Matthew 8:30-34 “Great. You can command demons. Get out.”

I used to like Rodney Dangerfield. Well, “like” is probably a little too strong of a word, but I always thought he was pretty funny. Of course, his signature line was “I don’t get no respect.” You might apply that to this situation here as well. Christ performs a mighty miracle and instead of being worshipped and praised, He is treated rudely and told to leave.

Remember, He has come to this area known as the Gedarenes (or Gerasenes) and met these two demon possessed men. These men have been driven from society, living among the tombs, and are violent. The demons inside these poor, tormented individuals know who Christ is, probably even better than His disciples do. So the stage is set—it’s like a spiritual gun fight at the OK Corral. All that’s left is for someone to yell “Draw!”

Of course, these demons know that in a fight with the Holy One of God they’re going to lose. He has the power over heaven and earth and they know it. Therefore, they try to negotiate—“If You are going to cast us out, send us into the heard of swine”—the swine that were feeding near a cliff not too far from Jesus and these men. They just wanted to destroy something, most likely, and if they couldn’t continue to torment these poor fellows, since Jesus was there to deliver them, they might as well cause some kind of destruction and the pigs looked like as good an opportunity as any.

Now, notice that it was the demons who asked to enter the pigs—not Christ who commanded that they leave the men and go to the pigs. Christ, being the Sovereign Lord of creation, could have destroyed them right there. He could have commanded that they leave the area. In His providence, however, He permitted them to enter, and then destroy, these pigs. The most interesting part of this scene, however, is not the death of all these pigs (which would have been SO tasty after having been cooked over an open flame with some good barbeque sauce—sorry) but rather the reaction of the townspeople.



The Greek word translated "rushed" can also be traslated "danced".  Ok, that's not really true.



The owners of the livestock ran off to tell everyone what had happened. Notice, as we see in verse 33, they didn’t just tell them what happened to all that lovely pork, err, I mean those poor pigs, they also reported “what had happened to the demoniancs”. So, the people now knew that Jesus had the power to free people who were possessed with demons and had authority over those demons. Instead of a reaction of praise for One who had such power and reverence for His authority, the people asked Him to leave. Here is a Man Who can command demons to leave, demonstrating supernatural authority that must come from God and instead of falling on their face and calling Him “Lord” they show Him the door.

Are we any different though? Do we refuse to obey God and serve Him whole-heartedly when He calls? There are times where we most certainly do. The same Man who healed these two demoniacs is alive today, seated at the throne of God on the right hand. Let us not demonstrate the same disobedient lack of faith we see in these towns people, but let us demonstrate true, saving faith by our obedience to the Lord who saved us from our sins.

Matthew 8:28-29 What Demons Know About Christ

Of all the miracles that Christ performed the ones that touch me the most are the healings we have recorded in the New Testament. I can just imagine the pain and fear those people lived in and how hopeless they must have felt. Then Jesus enters their situation and miraculously their lives are changed forever. In chapter 8, so far we’ve seen Jesus heal a soldier’s servant, Peter’s mother in law, and countless other people. As we examine these last few verses of chapter 8, we find Jesus demonstrating God’s power over evil spirits that were tormenting some men. We can be thankful for a Savior who came to seek and save the lost that were helpless without Him.

Now, as we observed the last time we studied Matthew’s gospel that Matthew records the Lord came “into the country of the Gadarenes” (v 28) where as Mark and Luke record that the region was called the Gerasenes. There are numerous plausible explanations as to the apparent discrepancy and we have no reason to doubt the biblical account unless we’re looking for a reason to do so. Further, Matthew records that there were “two men who were demon possessed” while Mark and Luke mention only one. Of course, they don’t indicate that there was only one so again the only reason we have to doubt what the gospel writers have recorded is if we’re looking for an excuse to do just that. There are numerous books written on the subject of textual criticism by people who have studied it in much more depth than I have. Needless to say, these are minor issues in the grand scheme of the glorious miracle we have recorded here.

In any case, notice with me the location of these men. The met him as they were coming “out of the tombs”. They had made their home in caves where people buried their dead. Not only was this not a pleasant place to live because, let’s face it, dead people just aren’t all that great of company, it also made these men social outcasts. No one would want to come visit them. The tombs were filthy, unclean, and no one would want to live there or associate with anyone who did. Furthermore, if these men happened to have been Jewish, they would have been ceremonially unclean. They, because of their location, had isolated themselves from society.

