And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
What does Matthew 9:4 mean?
The faith of the friends of the paralytic in bringing him to Christ, was a strong faith; they firmly believed that Jesus Christ both could and would heal him. A strong faith regards no obstacles in pressing after Christ.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 9:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 9:4
" The power of searching the heart, and of knowing the thoughts of people, belongs only to God, 1 Chronicles 28:9 ; Romans 8:27 ; Revelation 2:23 ; Jeremiah 17:10 . In claiming this, as Jesus did here, and often elsewhere, he gave clear proofs of his omniscience, John 2:24-25 .
Key words
- knowing
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And this, one would think, would have been sufficient to have approved himself to them as the true Messiah; since this is one of the ways of knowing the Messiah, according to the Jews, and which they made use of to discover a false one.
- thoughts
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Which was a clear evidence, and full demonstration of his deity; for none knows the thoughts of the heart but God; and since he knew the thoughts of men's hearts, it could be no blasphemy in him to take that to himself which belonged to God, even to forgive sins.
- think
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And this, one would think, would have been sufficient to have approved himself to them as the true Messiah; since this is one of the ways of knowing the Messiah, according to the Jews, and which they made use of to discover a false one.
Context in Matthew 9
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Matthew 9 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as ministry and teaching blocks. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.