Matthew 8: Restoration through God’s Word

​When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean. ”And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 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.”

The Faith of a Centurion
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 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. 9 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.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israe have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 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.

Jesus Heals Many
14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 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. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus
18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 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.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 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. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons
28 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. 29 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?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 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. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

​Meditation
Jesus restores with the power of His word. After three chapters of teaching the word (5-7), King Jesus works miracles by the power of His word to both authenticate Himself as Divine and His message as Divine revelation.
 
The authority of King Jesus is revealed by His word- a single word. One word (in Greek) cures the leper (1-4)- “be clean.” The centurion understands Jesus’ authority and requests Jesus to “Say the word” for Jesus to heal his servant (5-13). From love, Jesus speaks the healing word the centurion requested (13). The healing word of Jesus restores Peter’s mother-in-law (16), stills the storm to give peace to the disciples (26), expels demons to restore men (31-32), and even forgives sins (9:2). The authority of Jesus’ word rules over everything and everyone, an invitation to all of us who need restoration.
 
Jesus welcomes everyone who comes to Him (16), taking upon His own body humanity’s “illnesses” and “diseases” to reveal God’s love and fulfill God’s word (17, Isaiah 53:4). God’s word from the past and His word made flesh is authoritative for all people in all history who believe, from Roman soldiers to a Jewish mother-in-law of an erratic disciple.
 
The word and work of Jesus must be the focus of our faith as we look for healing, hope, forgiveness, and freedom. Responding as a disciple to the authority and grace of Jesus will cost us everything (18-22). But seeing the majesty of Jesus’ word and work will make our hearts sing. The authority of Jesus’ word will redeem all He has allowed.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from this passage, especially in regards to the power of the word of Jesus?
 
-Why is it significant that the miracles of Jesus authenticate Jesus as God’s messenger and His message as God’s word? How does this invite you to trust Him and His authority?
 
-Where do you need to welcome the healing power of the word of Jesus in your life by trusting the word of Jesus? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
8 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.