Also, we should take note of their reputation. These men were rough dudes. They were known for physical violence that no one wanted to travel anywhere near them. In Mark and Luke, it is recorded that chains had been used on one of the men and he was able to break those restraints. In short, these were a couple of guys you did not want to meet walking down a dark alley. However, luckily for them, the Lord did meet them and heal them in a glorious manner.

Further, these demon possessed men made a very interesting proclamation. There is actually quite a bit that we can learn from what they assert here. Also, the demons, speaking through the men, give evidence as to who Jesus really was. First of all, these creatures knew the identity of Jesus—the y called Him by name as recorded in Mark 5 and Luke 8. The men who were possessed had never met Jesus yet these demons knew who He was. In addition, the demons recognized the divinity of Christ as recorded here in Matthew. When they said “What business do we have with each other?” they were using an expression commonly used in that day that basically said “What do we have in common between us?” Now, they could have meant they would leave Him alone if He left them alone. However, they then call Him “Son of God”. I believe what they were saying is they recognized that He was divine, self existent, and the Creator of the universe whereas they were merely creatures. Finally, these demons also recognized the authority that Christ had as the divine Son of God. Unlike the false prophets described in II Peter 3, these fallen angels knew that there was a judgment coming and that it was Christ was would be doing the judging. They said to him “Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

Clearly, these demons recognized Who Christ was, What He was, and what kind of authority He had. In other words, these demons had a better grasp of the nature, person, and work of Christ than most liberal theologians. However, Christ did not come to save those demons but rather to set these men free from their power. We’ll examine him doing that next time.

Matthew 8:28-34 Problems in the Passage

As anyone who has read this blog knows, I am committed to the exposition of scripture. The reason I am committed to bible exposition is that I am convinced that the bible is completely unique in that the bible is the perfect revelation of God. I believe that it is inerrant as defined by the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy and I believe it in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the bible (verbal—the words in the text are inspired, plenary—every word in the text in inspired and you do not have to dig through to find what parts are inspired and what parts are not because every part is inspired).


However, there are some obvious questions that are raised when examining this passage if one is going to hold to verbal, plenary inspiration and inerrancy. Of course, folks that want to deny the truth of scripture literally lick their chops at what they perceive as contradictions in the biblical text. If they can prove the bible is not inerrant or inspired then they don’t have to obey what it teaches and if there is one thing the human heart loves to do above all else it’s disobey God’s word. Therefore, we’re going to go ahead and deal with these problems before we begin working through the passage itself.

The particular issues present themselves in the first verse of this portion of Scripture. The first problem we need to tackle is one of geography. Observe that in Matthew 8:28, it says Jesus came to a region called the “Gadarenes”. If we read the parallel account in Luke 8:26 and Mark 5:1 we find the name of the place is given as “Gerasenes”. Now, the question we have to ask and answer is “Do we see a contradiction in these verses?” Because, if the bible contains a factual error like calling a place by the wrong name then we have a text that is something less than inerrant. So, what’s going on here in the text.

As Adam Clark notes in his commentary, “Gadara was, according to Josephus, the metropolis of Perea, or the region beyond Jordan: both the city and villages belonging to it lay in the country of the Gergasenes.” In other words, Gadara was a city in the region of Gergasenes. Another possible solution to the problem is proposed by Albert Barnes in his Notes on the New Testament where he says “Gadara was a city not far from the lake Gennesareth; one of the ten cities that were called Decapolis. Gergesa was a city about twelve miles to the south-east of Gadara, and about twenty miles to the east of the Jordan. There is no contradiction, therefore, in the evangelists. [Jesus] came into the region in which the two cities were situated, and [Matthew] mentioned [the Gaderenes], and the [Mark and Luke} [Gergasenes]. In any case, there is ample evidence to show that the difference is less likely due to an error on the part of the synoptic writers but more the result of different names that could be applied to the same region.

Now, the second issue is one of grouping—or the lack of grouping as the case may be. Matthew records in verse 28 that Jesus met “two men who were demon possessed” Reading the parallel account in Mark and Luke we find that they mention only one man. So, who is right? Well, I think the answer is both. Many bible commentators have suggested that Luke and Mark record one because he was the loudest. This would not be unusual in a group of two people for one to be more the lead guy and the other to be the “wing man” so to speak. However, I think there is an even simpler explanation. Luke and Mark do not say that there was only one man. They simply identify one man. Could it have been two? Yes, it could. Therefore, both texts are right and just reflect the style of the writer. Matthew was a tax collector and as such was used to details in a different way than Luke was or Mark, for that matter. The two accounts do not contradict each other but rather they are complimentary.

