In the Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7), Jesus set forth the principles of His Kingdom.
But were His 'sayings' (7:24) merely idealistic rhetoric?
Or, does He really have the power to -
enforce His claims?
bring forth righteousness upon the earth?
lift mankind to such a high place?
Matthew's purpose in writing is to show that Jesus truly is the King.
To that end, he presents 12 miracles (in ch. 8 and 9) which demonstrate His power -
in every realm of nature.
in every aspect of human life.
Jesus told us what to do, as citizens of His Kingdom (in ch.5-7).
He did not come to destroy the Law (ie., so that we could live free of its demands, 5:17).
Rather, He tells us to keep the Law and more. His demands are even higher and deeper than the Law (eg., 5:21,22; 5:27,28).
Now, we begin to see how this is possible-
He came to fulfill the Law. (5:17)
It is He who gives us power to fulfill His will. (Rom 8:2-3)
8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. {cp. 5:1}
8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying,
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
8:3 And Jesus put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean.
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man;
but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
A person with the disease of leprosy was considered 'unclean' (cp. Lev 13:44-46, see Lev 13:1-45). He was an outcast, cut off from family, friends, and community.
...worshipped, saying...-
Note what the leper requested:
He did not say: 'Are you able to make me clean?'
He said: 'If you will, you can make me clean.'
Only One is able to cure an incurable disease. That One is worthy of worship.
What we ask is not always God's will. But if it is His will, He can do it.
Note how the leper addressed Jesus:
'Lord...' -GK=kurios, equivalent to HB 'adonai'. The word is used in the NT-
to address men as 'sir' or 'master' (eg. Mat 6:24; 15:27).
to refer to God (eg., in NT quotes of OT passages translating the HB 'Adonai' or 'Jehovah', Mat 1:20,22; 2:15; 4:7,10; 21:9; 22:44; and many others).
The word is used with both human and divine meaning in Eph 6:9.
to refer to Jesus with emphasis on His deity. eg., Mat 3:3; 12:8; 22:43-45; Joh 14:8-10; 20:28 If He truly is Lord - - He is able, and - - He has the right and wisdom to determine what is best.
Jesus... touched him- a leper was considered an 'untouchable'.
Since the day his leprosy was diagnosed, this man had not held his wife, or touched his children. The family would leave food in a designated area. Only after they left, would he come to take it. He watched his children grow from a distance.
- - Jesus' touch communicated His compassion to this man. cp. Heb 4:15 - - Jesus, by His touch, became unclean. Lev 5:2; 7:21; Hag 2:13
immediately, his leprosy was cleansed-
Jesus is Lord over incurable disease. He is able to heal- - - with His touch (cp. Isa 53:4; Heb 2:14-16) - - moved by love (compassion) for the unlovely.
show thyself to the priest... for a testimony unto them-
The Law prescribed a procedure for declaring a leper clean, and receiving him back into the fellowship of the congregation. cp. Lev 14:1-32 But, who had ever heard of a leper being cleansed, except by divine intervention? cp. 2Kin 5:1-15 This miracle, and the 'gift that Moses commanded' (ie., the sacrifice offered, see Lev 14), testified to the identity of the Lord Jesus.
8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum,
there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8:8 The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof:
but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me:
and I say to this [man], Go, and he goeth;
and to another, Come, and he cometh;
and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it].
8:10 When Jesus heard [it], he marvelled, and said to them that followed,
Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west,
and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way;
and as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee.
And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
a centurion- a Roman military officer in charge of 100 soldiers. cp. Luk 7:1-10
my servant lies at home sick -
of the palsy- GK=paralutikos, paralytic, disabled, weak, immobilized. cp. 9:2
grievously tormented- ie., in severe pain. The word for 'tormented' is used to refer to the pain of hell (cp. v.29).
Jesus... marveled- This is said of Jesus only 2x in the NT-
During the temporary blindness of Israel to their Messiah, many gentiles would enter His Kingdom. cp. Mat 5:3; Rom 11:25; Eph 2:11-13
his servant was healed-
Jesus is Lord over debilitating disease. He is able to heal - - with His word, - - over distance (cp. Eph 2:11-13 again), - - in response to faith.
8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house,
he saw his wife's mother laid {ie., lying}, and sick of a fever.
8:15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her:
and she arose, and ministered unto them.
A fever might be due to a disease from which recovery might be possible or expected. (However, a fever could indicate a life threatening condition. cp. Joh 4:49,52)
he touched her hand...- In Luke's account we read: 'He rebuked the fever'.
Note that Matthew mentions no request of His intervention (perhaps her ailment seemed too common).
she arose, and ministered...- This disease had hindered her service to the Lord.
Jesus is Lord over common diseases.
