Matthew 9:8 — Community Reflections

MATTHEW 9:8 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.”

When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. The crowd's response is the right response — fear and glorification of God — but with an interesting formulation: who had given such authority to men. The plural men may indicate that they understood Jesus to represent a broader gift of divine authority, perhaps anticipating the disciples who will exercise similar authority in Matthew 10. Or it may reflect their uncertainty about Jesus' identity: they recognize that God is working through this man without fully understanding who this man is. Either way, the glory goes to God — the healings are transparent to the Father who is working through the Son.

Church Fathers on Matthew 9:8

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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