Now, we are faced with a decision. Are we going to allow a minor bump in the textual road to knock us completely off track in obeying and following Jesus? Do we falter over these minor questions which have no material effect on the integrity of the text or do we examine the available evidence and conclude that there appears to be several reasonable explanations for what we see here? I choose the latter. As we continue to study this gospel written by Matthew, I hope you will do the same.

Matthew 8:26-27 Two Rebukes

No one likes to be corrected. It’s not fun and has a particular kind of “sting” that comes with it. It’s especially painful when it comes from someone whom you love and/or respect. Imagine then how the disciples must have felt when the Lord responded to their pleas “Save us”. As we read this passage of scripture, we see the Lord not only rebukes His disciples but also nature itself, providing further proof of His divinity.

First of all, notice the manner in which the Lord rebuked the disciples. For all intents and purposes, He called them “girly men”. When He asked them “Why are you afraid?” He wasn’t just talking about any kind of fear. The word translated “afraid” is the Greek word “deilos” (1169) which always means afraid in a negative sense as in “cowardly”. Talk about being called out. That must have been a stinging rebuke, and quite ironic considering that these men had followed Christ when others who professed similar devotion waffled when it came time to get on the boat.

Furthermore, observe with me Christ’s evaluation of their faith. He calls it “little faith”. I believe this is in direct contrast to the “great faith” of the centurion a few verses earlier. I mean, these men had heard Christ teach, seen Him perform miracles, and committed themselves to following Him and they’re going to worry about a rainstorm? Seriously? I’m reminded of the Israelites standing at the bank of the Red Sea and worrying about Pharaoh’s army behind them. You just want to yell at the page when you read that “Um, guys, did you miss the miracles that God just did to deliver you out of Egypt?” What we see here, in the disciples is a seriously lack of perspective. Our response, then, should be to remember as we enter life’s storms that we serve the same God and that just as He is faithful to these men of little faith, He’ll be faithful to us.

Finally, let’s examine Jesus’ next rebuke. He gets up and rebukes the wind and the sea. Now, for Him to have that kind of power is awesome and we should rightly reverence Him because of that. But the next phrase to me is even more striking—“it became perfectly calm”. All of a sudden, in an instant, in the midst of this terrible tempest, it all stopped. Now, the winds coming to a complete standstill is one thing. That’s pretty amazing. But the wind and the sea became still—perfectly calm—all of a sudden. I mean, physics tells us that once set in motion the waves of the sea should have remained in motion for a while even after the wind stopped. That is not what happened. All of nature, all natural laws, bend and conform to the will of the Master. He didn’t just stop the storm; He removed all evidence that there had been a storm. What an awesome display of power.

Now, as we leave these verses, let’s reflect on the reaction of the disciples here. The text says “They were amazed”. This was a truly marvelous sight to them. I can picture some of them sitting there with their mouths hanging wide open. For that matter, when I read the miracles recorded in scripture I feel like that sometimes. However, the marvel they felt as they saw what the Lord did caused them to reflect “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey Him?” That is the million dollar question. That, in fact, is the only question that matters. Who is Jesus? How do we reconcile the fact that He was so tired that He was in such a deep sleep that even a storm on the open water didn’t wake Him, demonstrating that He was fully human, with the fact that He calms a storm with only His word which demonstrates that He is none other than God in the flesh? We can’t. However, what we can do is proclaim that Jesus is the God-man and the only possible way to get to heaven is to come by faith to Him and repent of you sins. I may not be able to explain the hypostatic union but I can choose to place my faith and trust in Him and call Him my Lord and Savior.

Matthew 8:23-27 Sit Right Back and You’ll Hear a Tale…

When Nehemiah led the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild it, they encountered opposition. Many of them concluded because of the problems they faced that they were operating outside of the will of God. They presumed because they were encountering difficulties that God was telling them their timing was off. However, adversity does not prove that we are outside of the will of God. I know Jonah was in a storm and ended up inside of a fish for 3 days due to running from God but, as we’ll see today, it is possible for someone to be in a storm and be right where God intended for them to be.


After having several folks profess devotion to Him but quickly fall away on account of the cost that true devotion would entail, Jesus entered a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. When He proceeded to leave, Matthew notes, “His disciples followed Him”. We can commend their devotion to Christ and should emulate it. They followed Christ of their own choosing, not under any sort of compulsion. I am reminded as I read this of Peter’s words in John 6:68-70 where he says “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." A true disciple can’t help but follow Christ.