He is able to free us from what hinders our service to Him, - - but He acts at His own discretion. cp. 2Cor 12:7-10
8:16 When the even was come,
they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils:
and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed all that were sick:
8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Himself took our infirmities, and bare [our] sicknesses.
he... healed all that were sick-
Jesus is Lord over all kinds of diseases including those with supernatural and spiritual causes.
He is able to heal-
Some use these verses to teach that physical healing is the right of every believer.
However, such an emphasis on physical healing forgets that-
Christ came, primarily, to heal us of the disease called 'Sin'. Isa 53:4-6; 1Pet 2:24
While physical healing is an aspect of the atonement, it will not be fully realized until the Lord returns and we receive our glorified bodies and enter the new earth which has no curse. cp. Php 3:20,21;Rev 21:4
Paul, the apostle, did not regard physical healing as a right of believers. cp. 2Cor 12:7-9; Php 2:25-27
8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him,
he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him,
Master {GK=didaskalos, teacher}, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
8:20 And Jesus saith unto him,
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, suffer {ie., allow} me first to go and bury my father.
8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
These men presented themselves to Jesus as 'his disciples'.
But Jesus must be Lord of each disciple's life. To this end, Jesus tested them. cp. Luk 9:57-62
What is your motivation for following Me? Do you seek Me? or, ''all these things''? (v.20; Mat 6:33)
As ''the Son of man'', Jesus would someday receive all glory and power. cp. Dan 7:13,14; Luk 22:69,70
But during His earthly walk, He and His disciples would live in poverty. cp. 2Cor 6:1,10
What relationship has priority in your life? Your relationship to Me? or, to your family? (v.22)
'Let me go first and bury my father', was not a request to attend a funeral. Rather, this man desired to delay following Jesus, until his responsibility toward his aging parents was completed (at their deaths).
Christ came to give spiritual life to those who were spiritually dead. Is there anything more important than following Him and sharing in His work? cp. 2Cor 5:14-21 (Priorities are at issue here. Jesus would not have His followers neglect their parents' true needs. Mark 7:10-13)
8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea,
insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
8:25 And his disciples came to [him], and awoke him,
saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful {GK=deilos, timid, cowardly}, O ye of little faith?
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea;
and there was a great calm.
8:27 But the men marvelled, saying,
What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Lord, save us; we perish- Several of the disciples were fishermen.
They had seen storms before, but they were afraid that they would not survive this one.
the men marvelled {GK=thaumazo, to wonder, to be amazed}-
''... and they being afraid {GK=phobos; in terror, in dread} wondered...'' (Luk 8:25)
The Lord, who has power over the storm, is more to be feared than the storm.
8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes,
there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs,
exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying,
What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?
art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
8:31 So the devils besought him, saying,
If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
8:32 And he said unto them, Go.
And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine:
and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea,
and perished in the waters.
8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city,
and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
8:34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus:
and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would depart out of their coasts.
Gadara probably took its name from Gad, one of the tribes of Isael that had settled on the east side of the Jordan River. If these swine herders were Jews, they had drifted far from following God, since the Law declared pigs to be unclean. (Lev 11:7,8)
two {men} possessed with devils {GK=daimonizomai, demonized, under the influence of demons}-
Demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God to follow Lucifer (also called 'the Devil' {GK=diabolos} and 'Satan'). Apparently, some fallen angels are imprisoned, while others carry out the work of Satan in the earth today (cp. 2Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6).
Demons may periodically influence believers (eg., with depression or oppression) but cannot 'possess' them (ie., completely dominate their personality), because the Spirit of God dwells in believers. cp. 2Pet 1:4; 2Cor 5:17; 1Cor 6:19; 1Joh 4:4
Demons may 'possess' unbelievers (Eph 2:2; eg., Mat 4:24; 8:16; 9:32; 12:22; 12:43-45).
Some aspects of demonic character were expressed through these two possessed men-
they dwelt in the tombs- a preoccupation with death and corruption. These men were more unclean than the swine. cp. Rom 1:28-32; Isa 65:3,4
they were fierce- beyond human control (cp. their influence on the swine, v.32)
The word for 'fierce' is translated 'perilous' in 2Tim 3:1-3.
they knew that they are destined for torment in Hell. cp. Mat 25:41; Rev 19:20
{Jesus} said unto them, 'Go'-
Jesus is Lord over the supernatural.
Note the reactions:
{the swine keepers} fled- perhaps in terror of who Jesus must be. cp. v.27.
the whole {population of the} city begged Him to leave-
- - perhaps in fear of Jesus' Person,
- - perhaps in fear of further economic loss. (Their concern was for lost pigs, not lost men.)
the formerly demon possessed man desired to be with Jesus (Mark 5:18-20).