The Man with Leprosy
1 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Jesus Heals Many
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
The 4 gospels each paint a different picture of Jesus Christ. John emphasizes Jesus as “the Son of God”, Luke focuses on Him being “the Son of Man, Mark shows Him as the “suffering servant”, and Matthew as “the King of the Jews”. In the “beatitudes” Chapter 5 thru 7 Jesus outlines the rules of the “Kingdom of God”, how the people of God should live to a higher law than the Mosaic Law. Now in Chapter 8 He performs a series of action, starting with healings.
1. What is the underlying purpose for these healings and exorcisms?
He is establishing his authority as King. You can’t institute change without authority. When that police officers stops you ask for your license, registration, and proof of insurance, he is wearing a badge, and that badge represents his authority to do whatever it takes to make you comply. If you don’t recognize his authority you end up on that TV show “COPS”.
Matt. 7:28-29And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30–31)
2. At this particular time why is it so important that Jesus establish His authority and credibility?
His teachings were in direct contradiction to the perverted legalism that the religious establishment was imposing on the people.
He’s going up against the “man”. When you go up against “the man” you better be more than just talk.
The religious establishment had a strangle hold on Jewish society. Two religious parties The Pharisees (literally the separated ones) or the (Holy ones), and the Sadducees( the righteous ones ) pretty much decided what was taught in the synagogues, controlled the Priesthood and the Sanhedrin ( the Jewish court system), the temple, and decided how people lived their lives. There are 613 Mitzvot (Commandments) from the Mosaic Law 248 positive mitzvoth, (things you had to do) and 365 negative mitzvoth(things you were forbidden to do) . Next there was the Gezeirah ( geh-zer-raw): A Fence around the TorahThe Pharisees developed the Talmud a system of oral tradition and interoperation of the old testament which led to another layer of rules “halakhah” hall-a-kaw translated “the path that one walks. .
Next there was the Gezeirah ( geh-zer-raw): literally a ( Fence around the Torah)
A gezeirah is a law instituted by the rabbis to prevent people from accidentally violating a Torah mitzvah. For example, theTorah commands us not to work on Shabbat, but a gezeirah commands us not to even touch an implement that you would use to perform prohibited work (such as a pencil, money, a hammer), because someone holding the implement might forget that it was Shabbat and perform prohibited work.
For instance, to carry a burden on the Sabbath Day is to work. But what is a burden has to be defined. So the Scribal Law lays it down that a burden is ‘food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a finger, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a customs house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen’—and so on endlessly. So they spent endless hours arguing whether a man could or could not lift a lamp from one place to another on the Sabbath, whether a tailor committed a sin if he went out with a needle in his robe, whether a woman might wear a brooch or false hair, even if a man might go out on the Sabbath with artificial teeth or an artificial limb, if a man might lift his child on the Sabbath Day. These things to them were the essence of religion. Their religion was a centered around petty rules and regulations.
The Sadducces were the Jewish aristocracy and controlled the Priesthood and much of the Sanhedrin. They were deist who believed that God was not involved in the affairs of men and that morality was pretty much up to the individual. They primarily saw Jesus as a threat to their political power and the status quo which they sought to preserve. They didn’t believe in an afterlife or resurrection of the body, angels, demons, heaven or hell. They believed the soul died with the body.
The Pharisees were popular with the common people, the Sadducees were not.
That’s why they were SAD—— YOU SEE.
“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.Mark 7:6
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves”(Matt 23:15)
Matt. 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Jesus attacked the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. He attacked the Sadducees because of their corruption. The money changers were one of their operations.
3. Chapter 8 starts off with three physical healings. How and why were they different?
a. Leprosy was considered incurable, and lepers unclean and not worthy of help.
b. The second healing was of a gentile, a non Jew considered outside of being blessed by God. Plus He healed the centurion’s servant long distant.
c. Now Peter’s mother-in-law was very sick. The Greek word translated “laying sick” literally means “thrown down” sick. There is a good possibility that she could have died. Mark uses the term literally “to be on fire” with fever in Mark 1:30. Luke calls it a “great fever” in Luke 4:38.
She was a Jewish woman, probably an older widow, another person who would have been considered less valuable. But she was valuable to Jesus and her healing was so complete that she immediately began serving the others.
Also, she was probably not on Jesus agenda for the day. He was going to Peter’s house to “kick back”. He was “off the clock”.
4. Have you ever been in a situation where somebody needs Jesus at an inconvenient time?
5. Is there a spiritual lesson we can see from the way that this woman immediately began to serve others.
A. Have you ever noticed how after people experience the healing power of Jesus, either spiritually of physical, they feel compelled to do something, to serve?
I heard an evangelist talk about how before he came to Christ he had been a Hell’s Angel and did “side jobs” as an “enforcer” for a well know Italian criminal organization. After receiving Christ he felt compelled to preach the gospel. The problem was that he would grab people on the street and preach to them, he would tell them about Moses being swallowed by the whale and Jonah parting of the Red Sea, and if people didn’t convert on the spot, he would beat them up. Eventually he realized he couldn’t beat Jesus into people. Sometimes we want to serve Christ, but we don’t know how.
The news of each one of these miracles would have spread like wildfire throughout the community.
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon- possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
6. The fact that Jesus cast out demonic spirits by just a word tells us what?
A. Jesus has authority over the demonic spirits world.
7. How many of the sick were healed. What does this tell us?
A. All were healed, different from the so called healing services of today. Jesus has total and complete authority over sickness, both physical and mental.
