ACC ~ Matthew 9 v18 - 26

OVERVIEW:

Note how the two stories interweave: Wholeness is conferred on one who is sick, while life is restored to another who is dead (HILARY). Whether the girl was still breathing or dead was unclear and debated by the Fathers (CHRYSOSTOM, PETER CHRYSOLOGUS). God can sooner restore life-giving warmth to limbs frozen in death than people can infuse vigor in bodies immersed in sleep (PETER CHRYSOLOGUS). The woman approached the Lord not in her home or in the town from which she was excluded but while the Lord was walking by, so that in the course of going to one woman, another was cured (JEROME). In the synagogue ruler we perceive a figure of the prophets and the apostle Peter, through whom the calling of the Gentiles was first made known (CHROMATIUS). The daughter of the synagogue ruler signifies the Jewish people, whereas the bleeding woman can also signify the church of the Gentiles (AUGUSTINE). When Jesus subdued the woman’s hemorrhage, it was another sign of his knowledge of all things. He put an end to her fear. He gave her no cause to be stung by her conscience. Jesus made her faith an exhibit to all. And he indirectly admonished the ruler of the synagogue by what he says to the woman (CHRYSOSTOM). There are interlacing themes in all these narratives: the urgent petition of the father, the faith of the woman, the gathering of the crowd in the house, the shouting of the two blind men and the bringing of the deaf and dumb demoniac (HILARY).

9:18-19 | A Synagogue Ruler Comes to Jesus

THE NARRATIVES INTERWEAVE

HILARY: The prayers of the ruler, the faith of the woman, the gathering of the crowd in the house and the shouting of the two blind men, as well as the bringing of the deaf and dumb demoniac … are all interrelated. The ruler here is understood to be the law. He prays to the Lord for the people. The law has nourished them on Christ in the expectation of his foretold coming, and he restores life to the dead girl. Now we do not read of any ruler who was a believer. Hence the person of this praying ruler may rightly be taken as a model of the law. The Lord promised to help him, and he made good on his promise. ON MATTHEW 9.5. [1]

[1] SC 254:208.

LAY YOUR HAND ON HER

CHRYSOSTOM: His action overpowered his speech. This caused the jaws of his critics to drop all the further. In this case, the one who came running was himself a ruler of his synagogue! And the crisis was appalling. For the child was his only daughter, only twelve years old, in the very flower of her life. It was especially for this reason that he raised her up and did so immediately.

Luke says that people came who said, “Do not bother the teacher any longer, because she has already died.” [1] Because of this we will say that Matthew’s statement, “She has just now died,” came from one who was making a guess based on the time that had elapsed since he had started on his journey. Another possibility is that the man was overstating the misfortune. For it is the habit among people who are in need to exaggerate their personal problems and to say a little more than what actually is the case. They do this to get a response more effectively from those with whom they are pleading their cause. [2]

But note the ruler’s insensitivity, [3] how he abruptly requires of Christ two things, both his actual presence and the laying on of his hands. This, by the way, is a clue that he might have left her still breathing. Similarly you will recall Naaman the Syrian imploring the prophet: “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call in the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” [4] For those who are more or less dull of temper tend more to require sight and sensible signs. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.1. [5]

[1] Lk 8:49, slightly modified.

[2] Chrysostom reconciles the differences between the accounts of Matthew and Luke. He adds an indictment against people who need physical demonstrations for their faith to be effective.

[3] Chrysostom is rather combative in what he says about the leader of the synagogue because he may see in him a paradigm for the leaders of the synagogues of his own time. In Chrysostom’s day, synagogues were not necessarily led by individuals from any one group but were becoming increasingly dominated by ideas from the later rabbis, who were the ideological descendants of the Pharisees. This is why Chrysostom implies an identification between the leader of the synagogue and the Pharisees.

[4] 2 Kings 5:11 LXX.

[5] PG 57:369-70; NPNF 1 10:205**.

9:20 | A Woman Suffering from a Hemorrhage

THE RULER’S DAUGHTER AND THE HEMORRHAGING WOMAN

JEROME: The Gospel according to Luke says that the ruler’s daughter was twelve years old. Note also that the woman concerned, who was from the Gentiles, began to get sick at a place believed to be in a Jewish district. [1] Except by way of contrast between physical conditions, the girl’s ailment is not indicated. As for the woman who had a hemorrhage, she approached the Lord not in her home or in the town (because according to the law she was excluded from towns) but while the Lord was walking by, so that in the course of going to one woman, another was cured. The apostles say in this regard, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 1.9.20. [2]

[1] The hemorrhaging woman, symbolic of the Gentiles, had been ill for twelve years, the age of the ruler’s dying daughter—symbolic of the Jews. When the Jews began to believe in God, the pagans became spiritually ill.

[2] CCL 77:59.

9:21 | Touching Jesus’ Garment

SHE TOUCHED THE FRINGE OF HIS GARMENT

CHRYSOSTOM: Why did she not approach him openly? Was she ashamed on account of her continuing menstrual period? Did she consider herself unclean? If the menstruous woman had been declared ritually unclean, [1] she surely would have had these reservations. For in terms of Mosaic law her flow of blood was regarded as uncleanness. [2] For this reason she remained hidden. She concealed herself. In this respect she had not yet understood his ministry; otherwise she would not have thought it necessary to remain concealed. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.1. [3]

[1] By a priest.

[2] Lev 15:25: “When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge.”

[3] PG 57:371; NPNF 1 10:205-6**.

9:22 | Daughter, Your Faith Has Made You Well

MAKING THE WOMAN VISIBLE

CHRYSOSTOM: So what did Messiah do? He did not let her go unnoticed but led her into the center of attention and made her visible. He had many reasons for doing this.

