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It was puzzling that John the Baptist's followers fasted while the disciples did not do
so. John was languishing in prison and fasting may have been appropriate, but while the
festivities of a wedding are going on, it is impossible to fast (9: 15), but at this wedding,
the Bridegroom would be "taken from them", a hint of His violent death. Then, in their
sorrow, they would fast. The Lord identifies Himself with the divine Bridegroom of the
O.T. (Isa. 62: 5; Hos. 2: 10) and there the wife is clearly Israel. God never mixes His
metaphors, and there is no Scriptural excuse for confusing the wife of Jehovah with the
Body of Christ.
The parables of the new patch and the new wineskins clearly indicate the greater
importance of the Lord's new ministry than anything that had gone before (9: 15-17).
We should remember that wine was not preserved in glass bottles, but in goat skins; also
that a new piece of woolen cloth would shrink when wet and tear a bigger hole than ever
when used as a patch.
There follows now yet a third group of miracles. a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus by
name (Mark 5: 22; Luke 8: 41) comes to the Lord, saying, "My daughter has just
died: but come and put your hand on her and she will live" (Matt. 9: 18). As He goes
with the ruler a woman who suffered from hemorrhage came behind Him and touched the
fringe of His garment, for she said to herself, "if I only touch His cloak, I shall be
healed". Here was great faith again, even if it was tinged faintly with superstition. The
Lord Jesus encourages her with the affectionate term "daughter" and she is immediately
healed.
He passes on to the ruler's home where a crowd of mourners were gathered. Some
may have been hired and it was the custom to employ flute players as part of the
mourning. The Lord dismisses them with the words "the girl is not dead but sleep"
(ix.24). This resulted in derisive laughter. Luke, the physician, states that they knew she
was dead (Luke 8: 53) and there is no reason to believe she had only fallen into a trance
or deep natural sleep.
Their derision is up to date, for so few, even believers, accept the consistent teaching
of the Word of God, both Old Testament and New, that death of the Lord's children is
likened to sleep and resurrection like waking up again in the morning.
The Lord then takes the girl by the hand, and He Who is the Resurrection and the Life,
restores her to natural life. Matthew tells us that His fame spread throughout that region.