MATTHEW 8
OPENS WITH...HEALING, TEACHING, AND MIRACLES
Verses 1-2 tells us THE LEPER makes his request of Jesus.
"When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him...
The miracles of Jesus attracted MUCH attention; but so did His teaching ministry. Matthew demonstrated this by his mention of the great multitudes that followed Him after coming down from the Mount of Beatitudes.
We remember an important foundational VERSES for Matthew's Gospel...
MATTHEW 4:23...Now Jesus went about all Galilee.
MATTHEW 5-7...Matthew went on to tell us about the TEACHING ministry of Jesus..
MATTHEW 8...Matthew now tells us more about THE HEALING ministry of Jesus, and how His works confirmed His words.
Behold, a leper came and worshipped Him...
In the ancient world, leprosy was a terrible, destructive disease - and still is in some parts of the world. The ancient leper had NO hope of improvement, so this leper came to Jesus with a great sense of need and desperation.
BARCLAY shares, "Leprosy might begin with the loss of all sensation in some part of the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches."
DID YOU KNOW...
According to Jewish law and customs, one had to keep 6 feet (2 meters) from a leper. If the wind was blowing toward a person from a leper, they had to keep 150 feet (45 meters) away. The only thing more defiling than contact with a leper was contact with a dead body.
In the middle ages, if a man became a leper, the priest donned his stole and took his crucifix, and brought the man into the church, and read the burial service over him. For all human purposes the man was dead.
For all these reasons, the condition of leprosy is a model of sin and its effects. It is a contagious, debilitating disease that corrupts its victim and makes him essentially dead while alive. And it followed that almost universally, society and religious people scorned lepers. Rabbis especially despised lepers, and saw them as people under the special judgment of God, deserving NO pity or NO mercy.
In Jesus' time rabbis sometimes boasted about how badly they treated lepers. One bragged that he refused to buy even an egg on a street where he saw a leper; another boasted that he threw rocks at lepers upon seeing them.
Nevertheless, the leper came to Jesus by himself and despite many discouragements.
1. He knew how terrible his problem was.
2. He knew that other people gave up on him as having a hopeless condition.
3. He had no one who would or could take him to Jesus.
4. He had no previous example of Jesus healing a leper to give him hope.
5. He had no promise that Jesus would heal him.
6. He had no invitation from Jesus or the disciples.
7. He must have felt ashamed and alone in the crowd.
A leper came and worshipped Him...
Despite his desperate condition, this man not only begged Jesus - he also worshipped Him.
How did the leper worship Jesus?
1. He worshipped Jesus by coming to Him, honoring Him as the one who could meet His otherwise impossible need.
2. He worshipped Jesus with his posture, probably bowing or kneeling before Jesus.
3. He worshipped Jesus with the word "Lord," honoring Him as master and God.
4. He worshipped Jesus with his humility, by not demanding but leaving the request up to the will of Jesus.
5. He worshipped Jesus with his respect of the power of Jesus, saying that all that was necessary was the will of Jesus, and he would be healed.
6. He worshipped Jesus with his confidence that Jesus could make him more than healthy; Jesus could make him clean.
SPURGEON says it well, "Those who call Jesus 'Lord,' and do not worship him, are more diseased than the leper was."
Lord, if You are willing...
The leper had NO doubt whatsoever about the ability of Jesus to heal. His only question was if Jesus was willing to heal.
He believed in the power of Jesus.
REMEMBER 2 KINGS 5:7...When a Syrian commander named Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, he came to Jehoram, the king of Israel because he heard there was a prophet in Israel whom God used to do miraculous things. When Naaman came to Jehoram, Jehoram knew that he had no power to help him, and he said: "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to heal me of his leprosy?"
Leprosy was so hopeless in the ancient world that healing a leper was compared to raising the dead; yet this leper knew that all Jesus needed was to be willing.
Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean...
This leper sought more than healing. He wanted cleansing; not only from the leprosy, but also from all its terrible effects on his life and his soul.
DID YOU KNOW...
In addition, this is the FIRST place in the gospel where Jesus is called Lord. This title that was particularly meaningful in light of the fact that the word Lord was used to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh, and Matthew wrote his gospel to those who would be familiar with the Jewish context of that word.
Verse 3 tells us Jesus touches the leper and he is cleansed.
"Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed."
He put out His hand and touched him...
This was a bold and compassionate touch from Jesus. The idea is that the leper kept his distance from Jesus, but He put out His hand and touched him.
DID YOU KNOW...
It was against the ceremonial law to touch a leper, which made the touch all the more meaningful to the afflicted man. Of course, as soon as Jesus touched him, he was no longer a leper!
Touched him...
Jesus did NOT have to touch the leper in order to heal him. He could have healed him with a word or even a thought. Yet He healed the leper with a touch because that is what the leper needed. THE LEPER HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED IN MANY YEARS...JESUS REACHING OUT AND TOUCHING HIM WAS A PRECIOUS GIFT TO THIS MAN.
Jesus often varied the manner of healing, and usually He chose a particular manner that would BE MEANINGFUL to the afflicted individual.
REMEMBER MARK 1:41, Mark says that when Jesus LOOKED upon this leper, He was moved with compassion. .It had been a long, long time since this leper had EVEN SEEN a face of compassion.
I am willing...
Jesus' assurance that I am willing simply answered the man's question, and gives us a starting point for the times we wonder if Jesus is willing to heal. We should assume Jesus is willing to heal unless He shows us differently.
How can we know if Jesus is willing to heal us?
By assuming that He is willing, but listening to Him if He should tell us that He does not. This is how it happened with the Apostle Paul.
REMEMBER 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; it seems that Paul assumed that Jesus would heal his thorn in the flesh until word came to him that He would not.
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed...
The former leper's life was changed forever. He was not only healed, but as he requested he was cleansed. Jesus had recently said, ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7). This was certainly true for the now cleansed former leper.
This is the first individual healing described by Matthew. Previously we were told of Jesus' healing ministry in a general sense (Matthew 4:23-24), but here in a SPECIFIC case.
Verse 4 tells us Jesus commands the healed man to give testimony of his healing to the priests only.
"And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
See that you tell no one...
Jesus often commanded people to be quiet about their healing or some miraculous work that Jesus had done for them.
WHY?
Jesus did this because He wanted to keep down the excitement of the crowds until the proper time for His formal revelation to Israel, which was an EXACT date as prophesied in Daniel 9.
In addition, Jesus' miracles were NOT primarily calculated to make Him famous or a celebrity (though they certainly did give testimony to His ministry). More so, Jesus healed to meet the needs of specific individuals and to demonstrate the evident power of the Messiah in the setting of love and care for the personal needs of humble people.
Therefore, Jesus was cautious about how the multitudes saw Him and why they followed Him. This is better understood as reflecting a real danger that Jesus could achieve unwanted popularity merely as a wonder-worker, or worse still as a nationalistic liberator, and so foster a serious misunderstanding of the true nature of his mission.
Mark 1:44-45 tells that the leper did NOT obey Jesus and instead he went out and began to proclaim it freely.
Show yourself to the priest...
Jesus commanded the man to give a testimony to the priests, and what a testimony it was! The Mosaic Law prescribed specific sacrifices to be conducted upon the healing of a leper, and when the man reported it to the priests, they no doubt had to perform ceremonies that were rarely (if ever) done according to the rules in Leviticus 14.
Going to the priest would also bring the former leper back INTO society. Jesus wanted the healing of the man's disease to have as much benefit as possible.
Verses 5-6 tells us Jesus is approached by a Roman centurion.
"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
When Jesus had entered Capernaum...
Matthew 4:13 tells us this is where Jesus lived; He came and dwelt in Capernaum.
A centurion came to Him...
The centurion was obviously a Gentile, because a centurion was an officer in the Roman Army. Most every Jew under Roman occupation felt a reason to hate this centurion, yet he came to a Jewish teacher for help. Significantly he came NOT for a selfish reason, but on behalf of his servant.