Some might imagine that “he did this merely for love of glory—otherwise why would he not allow her to remain concealed?” But what are they proposing who might say this? That he should keep her silent, that he should ignore her need, and thereby pass up miracles too numerous to mention, all because he is in love with glory? What an unholy thought, inspired by the most unholy one of all.

What then is his intention in bringing her forward? First, Jesus puts an end to her fear. He does not want her to remain trapped in dread. He gives no cause for her conscience to be harmed, as if she had stolen the gift. Second, he corrects her assumption that she has no right to be seen. Third, he makes her faith an exhibit to all. He encourages the others to emulate her faith. Fourth, his subduing the fountains of her hemorrhage was another sign of his knowledge of all things. And finally, do you remember the ruler of the synagogue? He was at the point of despair, of utter ruin. Jesus is indirectly admonishing him by what he says to the woman. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 31.2. [1]

[1] PG 57:371-72; NPNF 1 10:206**.

THE IRONIES UNFOLD

HILARY: As the woman is healed, the crowd of sinners is made whole. At first it seemed more appropriate to follow the law of cleanliness. But a more pristine wholeness is restored to publicans and sinners in the appearance of the woman. Thus, upon meeting the Lord as he was passing by, she believed firmly that by touching his garment she would be healed of her flow of blood. Dressed in shabby clothes and defiled by the uncleanness of her interior affliction, in her faith she hastens to touch the tassel of his cloak. In the midst of the apostles she sought to touch the gift of the Holy Spirit as it was coming from Christ’s body. She is suddenly healed. … The Lord praised her faith and constancy, because what had been prepared for Israel, the common people of the Gentiles were now claiming for themselves. ON MATTHEW 9.6. [1]

[1] SC 254:210.

THE CHURCH OF THE GENTILES TOUCHES THE LORD

AUGUSTINE: The daughter of the synagogue ruler signifies the Jewish people, whereas the woman signifies the church of the Gentiles. The Lord Christ, born of the Jews in the flesh, was presented to those Jews in the flesh. But he sent others to the Gentiles; he did not go himself. His bodily and visible community ties were in Judea. Therefore the apostle says, “For I say that Christ has been a minister of the circumcision in order to show God’s fidelity in confirming the promises made to our fathers.” [1] It was said to Abraham, “By your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves,” [2] “that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” [3] Therefore Christ was sent to the Jews. He went to restore life to the daughter of the synagogue ruler. The woman appears on the scene, and she is healed. She is healed first in faith, being practically ignored by the Savior, for he said, “Who touched me?” [4] Here we have an ignoring attitude by God and faith in the mystery by her. It means something when someone who cannot ignore, ignores. And what does it mean? It points to the healed church of the Gentiles, the bodily presence of which is not seen by Christ, whose voice is heard in the psalm: “People whom I had not known served me. As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me.” [5] The world heard and it believed. The Jewish people saw and at first they crucified. But later they too came to him. Also the Jews will believe—but at the end of the world. SERMONS 63B. [6]

[1] Rom 15:8.

[2] Gen 22:18.

[3] Rom 15:9.

[4] Mk 5:30.

[5] Ps 18:43-44 (17:43-44 LXX).

[6] MA 1:611-12; WSA 3 3:180-81.

9:23-24 | Not Dead but Sleeping

DEATH AND SLEEP

PETER CHRYSOLOGUS: Christ reaches the house and sees the girl who appears to be dead. In order to move faithless hearts to faith, he says that the ruler’s daughter is sleeping and is not dead. Ostensibly it is not easier to rise from death than to rise from sleep. So he says, “The girl is asleep, not dead.” With God, indeed, death is sleep, for God can bring a dead person back to life sooner than a sleeping person can be wakened from sleep by humans; and God can sooner restore life-giving warmth to limbs frozen in death than humans can infuse vigor in bodies immersed in sleep. Hear the words of the apostle: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye the dead shall rise.” [1] Because the blessed apostle was unable to refer to the speed of the resurrection in words, he opted for examples. How could he touch upon rapidity when divine power anticipates rapidity itself? And how does time enter the picture when something eternal is given outside of time? Even as time applies to temporality, so does eternity exclude time. SERMONS 34.5. [2]

[1] 1 Cor 15:52.

[2] CCL 24:198-99.

9:25-26 | The Ruler’s Daughter Raised

THE UNRULY CROWD PUT OUTSIDE

CHROMATIUS: In the flute players and bustling onlookers who laughed to scorn the Lord who said, “The girl is asleep, not dead,” we see an example of the synagogue rulers and the onlookers of Jewish people who, when they heard that the hope of eternal life had been promised by the Son of God to the Gentiles, held up to ridicule and contempt this great grace of the Lord. Not unjustly did the Lord order them to be sent outside. He showed that incredulous and unbelieving people of this kind are to be excluded from the promise of eternal life or from God’s kingdom by him who is the Author of life and the Lord of the heavenly kingdom. TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 47.7. [1]

[1] CCL 9a:434.

THE GIRL AROSE

CHROMATIUS: In the synagogue ruler we perceive a figure of the prophets or apostles, especially Peter, by whom the calling of the Gentiles was first heard; that is, the girl represented all those holy people who pleased God, not through the works of the law but through the righteousness of faith… .

Moreover, for us to understand that the entire mystery of our salvation is prefigured in this girl; after she was raised from the dead, as Luke reports, the Lord directs her to eat something. Evidently the order of our faith and salvation is here shown. For when each believer among us is freed in baptism from perpetual death and comes back to life upon acceptance of the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is necessary that the person also be directed to eat that heavenly bread about which the Lord says, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” [1] TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 47.6-7. [2]

[1] Jn 6:53.

[2] CCL 9a:433-34.