Matthew 8 1-17. Jesus and the outcasts/unclean?
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 8 1-17. Jesus and the outcasts/unclean?
Mathew has from the very beginning been calming Jesus is Christ the messiah and is trying to get the Jews to wake up and see that, Jesus is who he said he was, this will continue in the text today, Jesus will start ministering to weak unclean people and Jesus will heal them. Matthew will state who Jesus is in verse 17. -Let’s read together. PPT
Jesus ended the sermon on the mount and is on his way down, at this point many are following him, one man with a skin disease, come and kneels before Jesus, saying Lord if you will you can make me clan. (It was like the man knew some of the ending not my will but yours be done).
What is he doing, he is unclean, he should not even be near people? He should be isolated. Why would the unclean come to the clean? Would he not make Jesus unclean? The law in Lev 13 PPT. Did this man see who Jesus was? According to commentaries’ this man worships Jesus by the way he bows down and say Lord. If only God can heal then if the man believes then Jesus is God. PPT Commentary.
He does not touch Jesus, - But Jesus touches him, WHAT! It could have been the first touch that man had had in a very long time, Jesus the Holy and clean touches the unclean, Jesus does not become unclean, he makes the man clean, Jesus as he touches the man said I will, be clean. And the man was cleansed. Do you see God this way? So tender, so near, so willing, to touch your life? Cleans you from sin, shame pain guilt, Jesus will do this by his life death resurrection coming back if by grace believe.
Jesus said to the man don’t go telling everyone, but do what Moses said for a proof to the priests. Jesus is not tearing down the law he is formfilling it even giving the priests a possibility to see him as the one that was promised. To Also confirm the healing. – Explaining the 2 birds to lambs and the blood on the man. Pointing to Jesus blood…
From one outcast to another, from the unclean to another unclean enemy an occupying army. Jesus is back in Capernaum – ppt of the sea of Galilee. PPT The Centurion calls Jesus Lord, but we learned last week that is not a grantee the people are submitted to God. Then what will the centurion do? My servant is sick, paralyzed and suffering terribly, - Jesus say I will come and heal him. Jesus getting ready to walk to the man’s house. That is crazy! Jesus would be willing to break all the cultural norms by entering a gentile house. (Recall acts – how much trouble Peter Gets in for eating with gentiles).
But the centurion said, Lord I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, Jesus is willing to go, but, is stopped by the humility and faith of the centurion: Jesus just say a word, and my servant will be healed. The centurion talks about his job, and he is a man under authority and in authority, he can command soldiers to do what he said. Relating that to Jesus he concludes that Jesus has authority over sickness to heal, and he got that from God, and he can just say the word and the servant will be healed.
This is an interesting moment to think about, Jesus on his was to heal, the centurion stops him, and Jesus marvels at the man’s faith. What would Jesus look like as he marveled?
Jesus said to the people following, in truth I have not seen faith like this in any in Israel (Including the disciples and all the Jews around him – that statement may not get him many friends, and Matthew points out that people from other nations have great faith in Jesus). And Jesus says that people from East and West will come and sit at the table in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, - but many that sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In the place that Jesus talks about more that any other, where weeping and gnashing of teeth is happening Hell a burring dump. The great call to all the Jews and all others is stop repent and come to me, trust believe so you will not be cast away.
Jesus responds to the centurion Go, let it be done for you as you have believed.
Then it was the faith of the man with the skin disease and the centurion that healed – it was the faith in what and who Jesus is that healed and restored. (Lord let us trust and believe).
I don’t know about you, when reading Jesus words, I was oh man, let it be done as you have believed, but Jesus what if my faith is not strong enough? But in this case, it is good to know that Jesus knows us, he knows our faith, and the centurion’s faith, Jesus knows that he has heal the servant. What if our faith is a gift? That we excise and use, with the Holy Spirts guidance. We can with the father of the child cry our when our faith is failing Lord help my unbelief. And Jesus hears.
PPT of Peters’ house. Jesus and Peters mother in-law, Jesus goes to Peter’s house, Jesus sees Peter’s mother in-law laying sick with a fewer. She does not speak nor does Peter. But Jesus touches her and the fewer is gone. (joke? Did Jesus just do this go get served? No, He is the greatest servant, - now Peter’s mother in-law gets to serve). She gets right up and starts to serve Jesus. (How do we respond when Jesus serves us? Do we get up and serve him others?) Unlike the 2 other people Jesus chose to heal not because of the faith of the people but because of what he saw. (Do you feel like Jesus sees you, and have you felt his touch?). We might feel like our faith is not like the man with the skin disease, - and not alt all like the centurion. But we have great hope that Jesus sees and touches us in our need. As we are growing in understanding/faith in/ of who Jesus is.
In the evening many people brought people to Jesus, oppressed by demons explain they are no problem for Jesus, he casts out the spirts with a word and healed all who were sick. Jesus never shouts and yells speak in tungs, - or other things to get the spirts out, he just said a word. – (In history and today people sometimes use all kinds of other things, garlic, crosses, - jelling, shouting, nasty smells, but if the power that rose Jesus from the grave is in us, then would that not be able if it is the Lords will, by prayer to drive the demons? Will the demons submit to our skills or do Jesus power)?
Matthew shows us that Jesus has power over all the body Physical He heals and over the spiritual he cast out the spirts. – expand.
Matthew statesthis great amazing conclusion that Jesus is the one that Isaiah spoke about 53, the suffering servant proving that Jesus is the Christ. And later that Jesus was going to redeem people by dying and rising again. This again is an invitation to the Jews, come on read the scriptures, Jesus four fill all of Isiah 53 in his life Jesus is the Christ the Messiah, and not only of the Jews but of all who will believe in him, the gentiles already do now… Come on friends. – What about you?
But what about you? You just head that Jesus heals, saves, restores, redeems, and by his blood are we saved like the birds was to symbolizes, they were a shadow of what was to come the perfect scarface, - you might say God does not know or love me! I would contend it is the other way are round God does know all about you and have showed you in Jesus how much he loved you. But do you believe?
Matthew is clear, stop living for yourself, come and follow Jesus, he is lord of life, the Physical and spiritual, and did you see in Jesus how compassioned God is, he touched the one that was unclean alone and not touched a long time. Jesus did not have to touch him but he did. And the mercy on Peter’s mother in-law, - She did nothing and Jesus healed her. The kindness and wiliness Jesus had to go to the “Unclean” centurion’s house to heal a servant. How powerful Jesus is over all evil spirts, by a word he cast them out, and heals all the people.
Jesus has power to heal, the body’s he was the ative againt of creating – Jesus is lord of the physical)