What is the meaning of Matthew 9:24? “Go away,” He told them • Jesus first removes the mourners and flute players (Matthew 9:23). By saying “Go away,” He creates an atmosphere of faith rather than doubt, just as Elisha shut the door before praying over the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:33). • The Lord often separates unbelief from the scene of a miracle. In Mark 5:39–40 He does the same: “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep. And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside….” • Clearing the room underscores that human commotion cannot produce life; only Christ can. Compare Matthew 13:58, where unbelief limited mighty works in Nazareth. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” • Jesus speaks literally: the child has died (Mark 5:35), yet from His eternal perspective death is no more final than sleep. • Scripture consistently uses “sleep” to describe the temporary state of the body awaiting resurrection (Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14). • In John 11:11–14 Jesus says of Lazarus, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up… Lazarus is dead.” The double language affirms both the reality of death and Christ’s power over it. • By declaring the girl “asleep,” Jesus promises imminent awakening, spotlighting His authority as “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). And they laughed at Him • The crowd’s derisive laughter exposes hardened unbelief. Luke 8:53 reports, “They laughed at Him, knowing she was dead.” • Such scorn fulfills the pattern seen in Psalm 22:7–8, where mockers doubt God’s deliverance, and anticipates the ridicule Jesus will endure at the cross (Matthew 27:41–43). • Yet unbelief does not hinder Christ. He proceeds, takes the girl by the hand, and she rises (Matthew 9:25), proving Romans 3:3 true: “What if some did not believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God.” summary Matthew 9:24 shows Jesus clearing out unbelief, redefining death as sleep under His sovereign power, and enduring ridicule without wavering. The scene invites us to trust that when Christ speaks, death itself must yield, and every scoffer will see His faithfulness displayed. |
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