Now, here is the scene set before us by Matthew. The disciples were crossing this inland sea that, since many of them fished in this sea for a living, they knew very well. As they crossed over at night, a storm popped up. It is described as “a great storm”. Now, you might read that and think “Yeah, it’s a great storm—to an accountant (Matthew)”. But as we’ll see, it scared the disciples, many of whom had fished on this sea so they had seen this sort of thing before. These storms would come up suddenly from out of nowhere and they certainly could be dangerous. So, this is the predicament the disciples find themselves in as they have chosen to follow Christ. Now, Matthew goes on to give us two different perspectives on this storm.

Jesus wasn’t concerned about the bumpy boat ride at all. In fact, as Matthew records in verse 24, He was “asleep”. Now, there are two observations I’d like to make here. First of all, Jesus was fully God and fully human (John 14:8, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 2:9). In coming to earth, He didn’t divest Himself of one of His divine attributes but He laid aside His right to exercise those attributes independently apart from the will of God the Father. So, .like any human being, He got hungry, thirst, and in this case tired. He was resting and undisturbed by the violent storm that had come upon them. He wasn’t worried about what was happening because God was, and is, in control. The Lord’s perspective was one of perfect peace.

The disciples had a different perspective—panic. Now, again, many of these men were fishermen who had sailed on this sea in stormy conditions. They knew this sort of thing could happen. Therefore, I think it’s reasonable to assume that their panic was caused by the severity of the storm. J. Vernon McGee and other commentators suggest that perhaps this storm was produced by Satan himself. I’m not sure if that’s the case, but it must have been a bad storm for these experienced fishermen to get as frightened as they did. As Matthew notes in verse 24, the boat was in danger of “being covered with the waves”. Perceiving this as a dangerous situation, they went to Him and “woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’" Now, Mark and Luke don’t record this as exactly what they said to Jesus. For instance, in Mark 4:40 they suggest that Jesus doesn’t care about them and the fact that they are in danger. Now, someone might say “See, there’s a discrepancy in the text. Which of those is true?” We should notice, first of all, that in Greek, the way this is written, they probably didn’t all come up and say what they said to Him in perfect unison. They were all talking at once, probably, and repeatedly calling for His help because the verb “saying” is in the present tense in Greek. You might translate that as “kept on saying”. Anyway, they came to Him and were concerned for their very lives in the midst of this storm.

As much as you and I would like to chide the disciples, we really have no room to talk, do we? We’re just as likely to forget how good God is and how good He has been to us. Our perspective is often so much like that of the disciples who saw the storm but forgot the Savior. We are nor immune to fear but we can choose to trust Christ to bring us through any storms we encounter as we follow Him.

Matthew 8:21-22 You REALLY Better Be Sure

I recently read a book about some missionaries in Japan. In that book, the author mentions that due to the expense of traveling to the US and their commitment to their ministry they were not able to return home for the funerals of either of their parents. I can’t imagine how heart wrenching that must have been. However, while they did express sorrow there was no bitterness or resentment. They had resigned themselves to serving God where He had called them no matter what the cost. To be sure, they had counted that cost, the cost of being a disciple, and were able and willing to pay that price. As we observe in these two verses recorded in Matthew, Jesus lays out very plainly the cost of discipleship and tells us that the call overrides any other human relationship.

Again, as Jesus is walking to a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, another unnamed disciple asks for permission to bury his father before following Christ. At this point, Christ may have spent some time in the area and this was a local guy who was near enough to home that he could be a disciple of Christ and still be home with his family. With Christ looking to leave the area, the man had a choice to make.

The text doesn’t say, as far as I can tell, how imminent this burial was. The Greek verb for “bury” is in the aorist tense which is completely Greek to me anyway so it’s not like the man is clearly asking “Let me go bury my father today” as if it were something he needed to take care of in a few days or so. The other option, and I believe the more plausible one, is that he was asking to wait and follow Christ after his father had passed away. One could spend fruitless hours in endless speculation as to why he might have wanted to wait like that. Perhaps his father was a strictly devout Jew who bought into the works based righteousness of the religious leaders and would be scandalized to have a son following this Carpenter around the Judean countryside. Perhaps his father needed his help in the family business. We are not told the reason and in the end it really doesn’t matter. Jesus lays it out for this disciple very clearly.

