Matthew 9:17

They that are whole. Gr. hoi ischuontes, “those having strength.” Luke reads, hoi hugiainontes, “those who are sound.” Luke’s expression is a more exact term, from hugies, a usual Greek word for “health.” Paul repeatedly uses the same word as does Luke, and applies it to “sound” doctrine (1 Tim. 1:10), “sound” words (2 Tim. 1:13), and of being “sound” in the faith (Titus 1:13).

I came not. In stating the profound truth of the purpose of His mission to earth Christ revealed the hypocrisy and fallacy of the Pharisees and their attitude toward Christ’s association with tax collectors. If these men were such sinners as the Pharisees claimed, they must be in greater need than other men. Were they not then the very ones for whom Christ should put forth His best efforts? He had come to “save” men (Matt. 1:21), but if He were able only to save those who were already righteous, He could not be truly a Saviour. The test of His mission as the Saviour of men turned on the point of what He could do for sinners.

The righteous. The Pharisees claimed to be able to attain righteousness through strict compliance with the requirements of the ritual law. Later, Jesus made it clear that such “righteousness” was counterfeit and without value in the kingdom He had come to proclaim (Matt. 5:20; cf. ch. 23:1-33). But on this occasion, for the sake of argument, He granted their implied claim to personal righteousness (Mark 2:16, 17), for by so doing He was able to make clear the reason why He ought to minister to the spiritual needs of the publicans.

In actual fact, the Pharisees were at times guilty of the very sins they so bitterly detested in the tax collectors. Jesus declared that they would “devour widows’ houses” (Matt. 23:14) and release an avaricious son from caring for aged parents (see on Mark 7:11), if thereby they themselves might be enriched. Thus the Pharisees, laying emphasis on legal correctness, too often were hypocrites. On the other hand, the publicans, who made no pretense at ritualistic respectability, were sometimes in a better position to accept the teaching of Jesus, in spite of their sins. See on Luke 18:9-14.