New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Matthew 9
1
Jesus stepped into a boat. He went over to the other side of the lake and came to his own town.
Reference
2
Some men brought to him a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that they had faith. So he said to the man, "Don't lose hope, son. Your sins are forgiven."
Reference
Faith
Matthew 9:22
James 2:18
Matthew 8:10
Acts 14:9
Parallel theme
Acts 19:12
Matthew 4:24
References Jesus
John 21:5
Romans 5:11
Sin
Isaiah 44:22
Matthew 9:6
3
Then some teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is saying a very evil thing!"
Reference
4
Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, "Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts?
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 6:8
Revelation 2:23
Psalm 139:2
Psalm 44:21
John 16:30
Luke 11:17
Acts 5:9
References Jesus
Matthew 12:25
John 6:64
John 6:61
6
I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Then he spoke to the man who could not walk. "Get up," he said. "Take your mat and go home."
Reference
7
The man got up and went home.
8
When the crowd saw this, they were filled with wonder. They praised God for giving that kind of authority to men.
Reference
9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him.
Reference
People
10
Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house. Many tax collectors and "sinners" came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples.
Reference
Sin
John 9:31
11
The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 5:2
Isaiah 65:5
Resurrection
Luke 5:30
Mark 2:16
Sin
Matthew 11:19
Galatians 2:15
Luke 19:7
12
Jesus heard that. So he said, "Those who are healthy don't need a doctor. Sick people do.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 33:6
Psalm 147:3
Luke 9:11
Jeremiah 17:14
Hosea 14:4
Jeremiah 30:17
Psalm 6:2
Psalm 41:4
References Jesus
Luke 5:31
Mark 2:17
13
Go and learn what this means, 'I want mercy and not sacrifice.'--(Hosea 6:6) I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me."
Reference
Grace
Hosea 6:6
Matthew 12:7
Parallel theme
Luke 19:10
Repentance
2 Peter 3:9
Acts 11:18
Matthew 3:2
Righteousness
Mark 2:17
Luke 5:32
Proverbs 21:3
Sin
Acts 3:19
14
One day John's disciples came. They said to Jesus, "We and the Pharisees go without eating. Why don't your disciples go without eating?"
Reference
15
Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
Reference
16
"People don't sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 16:12
17
"People don't pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, everyone pours new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved."
18
While Jesus was saying this, a ruler came. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, "My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again."
Reference
19
Jesus got up and went with him. So did his disciples.
Reference
References Jesus
Acts 10:38
20
Just then a woman came up behind Jesus. She had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years. She touched the edge of his clothes.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 14:36
Mark 6:56
Deuteronomy 22:12
Mark 8:22
Matthew 23:5
Acts 19:12
Acts 5:15
21
She thought, "I only need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed."
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 19:12
22
Jesus turned and saw her. "Dear woman, don't give up hope," he said. "Your faith has healed you." The woman was healed at that very moment.
Reference
Faith
Luke 7:50
Matthew 15:28
Matthew 9:2
Mark 10:52
Luke 8:48
Luke 17:19
Luke 18:42
Mark 5:34
Matthew 9:29
References Jesus
Acts 16:18
23
When Jesus entered the ruler's house, he saw the flute players there. And he saw the noisy crowd.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Chronicles 35:25
25
After the crowd had been sent outside, Jesus went in. He took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
Reference
27
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
Reference
Grace
Matthew 15:22
Matthew 17:15
Parallel theme
Matthew 11:5
Mark 9:22
Luke 7:21
References David
Mark 11:10
John 7:42
Matthew 21:9
Matthew 21:15
References Jesus
Matthew 1:1
28
When Jesus went indoors, the blind men came to him. He asked them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied.
Reference
Faith
Matthew 9:22
John 11:26
John 11:40
Parallel theme
Matthew 13:58
References Jesus
Matthew 8:14
Matthew 13:36
References Lord
Matthew 8:2
30
They could now see again. Jesus strongly warned them, "Be sure that no one knows about this."
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 5:14
Mark 5:43
Matthew 12:16
Luke 8:56
References Jesus
Matthew 8:4
Matthew 17:9
32
While they were going out, another man was brought to Jesus. A demon controlled him, and he could not speak.
Reference
33
When the demon was driven out, the man spoke. The crowd was amazed. They said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
Reference
35
Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness.
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 6:56
Matthew 11:5
Luke 13:22
Mark 6:6
References Jesus
Acts 10:38
Acts 2:22
Matthew 11:1
36
When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Reference
37
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers.
Reference
38
So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field."
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 3:15
Acts 8:4
John 20:21
Ephesians 4:11
1 Corinthians 12:28
Prayer
2 Thessalonians 3:1
References Lord
Acts 13:2
Psalm 68:11
Micah 5:7
Chapter Summary
Matthew 9 continues the demonstration of Jesus' authority over both physical and spiritual suffering, while increasingly emphasizing that His miracles are signs of a larger mission to restore people who are broken, excluded, spiritually lost, or burdened by sin.
The chapter begins with the healing of a paralyzed man, but Jesus first declares his sins forgiven, creating a confrontation with religious teachers who question His authority and leading Jesus to demonstrate through physical healing that He possesses authority to forgive sins.
