“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 9:8 Mean?
Jesus has just healed a paralytic — but first He forgave his sins, which scandalized the religious leaders who considered it blasphemy. Then He healed the man's body to demonstrate that He had authority to forgive sins. The crowd's response: they marveled and glorified God "which had given such power unto men."
The crowd's theology is partially right and partially limited. They glorify God — correct response. They recognize that power has been given — correct. But they say "unto men" (plural), suggesting they see Jesus as a human channel of divine power rather than as God Himself. They're impressed but not yet comprehending.
Matthew records this response because it captures the journey of understanding. The crowd hasn't arrived at full Christology yet. But they're moving in the right direction — from blasphemy accusations (scribes) to wonder and worship (multitudes). The healing is doing its work: drawing people toward the truth, even if they haven't fully grasped it yet.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you ever worshipped or marveled at God before you fully understood what He was doing?
- 2.Is it okay to respond to God with incomplete theology — to worship ahead of your comprehension?
- 3.Where are you on the spectrum between the scribes (hostile) and the crowd (marveling but not yet fully understanding)?
- 4.How does Jesus letting the crowd's partial understanding stand challenge your need to have everything figured out before you worship?
Devotional
The crowd marveled. They glorified God. And they still didn't fully understand who they were looking at.
Jesus forgave sins (which only God can do). He healed a body (which proved His authority). And the crowd's response was: wow, God has given amazing power to men. They got it partly right. God was at work — yes. Power was being displayed — yes. But "unto men" — they still thought Jesus was a man with God's power. Not God with a man's body.
This is how faith often works. It starts with marvel. Then it moves to worship. And the understanding catches up last. The crowd was glorifying God before they fully understood why. Their worship was ahead of their theology. And Jesus was fine with that.
Sometimes you don't need to understand everything before you respond. Sometimes the marvel is enough to start. Sometimes worship comes before comprehension. The crowd didn't wait until they had a systematic Christology to glorify God. They saw something extraordinary and they responded with the light they had.
The healing drew them. The wonder opened them. The full understanding would come later — or for some, not at all. But the marvel was the starting point. And Jesus didn't correct their incomplete theology in this moment. He let the wonder do its work.
Start with marvel. The understanding follows.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture