What does a leper, a centurion, a sick woman, many demon-possessed and sick people, a teacher of the law, a disciple, many disciples, a storm, two demon-possessed men and a whole town have in common? They all have encounters with Jesus in Matthew 8. Let’s dive right in.
The Sermon on the Mount is over and Jesus comes down the mountainside. A large crowd follows. A man with leprosy, who shouldn’t have been in the midst of a crowd, came and knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus touched the leper. Unheard of! Then He declared His willingness and the leper was immediately made clean! Boldness, risk, faith, healing. Jesus is awesome! Then Jesus tells the cleansed leper NOT to tell anyone, but to show himself to the priests and bring the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them. If you’re interested, the sacrifice Moses commanded is spelled out in Leviticus 14:1-7. What a beautiful gift for the leper and the priests. Eventually, this man would have gone home and word would spread about what Jesus did for him. But Jesus wanted the priests to know first. If He hadn’t instructed the leper to go to the priests, he may have gotten side tracked by going straight to his family and friends, and the priests would’ve missed out on the miracle! Just a thought.
Jesus walked on to Capernaum and a centurion came to Him for help. His servant was at home paralyzed and suffering. Jesus asked if He should come to the centurion’s home to heal the servant, but the centurion said he didn’t deserve to have Jesus come under his roof. He knew Jesus could JUST SAY THE WORD and his servant would be healed. As a military man, he understood authority, and obviously recognized Jesus’ authority. Jesus was amazed and used this as a teaching moment. He said, “…I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” I wonder how hard this lesson was for the disciples to hear. This man was a Roman! Many Jews missed the appearance of Jesus because they were looking for a warrior to come and deliver them from Roman oppression. And here was Jesus, performing a healing for a Roman centurion. What grace and love the Messiah has for ALL people! Jesus ends the encounter by telling the centurion to go home. “Let it be done for you as you believed it would.” I want that kind of faith! Not the way I’ve been living for years, which is to plan for the worst and hope for the best! I don’t even want to contemplate the worst! I want absolute trust in my Savior!!! The centurion brought his servant to Jesus. Who do you need to bring to Him and how will you do that?
Zooming in a little bit more, Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, where Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever. Jesus touched her hand, the fever left, and she jumped out of bed and began to wait on Him. Peter must have been particularly touched by this. We can only imagine what hospitality was extended until evening came and many people sought Jesus out to heal the demon-possessed and sick. Jesus is the Messiah promised by God and written about in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. How have you responded to Jesus’s miraculous healings in your own life? Salvation is the most miraculous. Have you thanked Him?
Jesus had already healed all the sick, so it was time to disperse the crowd. He “gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.” Along the way, a teacher of the law came to Him, promising to follow Him wherever He goes. Jesus responds by indicating He is homeless on the earth. He knew His true home is heaven. So is ours. Do you feel out of place much of the time? Do you feel like a stranger in your family? Or like an outcast with your “friends”? You’re not alone. Jesus knows this feeling.
Another disciple asks to be allowed to bury his father first. Many scholars indicate that this man’s father was still alive and he was asking Jesus for permission to delay following Him until his father died. Jesus’ response tells me we shouldn’t put off following Him. The time to follow Him is now. As soon as you become aware that following Him is the right thing to do, you need to do it! What are you putting off that you need to just do? What area of service have you been avoiding that you need to engage?
So Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed. He must’ve been worn out from all the walking and meetings and healings, and He must’ve fallen asleep pretty quickly, because Scripture says, “Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake…” Waves were sweeping over the boat. The disciples had to wake Jesus. Maybe it’s just my warped mind, but on the surface, this scene is comical. Waves coming over the boat. Jesus and everyone else are soaked! I’ve seen too many videos of people getting buckets of water or sports drink dumped on them to think you might be able to sleep through that! Healing people must be exhausting! For me, sometimes just being in the same room with people is exhausting… Anyway, the scared disciples wake Jesus so He can save them from drowning. He speaks to them first, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Does this mean faith drives out fear? I think it does! Then, He got up and rebuked the storm and it was completely calm! Scary…and exciting…and thrilling…and mind-blowing! Jesus commands the very elements! If only people were so obedient to Him… What storms has Jesus rebuked in your life? Is Jesus alive and active in your life or does He seem to be sleeping? How will you seek after Him so you can see the finger- and footprints He is leaving all over your life? Where will you pray for Jesus to increase your faith and drive out your fear?
