Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
8.5
–13: Healing the centurion’s servant
(Lk 7.1–10; Jn 4.46–54).
5
:
Capernaum
, 4.13n.
Centurion,
Roman (Gentile) army officer. Since Rome in the 20s through the 30s stationed no troops in Galilee, the centurion may be a pensioned officer.
7
:
I will come and cure him
, the sentence could be read as a question indicating Jesus’ hesitance to perform a healing for Rome’s representative.
8
:
I am not worthy
, the centurion occupied a higher social position than Jesus, yet recognizes Jesus’ superiority.
10
:
Faith
, anticipates the Gentile mission (see also 15.28; 18.6; 21.21; 24.13–14; 28.19).
11
:
Lk 13.28–30.
From east and west
, evoking the eschatological hope of the restoration of the ten lost tribes.
Kingdom of heaven
, see 3.2n.
12
:
Outer darkness
, eschatological punishment.
Gnashing of teeth
, indicates anger or frustration (13.42; 22.13; 24.51; 25.30; cf. Ps 112.10; Acts 7.54).
13
:
According to your faith
, see 15.28.
8.14
–17: Healing the sick and possessed
(Mk 1.29–34; Lk 4.38–41).
14
:
Cf. Jn 4.52; Acts 28.8.
15
:
Touched her hand
, a typical healing gesture. Jesus violates no ritual law or social rule.
To serve
, Gk “diakonein,” whence the English “deacon,” can connote ministerial service.
16
:
8.28–34.
Demons
…
spirits
, see Lev 16.8,10,26; Isa 13.21; 34.14; Tob 6.7–8,16–17; 8.2–3; 1QM 13.11–12;
b. Ber
. 6a;
b. Git
. 70a.;
Ant
. 8.45–49;
Jub
. 10.10–13.
17
:
Isa 53.4. The “suffering servant” motif is linked elsewhere to redemption from sin (see 5.4n.; 1 Pet 2.18–25).
8.18
–34: Stilling the storm and casting out demons.
19
:
Scribe
, see 7.28–29n.
20
:
Son of Man
, rabbinic sources, following Dan 7.13–14, use the phrase in an eschatological sense linked to the messiah (
b. Sanh
. 98a;
y. Ta’an
. 2.1; cf. 10.23n.).
21
–22:
Lk 9.57–62.
Bury my father
, cf. 1 Kings 19.19–21. Jews observed a seven-day period of mourning (Heb “shiva,” “seven”; Jdt 16.24; Sir 22.12;
Apoc. Mos
. 43.3;
b. Sanh
. 47b).
Let the dead bury their own dead
, Jewish sources note the importance of accompanying a corpse to burial (
b. Ber
. 18a, citing Prov 17.5).
23
–27:
(Mk 4.35–41; Lk 8.22–25).
24
:
Windstorm,
Gk “seismos,” usually translated as “earthquake,” suggesting an apocalyptic theme (cf. 24.7; 27.51; 28.2).
He was asleep
, relaxing in a crisis indicated faith (Lev 26.6; Jon 1.5; Ps 3.5–6; 4.8; Prov 3.24–26; Job 11.18–19; Acts 12.6).
26
:
Rebuked the winds
, Matthew portrays Jesus, like God, as lord over nature, thus surpassing Jonah.
28–34
: (
Mk 5.1–20; Lk 8.26–39).
28
:
Gadarenes
, the people of Gadara, a town six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee (cf. Mk 5.1, citing Gerasa; see Josephus,
Life
9.42). Matthew changed the location to fit the story’s details.
29
:
Before the time
, judgment day (see
1 En
. 16.1;
Jub
. 10.7–10).
31
:
Swine
, pigs are not kosher (Lev 11.7; Deut 14.8; Isa 65.4; 66.3,17; 1 Macc 1.47; 2 Macc 6.18–23); Gadara is Gentile territory.
32
:
Go
, rabbinic tradition cites an instance where R. Shimon bar Yo
ḥ
ai performed an exorcism with this command (
b. Me‘il
. 17b).
Whole herd
…
perished
, the story illustrates Jesus’ authority over evil spirits; pigs can swim.
34
:
Begged him to leave
, For the Gadarenes, economic interests trump miraculous healing.
9.1
–8: Jesus heals a paralytic
(Mk 2.1–12; Lk 5.17–26).
1:
His own town
, Capernaum (cf. 4.13; 8.5).
