Chapter BY Chapter

Matthew 8 – A Day In The Life Of Jesus

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“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.  And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

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“When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”  And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”  But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.  I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

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“And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.  He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.  That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

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“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

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“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.  And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”  And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

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“And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.  And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”  Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.  And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”  And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.  The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.”

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In Matthew chapters 5-7, we saw that Jesus gave his first discourse, The Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus told us what he expects us to do, how he expects us to do it, and why he expects us to do what he tells us to do.  Jesus ends with an analogy for doing what he says.  Those that hear his words and do them are like the wise man that built his house on a rock.  The people are astonished at his teaching because he taught with authority.  Are you astonished with the teachings of Jesus?

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What teaching of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are you most astonished with so far?

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Now in Chapters 8 to 9, we will see some of the actions of Jesus.  We are going to get to look into the daily life of Jesus.  He already healed a multitude of people and preached the 3 chapters recorded in Matthew 5-7.  Now, chapter 5 began with a great crowd following Jesus.  So he went up on the mountain to teach his disciples.  Now, in chapter 8, Jesus comes down from the mountain, and Great crowds are still following him. 

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The next thing that happens is that a leper approaches Jesus in verses 2-4,

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“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

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Now those with skin diseases were called lepers, and they were supposed to live outside the city to avoid spreading their disease.  This leper comes to Jesus, kneels before him and says to Jesus, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 

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What was Jesus’ response?

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Did Jesus say a long prayer? 

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Jesus just reaches out, touches him and says, “I will.  Be clean.”  Instantly, the man is cleansed from his leprosy.  What is the significance of the way this happens?

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Jesus is healing people at his own will.  He doesn’t have to pray.  He doesn’t ask God to heal this man, he just commands it.  What are the implications of this?

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The implication of this is that Jesus heals people by his own will and power.  This necessitates that Jesus is God.

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The Jesus says to the healed leper, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”  Why did Jesus tell him not to say anything to anyone?

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Maybe it was so he would go to the priest first and prove that he has been healed.  Then once that the priest certified that he was healed, anything he told anyone would have more authority.

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Next, Jesus is going to heal a centurion’s servant in verses 5-13,

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“When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,  “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”  And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”  But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.  I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.”

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What are the implications of this healing?

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1. The centurion would have had to of been a Roman.Jesus is healing even the Gentiles.

2. Once again, Jesus gives the command and the healing instantly takes place.

   • Psalm 107:20, “He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.”

3. Jesus doesn’t have to be present for the healing to take place.He is present everywhere, or he has angelic servants that go and do his bidding.

4. Notice the words that Jesus uses, “Let it be done” are similar to the words of the creation story where God just says, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal,” and it is so.

 

So, do you think Jesus is going to get any rest?  Maybe he can go stay at Peter’s house and get some rest.  Verses 14-17,

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“And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.  That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

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Did Jesus get any rest yet? 

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Nope. They brought many to him that were sick.

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Once again, Matthew’s thesis is proven through prophesy.  Matthew quotes from Isaiah 53:4.  We will see more of Isaiah 53 coming true in the gospel of Matthew as well. 

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There is still a crowd around Jesus.  What will it take for Jesus to get some rest?  Maybe if he goes over to the other side of the lake.  Verses 18-22,

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“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.  And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

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So even as Jesus is escaping the crowd to get some rest, he is hammered with people requesting to follow him.  But the idea of following Jesus isn’t so easy.  You may not have a place to lay your head and you may not have time even for your own father’s funeral. 

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Hey!  Maybe Jesus can take a nap in the boat!  Let’s see!  Verses 23-27,

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“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.  And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”  And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

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Now what are the implications of this?!?!

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1. Jesus still can’t get any sleep.

2. He just rebukes the wind and the waves and there is a great calm.Even the weather obeys him.Weathermen have been trying to reproduce this miracle for 2,000 years and not succeeding.In 1950, some scientists said that by the year 2,000 we would be able to control the weather.They still can’t do it.

3. So, not only does Jesus have authority and power over disease, but also over nature.

 

Now Jesus is going to get to the other side of the lake (or Sea of Galilee).  Maybe he will finally get some rest.  Verses 28-34,

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“And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.  And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”  Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.  And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”  And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.  The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.”

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So, this country of the Gadarenes is on the East side of the Sea of Galilee.  It is a Greek settlement area at the time of Jesus.  Two demon possessed men come out of the tombs and are so fierce that no one could pass by them.  Just when we thought Jesus was finally going to get some rest.  Notice what they cry out.  “What have you to do with us, O Son of God?  Have you come to torment us before the time?”  First notice that they call Jesus the Son of God.  They have no doubt who Jesus is.  The second part is better translated, “Have you come before the time to torment us?”  This is definitely the demons speaking through these men.  The demons know that there is a time of torment set aside for them.  They know that this time is yet in the distant future.  They ask if he has come early.  The demons do not know God’s full plan or his purposes because they do not know God.  The demons ask if Jesus is going to cast them out to cast them into the herd of pigs.  Jesus says one word, “Go.”  The demons come out of the men, and go into the pigs.  The pigs then rushed down a steep embankment and into the sea and drowned. 

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Now, had Jesus achieved such a miracle today, He would have been in deep trouble. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. Then the SPCA & PETA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Then the Livestock Association and consumer groups would have been greatly distressed over the sudden decrease in the pig population and the resulting impact on pork prices.

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The real dilemma is this: the wanton destruction of other people’s property is a misdemeanor of evil example.  Did Jesus knowingly and purposely destroy the property of others? 

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First, Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.  Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons.  Jesus gave the city a much more valuable gift – the restoration of the men that were demon possessed.  Furthermore, to think that Jesus was malicious in any way takes a number of assumptions. We can just as well assume that there was a good reason for the way this turned out.  The Jews considered pigs as unclean.  There was a good reason for the pigs to be considered as unclean.  Pigs are prone to a number of diseases and conditions such as worms.  I have known some pig farmers and Federal law requires them to put antibiotics and other drugs in their feed to prevent these diseases and conditions.  Jesus could have known that these pigs were diseased and permitted the demons to go into them knowing the outcome to save the city from being killed by a disease the pigs had.  It is only fair to give Jesus the benefit of the doubt. 

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What other implications does the exorcism of these demon possessed men have?

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1. Jesus has authority and power over demons.

2. Jesus does not have to pray to cast out demons.He only has to say a one word command.

 

The herdsmen flee and tell everything to the whole city.  So the whole city comes out to meet Jesus and they beg him to leave their region.  So much for Jesus to get some rest.  By this time, the sunrise is now coming up.  Will Jesus ever get any sleep?  This story is to be continued…

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Song: Wind And Waves by Kellie & Kristen