Matthew 9:23

Mystically; The Lord enters the ruler's house, that is, the synagogue, throughout which there resounded in the songs of the Law a strain of wailing.

(in Luc. 8. 52.) For by the ancient custom minstrels were engaged to make lamentation for the dead.

Noble tokens, surely, these, of the rulers of synagogues; in the moment of her death pipes and cymbals raising a dirge! What then doth Christ? All the rest He cast out, but the parents He brought in; to leave no room for saying that He healed her in any other way.

(Verse 23) And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

To this day the damsel lays dead in the ruler's house; and they that seem to be teachers are but minstrels singing funeral dirges. The Jews also are not the crowd of believers, but of people making a noise. But when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, then all Israel shall be saved.

Christ reaches the house and sees the girl who appears to be dead. In order to move faithless hearts to faith, he says that the ruler’s daughter is sleeping and is not dead. Ostensibly it is not easier to rise from death than to rise from sleep. So he says, “The girl is asleep, not dead.” With God, indeed, death is sleep, for God can bring a dead person back to life sooner than a sleeping person can be wakened from sleep by humans; and God can sooner restore life-giving warmth to limbs frozen in death than humans can infuse vigor in bodies immersed in sleep. Hear the words of the apostle: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye the dead shall rise.” Because the blessed apostle was unable to refer to the speed of the resurrection in words, he opted for examples. How could he touch upon rapidity when divine power anticipates rapidity itself? And how does time enter the picture when something eternal is given outside of time? Even as time applies to temporality, so does eternity exclude time.

Morally; The damsel dead in the house is the soul dead in thought. He says that she is asleep, because they that are now asleep in sin may yet be roused by penitence. The minstrels are flatterers who cherish the dead.

"And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn." Since she was unmarried, they were mourning her with flutes used at weddings, which was contrary to the law. Jesus said that she was sleeping, because He was able to resurrect her easily, and so to Him, death was sleep. Do not marvel that they laughed Him to scorn, for by scoffing they bear witness all the more to the miracle that He resurrected one who was truly dead. So that no one could later say that she had only suffered a seizure, it was confessed by all those present that she was dead.

(non occ.) After the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, follows the raising of the dead; And when Jesus was come into the ruler's house.

And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players... Here the revival is described, and he does four things: first, the indications of death are described; secondly, hope is given; thirdly, the girl is revived; fourthly, the effect is mentioned. He says, therefore, When he came... and saw... Why did the flute players come? The crowd came as is customary even now, when there is a death; but the flute players came to sing dirges and to move others to mourn, as it says in Jeremiah (9:17): "Consider, and call for the mourning women to come." These flute players are false teachers: "Their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence" (Is 3:8). The crowd is the Jewish people: "You shall not follow a multitude to do evil" (Ex 23:2). The Lord revived the girl in a house. For the Lord revived three persons: the girl in her house, the young man at the gate, Lazarus in the tomb. For some are dead by sin, but they are not carried without; and this is by consent to sin, but they do not proceed without by works. Some are carried without by action, and this is signified by the one revived at the gate. Finally, some lie in the tomb from habit, which is signified by Lazarus. Therefore, this girl signifies the sinner who is in secret sin, namely, in the mind. The flute players are those who encourage them in sin: "The sinner is praised in the desires of his heart" (Ps 10:3). The crowd is thoughts; and the Lord heals her.