Testament, God was the bridegroom and His people the bride. Here, Jesus is saying he is God with this analogy.