Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Matthew 8:3 NLT
We are continuing our walk through the book of Matthew this evening, and we are going to cover an entire chapter. Read Matthew 8, and I will share my thoughts with you on this chapter.
When Jesus finished teaching, He came down from the mountain and began performing miracles and healing many. The first miracle occurred when a man with leprosy knelt down before Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched the man and said, “I am willing.” He then instantly cured the man’s leprosy.
I am impressed by three things here. First, the man realized he was a helpless case on his own, and he knew that Christ could heal even the worst of diseases. He knew just where to go, and he wasn’t afraid to approach Jesus and ask for exactly what he needed. Similarly, we must approach God with our needs and ask specifically in prayer.
Secondly, Jesus reached out and touched a man with leprosy. Leprosy was the vilest and most dreaded disease of the time, and it was extremely contagious; yet, Jesus reached out in love, past the leprosy, straight to the man’s heart. Jesus is not grossed out at the thought of touching us in our most repugnant of situations either.
Lastly, faith does not mean that if we believe hard enough for the thing we want that we will get it. Some might fault this man’s faith for saying, “If you will,” but he respected the sovereignty of God. We know God can, and we know He desires to make us whole. However, He is sovereign, and His ways are higher than ours. Whether He answers our prayers in the way we want Him to or not, that does not change His sovereignty or supremacy. However, to limit God by expecting Him to work only in the way we have boxed Him in, and then to fall apart when it doesn’t happen, shows immature faith. Mature faith holds on to belief in God and remains in awe of Him no matter the outcome of our prayers. Our faith will make us whole, but we need to trust God in the process of How He will make it happen.
In verses 5-13, a Roman Centurion approaches Jesus and demonstrates faith to another degree. His servant was paralyzed, and he had come to Jesus for help. However, when Jesus offered to return with him, the centurion stopped him and said it wasn’t necessary. He explained that all Jesus needed to do was to say the word, and his servant would be healed. He understood authority well since he, himself, was in a position of authority. Jesus was astonished at such faith! Oh what we can learn as we contemplate the authority of Christ and His name that He has given to us. We cannot even fathom the depth and the height and the vastness of the authority in the name of Jesus!
Jesus proceeds to heal Peter’s mother-in-law in verses 14 and 15, and then He cast out numerous demons in verse 16. He healed all that were sick and fulfilled the words of Isaiah that said, “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
At this point, Jesus was preparing to cross to the other side of the lake. When one teacher of the law approached him and promised to follow Him wherever He would go, Jesus gave him a quick speech about the cost of following Him. It isn’t just about being a fan of the newest teacher on the block, it is about giving our all. Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Jesus wasn’t saying “Feel sorry for pitiful ol’ me. I have nowhere to lay my little head.” No, He was saying the opposite. Following Christ does not afford comfort or convenience. There will be much to sacrifice. His mission is much greater than fulfilling our cravings or comforts.
Jesus added to this when the man said he needed to bury his father first. It may have been that he was making excuses for not following Christ right away. He had a stirring in his heart for following Christ, but he wasn’t committed all the way yet. When Jesus replied, “Let the dead bury their own dead,” he was telling the man not to allow anything, even family responsibility, to stand in the way of total obedience and commitment to Him. That is the cost of truly following Christ.
Let that speak to our hearts. Are we making excuses for why we are holding back a portion of ourselves from God? Have we considered the cost? Faith is great for when we are seeking Christ for our needs to be met, but where is our faith for being wholly devoted followers of Christ? Let us count the cost and willingly surrender that last piece of our hearts that we are holding back.
In verses 23-27, I find it so interesting that after Jesus commended many for their faith, his own disciples had a major crisis of faith. As they crossed to the other side of the lake, a terrible storm came and threatened to take them under. When they found Jesus asleep, they became hysterical and began shouting, “Lord, save us!” Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and for being so afraid. He then simply spoke to the winds and waves to be calm. Immediately, the storm ceased. The people were amazed that even the winds and waves would obey the command of Jesus.
We have heard this account many times, but we may have lost the magnitude of this story. Let us be reminded of the wonder of the authority and the might of Jesus. He has the power to merely speak the word, just as He did for the centurion’s servant, and just as He did for the storm, and nature has to line up to His Word. There is no question about it! When we are overwhelmed by the storms of life, Jesus can speak to our situations too! Don’t lose your faith or your confidence in Jesus when you need Him most!
The chapter concludes with the story of Jesus casting the demons out of the two men on the other side of the lake and sending them into a herd of pigs. We can learn from this encounter that first of all, Jesus was not the one afraid, but the demons were petrified of Him. Secondly, we learn that demons are subject to the authority of Jesus and have to obey. When Satan or his minions try to intimidate us, we need to remember the power and authority of this very same Jesus who lives within us. We have the Spirit of Christ, and demons shudder at the very mention of His name! Satan has no power in our lives unless we give it to him. Don’t be afraid to take your stand by the power and the authority of the One who holds all power and authority!