Following Christ will not be popular with people, particularly with our family sometimes. In fact, it may be that we have to come to a choice one day between our loyalty to our family and our loyalty to Christ. We may find, as my friend who served with her husband and family as missionaries to Japan, that we will miss out on important life events such as funerals because of our commitment to the Lord. The call to discipleship is the call to place everything in a lower priority when compared to serving Christ.

Not all of us will be called to leave our families but all of us should be willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to serve God where He has called us—our obedience demonstrates the genuineness of our faith. May we all show ourselves to be obedient followers of Jesus.

Matthew 8:18-20 You Better Be Sure

One of my favorite TV shows growing up was “Fame”. In the opening credits, one of the main characters, a teacher at the school, gave a monologue to her students that sounded something like this:

You got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying…in sweat.

There was probably something about that I found appealing because I was a budding young musician but the fact is there a good deal of truth to that statement. If you want something there are usually sacrifices you have to make to attain that thing. In our study of the book of Matthew, we find an instance where someone wants to follow Jesus but in doing so is challenged to be sure that is what he wants.

Observe that in verse 18, Jesus gave orders for his followers to head for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The scripture does not indicate why He had given this order, although in God’s providence it could be that our Lord had a divine appointment to heal a tormented man (v 28). However, in calling for His disciples to leave with him, we see people following along for various reasons continuing to talk with the Lord. The first man mentioned is called “a scribe”. Now a scribe was a lawyer—a man of letters. They were educated and unlike most people could read and write. In Jewish society, they were considered experts in the Mosaic Law and were the primary interpreters of that law. The Old Testament book of Ezra tells the story of a faithful scribe who was totally devoted to God’s word. The scribes that lived in Jesus’ day were members of the sect of the Pharisees so they not only knew the law but they knew the official interpretations that had developed over the years since the Jews went into captivity. Most of the time when they are mentioned in the New Testament, it was in conjunction with the Pharisees and they were usually united with them in their opposition of Jesus.

Now, these were not guys that liked to work hard. They were scholars so sweating was not something they liked to do. Furthermore, they were respected in the community. These men were powerful, probably well off, and had comfortable lives. Now, with that as a backdrop, notice the promise the scribe makes in verse 19. He claimed he would follow Jesus “wherever You go”. Now, on this side of the cross, we know that was a pretty tall order. This man had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. Was he going to follow Christ to the cross? Was he going to follow him to the garden where the Lord prayed? No. In fact, ever His 12 disciples didn’t do that. But even ignoring the cross, this man wasn’t prepared for the three years of earthly ministry that Jesus was to perform.

Jesus was itinerant and traveled all over the area around Jerusalem and Samaria. He wasn’t about comfort or clean accommodations. The three years of ministry was most definitely going to involve “roughing it”. Further, there was no applause awaiting Jesus. No fame in His future. He and his grubby band of fishermen were not considered polite society and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. Therefore, Jesus makes a very clear statement that should cause all of us to think about the cost of following Christ as I’m sure it did this scribe.

Basically, in verse 20, He tells the scholar that where He’s going there are going to be no “creature comforts”. In fact, Christ says He doesn’t even have a place to lay His head. Following Him, therefore, means being willing to go where He goes and follow His commands in spite of whatever hardship or discomfort comes up. Following Christ may involve discomfort and hardship. However, if we really love Him, we’ll gladly follow Him as our Lord and Savior.

The cost of discipleship is high. In fact, when I read about missionaries who have faithfully followed Christ into countries where they live in very rough conditions while I, in contrast, have a roof, air conditioning, and food to eat everyday I realize how little my profession of faith has cost me. As we realize what some have sacrificed for the cause of Christ, I pray we are motivated to make sacrifices in our lives to tell people about the love of Jesus and faithfully proclaim the gospel wherever we are.

Matthew 8:14-17 The Purpose Driven Healing

I know people who believe that divine supernatural healing is the spiritual birthright of every Christian. They believe that if you have enough faith that you’ll never suffer from any sort of sickness. This view is regularly espoused by the fruit loops who appear on many religious broadcasts on TV—particularly TBN. Of course, I mean “fruit loops” in the most positive manner possible. Anyway, they base their “theology” that physical healing is part of the sacrifice on the cross on a misinterpretation of Isaiah 53, particularly verse 4 where we are told that Christ bore our grief and carried our sorrows and in verse 5 of course they have to trot out that “By His stripes we are healed”. However, that interpretation is simplistic at best and fails to take into account what Isaiah actually said in chapter 53. Further, as we’ll see in these verses, the New Testament shows us the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 and tells us what the purpose was of the miracles of healing that Christ performed.

