The Weekend Word
Matthew 8:1-13
An Introduction to Chapters 8 &9
- The events of these 2 chapters are really the actions of Jesus
- ) 8:1-4 Heals the leper
- ) 8:4-13 Heals the centurion’s servant
- ) 8:14-16 – Heals Peter’s Mother in Law & the many
- ) 8:23-27 – Calms the storm
- ) 8:28-32 – Heals 2 men with demons
- ) 9:1-8 – Heals & Forgives a paralytic
- ) 9:20-22 – Heals a sick woman
- ) 9:18-20 & 23-26 – Raises a dead girl
- ) 9:27-31 – Heals 2 blind men
- 10) 9:32-34 – Heals a mute demon possessed man
10 Deeds / 10 = divine completeness – The Whole Enchilada
God’s complete judgment against pharaoh was 10 plagues for his unbelief
The complete will of God for your life is in the 10 Commandments
These 10 deeds are to show that he is the complete & total savior!!
Jesus Heals a Leper
1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
- Up on the mountain with the disciples – down at ground level with the crowd.
2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
- Compare this to Moses coming down from Mt Sinai with the Law – the Law that tells the leper to stay away.
- How difficult is this for the leper to come out in public like this right up to Jesus?
- If you will –you can – This man gives Jesus the highest form of worship – FAITH
- Clean / healing – this is the restorative work of God.
- Jesus here does what his father does in restoring the world back to its original and intended glory.
3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
- The compassionate servant as spoken of by Isaiah.
- Immediately is the difference between Jesus and doctors
- Why this leper and not others? Think about it.
- He asked for the healing. I don’t want to sound like a faith healer, but …
- What did it mean when a clean person touched a leper? They became unclean
- Jesus is like a sponge – soaking up people’s sin.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
- What is this don’t tell anyone? I f I healed someone, I would want to go on the Today Show.
- Shouldn’t this guy be out witnessing as to how and who healed him?
- This was to be a message to the religious leaders of the day.
- This verse can be used to defend the position that Moses wrote Leviticus – Jesus believed Moses wrote Leviticus.
Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,
- Like the leper, you wouldn’t think Jesus would have anything to do with the centurion.
- Like the leper – the centurion felt comfortable approaching Jesus for help.
6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
- An appeal for someone else.
- This is the Christian life – going to Jesus and asking for good things & help.
- The people know this – why have we forgotten? We need to repent.
7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
- It’s Jesus’ will to come and heal
- Again, he is breaking down the barriers.
- What do the Jewish leaders think of this guy working with the enemy?
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
- We are not worthy – but we still ask.
- The Jewish leaders do not understand, but this guy does.
- He understands that what Jesus says does come to pass.
9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
- So what is a centurion? Are centurions bad ass guys? (My Drill Instructor)
- He may have been the ruling centurion in the Capernaum region.
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
- So who is the true believer?
- When Jesus said this – who is he speaking to, the large crowd?
- It is so ironic – in scriptures Jesus marveled over only 2 things
- (1) The faith of this centurion
- (2) The unbelief of the Jews – Mark 6:6
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
- Assurance – salvation recognized for the gentiles
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
- Cursing – those who should be in the kingdom, tossed out.
- Jesus is telling the people – the great crowds following him, point blank – “if you don’t trust my word, you don’t believe in me – it’s not going to go well with you.
- In fact it will end terribly for you
- Look back what he said in Matt 7:24-27 – “wise and foolish builders.”
13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
- What is it we get out of stories like this today?
- Are they there just to warm our hearts?
- No! This is what Jesus does for us today – in the divine service – the words of Jesus heal.
- Even in the smallest things – How can this little splash of water help me?
- How can this little wafer and sip of wine help me?
- SS kids know how to answer this – “because Jesus said it would.”
MLD,
Thank you for providing some of the metanarrative of this Gospel. The more I learn about the Gospels, the more I marvel at the precision and purpose of every word. I don’t think we have a modern category for the genre reflected in the Gospels.
My only quibble would be about Moses’ authorship of Leviticus based on 8:4. At most you could say that Jesus believed that what is written in Leviticus goes back to Moses.
Jean, I thought that was pretty much what I said – but then are you saying Jesus just thought X without knowing if it was so?
No, MLD, you and I said 2 different things. You said:
“•This verse can be used to defend the position that Moses wrote Leviticus – Jesus believed Moses wrote Leviticus.” Notice the word “wrote” in what you said.
Jesus said “Moses commanded”. Jesus didn’t say Moses wrote. However, an oral tradition of what Moses commanded was recorded by a scribe(s), edited, etc., into what we have today as Leviticus.
Jean – probably a huge disagreement between us. It is a form of higher criticism that I don’t believe to be true – the higher critics use this reasoning of redaction at a later date to lessen the doctrine of inspiration.
The end of Deuteronomy is the only place where we get a slight look at something being added to Moses’ writings. But the Talmud states that Joshua completed Deuteronomy after the death of Moses.
John 5:46-47
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
I can live with that disagreement MLD. However, what you are defending is a philosophical position, not the exegesis of the passage in this weekend’s lesson. You have read your presupposition into the text.
Those words spoken by Jesus in John 5 were also spoken in Matthew’s presence. So, when he (Matthew) says what he says, don’t you think it would be in the context of ” for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Besides, this is what commentary is – to pull all the scripture together – to allow scripture to interpret scripture and not look at verses as stand alones.
Very well put together study. I enjoy the way you narrate, it’s like you’re putting shoe leather on it, made for real walking…..
Question –
Something I have always found intriguing – it seems like, in Jesus’ time on earth, the only time he really got angry and seemingly lashed out at someone was with the Pharisees – 3 times in Matthew (chapters 3, 12, 33). I think it’s also mentioned in Luke…..
Can you come up with anywhere else I have missed where Jesus really barks at anyone like that? I think it’s something that a few religious leaders today would do well to pay attention to – the fact(?) that these seem to be the only times Jesus flat-out railed at anyone.
I’m still looking into this myself, any thoughts?