CRITICAL NOTES
Matthew 9:33 Marvelled.—This miracle produced a great impression. Why so, we may easily understand. The Jewish Rabbis and teachers practised exorcism. They professed to cast out evil spirits. They did, perhaps, produce effects of a noticeable kind on nervously disturbed persons. But a deaf and dumb “possessed” person was beyond their reach. They could do nothing with such a case. They could not address the man. He was beyond the scope of any influences which they could bring to bear. Jesus Himself explains to the disciples in another case, where “possession” is ascribed to a “dumb spirit,” that such were peculiarly hard even for faith to deal with (Mark 9:29). Here, then, was an instance of Jesus’ power specially fitted to impress the people, and it also specially exasperated the hostility of His enemies (Laidlaw).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Matthew 9:32-35
Continuance in well-doing.—As the two blind men go out a dumb man is brought in. This is the key of this passage. Whoever may be brought to Him, whatever His enemies say about Him, Jesus goes on as before.
I. The case of the dumb man illustrates this, to begin.—It does so, in the first place, by the singularity of its features. There was something about it that pointed at once to a supernatural cause; something, it may be, in the evident sense of oppression on the part of the sufferer; or in the peculiar obstinacy of his dumbness; or in the utter absence of anything in physical organization, or in lack of mental power in other respects, to account for it. What is evident is that no one present doubted its cause; not the multitude who were so unusually impressed by its cure; not the Pharisees, who would only too gladly have ascribed the evil to something else than demoniac possession had they thought that their doing so would be of any avail. All were agreed that it was a true case, and apparently, also, a very marked case of being “possessed of” the evil one. If the poor man said nothing himself, his very appearance said that. It did so, next, by the completeness of the cure. This was complete in regard to its origin—“the devil went out.” Complete in its issue—the dumb man spake. He has regained his own will. He has regained his old powers. He proves both by his speech. We can well believe that, when he spake at first, no one spake but himself. All ears would listen to hear speech where they had not heard it for so long. But all those ears, and all minds behind them as well, were fully satisfied when they did. There was no doubt of the matter in the judgment of any. The miracle really “spoke for itself.” However abnormal the case, the treatment of it had been triumphant. And this, yet further, all the more so, because of the manner of action. For the Evangelist, it may be observed, speaks of the process almost as a matter of course; like one who does not think it necessary to describe what he has described so often before, or even to state expressly by whose intervention the result described was effected. His language, in fact, to use a modern expression, was almost casual in its tone. “When the devil was gone out, the dumb spake.” Nothing else need be said. Not Who did it. Nor how it was done. Nor how well it was done. In this respect the cry of the multitude “It was never seen so in Israel,” did not apply. On the contrary, very much of the kind had been so seen in Israel in the case of the Saviour. What was so observable here was His doing so now, after having done like it so often before, and in such an exceptional case.
II. The case of the Pharisees illustrates the same point.—When those enemies of Jesus saw what was done, and still more, when they saw the effect it produced, their envy and perplexity were equally great. Something must be attempted to stay this effect; some explanation offered; some pretext put forth. What they bethink themselves of is what they often afterwards tried. They ascribe the power displayed against the devils to a source of like kind; in fact, to the highest source of like kind. These minor devils, they said, were cast out by the greatest of all. Passing over for the moment the absurdly impossible and absolutely suicidal character of this explanation, what we would here notice in it more especially is its outrageous spite and ingratitude. There is no token of sympathy with the rescued victim; no word of thankfulness to the God of Israel, as, apparently, on the part of the multitude; only a resolution, while admitting the facts, not to admit their true force, if possible. Anything rather than allow them to be to the credit of Jesus, and in support of His work. How then, we ask next, does He meet this attempt? This ungrateful action? This cruel wrong? Not, as afterwards, by spoken language, and in a singularly telling manner, but by going on with His work. That, indeed, seems to be all that the Evangelist has to tell us at present. As day follows day; as place after place is visited; as He meets with many or few; as He is confronted with this or that kind of malady; in all this variety there is no variation in His own objects and plans. First of all, everywhere He is the Teacher and Preacher. Next, everywhere the Physician and Friend (Matthew 9:35). Not even that “contradiction of sinners against Himself,” of which we have just heard, prevents Him from going on in that course. Anything less like the “works of the devil” it is impossible to conceive. Anything more triumphant it is folly to ask. It is like burying darkness under mountains of light!
1. What a pattern of work we have here.—“Be not weary in well-doing.” So the Apostle taught us by word. So the Saviour here by His life.
2. What an incentive to work we have here.—What was the incentive to work in Christ’s case? To recommend the “gospel of the kingdom.” To rescue men from the power of the devil, however exhibited. To “do good” to us men—us sinners—us lost ones—us undeserving ones. Can we do better than imitate Him? Can we do anything less, indeed, and do right?
MAIN HOMILIES ON THE VERSES
Matthew 9:33. Spiritual dumbness.—I. Some complain that their intellectual culture is not sufficient to enable them to speak to edification. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings God hath ordained praise. The demon of intellectual pride must be cast out.
II. Some say, “I have very little ability, others can do so much better.” God does not want ability so much as availability. The demon of selfishness must be cast out.
III. Others say, “I can’t and I won’t use my tongue in the church’s service. I have not been used to it.” The demon of wilfulness must be cast out.—J. F. Clymer.
Matthew 9:35. Christ the Physician.—In Christ we are allied to the highest and the largest ideal of the most disinterested efforts for the physical and moral welfare of man that our earth has ever seen. Times, indeed, there were in His ministry when it might even have seemed that the human body had a greater claim on His attention than the human soul.
I. Now it would be a great mistake to suppose that this feature of our Saviour’s ministry was accidental or inevitable. Nothing in His work was accident; all was deliberate; all had an object. We may infer with reverence and certainty that Christ’s first object was to show Himself as the Deliverer and Restorer of human nature as a whole—not of the reason and conscience merely, without the imagination and the affections—not of the spiritual side of men’s nature, without the bodily; and therefore He was not only Teacher, but also Physician.
II. What is the present function of the human body? We see in it at once a tabernacle and an instrument; it is the tabernacle of the soul and the temple of the Holy Ghost. And thus the human body is, in our idea, itself precious and sacred; it is an object of true reverence, if only by. reason of Him whom it is thus permitted to house and to serve.
III. And again there is the destiny of the body.—Canon Liddon,
Christ’s care of the multitude.—
1. Diligence in teaching and preaching the gospel is the proper way to convert and save souls, which Christ Himself hath appointed and practised in His own person.
2. Justly is the gospel called “the gospel of the kingdom,” both of grace and glory, seeing it is the light which showeth the kingdom, the furnisher of weapons to fight for it, the sceptre whereby the subjects of the kingdom are guided, the rules and law for the subjects’ life. It containeth the evidences of the subjects’ right to the kingdom, and being received in a man’s heart it bringeth with it a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.
3. The best opportunity of people’s convening must be taken for teaching the gospel, and no pains should be spared for that purpose. Christ, the Prince of pastors, went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues.
4. Christ’s miracles were, all of them, profitable to men.
5. There is no evil or malady of soul or body among people which our Lord is not able and willing to heal in all those that employ Him.—David Dickson.