Read Matthew 8
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Jesus Heals Many
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”
The Cost of Following Jesus
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms the Storm
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men
28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
Go Deeper
Following the Sermon on the Mount, we see a transition in Matthew 8 from validating Jesus Christ’s authoritative teaching to demonstrating His power as Messiah and King through performing miracles. Each miracle of healing reveals more of who He is and His power and authority over every aspect of our lives. Jesus’s compassion and power over disease is revealed as He reaches, touches, and immediately cleanses and cures the outcast leper. This physical healing also points to our need for spiritual healing illustrating our sinful condition before God until Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sin. As Jesus responds to the request of faith by the centurion with healing of the centurion’s servant, it is Jesus’s authoritative word that results in healing. Matthew’s record of healing continues as Peter’s mother-in-law is fully healed and many sick and demon-possessed are healed. His authority as the promised Messiah is validated by these miracles. His power and authority to heal extends to our desperate need for spiritual healing. Jesus Christ alone has the power and authority to make us right with God.
Matthew continues to demonstrate Jesus’s power as King through Jesus’ authority over overwhelming forces of nature and the supernatural. Jesus’ remarkable demonstration of sheer power to calm the wind and still the waves with His words prompts the disciples to ask, “What kind of man is this?” Their amazement will grow as they encounter the violent, uncontrollable demon possessed men and witness the powerful authority of Jesus Christ displayed as He sends the demons away with a word. Jesus calms tormented souls as easily as a tempestuous sea. His power and authority extend over our overwhelming circumstances as well.
Reflecting on these miracles that demonstrate Jesus Christ’s authority over sickness, nature, and demonic forces should encourage us as we face events and storms beyond our control. Matthew is reminding each of us that Jesus Christ is King, for He is the all-powerful, sovereign, compassionate, miracle working Savior. He has power and authority over every aspect of our lives. He is more than worthy of our full surrender and whole-hearted worship. He is King Jesus!
Questions
- How have you experienced Jesus’ miraculous spiritual cleansing? Would you take a moment to thank Him and then share this with another?
- How do you answer the question – “What kind of man is this?” as you consider Jesus’ power and authority?
- When faced with disturbing events that are completely out of your control, where do you turn for help?
Listen Here
Listen to the song “All Hail King Jesus” and pray these words over your day today.
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5 thoughts on “Matthew 8”
Thank you, BRP, for the perfect commentary for this chapter.
3 reflections:
1. Matthew continues to authenticate Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy by including the prophet Isaiah’s words, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” (17) It’s another example of “the scarlet thread” running throughout scripture.
2. As we read of miracle after miracle Jesus performed I’m reminded of John 21:25 “And there are many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” What we read could be the tip of the iceberg! Christ has no rival or equal!
3. Would we rather have Jesus than anything else? V34 proves the people valued their things over people, “The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.” What a tragedy that they dismissed the very Son of God for their possessions! When have I asked Jesus to leave or not chosen him over things that have no eternal value?
What a wonderful precursor we have here in vv. 5-13 to God’s work through another Gentile centurion, Cornelius, in Acts 10. Through him, God demonstrates, once again, that His saving grace his for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. Praise God that He shows no partiality (Romans 2:11-29).
I saw compassion, lots and lots of compassion from Jesus. “I am willing” he said to the man with leprosy, “I will come and restore him” to the centurion, When He went into and saw Peter’s mother-in-law He touched her to heal her, compassion. When the disciples woke Him due to the storm, He admonished them but stilled the storm. Even the though the He knew that casting the devil spirits into the pigs would make the people unhappy He got rid of those for those 2 men to be free of that torment. His compassion for His fellow “brother’s and sister’s” is beautiful to read. I am so thankful that He loved His Father so much to do His will and fulfill the Law.
Thank You God for Jesus!! Thank You for compassion on me daily. Thank You for my understanding of having more compassion on others that I encounter. Thank You for Your wisdom in all things daily in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!
For me, the most beautiful thing about Jesus is that He did not show prejudice against any sinner…He never turned them away disgusted. His Spirit continues to seeks out sin, to expose it to light, so that the relationship can be restored—over and over. Thank you, Jesus! 🙌🏻
I heard this song yesterday ‘We All Need Jesus’ (24/3-6-5) by Danny Gokey
https://youtu.be/JaIIZxkaKt4
Matthew 8:26
Why are you gripped with fear? Where is your faith? Then He stood up and rebuked the storm, saying “be still”! And instantly it became perfectly calm.(TPT)
A storm had come up and began to toss the disciples around on the boat on which they were traveling. I imagine they actually became wet from some strong waves crashing over the sides of the boat. The waves must have looked threatening. They were scared and Jesus was asleep, so they woke Him up. Notice He didn’t just tell them that being afraid was wrong, instead he asked “why” they were afraid. Jesus wanted them to do a quick heart check. He certainly understood how looming and scary the storm was for them. He wanted them to know that faith would offer them hope even when things felt scary, uncertain or even threatening. Faith meant that even when the waves of life caused them to be tossed about and those waves soaked them with the sting of turbulent waters, they were still ok. In fact, with the petition for help from Jesus, things became perfectly calm. Read that again, perfectly calm. Now the water still surrounded the boat and it had the potential to become rocky again, but it was no match for the One who holds all power. It was and is no match for the One who brings perfect calm into any storm that threatens His children. No situation, person or circumstance can have the final say over those who walk with Jesus. We might get wet, our legs might shake in a moment of uncertainty, our hearts may pound in fear, but fear does not have to hold us captive. So why do we allow ourselves to be gripped by fear? Why do we give people and circumstance more power than One who is all power? Why do we allow ourselves to magnify the power of mere people and things? Take a moment and refocus. Answer for yourself the questions Jesus asked.
“Why are you gripped with fear?”
“Where is your faith?”
Surrender your fear today. Trust in the One who will calm your every storm. Walk in faith and look for the perfect calm that awaits you, because even the winds and waves obey Him(Matthew 8:27). Magnify Jesus over anything that threatens you.