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MATTHEW 9:1 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 9Matt 9:2
“And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.”
And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. Jesus returns to Capernaum after the Gadarene episode — crossing back from the Gentile shore to the Jewish shore, from the place that asked him to leave to the city he has made his own. The his own city of Capernaum (established in Matthew 4:13) is the base from which the healing and teaching ministry proceeds. The contrast between the Gadarene rejection and the Capernaum reception provides the frame for the next cluster of healing stories. Mark 2:1 adds that it became known that he was at home — the return creates the gathering.

Church Fathers on Matthew 9:1

Christ had above shewn His excellent power by teaching, when 'he taught them as one having authority;' in the leper, when He said, 'I will, be thou clean;' by the centurion, who said to Him, 'Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed;' by the sea which He calmed by a word; by the daemons who confessed Him; now again, in another and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the equality of His honour with the Father; to this end it proceeds, 'And Jesus entered into a…

Chrysostom · 4th century · Hom. xxix

That Matthew here speaks of 'his own city,' and Mark calls it Capharnaum, would be more difficult to be reconciled if Matthew had expressed it Nazareth. But as it is, all Galilee might be called Christ’s city, because Nazareth was in Galilee; just as all the Roman empire, divided into many states, was still called the Roman city. [margin note: civitas] Who can doubt then that the Lord in coming to Galilee is rightly said to come into 'his own city,' whatever was the town in…

Augustine · 4th century · De Cons. Evan., ii, 25

Or; This city may be no other than Nazareth, whence He was called a Nazarene.

Jerome · 4th century
Read all 29 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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