When they got to the other side of the lake, two demon-possessed men met Jesus. Apparently, they were so violent, no one could pass that way. They asked what Jesus wanted with them and asked if He came to torture them “before the appointed time.” So, the demons know that the time is coming…and appeared to suspect the time hadn’t come. Scripture doesn’t say that Jesus responded to their inquiry. It states that there was a large heard of pigs some distance from them, and that the demons begged to be sent into the pigs. Jesus said, “Go!” The demons came out, went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the bank and into the lake and died. Those tending the pigs ran to town and reported what happened to the pigs and the demon-possessed men. The whole town’s response was to ask Jesus to leave. Are there some areas of your life that you would rather Jesus leave alone? What tombs are you clinging to that you should be running away from?
(the homiletics below led to the thoughts above)
Content (not
sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line):
1.J dn mtside, crowds followed; man leprosy cm knelt: if
willing can mk clean(8:1-2)
2.J touched man: I willing, immed cleansed; tell
any1, show priest, offer gift Mos cmd(8:3-4)
3.J entered Capernm, centurion cm: svt home paralyzed; J:
shall I cm heal?(8:5-7)
4.cent: I deserve you cm under roof, just say
word, svt healed; I under authority, sold under me(8:8-9)
5.J amazed: found any1 Is such grt faith;many cm
frm E/W tk plcs @ feast in koh(8:10-11)
6.but subj of kingdm thrown outside, dkness, weeping
gnashing teeth(8:12)
7.J 2 cent: Go, it done as you believes, svt healed that
moment(8:13)
8.J cm P house, m-i-l fever; touched hand, fever left,
she got up wait on Him(8:14-15)
9.eve cm, many demon-poss brought, He drove out spirits,
healed all sick(8:16)
10.fulfill Is:He tk infirmities, bore diseases(8:17)
11.J saw crowd, gv orders cross lake; tol: Tchr I follow
You wherever(8:18-19)
12.J: foxes hv dens, birds hv nests, SoM no place lay
head(8:20)
13.Another disc: 1st let me bury fr; J: follow
me, let dead bury own dead(8:21-22)
14.he got into boat, disc followed; suddenly furious
storm, J sleeping(8:23-24)
15.disc woke Him: save us; you little faith, why afraid,
rebuked winds waves, completely calm(8:25-26)
16.men amazed: what kind man this, even winds waves
obey(8:27)
17.arrived Gadarenes, 2 demon-poss men, so violent no1
could pass; what want w/us SoG(8:28-29)
18.herd pigs; demons begged: send us into pigs; Go, herd
rushed into lake, died water(8:30-32)
19.those tending pigs ran town, reptd this incl what
happened demon-poss men(8:33)
20.whole town pleaded Him leave region(8:34)
Divisions (run-on
sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each
Division – a truth about God, a truth about man, a truth about God’s
relationship to man; a sin to avoid,
promise to trust, example to follow, command to obey, truth to believe):
1.Jesus heals a leper, a Centurion’s servant, Peter’s
mother-in-law and all the demon-possessed and sick brought to Him in Capernaum.
(Mt 8:1-17)
Principle: Jesus
welcomes and heals all who come to Him.
2.Jesus spoke to a teacher of the law and another
disciple, rebuked wind and waves, drove demons into pigs and was asked to leave
the region of the Gadarenes. (Mt 8:18-34)
Principle: Jesus’
call and healing will not be welcomed by everyone.
Subject Sentence (10-word
sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture):
Jesus heals leper, servant, mother-in-law,
demon-possessed and rebukes a storm.
Aim (“To Cause My Audience
To…” Know, See, Learn, Understand, etc.):
TCMATK Jesus came to touch all people with His love.
Application (not
yes or no question. Meant to bring about
heart change):
1.How have you responded to Jesus’ (offer of) healing?
Who do you need to bring to Jesus and how will you get
them to Him?
2.In what way(s) is following Jesus not what you
expected, and how are you dealing with that?
What storms has Jesus rebuked in your life?
What area(s) of your life would you prefer Jesus left
alone?
The Big Idea (author’s
main purpose in writing; the one thing all the other things in the passage is
about; if you couldn’t talk about it, you would still understand the passage is
trying to convey this):
Some want what Jesus offers, some don’t.
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