We see two mentions here of the healing miracles that Christ did in verses 14-16. First of all, the text mentions a specific individual that he healed As He came into Capernaum, He and His disciples entered Peter’s house. Upon arriving, they found Peter’s mother in law to be sick. He healed her with a simple touch on her hand and she got up and waited on him probably out of gratitude. Next, Matthew mentions in verse 16 that as evening approached crowds of people came bringing those who were sick or demon possessed and the Lord healed them. When coupled with the previous accounts of healing that have been mentioned in this chapter, we see Matthew has painted a picture a compassionate Savior who graciously heals those who are sick. The fruit loops mentioned above point to these verses and say “See, Jesus heals people. That proves that all Christians are never supposed to be sick.”

However, Matthew tells us in verse 17 why Jesus healed people. The healing ministry of Christ was not an attempt to draw crowds or to impress people. Christ didn’t heal people because none of his followers were ever supposed to be sick. Christ healed people to “fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet:” In other words, Christ was being obedient to God—God had said “This will happen” and Christ fulfilled that prophesy. The verse quoted here in Matthew 8:17 is from Isaiah 53:4. Therefore, what Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us in this verse is that Christ’s healing ministry on this earth fulfilled the physical healing ministry promised in Isaiah.

They say in real estate, the three most important things are “location, location, location”. In bible study, the three most important things are “context, context, context”. This does not apply just to the immediate context of a passage of scripture but also, as we see here, to the broader context of biblical revelation. It is important for Christians to understand and accurately proclaim what the Bible says about healing. There have been to many people misled by shuck and jive artists looking to peddle the word of God for a quick buck for Christians not to take this sort of thing seriously. While God can and does heal miraculously sometimes, as we can see from this passage, it is not something all Christians can or should expect. However, we can trust Christ to be with us no matter what we go through in our lives.

Matthew 8:4-13 Testimonies of Faith and Faithlessness Part II

One of my favorite actors from when I was a kid died this past week. Gary Coleman, who played Arnold on Diff’rent Strokes, passed away. One of the recurring gags on the show was a catch phrase Arnold was known to say when someone, particularly his brother, would say something unexpected. He would cock his head forward and exclaim “What ‘chu talking ‘bout, Willis?” I still giggle when I think about it. I have to imagine, after they heard Jesus respond to the profession of faith by the centurion, that the Jewish people who heard Jesus might have said to Him “What ‘chu talkin’ ‘bout, Jesus?” What He said in response to the centurion’s assertion of trust in Christ reveals a truth that Paul would refer to in Ephesians chapter two as a mystery.

First of all, observe with me the response of Christ to this profession of belief on the part of the centurion. Jesus, it says in verse 10, “marveled”. Of course, we know that Jesus was God and was omnipotent so it can’t be that this response took him by surprise. The word translated “marveled” is the root word for the English word “enthusiastic”. This response of faith on the part of this Gentile leader brought the Lord joy. He was enthused by the response. We can hear the enthusiasm as we read on in the passage.

Jesus, it seems, had this response because the expression of genuine trust in Him was unique. He says that He had “not found such great faith with anyone in Israel”. Now, He was sent first to the nation of Israel as their Messiah. His primary ministry was to the Jewish people. God had promised a Redeemer and there He was in all His glorious humility. The nation of Israel, though, rejected Him—which was part of God’s plan. The faith of the centurion was unusual then because it came from the Gentiles and not the Jews and also in a qualitative sense. Jesus says the man has “great faith” which probably means an abundance. This man’s unusual faith was a launching point for Jesus to reveal something that no one would have ever guessed or expected.

Before He told the man that the miracle he requested for his servant would take place, Jesus shocked everyone by saying there would be Gentiles with faith like this man who would enter the kingdom of heaven. He identifies them as coming from “east and west” (in other words, from all over the world) and sitting “at the table” with the patriarchs (not serving them or outside of the feast). That was a pretty shocking statement to hear a Jewish teacher make. Gentiles were mongrel dogs and the Jews detested them. Now, they hear Jesus say that these filthy beasts are going to be in the “kingdom of heaven”. As the old saying goes “There goes the neighborhood”.

