Tag Archives: Matthew

Out With The Old, In With The New

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“No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.” Luke 5:36 ESV1

Read Matthew 9:9-17, Mark 2:13-22 & Luke 5:27:39

The idiom, out with the old, in with the new means to leave old ideas or things behind so that one is free to embrace new views or objects. To move forward, one must get rid of the old to make room for the new. There are a number of possible scenarios for the use of this phrase. And there are a variety of opinions on who came up with the expression. But the idea of setting aside the old to take hold of the new originated with God. God consistently chooses the second over the first and prefers the new over the old.

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Guilty or Not Guilty

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A demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Him. 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.”  But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”   Matthew 9:32-34 ESV1

Read Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22-32 & 43-45; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-26

Never in my life have I held a dinner party or engaged in festivities at someone else’s home that was as interrupted as the banquet Matthew held in Jesus’ honor. Jesus had been taken from the party to raise a girl from the dead. On His way to do that, He healed a woman from a bleeding condition. On His way back to Matthew’s party, He was approached by two blind men who asked for healing; to get their miracle, they followed Him right into Matthew’s home. “As [the two blind men] were going away [from Matthew’s home], behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Him. 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.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons’” (Matthew 9:32-34). Matthew, Jesus, the disciples, tax collectors, sinners, a distraught father, two blind men, the demon-oppressed man, those who accompanied the sick and needy, the Pharisees and scribes, and an amazed crowd all appeared to be at Matthew’s home during the course of this party. I wonder, did Matthew or Jesus ever get a chance to eat? Was this what Matthew expected when he “made [Jesus] a great feast in his house” (Luke 5:29)? But then again, Matthew wasn’t called to be a party host, and Jesus didn’t come to Earth to get good meals.

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According to Your Faith

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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.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”      Matthew 9:28-29 ESV1

Read Matthew 9: 9-13 & 27-31; Mark 2:13-17; and Luke 5:27-32 

Matthew, also known by his Hebrew name, Levi the son of Alphaeus, is the writer of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew wrote his Gospel with a Jewish audience in mind. Matthew knew the Jewish Scriptures “very well. His Gospel quotes the Old Testament ninety-nine times. That is more times than Mark, Luke, and John combined.”2 Matthew was also a man of great faith. “When Jesus showed up and called him to follow Him, [Matthew] had enough faith to drop everything and follow; [he] instantly and without hesitation ‘arose and followed Him’ … He left … his … profession forever. The decision was irreversible as soon as he made it”2 Matthew was also concerned about others. “Matthew’s first impulse after following Jesus was to bring his closest friends and introduce them to the Savior.”2 One would think Matthew was always a righteous and well-liked guy, but that is not his story.

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