Whenever the New Testament mentions a centurion (there are at least seven), it presents them as honorable, good men.
This centurion had an unusual attitude towards his slave. Under Roman law a master had the right to kill his slave and it was expected that he would do so if the slave became ill or injured to the point where he could no longer work.
Pleading with Him...
This shows that the centurion did not make a casual request. Matthew describes him as pleading with Jesus on behalf of his servant.
SPURGEON says it well, "He seeks a cure, but does not prescribe to the Lord how or where he shall work it; in fact, he does not put his request into words, but pleads the case, and lets the sorrow speak."
Verses 7-9 tells us The centurion's understanding of Jesus' spiritual authority.
"And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
I will come and heal him...
Jesus did NOT hesitate to go to the centurion's house, and we half wish the centurion would have allowed Him.
WHY WAS THIS AMAZING TO JEWS & GENTILES ALIKE?
It was completely against Jewish custom, for a Jew to enter a Gentiles' house; yet it was not against God's law.
The centurion sensed this when he said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof."
Most Jews believed that a Gentile home was not worthy of them, and the centurion supposed that a great Rabbi and teacher like Jesus would consider his home unworthy.
The centurion also showed great sensitivity to Jesus, in that he wanted to spare Jesus the awkward challenge of whether or not to enter a Gentile's house - as well as the time and trouble of travel.
He did NOT know Jesus well enough to know that He would NOT feel awkward in the least; but his consideration of Jesus in this situation was impressive. In his concern for both his servant and for Jesus, this centurion was an others-centered person.
But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed...
The centurion fully understood that Jesus' healing power was NOT some sort of magic trick that required the magician's presence. Instead he knew Jesus had TRUE authority, and COULD command things to be done and completed outside His immediate presence.
The centurion showed great faith in Jesus' word. He understood that Jesus can heal with His word just as easily as with a touch.
For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me...
The centurion also knew about the military chain of command, and how the orders of one in authority were unquestioningly obeyed. He saw that Jesus had MUCH MORE authority.
Verses 10-13 tells us Jesus praises the centurion's faith and heals his servant
"When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour."
When Jesus heard it, He marveled...
The man's understanding of Jesus' spiritual authority made Jesus marvel. His simple confidence in the ability of Jesus' mere word to heal showed a faith that was free of ANY superstitious reliance on merely external things. This was truly great faith, worthy of praise.
Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!...
Jesus considered the faith of this Gentile centurion - a living symbol of Jewish oppression - and thought it greater than any faith He had seen among the people of Israel.
As a political entity, there was NO Israel; there was only a covenant people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet Jesus STILL called them Israel.
Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham...
The fact that such faith was present in a Gentile caused Jesus to announce that there would be Gentiles in the kingdom of heaven. They will even sit down to dinner with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
This was a radical idea to many of the Jewish people in Jesus' day.
WHY?
Jews WRONGLY BELIEVED AND TAUGHT that this great Messianic Banquet would have NO Gentiles, and that ALL Jews would be there. Jesus corrected BOTH mistaken ideas.
These few words of Jesus tell us a little something of what heaven is like.
1. It is a place of rest; we sit down in heaven.
2. It is a place of good company to sit with; we enjoy the friendship of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven.
3. It is a place with many people; Jesus said that many will come into heaven.
4. It is a place with people from all over the earth; from east and west they will come to heaven.
5. It is a certain place; Jesus said many will come, and when Jesus says it will happen, it will happen.
But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness...
As well, Jesus reminded his Jewish listeners that just as the Gentile's racial identity was NO automatic barrier to the kingdom, their racial identity was NO guarantee of the kingdom. Though Jews THOUGHT THEY WERE THE SOLE sons of the kingdom, Jesus CORRECTED THEM and told them that they might end up in hell.
The definite articles with 'weeping' and 'gnashing' (cf. Greek) emphasize the horror of the scene: the weeping and the gnashing. . . . Weeping suggests suffering and gnashing of teeth despair.