Oh, but wait, it gets even more shocking. Not only are these Gentiles going to be in heaven, and get there because of faith not because of their lineage, but there are going to be Jews who are left out. This was a jaw dropping statement. John MacArthur in his commentary on Romans mentions that Jewish rabbis taught that for a Jew to not enter heaven his circumcision would have to be undone. Further, they taught that Abraham himself stood at the door of hell to stop any Jew who accidentally wandered down there from going into hell. In contrast, Jesus says that there are going to be some Jews who will be “cast out into the outer darkness”. In other words, they would be eternally condemned. See, they thought they could rely on their momma, going to church, dressing right, or whatever else to get them to heaven. They were “good people” and though they had bought their ticket to heaven. Jesus says those folks who thought their religion would get them to heaven are going to be surprised but those with the faith to trust Christ like this Gentile soldier would be the ones to enter the promised rest.

Having shocked these people, Jesus gives the word to heal the servant as the centurion requested, thereby validating his faith in Christ. This man, considered a dog by the religious of the day, was just foolish enough to believe Jesus was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do and was blessed for it. Jesus says this kind of faith is the kind of faith that saves but pronounces doom on those who try to find a way to heaven through religion. Ask yourself today “Am I like the centurion or the Jewish leaders?” Don’t allow Satan to fool you with religion. Trust Christ to save you today.

Matthew 8:4-13 Testimonies of Faith and Faithlessness Part I

When we read and study the Bible, sometimes we need to put ourselves back in the shoes of the people in the Biblical narratives. It’s easy for us to look at the children of Israel and criticize them for their unbelief, but forget about our own faithlessness. It’s times when I contemplate that and realize how sinful I truly am that I am particularly thankful that Christ came to save me in spite of my voluminous shortcomings and that the call to salvation is effectual. As we continue to examine the book of Matthew, we will begin to see a clearer picture of the role of miracles and the responses to them.

For instance, observe with me in verse 4 the instructions our Lord gives to the leper He healed. He told them man to “go, show yourself to the priests” and further that he should go through the ritual cleansing prescribed in the Levitical code. This took days—the person was not declared clean just by a cursory visual inspection of the affected area. Rather, he had to make an offering and wait seven days. Finally, on the 8th day, he was pronounced clean. While the process was long and appeared needless, there was a purpose in what the Lord told the man to do. By following the codes prescribed in Leviticus 14:2-57, the man would be able to give “a testimony to them” about how he had been healed. The miracle would provide to the priests a powerful testimony not only of the man’s faith but also of the nature and person of Jesus Christ.

Now, with that as a set up for the miracle described in these next verses, we see the faithlessness of Israel, God’s chosen people, made all the more obvious. In verse 5, we have a new character enter the picture. As Jesus went to the town that essentially served as his home base, he encounters a Roman solider—a centurion. Yes, the account in Luke indicates that he sent intermediaries to Jesus rather than coming himself, however, the point is the same. He implored Jesus on behalf of his servant. The exact nature of the ailment is not mentioned but, showing His love for all kinds of people, the Lord agrees to come to this Gentile’s home to heal this man.

Observe, however, beginning in verse 8, the great faith this man whom the Jewish leaders would have called a dog had and the perception he had been given as to who Christ was. He did need Jesus to “come under [his] roof” to perform this miracle. While we can only speculate as to his motivations for dissuading the Lord from coming to his house, the fact is the centurion saw it as unnecessary. We see why he saw it as unnecessary—he recognized Christ’s authority. In an amazing display of faith, he was willing to just take Christ at His word and believe him. Because he himself had experience commanding men (vs 9), he knew what it was like to exercise authority. Now, this centurion understood authority in his sphere of influence extended to them soldiers under his command. Therefore, when he tells Jesus “just say the word, and my servant will be healed” what he is really saying is that he recognizes Jesus to have absolute authority in this matter. Further, the fact that he sends people to ask Jesus to do this demonstrates that the centurion recognizes as being sovereign in the matter as well—Jesus could heal the servant or choose to not heal the servant. Here, in the heart of a “dog” as the Jews would call, we see a recognition of not only what Christ can do, but also Who Christ is.

The Jews, who had the testimony of scripture that had been delivered to them, rejected their Messiah. This Gentile commander, in contrast, sought Jesus out and recognized His authority as God in human flesh—the Sovereign of the universe. What kind of response have you made to the revelation of Christ? Are you like the Jews who reject the evidence, or are you like the centurion who is willing to take Christ at His word and trust Him?

