The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (29 page)

9:8 authority to men:
The crowd links Jesus' authority with his power to forgive. • Matthew's description points forward to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After his Resurrection, Jesus invests other men (apostles) with this same power to forgive sins in his name (Jn 20:23; cf. Mt 18:18; CCC 1441, 1444). 
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9:9 the tax office:
Collecting taxes in the territory of Herod Antipas (Galilee) involved frequent contact with Gentiles. Many religious Jews thus despised the occupation, considering tax collectors socially equivalent to "sinners" (9:10; 11:19) and Gentiles (18:17). Undeterred by this religious and cultural convention, Jesus invites Matthew to break with his livelihood and
follow
him. Matthew's former life as a sinner only increased his need to be a disciple. 
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9:13 I desire mercy:
Jesus challenges the Pharisees with Hos 6:6 (12:7). Understanding the prophet's message will explain Jesus' fellowship with "those who are sick" (9:12). • Hosea addressed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and declared them sick and wounded by sin (Hos 5:13). Their rebellion against Yahweh (Hos 4:1-2), their rejection of the Jerusalem Temple, and their preference for idolatrous sacrifices (Hos 4:13-14; 8:11-13; 13:2) made this sickness deadly. The real tragedy is that Yahweh appointed Israel to be a physician to the nations, yet Israel acted irresponsibly and so contracted the very illness (idolatry) they were supposed to eradicate. Jesus cites Hosea to make an implied comparison between the prophet's sinful contemporaries and his own critical opponents, the Pharisees. Just as the Northern Kingdom of Israel rejected the royal son of David (the Judean king) to sacrifice to idols, so the Pharisees have rejected the messianic Son of David (Jesus) in preference to the sacrificial and purity regulations of the Mosaic Law. By eating with sinners and tax collectors—whom the Pharisees considered unclean and untouchable—Jesus claims to fulfill Israel's original vocation by reaching out to the sick with divine mercy.
See note on Mt 5:20
.
not to call the righteous:
Jesus came, not to perpetuate the Old Covenant, but to inaugurate the New Covenant of forgiveness (Jer 31:31-34). His frequent fellowship with sinners was central to this healing work (9:12). 
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9:15 the bridegroom:
A depiction of Jesus found elsewhere in Matthew (25:1-13).
See note on Mk 2:19
. • Similar OT imagery depicts Yahweh as the husband of Old Covenant Israel (Is 54:5; Jer 3:20; Hos 2:14-20). Jesus takes this role upon himself and is now the divine spouse of the New Covenant Church (Jn 3:29; Eph 5:25; Rev 19:7-9; CCC 796).
The days will come:
Only after Jesus' departure (Passion and Ascension) is fasting appropriate (cf. 6:16). 
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9:16 an old garment:
An image of the Old Covenant. It suggests that Jesus viewed it as a "worn out" piece of clothing ready to be cast off. • According to Ps 102:26, the Old Covenant world was scheduled to "wear out like a garment" (cf. Heb 1:10-12; Is 65:17; Rev 21:1). 
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9:17 new wine . . . old wineskins:
Fermenting wine is accompanied by a build-up of pressure. If kept in skins already used and dried out, the wine would certainly
burst
them. Jesus thus illustrates the impossibility of inaugurating the New Covenant while maintaining the Old. The abundance of New Covenant grace cannot be contained within the structures of the Old Covenant (cf. Jn 1:16). A new kingdom is needed to contain it—one fashioned to endure for ever. 
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9:18 a ruler:
Mark 5:22 and Lk 8:41 refer to him as "Jairus", head of the local Capernaum synagogue. 
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9:20 fringe of his garment:
According to the Mosaic Law, Israelites were instructed to wear "tassels on the corners of their garments" (Num 15:38; cf. Mt 14:36; 23:5). These were outward reminders to follow God's commandments. 
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9:27 Son of David:
A messianic title for Jesus, used eight times in Matthew. It is sometimes linked with Jesus' healings and exorcisms (20:30-34; CCC 439).
See note on Mt 12:23
. 
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9:36 compassion:
Those needing spiritual and physical ' healing lie close to Jesus' heart (14:14; 15:32; 20:34).
like sheep without a shepherd:
A familiar OT simile. • Sheep often represent the people of Israel (1 Kings 22:17; Jud 11:19; Jer 23:1-3; Zech 10:2). Shepherd imagery is used for Israel's spiritual leaders.
