Matthew
8:1-22
Lesson 14
8:1-22
Lesson 14
Matthew 8:1-22
Jesus heals 1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. 18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. |
Margin notes:
"When he was come down from the mountain." (8:1) - Jesus left the mountain after giving the Sermon on the Mount. "There came a leper and worshipped him." (8:2) - "A leper approached Jesus and bowed down before Him." Leprosy is a highly contagious skin and nerve disease that causes disfigurement. There are several forms of leprosy, some more contagious than others. Leprosy is transmitted through personal contact and can incubate for up to thirty years. Few people recovered from leprosy, and it often led to paralysis, gangrene, amputation, and death. In Jesus' time leprosy was considered a punishment from God, and lepers were treated cruelly. Lepers were banished from society (Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:2-3) and kept at a distance. Today, leprosy is commonly called Hansen's disease. If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (8:2) - The leper believed Jesus could heal him but was unsure if He would. For an additional account refer to Mark 1:40-44. "Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him.." (8:3) - Since lepers were shunned by society, onlookers would have been shocked to see Jesus touch one (Luke 5:13). According to Jewish law, touching a leper made you ceremonially unclean. Jesus could have healed this man with just a word, but by touching the leper, He demonstrated His deep love and compassion. "Tell no man." (8:4) - Jesus instructed the cured leper not to share how he was healed. Jesus wanted the focus to be on His message and not on His miracles. Unfortunately, the leper did not listen (Mark 1:45). "Shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded." (8:4) - The Mosaic Law required recovered lepers to present an offering of two birds to a priest (Leviticus 14:3-4). Lepers were considered clean only after a priest declared them so (Leviticus 13:1-46; 14:2-32; Luke 5:13-14). This was called "the law of the leper." "Centurion." (8:5) - A Roman army officer commanding one hundred men. "Beseeching." (8:5) - Means "Pleading." "Sick of the palsy." (8:6) - "Paralyzed." "Verily." (8:10) - "Truly." "Many shall come from the east and west." (8:11) - "Many will come from all over the world." The "many" refers to Gentiles sharing in God's salvation. "The children of the kingdom." (8:12) - Jews. "In the selfsame hour." (8:13) - "At that very same hour." "His wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever." (8:14) - The story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law is confirmed in Mark 1:29-31 and Luke 4:38-39. "When the even was come" (8:16) - "When evening had come." "They brought unto him many that were possessed." (8:16) - This story is also told in Mark 1:32:34. "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias." (8:17) - Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Esaias (Isaiah) wrote that the coming Messiah would bear our grief and carry our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). "Depart unto the other side." (8:18) - "Go to the other side (of the Sea of Galilee)." "I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." (8:19) - "I will follow you wherever you go." Luke 9:57-60 also tells this story. "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests." (8:20) - Jesus' words can also found in Luke 9:57-62. "The Son of man." (8:20) - Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man" eighty-three times in the four Gospels. "Suffer me first to go and bury my father." (8:21) - "Allow me to bury my father first." Since Jews were required to bury the dead before sunset, this man's father was probably still alive. With all the preparations that needed to be made, it is doubtful he would be visiting Jesus if his father had died that day. In Jesus' day, "let me bury my father first," was the same as saying, "I'll do it later." It was the procrastinator's way of putting things off. This man was invited to follow Jesus and told the Messiah, "some other time." "Follow me." (8:22) - Jesus repeatedly invites us to follow Him (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 9:59; John 1:43; 21:19). "Let the dead bury their dead." (8:22) - Jesus is talking about the spiritually dead. |