8. What is the significance of the quotation from Isaiah?
It is a Messianic prophecy. One of the identifiers of the coming Messiah is that He would heal the sick. Here we again have another validation of Christ authority to shake things up.
I see Jesus as a revolutionary. The powers “that be” could not allow Him to continue.
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
In verse 18 Jesus commands a strategic retreat. There could possibly have been hundreds or maybe thousands coming with all kinds of maladies. Jesus had a human body. He got tired; he got hungry and thirsty just like we do. He could have been crushed by the crowd or trampled. Sometimes Jesus just had to “get outa Dodge”. Sometimes Jesus withdrew because he was attracting too much attention from the authorities.
19 Then a certain scribe came 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 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
9. What’s up with this section? It almost seems out of place.
A. I think it identifies how easy it is to get carried away by the events of the “moment”.
Matt. 13:20-21 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Even Peter got carried away and bragged about his commitment, and we all know how badly he failed.
Matt. 26:35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You
The second guy identified as a disciple has to go bury his father before he can follow.
Jesus response to his excuse almost seems uncompassionate and insensitive.
10. What do you think?
A. In the Middle East, a man’s obligation to his parents was only superseded by his obligation to God.
There are a couple of possible explanations as to what was going on here.
At that time there was a tradition among the Jews that a year after the death of the father the oldest son was obligated to open the grave, rearrange the bones and then rebury the father. At that point the son was released from all obligations to his father.
The second possibility is that there was a Semitic idiom, an expression “ go and bury my father” which referred to the fact that my father is not dead but I am not free to pursue my own life until my father dies and is buried sometime in the future. It was like saying “I’ll get around to it, someday”.
In any case Jesus knew the man’s heart and called him on the fact that he was making an excuse. The other disciples dropped what they were doing and followed without hesitation.
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
11. What is Matthew’s purpose for including this incident in the boat?
A. It demonstrates Jesus authority of His creation.
John 1:3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made
Php 2:7 But G235 made himself of no reputation,G2758 G1438 and took G2983 upon him the form G3444 of a servant,G1401 and was made G1096 in G1722 the likeness G3667 of men:G444
G2758 G1438 Literally He “emptied Himself”
Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
He is the Creator. He made the entire universe, by speaking it into existence.
He keeps it all running by the “the power of His word”.
Every atom in the universe is being keep together by His will.
Rev. 1: 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Matt. 26: 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 72,000 angels?”
But it’s crucial to understand that Jesus ultimately has all control, and even in the midst of natural disaster not of his making, he is still able move – either to calm the storm or to protect those who call on him during it.
These guys were experienced fisherman who practically lived in boats, and had lived through many a storm. But this storm was life-threatening to a huge degree.
As bodies of (fresh) water in the Middle East go, the Sea of Galilee is quite large. It’s about 12½ miles (20 kilometers) from north to south, and 7½ miles (12 kilometers) east to west at its widest. The Jordan River effectively flows through the Sea of Galilee, entering in the north and exiting in the south.
Matthew calls it a furious storm without warning.
Such storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air.
In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills.
The Sea of Galilee is small, and these winds may descend directly to the center of the lake with violent results. When the contrasting air masses meet, a storm can arise quickly and without warning. Small boats caught out on the sea are in immediate danger.
The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow, just 200 feet at its greatest depth. A shallow lake is “whipped up” by wind more rapidly than deep water, where energy is more readily absorbed.
12. Why is Jesus so critical of the disciples?
He is impatient with their fear. 71 times in the KJV God says “fear not.” If they really understood who He is, no matter what the situation looked like they would not be afraid.
28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they hadcome out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. 33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
13. What’s up with this story?
It gives us insight into the authority that Jesus has over the demons. They recognize Him, they know they have only a limited amount of time before punishment comes.
14. What are demons?
Fallen angels
Rev. 12:7-9And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
15. What does the bible tell us about demons?
Matt. 25:41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
Ephesians 6:12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Satan is called “ the prince of the power of the air,”
They obviously have the ability to posses or inhabit certain people. “My name is Legion: for we are many.
16. Doesn’t it seem strange that there would be a herd of swine in a Jewish area?
Either these pig herders were gentiles, or they were Jews who were illegally raising pigs. In either case, Jesus was dealing with unbelievers. The area of the Gadarenes is the land that the tribe of Gad had been given by Moses. This tribe had never crossed over the river Jordan and entered the promised land. They wanted to stay on the eastside of the Jordan and raise livestock. They did agree to send armed men to fight with Joshua as he invaded the area God told them to inhabit, but they choose to remain somewhat isolated from the main body of the people of God. As a result it would seem that they were heavily influenced by ungodly influences.
17. Why would Jesus pick a place like the Gadarene area to go to?
He knew it was an area under heavy demonic influence. It’s like going to San Francisco.
- ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
- MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
- NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
- JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
- ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- BN …..Barnes Notes
- WBC…… Wycliffe Bible Commentary
- CN …… Constables Notes
- IC……….Ironside Commentary
- NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
- JFB…………..Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
- VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
- CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
- BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
- Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
- Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
- NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and Mark.
“Fair Use “ Notice –Title 17 U.S.C. section 107
The above post may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social justice, for the purpose of historical debate, and to advance the understanding of Christian conservative issues. It is believed that this constitutes a ”fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the Copyright Law. In accordance with the title 17 U.S. C. section 107, the material in this post is shown without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.