Jesus then calls Matthew the tax collector to follow Him and deliberately eats with tax collectors and sinners, explaining that He came for people who recognize their need for spiritual healing rather than for those who believe they are already righteous.
The discussion about fasting introduces the idea that Jesus' arrival represents something new and distinctive, using the images of new cloth and new wine to explain that His kingdom ministry cannot simply be fitted into old expectations without transformation.
Matthew then records a series of extraordinary miracles, including the restoration of a synagogue leader's daughter, the healing of a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years, the restoration of two blind men, and the liberation of a demon-oppressed man who could not speak.
These miracles demonstrate Jesus' authority over sin, paralysis, chronic illness, ritual exclusion, death, blindness, demonic oppression, and social isolation, while repeatedly showing that faith and trust in Jesus are central responses to His power.
The healing of the woman with the twelve-year illness is especially significant because her condition likely carried not only physical suffering but also religious and social consequences, yet Jesus responds to her with compassion and restores her publicly rather than allowing her to remain hidden and marginalized.
The raising of the synagogue leader's daughter provides an even stronger demonstration of Jesus' authority, because He enters a situation where death appears final and restores the girl to life.
The chapter also introduces increasing religious opposition, as the Pharisees interpret Jesus' power over demons as evidence that He works through the ruler of demons rather than through God's authority, showing that Jesus' growing influence is producing increasingly serious resistance.
Despite the opposition, Jesus continues traveling through the towns and villages, teaching, proclaiming God's kingdom, and healing people, while Matthew emphasizes that His response to the crowds is not merely one of power but also one of deep compassion.
Jesus sees the people as troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, revealing His concern for their spiritual condition and exposing the failure of adequate leadership to care for them.
The chapter concludes with the image of a large harvest and too few workers, turning the focus from what Jesus Himself is doing toward the responsibility of His followers to participate in the mission.
The central message is that Matthew 9 presents Jesus as the compassionate Lord who has authority to forgive sins, heal disease, overcome death, defeat spiritual oppression, restore outsiders, and call unlikely people into His kingdom, while challenging His followers to see the spiritual needs of the world and pray for more workers.
The chapter ultimately shows that Jesus does not merely respond to individual suffering but is bringing a larger kingdom restoration, in which forgiveness replaces guilt, healing replaces sickness, acceptance replaces exclusion, life replaces death, freedom replaces oppression, and compassionate discipleship becomes the response to a world that is ready for God's harvest.
The chapter begins with the healing of a paralyzed man, but Jesus first declares his sins forgiven, creating a confrontation with religious teachers who question His authority and leading Jesus to demonstrate through physical healing that He possesses authority to forgive sins.
Jesus then calls Matthew the tax collector to follow Him and deliberately eats with tax collectors and sinners, explaining that He came for people who recognize their need for spiritual healing rather than for those who believe they are already righteous.
The discussion about fasting introduces the idea that Jesus' arrival represents something new and distinctive, using the images of new cloth and new wine to explain that His kingdom ministry cannot simply be fitted into old expectations without transformation.
Matthew then records a series of extraordinary miracles, including the restoration of a synagogue leader's daughter, the healing of a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years, the restoration of two blind men, and the liberation of a demon-oppressed man who could not speak.
These miracles demonstrate Jesus' authority over sin, paralysis, chronic illness, ritual exclusion, death, blindness, demonic oppression, and social isolation, while repeatedly showing that faith and trust in Jesus are central responses to His power.
The healing of the woman with the twelve-year illness is especially significant because her condition likely carried not only physical suffering but also religious and social consequences, yet Jesus responds to her with compassion and restores her publicly rather than allowing her to remain hidden and marginalized.
The raising of the synagogue leader's daughter provides an even stronger demonstration of Jesus' authority, because He enters a situation where death appears final and restores the girl to life.
The chapter also introduces increasing religious opposition, as the Pharisees interpret Jesus' power over demons as evidence that He works through the ruler of demons rather than through God's authority, showing that Jesus' growing influence is producing increasingly serious resistance.
Despite the opposition, Jesus continues traveling through the towns and villages, teaching, proclaiming God's kingdom, and healing people, while Matthew emphasizes that His response to the crowds is not merely one of power but also one of deep compassion.
Jesus sees the people as troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, revealing His concern for their spiritual condition and exposing the failure of adequate leadership to care for them.
The chapter concludes with the image of a large harvest and too few workers, turning the focus from what Jesus Himself is doing toward the responsibility of His followers to participate in the mission.
The central message is that Matthew 9 presents Jesus as the compassionate Lord who has authority to forgive sins, heal disease, overcome death, defeat spiritual oppression, restore outsiders, and call unlikely people into His kingdom, while challenging His followers to see the spiritual needs of the world and pray for more workers.
The chapter ultimately shows that Jesus does not merely respond to individual suffering but is bringing a larger kingdom restoration, in which forgiveness replaces guilt, healing replaces sickness, acceptance replaces exclusion, life replaces death, freedom replaces oppression, and compassionate discipleship becomes the response to a world that is ready for God's harvest.