SPURGEON reminds, "We see that Jesus unafraid to speak of hell, and in fact did so more than any other in the Bible. "There are some ministers who never mention anything about hell. I heard of a minister who once said to his congregation - 'If you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ you will be sent to that place which it is not polite to mention.' He ought not to have been allowed to preach again, I am sure, if he could not use plain words."
Verses 14-15 tells us Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law.
"Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them."
He saw his wife's mother lying sick...
This clearly establishes the fact that Peter was married. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all priests must be celibate and unmarried, but the man they would FALSELY CLAIM & CALL THEIR first and greatest pope Peter WAS certainly married. Marriage is one of the first institutions, and is a positive command of God.
He touched her hand, and the fever left her...
Jesus healed this woman with a gentle touch of His hand. Her sickness was much less severe than the leper, yet Jesus still cared for her. Jesus cares for smaller problems also.
And she arose and served them...
Peter's mother-in-law showed a fitting response for those who have been touched by Jesus' power - she immediately began to serve. Serving Jesus is a wonderful evidence of being restored to spiritual AND physical health.
Verses 16-17 tells us Jesus, in fulfillment of prophecy, delivers MANY from sickness and demonic possession.
"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."
They brought to Him many...
Jesus' care for the individual is shown by the implication that Jesus dealt with each person individually, not in some cold, "assembly line" procedure.
Many who were demon possessed...
Josephus, their own historian, gives TWO sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord's time, abounded with demoniacs.
FIRST, There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were.
SECONDLY, because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah...
Matthew rightly understood this as a partial fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 53, which primarily refers to spiritual healing, but also definitely includes physical healing. In this, Matthew showed Jesus as the true Messiah in delivering people from the bondage of sin and the effects of a fallen world.
He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses...
The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) was made by the sufferings (the stripes) of Jesus. The physical dimension of our healing is partially realized now, but finally COMPLETELY FULFILLED when we who love Jesus Christ walk through the gates of Heaven.
He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses...
This section of Matthew's Gospel shows FOUR different people being healed, each one different from the other.
DIFFERENT people were healed.
1. A Jew with no social or religious privileges.
2. A Gentile officer of the army occupying and oppressing Israel.
3. A woman related to one of Jesus' devoted followers.
4. Unnamed multitudes.
Their requests were made in DIFFERENT ways.
1. A direct request from the sufferer, made in his own faith.
2. A request from one man for another, made in faith on behalf of a suffering man.
3. No request was made because Jesus came to the sufferer, so there was no evidence of faith from the healed.
4. Sufferers that were brought to Jesus, with different kinds of faith.
Jesus used DIFFERENT methods to heal.
1. Jesus used a touch that was forbidden.
2. Jesus used a word spoken from afar.
3. Jesus used a tender touch.
4. Jesus used a variety of unnamed methods.
From all this we understand that physical healing is an area where God especially shows His sovereignty, and He does things as He pleases, NOT necessarily as men might expect.
Verses 18-20 tells us Jesus speaks to an over-enthusiastic follower about the need to appreciate the cost in following Jesus.
"And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
When Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side...
Jesus increased in popularity, yet He did NOT follow the crowds or even seek to make them bigger. In some ways Jesus seemed to avoid seeking out the great multitudes about Him.
Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go...
With the miracles associated with the ministry of Jesus, following Him might have seemed more glamorous than it really was. Jesus perhaps received many spontaneous offers like this.
Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head...
Jesus didn't tell the man "No, you can't follow Me." But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, WHO FALSELY TEACH AND PROCLAIM, IF YOU FOLLOW JESUS YOU WILL BECOME HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE AND A JOYFUL CAREFREE, WORRY FREE, TRIAL/TRIBULATION FREE LIFE but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.
Many homes, like Peter's, were open to him, but he had none of his own.
The reason this man turned away from Jesus was because Jesus lived a very simple life by faith, trusting His Father for every need and without reserves of material resources. This is just the kind of thing that would make Jesus more attractive to a truly spiritual man. "Here is a man who lives completely by faith and is satisfied with few material things; I should follow Him and learn from Him.
The Son of Man...
DID YOU KNOW...
