The Unclean Made Clean

Text: Mt. 9:14-34

Matthew 9:14–34 ESV

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district. 27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. 32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

Fasting (Mt. 9:14-15)

Matthew 9:14–15 ESV

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

What event is Jesus’ analogy built upon? A Wedding Feast

Explain the symbolic referent for each part of his analogy:

The Bridegroom: Jesus

The Wedding Guests: Jesus’ Disciples

The Wedding: Jesus’ presence with his disciples

The Day when the Bridegroom is taken away: Jesus’ ascension

In the analogy, why would the wedding guests not be fasting? Because they’re celebrating a wedding

What does that tell you about how the people should have viewed Jesus’ arrival and ministry? His arrival as Messiah should have been an occasion for celebration

What does Jesus’ statement at the end of v. 15 imply? Are Christians supposed to fast? Why or why not? It implies that when Jesus ascended his disciples would resume the practice of fasting. This implies that Christians are still expected to fast periodically until Christ returns.

Patches and Wineskins (Mt. 9:16-17)

Matthew 9:16–17 ESV

16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

What question is Jesus (still) answering with these further analogies? “Why do your disciples not fast?”

Why would an unshrunk patch cause a worse tear if it was used on an old garment? (Explain the analogy.) Cloth usually shrinks after the first few cycles of washing and drying. An unshrunk patch applied to an older garment (which has already shrunk) would shrink in the first few times of washing and drying, while the older garment would not. This would cause the new patch to tear away from the old garment and make the tear worse.

Why would new wine cause old wineskins to burst? (Explain the analogy.) New wine gives off gasses that cause the wineskin to expand. As long as new wine is put into a new wineskin, the wineskin will have plenty of stretch and expand to accommodate the gasses. But a wineskin that had already been used (and already been through the stretching process) could not stretch anymore without bursting.

Explain the symbolic referent for each part of these analogies:

The new patch/the new wine: the New Covenant

The old garment/old wineskins: commandments of the Old Covenant

Which part of Jesus’ analogies describes John’s disciples’ and the Pharisees’ understanding of fasting? The old garment/old wineskins/Old Covenant

What is the meaning of Jesus’ analogies in vv. 16-17? You cannot apply Old Covenant practices (such as fasting) to a New Covenant era. Fasting under the New Covenant is different than fasting under the Old Covenant.

What does this tell us about other Old Covenant commandments in the New Covenant era, such as Sabbath keeping, tithing, rules about uncleanness, etc.? We must interpret and apply such Old Testament laws according to the New Testament and God’s intention. Attempting to obey them literally is dangerous and counterproductive.

Read the following passages:

Leviticus 16:29–34 ESV

29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Leviticus 21:16–24 ESV

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

Leviticus 15:19–27 ESV

19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. 24 And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. 25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.

What was the purpose behind OT uncleanness laws surrounding fasting, touching dead animals/humans, a woman’s menstrual cycle, or people with skin diseases? Most OT believers had no or very little and restricted access to God’s Word, the Temple complex, and God himself. For them, these laws served as tangible, daily reminders of: 1. the holiness of God 2. the sinfulness of man 3. the pervasive consequences of sin 4. mankind’s inability to appease God or keep his commands 5. our need for reconciliation with God

For us as NT believers, what is the greatest reminder of these things? The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Isaiah 35:3–10 ESV

3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

What does Isaiah 35 prophesy with regards to those who were considered unclean under the Old Covenant? What does that symbolize? That God will save them (v. 4) and heal their physical disabilities (vv. 5-6). This foretells the reversal of sin and its consequences as the Messiah undoes the curse.

Death and Uncleanness (Mt. 9:18-26)

Matthew 9:18–26 ESV

18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Mark 5:25–26 ESV

25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

Luke 8:47 ESV

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.

Put yourself in this woman’s shoes. What must daily life have been like for her? What are some of the struggles she must have gone through? Financial ruin from repeatedly visiting physicians, possible homelessness, ostracization from friends and family, shame, singleness or divorce, childlessness, judgement for her “sin” that caused her condition, rejection by the religious elites, physical exhaustion from her condition and from constantly having to wash bedding, self-loathing

Put yourself in her shoes again. What would it have felt like to hear about Jesus? To be healed by Jesus? Hope, joy, restoration, community, removing of shame, etc.

Put yourself in the position of this ruler whose daughter had died. What do you think his family thought of his attempt to recruit Jesus to raise her? Evidently, they did not share his faith and even ridiculed Jesus (vv. 23-24)

Blindness (Mt. 9:27-31)

Matthew 9:27–31 ESV

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

What is the significance of Jesus touching the dead girl, being touched by the bleeding woman, and touching the blind mens’ eyes? Normally, contact with these people would have brought uncleanness upon Jesus. But Jesus reverses this curse and brings cleanness to those who were unclean.

What would you say to someone who says, “God doesn’t want someone like me; I’ve sinned too badly”? Our sin does not contaminate God. Rather, when we come to God with genuine faith and repentance, his holiness cleanses US from our uncleanness and makes us right with God (1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”)

Food for thought: Is there a sin in your life that you think Jesus can’t cleanse?

Unclean Spirits (Mt. 9:32-34)

Matthew 9:32–34 ESV

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

What was the cause of this man’s inability to speak? Demonic possession

What does that tell us about the relationship between the physical and the spiritual world? There is not such a hard and fast distinction as we oftentimes think. Spiritual things have physical consequences, and vice versa.

Throughout this passage and Matthew’s gospel, we have seen Jesus making claims to authority in many different contexts and aspects of life. What does the Pharisees reaction in v. 34 tell us about their hearts? They refused to acknowledge his authority, choosing rather to attribute his power to Satan than admit they were wrong.