Matthew 8
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
A. \\#Matt 1:1-2:23\\ The Offering of the King
1. \\#1:1-17\\ The King is Offered to the Reader
2. \\#1:18-25\\ The King Is Offered to Joseph
3. \\#2:1-12\\ The King Is Offered to the East
4. \\#2:13-23\\ The King Is Offered to Herod
B. \\#Matt 3:1-17\\ The Announcement of the King
1. Announced by John
2. Announced by the Father
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
A. \\#Matt 4:1-4:29\\ Powerful but humble
1. \\#4:1-11\\ Powerful but humble before Satan.
2. \\#4:12-17\\ Powerful but humble before government.
3. \\#4:18-22\\ Powerful but humble in the selection of His
disciples.
4. \\#4:23-25\\ Powerful but humble in ministry.
B. \\#Matt 5:1-7:29\\ Wise and Godly
1. \\#5:1-2\\ The Setting
2. \\#5:3-12\\ Be All You Can Be
3. \\#5:13-16\\ Do the Work
4. \\#5:17-19\\ Honor the Law
5. \\#5:20-6:18\\ Do It Better-Grace Always Exceeds the Law.
a. \\#5:21-48\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with people.
(1) \\#5:21-22\\ Keep It Civil
(2) \\#5:23-26\\ Make It Right
(3) \\#5:27-32\\ Keep It Pure
(4) \\#5:29-30\\ Control Your Vessel
(5) \\#5:31-32\\ Make It Work
(6) \\#5:33-37\\ Keep It True
(7) \\#5:38-42\\ Go the Second Mile
(8) \\#5:43-48\\ Love Them Anyway
b. \\#6:1-18\\ Grace exceeds the Law in our dealings with God.
(1) \\#6:1-4\\ Give unto God Alone
(2) \\#6:5-15\\ Pray unto God Alone
(3) \\#6:16-18\\ Fast unto God Alone
6. \\#6:19-34\\ Invest For Eternity
a. \\#19-20\\ An Investment Strategy
b. \\#21-24\\ Investment Truths
c. \\#25-34\\ Trust God Alone
7. \\#7:1-6\\ Don’t Judge
8. \\#7:7-11\\ Pray without Giving Up and Doubting
9. \\#7:12\\ Do Right by Others
10. \\#7:13-14\\ Walk through the Right Door
11. \\#7:15-20\\ Watch for False Professors
12. \\#7:21-23\\ Be Careful You Are Not A False Possessor
13. \\#7:24-27\\ Be Certain You Respond Wisely
14. \\#7:28-29\\ Closing
III. \\#8:1-11:1\\ The Power of the King
A. \\#Matt 8:1-39\\ Jesus’ Power and the Common People
1. \\#8;1\\ The Multitudes
2. \\#8:2-4\\ The Willingness of Jesus
3. \\#8:5-13\\ The Conduit of Jesus’ Power
4. \\#8:14-15\\ The Compassion of Jesus
5. \\#8:16\\ The Power of Jesus over Disease
6. \\#8:17\\ The Cost of the Power
7. \\#8:18-22\\ The Sacrifice of Jesus and His disciples
8. \\#8:23-27\\ The Power of Jesus over Nature
9. \\#8:28-34\\ The Power of Jesus over Demons
B. \\#Matt 9:1-42\\ Jesus’ Power and the Religious People
C. \\#Matt 10:1-11:1\\ Jesus’ Power and the Disciples
This entire section demonstrates Jesus’ power. We will see His power over
disease, nature, demons, and so forth. However, Jesus shows us His power by
working with and around different groups of people. First, the emphasis is on
Jesus working around the common people.
I. \\#Matt 8:1-39\\ Jesus’ Power and the Common People
A. \\#8:1\\ "great multitudes followed him."
1. Matthew has not attempted to give a completed chronology of Jesus’
life, but rather to present Jesus’ credentials as the Jewish King.
2. For that reason, Matthew has taken us from the baptism of Jesus to
the time of His popularity with very little details of what happened
in between. Now, he gives several chapters describing what Jesus
did and the various people groups response to that power.
3. As Matthew describes Jesus’ ministry to the people, he selects and
shares several events which tell us what kind of King Jesus is.
4. As a reminder, Matthew gave a summary statement of Jesus’ healing
ministry in \\#Matt 4:23-25\\.
B. \\#8:2-4\\ The Willingness of Jesus
1. As Jesus is moving about, a leper comes to worship Jesus and request a
favor of the King.
a. The fact that the leper is worshipping the Lord indicates he knows
who Jesus is.
b. The fact that the leper is asking for a healing indicates he knows
what Jesus can do.