The phrase "Son of Man" is used 81 times in the gospels; every time it is either something Jesus said of Himself, or the words of someone quoting Jesus. It is an important phrase He used to describe Himself. He used it as a title that reflected both the glory (Daniel 7:13-14) and the humility (Psalm 8:4) of the Messiah.
Especially, its connection to the Daniel passage means that it was an image of power and glory, yet without the unwanted associations of other titles. By using it often, Jesus told His listeners: "I'm the Messiah of power and glory, but not the one you were expecting. You were expecting a personal liberator from the yoke of bondage to Romans, but I have come NOW for FAR more important things. I have come to liberate you in the forever, the eternal, through Me you will spend eternity in Heaven."
Verses 21-22 tells us Jesus speaks to a hesitant follower about the surpassing importance of following Jesus.
"Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
Lord, let me first go and bury my father...
Actually, this man did NOT ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father's house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on.
This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term DISCIPLES has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context.
Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead...
Jesus pressed the man to follow Him now, and clearly stated the principle that family obligations - or any other obligation - must NOT be put ahead of following Jesus. Jesus MUST come first.
DO YOU NOTICE...
Jesus was NOT afraid to discourage POTENTIAL disciples. Unlike many modern evangelists, who recruit anyone and everyone, accept anyone and everyone, regardless the TRUE condition of their heart, life, and word. Jesus was FAR MORE interested in quality than in quantity.
Nothing has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of UNIVERSALISM, GLOBALISM, & ECUMENICALISM that fill the ranks/pews of the church with every volunteer who is willing to join, regardless the TRUE condition of their heart, salvation, and life walk.
In addition, Jesus was merely being honest. This is what it meant to follow Him, and He wanted people to know it at the VERY beginning.
Verses 23-25 tells us Jesus shows His power/control over a storm that arises on the Sea of Galilee.
"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
Now when He got into a boat...
The village of Capernaum was right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, like many Galileans, was familiar with boats and life near this fairly large lake.
Suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea...
The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms. The severity of this storm was evident in the fact that the disciples (many of which were experienced fishermen on this lake) were terrified, crying out "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
But He was asleep...
Though the disciples were desperate, Jesus was asleep. It must have seemed strange to them that He could sleep in the midst of such a great tempest.
The grammar of the phrase "But He was asleep" conveys a "dramatic contrast"; the storm raged, the disciples panicked, but Jeus was asleep and untroubled by the storm..
We are impressed by the fact that He needed to sleep, showing His true humanity. He became tired and would sometimes need to catch sleep wherever He was able to, even in unlikely places.
We are impressed by the fact that He could sleep. His mind and heart were peaceful enough, trusting in the love and care of His Father in heaven, that He could sleep in the midst of EVEN A violent storm.
Verses 26-27 tells us Jesus displays authority over His creation.
"But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?...
Jesus rebuked their fear and unbelief, NOT their request or waking Him. We should NOT think that Jesus was in a bad mood from being awakened. He was upset at their fear, because fear and unbelief go together. When we trust God as we should trust Him there is little room left for fear.
SPURGEON says it well, "Jesus spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards."
AND CONSIDER THIS:
They actually had many reasons to have faith, even great faith.
1. They had just seen Jesus do significant miracles, showing great power and authority.
2. They had seen an example of great faith with the centurion who trusted Jesus to heal his servant.
3. They had Jesus with them in the boat. And, they saw Jesus sleep; His peace should have given them peace.
Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea...
Jesus did NOT merely quiet the wind and the sea; He REBUKED the winds and the sea. This, together with the disciple's great fear and what Jesus would encounter at His destination leads some to believe that there was some type of spiritual attack BY SATAN in the storm. But the unshakeable truth is this: whether it WAS Satan DERIVED or a natural weather phenomenon, NEITHER could STAND NOR DISOBEY Jesus Christ.
SURGEON says, "Probably excited by Satan, the prince of the power of the air, who, having got the author and all the preachers of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by drowning it, to defeat the purposes of God, and thus to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a noble opportunity must this have appeared to the enemy of the human race!"
So the men marveled...