(1)
Joshua was Moses' successor and the "shepherd" of Israel (Num 27:17).
(2)
David was elected to "shepherd" Israel as its king (2 Sam 5:2-3).
(3)
In Ezek 34, God himself promised to set "one shepherd" (Ezek 34:23) over his people to feed and protect them as a new Davidic king (Ezek 34:23-24; cf. Jer 23:1-6). Jesus draws on these to illustrate his own role as the Shepherd and King of the restored Israel, the Church (25:31-34; Jn 10:16; 1 Pet 2:25). 
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9:37 the laborers are few:
Anticipates the following narrative, where Jesus chooses the apostles as laborers to shepherd the "lost sheep" of Israel (10:6; cf. Jer 23:4; Mt 15:24). 
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10:1-11:1
The second major discourse in Matthew (see outline). Jesus selects twelve apostles and delivers a "missionary sermon" before sending them to the surrounding Galilean villages and charging them to preach that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (10:7; cf. 3:2; 4:17). Jesus confers on the apostles the same authority of healing and exorcism displayed during his early ministry (10:1, 8; cf. 4:23, 24; 9:35). 
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10:2 the twelve:
Jesus chooses 12 patriarchs, like the 12 sons of Israel in the OT, to carry out his mission (Gen 35:2226). In doing so, he designates the Church as the restored Israel (cf. 19:28; Gal 6:16).
apostles:
The Greek term
apostolos
means "one who is sent forth" (cf. 10:5) and invested with the authority of the sender (cf. 10:40). See chart:
The Twelve Apostles
at Mk 3. 
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10:5 nowhere among the Gentiles:
Jesus sends the apostles only to the Israelites of Galilee (10:6). This reflects the order and direction of salvation history. Since God adopted them as his "own possession" (Ex 19:5) and lavished them with privileges (Rom 9:4, 5), it was appropriate that they first hear the New Covenant gospel (cf. Acts 1:8; Rom 1:16). After Jesus' Resurrection, the apostles are sent also to the Gentiles (28:1820; Mk 16:16; CCC 543).
See note on Mt 4:12
. 
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10:14 shake off the dust:
Palestinian Jews shook dust from their sandals when leaving Gentile territory and reentering the Holy Land. It was a derogatory statement against the uncleanness of Gentiles as pagans. Jesus commands a similar gesture to signify judgment on those who reject the gospel (Lk 10:10-12; Acts 13:51). 
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10:23 before the Son of man:
Jesus promised to come again within the generation of the living apostles (16:28; 24:34). As a prelude to his Second Coming, this initial "coming" refers to his visitation of destruction upon unfaithful Jerusalem in
A.D.
70, an event that destroyed his enemies and vindicated his words of judgment (24:2).
See note on Mt 24:1-25:46
and topical essay:
Jesus the Son of Man
at Lk 17. 
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10:25 Beelzebul:
A Philistine god worshiped at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-16). It translates something like "Prince Baal", a well-known god of the Canaanites. Jews mockingly changed its meaning to "lord of flies" or "lord of dung". In the Gospels, it refers to Satan, "the prince of demons" (9:34; 12:24-27; Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15). 
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10:28 do not fear:
Human agents of persecution are not to be feared. Men can impose suffering and death on the body but cannot force spiritual death on the soul. Jesus uses this distinction between body and soul to contrast the relative value of earthly life with the absolute good of eternal life in heaven (CCC 363).
rather fear him:
Since Satan deceives and tempts souls into sin, he should be feared and resisted as our worst enemy (Eph 6:11; Jas 4:7; 1 Pet 5:8-10). In view of the similar expression in Is 8:12-13, God should also be feared. He alone administers perfect justice and can send the faithless to eternal punishment (3:12; 25:41). A holy fear of God is thus necessary to avoid sin and its consequences (Ex 20:20; Phil 2:12). 
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10:38 take his cross:
A striking image of the demands and consequences of discipleship. Jews needed no explanation of it, since the Romans utilized crucifixion as a torturous means of execution for many criminals during NT times. Jesus here assures us that faithfulness will entail self-denial, suffering, and possibly death. Before his Passion, the cross symbolized shame and rejection; afterward it symbolizes the glory of Christian martyrdom (CCC 1506).
See note on Mk 15:24
. 
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