2:
Sins are forgiven
, some sources connect sickness to sinfulness (Ex 20.5; Lev 26.14–17; Ps 103.3; 2 Chr 21.12–15; 4Q510; 1QS 3.20–24; 4QPrNab;
m. Avot
. 2.7;
t. Ber
. 6.3).
3:
Blaspheming
, profaning God’s name; there is no indication that Jesus has blasphemed, according to the standards in Jewish sources. The authority to forgive sins belongs to God (Ex 34.7; Num 14.37; 2 Sam 12.13; Isa 6.7; 43.25; 44.22; Dan 9.9), but others can speak on God’s behalf.
6:
Son of Man
, see 8.20n.
8:
Glorified God
, see 6.9n. The people do not regard Jesus’ action as blasphemous.
Given such authority to human beings
, see
b. Ber
. 58a.
9.9
–13: Sinners and tax collectors
(Mk. 2.14; Lk 5.27–28).
9:
Matthew
, Heb “mattityahu,” “gi of the Lord” (cf. Mt 10.3; Mk 3.18; Lk 6.15; Acts 1.13).
10:
Tax collectors
, see 5.46n., cf. Mk 2.15–16; Lk 3.12–13; 15.1;
m. B. Kamma
10.1;
b. Sanh
. 25b;
b. Bek
. 31a;
y. Hag
. 2.2; Philo,
Spec. Laws
3.30.
Sinners
, those who violate familial or community welfare (cf. 15.2; see also Tob 4.17;
Pss. Sol
. 2.34; 13.1; 14.6–7;
Sib. Or
. 3.304;
Sifre Deut
. 48.4.1;
b. Ber
. 61a).
11:
Eat with
, see
m. Avot
1.3 on avoiding evil doers.
13:
I desire mercy …,
Hos 6.6. The rhetorical form, for both Hosea and Jesus, is that mercy takes precedence over sacrifice, not that sacrifice is eliminated (see 5.23–24).
9.14
–17: Fasting (
Mk 2.18–22; Lk 5.33–39).
14:
Disciples of John
, that John (the Baptist) kept disciples suggests that he did not view Jesus as the messiah.
Pharisees fast
, see 6.16–18n.; Lev 16.34; Num 29.7–11; 2 Sam 12.22–23; 1 Kings 21.27–29; Zech 8.19; on dates of fasts, see
b. Rosh Ha-Shanah
18b.
15:
Bridegroom
, an early Christian metaphor for Jesus, the church’s bridegroom (Jn 3.29; 2 Cor 11.2; Eph 5.21–33; Rev 19.7; 21.2,9; 22.17); Jesus likely used the term as a self-designation. For bridegrooms’ exemptions from certain practices during the time of the wedding, see
t. Ber
. 2.10;
b. Sukk
. 25b.
17:
Both are preserved
, both biblical law and Jesus/the church’s interpretation of it.
9.18
–26: Jesus heals two women
(Mk. 5.21–43; Lk 8.40–56).
18:
Leader of the synagogue
, the Gk reads “archon,” “leader”; “synagogue” comes from Mk 5.22; Lk 8.41.
20:
Hemorrhages
, probably vaginal or uterine.
Fringe
(cf. Heb pl. “tzitzit”), Jewish men (and possibly women) wore fringes to remind them of the commandments (Num 15.38; Deut 22.12;
b. Men
. 14a; 43b); see 14.36; 23.5;
Tg. Onq
. to Num. 15.38 and Deut 22.12 uses an Aramaic cognate to the Greek term “kraspedon” (“fringe”).
22:
Made you well
, Gk “sōzō,” which can mean “save” (cf. 1.21; 10.22; 16.25; 19.25; 24.13).
23:
Flute players
, see
m. Ketub
. 4.4.
24:
Sleeping
, see Dan 12.21; 1 Thess 5.10.
25:
Cf. 1 Kings 17.22–23; 2 Kings 4.17–37.
9.27
–34: Two blind men and the demoniac
(Mk 10.46–52; 3.22; Lk 18.35–43; 11.14–15).
27:
Two blind men
, cf. 20.29–34. Blindness often symbolizes spiritual lack.
Son of David
, cf. 12.23; 15.22; 17.15; 20.30; 21.9; cf.
T. Sol
. 20.1. The title can suggest King Solomon (1.6), known for his healing powers.