Matthew 8:1-3 Unclean No More

Sometimes, being around people is hard. I come off acting like an extrovert but in reality I’m shy and it takes a lot of energy for me to be around folks and interact with them. However, I might not like to admit it but I am acutely aware of my need for people, particularly of my brothers and sisters in Christ. As I read this passage of scripture, I am struck by how isolated the poor man who comes to Christ to be healed was and what a blessing it was for him to be healed. Truly, it was a great miracle that we can all take note of and learn from.

Now, to set the stage contextually within Matthew, let us remember we have just studied a message where Jesus has set forth the truth that the righteousness God requires is unattainable by people. Not one of us can live up to the standard of the law. We must declare spiritual bankruptcy before God if we’re to have any hope of being saved. Our hopeless condition forces us to depend on the grace and mercy of God to save us and cleanse us. Matthew moves from this wonderful truth filled sermon to give us several snapshots into the healing ministry of Jesus. Matthew, in this gospel, does not attempt to follow any clear chronology but rather drives home the point using events from the life of the Lord and the truths He taught that Jesus is the Messiah that Israel had waited for and that the prophets had foretold.

We find, in this particular scene, that Jesus is surrounded by throngs of people as we read verse 1. Now, that makes what happens in verse 2 all the more spectacular. We see an unexpected player come on the scene—a leper. Now, this was unheard of and was forbidden in the law of Moses. In face, we read in Leviticus 13:45 that “the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!’” People with this disease were cut off from society and could not mingle with folks, much less come to a crowd of people seeking Jesus. There was not only a social stigma at work here but also we must remember leprosy is contagious. However, recognizing his helplessness and hopelessness, he pleaded for help. He knew that Jesus had the power to heal him. He says “Lord…You can make me clean.” Perhaps he had heard of the healings and other miracles Jesus had performed. In any case, he appeared to have faith in Christ’s ability to do this.

Further, he knew of Christ’s authority in the matter. Beyond addressing Him as “Lord”, this man adds “…if You are willing…” Make no mistake about it, this was a humble request from someone who knew that they had no hope. The man could interact with other lepers or live as a hermit, but his disease completely cut him off from all ties to anyone who was not infected. He recognized his inability to help himself and pleaded to Jesus for mercy. The crowd probably whispered incessantly amongst themselves, I’m sure, wondering what, if anything, Christ would do.

What He did was scandalous to polite society. He touched the leper. You just didn’t do that. Not just because of the fact that the disease was communicable but because you just didn’t do that—at least in polite society. Verse three not only records Jesus’ actions but also His compassion. He says to the man “I am willing”. Jesus wanted to honor this request. This does not suggest or imply that it is always His will for disease to be healed and that no believer will ever suffer with sickness. In a miraculous display of power, Christ chose to heal this man and he was healed instantly. In the time it would take for you or I to blink, he was made perfectly whole.

You and I have a similar problem. We had a sickness of our soul that made us unclean before God. Our sin separated us from God and there is nothing we can do about it. However, God sent Jesus to die on the cross and be punished for sin. I have trusted Him to forgive me and He has forgiven my sin on Christ’s account. I no longer have to feel the shame and isolation from God that sin brings. I am clean. If you haven’t trusted Christ to save you, why don’t you do so today?

Matthew 8-Preliminary Thoughts About Healing

About a year ago, my retina in my right eye detached. Now this would not be a good thing to have happen anyway, but the same thing had already happened in my left eye and it didn't heal right. Since I work as an auditor, going blind was a scary possibility. I praise God that He gave me the faith to trust Him no matter what in that situation and most of all that He allowed my right eye to heal back to practically normal.

However, I remember when I was talking to my youngest brother during the time before the surgery one particular conversation that really got under my skin. He and I had talked about healing and spiritual gifts. He is of the charismatic persuasion and has lectured me that full and complete physical healing is part of every Christians salvation experience if you have faith enough. So, when we were talking about this surgery, he began to tell me basically that if I had enough faith I would be healed and that my healing was dependant on my faith.

I took the opportunity to remind him of the blind man in the Gospel of John that was blind not due to sin but in order for God to be able to display His power. Further, I reminded him that God told Moses He makes the blind and the dumb. God can and does supernaturally heal, but it is not a guarantee that all Christians will be physically well all the time. This is made evident, I reminded him, by one simple observation.

No Christian that has professed that physical healing is guaranteed in the atonement has ever avoided death. At some point, Oral Roberts and those of his ilk have died.

As we examine this chapter, we will see the true purpose of these acts of healing and miracles. I believe we will praise God for them and what they teach us.