Crowd reaction in Matthew 9:8

[MH84]

Why is the crowd praising God for giving such power unto men? Who are the “men”? Does the crowd think that the apostles have power as well as Jesus? Why didnt the crowd simply praise God that Jesus has (or has been given) the power to heal?

Matthew 9
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
**8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. ** (emphasis added)
www.biblegateway.com

 

[quasimodo]

Why is the crowd praising God for giving such power unto men? Who are the “men”? Does the crowd think that the apostles have power as well as Jesus? Why didnt the crowd simply praise God that Jesus has (or has been given) the power to heal?

Matthew 9
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. (emphasis added)
www.biblegateway.com

Likely “men” is used in a collective sense as in mankind or “humans”. Other translations seem to support this opinion. So they See Jesus as one of mankind and if He has the power, then that power has come to mankind or men.

I believe the word is anthropos: {anth’-ro-pos}

1. a human being, whether male or female 1a) generically, to include all human individuals 1b) to distinguish man from beings of a different order 1b1) of animals and plants 1b2) of from God and Christ 1b3) of the angels 1c) with the added notion of weakness, by which man is led into a mistake or prompted to sin 1d) with the adjunct notion of contempt or disdainful pity 1e) with reference to two fold nature of man, body and soul 1f) with reference to the two fold nature of man, the corrupt and the truly Christian man, conformed to the nature of God 1g) with reference to sex, a male 2) indefinitely, someone, a man, one 3) in the plural, people 4) joined with other words, merchantman

 

[thistle]

Why is the crowd praising God for giving such power unto men? Who are the “men”? Does the crowd think that the apostles have power as well as Jesus? Why didnt the crowd simply praise God that Jesus has (or has been given) the power to heal?

Matthew 9
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. (emphasis added)
www.biblegateway.com

D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 8. Feared, and glorified God. Here it may be observed, that the people, before they praised, feared God, for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. And St. Basil says, that fear, as a good guide, necessarily leads us to piety; and charity takes us, after having been exercised a little in fear, makes us perfect men. (St. Basil)

 

[ArAnMike]

This is a wonderful passage for confession as well. Notice that Jesus first says, “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes are appalled at this. Jesus then says, “What is easier to say your sins are forgiven, or rise and take up your matt.” Talk is cheap, if I can say something but it does not happen, my words mean nothing. Jesus is showing that he can both forgive sins and heal. Because he is man, the people rejoice because mankind can now perform these actions, and we know later in the gospels Jesus does give this power to men (John 20:22-23.) Also, St. Peter and St. Paul healed people as well.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

This is a wonderful passage for confession as well. Notice that Jesus first says, “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes are appalled at this. Jesus then says, “What is easier to say your sins are forgiven, or rise and take up your matt.” Talk is cheap, if I can say something but it does not happen, my words mean nothing. Jesus is showing that he can both forgive sins and heal. Because he is man, the people rejoice because mankind can now perform these actions, and we know later in the gospels Jesus does give this power to men (John 20:22-23.) Also, St. Peter and St. Paul healed people as well.

This is very true. Matt 9:8 was WRITTEN AFTER Jesus rose from the dead and authorized the Apostles to forgive sins. So Jesus was the first of the “men” to receive that power, the other “men” are the Apostles and successors.

 

[Reformed_Rob]

Understanding it in the context of Confession added great depth to it as I was converting to the Catholic faith.

Before that, I understood it as the crowd was amazed and thought it was really great that God had given such power to this man, Jesus. And thought that it would indicate that other people would be able to do it (heal people). Which of course ended up being true.

It also makes sense from a Catholic perspective regarding working miracles and Sacramental Absolution.

Luke has the account in Luke 5:17-26:

26: And they were all seized with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying “We have seen remarkable things today.”

But the emphasis on “men” in Matthew is really cool.