V.1-8 If a great man appeared on earth, and brought unimagined goodness and power, and could deal with every problem of the human race, and cure them — he would be received with great acclaim. But such an One has come! We read of how He was received. The heart of man has been exposed — such is our heart.
V.9 A lovely contrast! Matthew, the writer of this very book not only hears the invitation from the blessed Lord, but obeys Him. Are we?
V.10-13 All spiritual intelligence depends on what we think of the Lord Jesus. These religious leaders did not believe in Him, so this is how their minds worked. This principle runs all through the believer’s life — the more we believe in Him, the more we understand His Word. And we can lose this understanding too through carelessness.
V.14-17 The religion of the Jews — the Old Testament — is pictured by the “old garment” and “old bottles;” Christianity by the “new cloth” and “new wine.” The old and new cannot mix. If they are put together they make the old worse. But many believers today are doing this very thing — they are mixing Christian truth with traditions from the Old Testament rituals — music, altars, beautiful buildings and clergy. All these are the old (Read 2 Cor. 5:17).