Matthew 9:16-20

 

Mat 9:16 (KJB)

No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

 

Jesus then uses an example from everyday life. If you have an old shirt or other garment that ripped and you place a new piece of cloth on that garment, it will be of little value because the old garment is already worn and stretched but the new piece of cloth would not be stretched yet and when the person would make a move, the rip would become much worse than the original tear. What Jesus is emphasizing here is not about clothes but it is the Gospel in reference to the Mosaic law. The new life under grace could not be patched on to the Mosaic law as a way of living. They were in opposition to each other. Under grace, the Lord Jesus Christ kept the law for the believer but under the law, each person was to bring a sacrifice to the priest for an appropriate offering. They were two different systems. Under the law, a person’s sins were temporarily covered until the next time but under grace all the sins of a believer have been atoned for and removed. So grace was not something which was to be appended to the Mosaic law but was to be lived in totally without any reference to keeping any of the Mosaic rituals or ceremonies or feasts. This is why the old garment representing the Mosaic law stands alone while the Gospel of Grace stands alone. The Book of Galatians was written about this very subject.

 

Mat 9:17 (KJB)

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

 

Jesus reinforces what He just said by giving another example. It basically taught that the new wine of the Gospel cannot be kept in the old bottles. The custom in that time was to keep wine in leather flasks rather than bottles. They were normally made from sheepskin or goatskin and were much more durable than pottery bottles. A mixture of boiled down grape juice plus water which would be placed in the wineskins and would be free from the yeast which causes the decay of fermentation. The new wine would not quickly ferment and both the wineskin and grape juice would be preserved. What Jesus is stating here is basically the same premise that is found in the previous verse. The new wine which is the Gospel of Grace cannot be amalgamated with the Mosaic law. This would be considered a Law/Grace gospel which would only lead to eternal damnation and this is why Jesus stated the bottles would perish. When one becomes truly saved, they are made a new creature. (2 Cor 5:17 KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. He is in essence a new bottle and because of that the Gospel of Grace richly dwells in him. This way the person is saved by grace alone and that results in him receiving eternal life without any merit of his own except to receive it from the hand of God.

 

Mat 9:18 (KJB)

While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

 

(Mark 5:22-23 KJV) And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, {23} And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue in Capernaum. Even though he held the highest position in that Synagogue, he did not think it was beneath him to kneel at the feet of Jesus and to worship Him. Mark and Luke both teach that as he went to find Jesus that his daughter was just on the verge of death but here Matthew details the fact that she had already died. Jairus had much faith that Jesus could raise her from the dead and give her life again. He asked Jesus if He would come to his home and just lay His hands upon her and she would live.

 

Mat 9:19 (KJB)

And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

 

Jesus acted immediately upon the man’s faith and arose from teaching and proceeded to go to the man’s home. His disciples also came with Him to the home. Not only did His disciples accompany Him but there was also a great crowd that came too. (Mark 5:24 KJV) And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

 

Mat 9:20 (KJB)

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

 

Since this woman had a problem with hemorrhaging, she would have been considered unclean under the law. (Lev 15:25 KJV) And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. She had suffered with this problem for twelve years which would have rendered her unclean for that entire time. She had tremendous faith in believing that all she had to do was just touch the hem of His garment and she would be healed. Her faith was like that of the centurion. She believed that she did not even have to experience a touch by Jesus but just the touch of the garment He was wearing. The fact also that she was unclean may have also led to the reason that she wanted to touch His garment in secret. She might have been reluctant to show herself in public or she may have felt deep down that Jesus would reject her, yet she had enough faith to seek Him and not be deterred by any feeling or thought. Eusebius in his Historia Ecclesiastica states that this woman is identified as Veronica of Caesarea Philippi but that is hard to confirm if it is true.

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