2. \\#2\\ "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
a. The leper had no doubt of Jesus’ ability.
(1) He did wonder about His willingness.
(2) This is the same question that modern-day Christians sometimes
have when they have a spiritual need.
b. \\#3\\ "I will; be thou clean."
(1) The leper had no need to fear. The Lord was willing.
(2) I suspect that our Lord is much more willing to give us His
goodness than we suspect.
(3) It is interesting that of all those who came to Jesus in His
earthly ministry, not one believing soul was turned away
without the healing they sought.
3. As a footnote, leprosy is often a picture of man’s sinfulness. The
leper came wanting to be cleansed but wondered if Jesus was willing to
cleanse and forgive him. He found that Jesus was more than able and
willing. So will every sinner who comes to Jesus. He that was willing
to die for sin is certainly willing to apply that payment to any who
will seek it.
C. \\#8:5-13\\ The Conduit of Jesus’ Power-Anywhere faith will take it.
1. As Jesus enters Capernaum, a centurion seeks a miracle.
2. \\#5\\ "Capernaum" - A city on the northern coast of the Sea of
Galilee. This city will become Jesus’ headquarters.
3. "a centurion" - A Roman soldier in charge of 100 men.
4. \\#6\\ "My servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented."
a. COMPASSION - This centurion was unique in several ways. One is
that he had such care for a servant that he came to seek out
Jesus. He did not send another, but came himself. This man not
only had wisdom but compassion.
b. "palsy" - Some type of paralysis. In this case, the nerve damaged
caused the servant to suffer extreme pain for he was greatly
tormented.
5. \\#7\\ "I will come and heal him."
a. Again, we see Jesus’ willing heart.
b. It should be noted that the man making the request was a Gentile.
While it is possible that the servant was Jewish, we still see
that our Lord was as willing to serve the Gentiles as the Jews.
6. \\#8-9\\ "…speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed."
a. Here again this centurion’s character is seen.
b. \\#8\\ HUMILITY - "I am not worthy" - This Gentile knew that he
was in the presence of someone mightier than he. Considering
his next statements, it would seem that he knew he was in the
presence of God.
c. FAITH - "…speak…, and my servant shall be healed." - This man
had great faith. He understood that if Jesus was God, He would
not have to physically attend to his servant’s need. But this
was not just head knowledge for the centurion. He believed
enough to speak up even after Jesus had offered to come.
d. \\#9\\ WISDOM - "For I am a man under authority"
(1) This man was wise enough to understand why he should have
faith.
(2) As a soldier, he both knew how to follow the orders of those
who were over him as well as, the duty of those under him to
follow his orders.
(3) Seeing this order in military life, the centurion expected as
much order in the kingdom of God.
(4) This Gentile centurion was one of the first and the few who
recognized what a loving God dwelling among mankind could
actually mean to a hurting people.
7. \\#10-12\\ "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled…"
a. \\#10\\ "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."
(1) The fact that Jesus marvelled does not mean He was less than
God.
(a) It is recognized that Jesus did not make use of those
divine attributes which were naturally His but relied
on the Holy Ghost.
(b) It is also recognized that the Holy Ghost did not reveal
all things to Jesus.
i. \\#Mark 5;31\\ - Jesus did not know who touched
Him.
ii. \\#Matt 24:35-36\\ - It appears that Jesus is
saying that He did not know when He would return.
(2) Jesus praises the centurion’s faith as the greatest He had
seen in all of Israel.
b. \\#12\\ "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into
outer darkness"
(1) Contrasting this Gentile’s faith to the faith of the Jews gave
Jesus an opportunity to make a prophecy; namely, that the
Jews would ultimately reject Him causing the damnation of
many generations.
(2) Of this prophecy we see…
(a) \\#11\\ "Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob" shall be in the
kingdom of heaven.
(b) "many shall come from the east and west" to "sit down
with…" the patriarchs. This is a reference to
Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles (the church0 shall be
in the kingdom of heaven.
(c) \\#12\\ Sadly, "the children of the kingdom" (the Jews)
"shall be weeping and gnashing… teeth."
8. \\#13\\ "…as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee…"
a. There is something to the doctrine of having faith and receiving a
blessing.
b. Jesus’ statement would indicate that the centurion would receive
only in relationship to his faith. This statement indicates that
had the centurion not truly believed, he would not have received
anything.
c. "And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." But the man did
believe. He had such confidence that his servant was healed
within the hour.
D. \\#8:14-16\\ The Compassion of Jesus
1. \\#14-15\\ As Jesus travels with His disciples, He enters Peter’s
house and heals Peter’s mother-in-law.
a. This account is so short with so little detail that it is almost
overlooked.
b. Yet, it has significance for several reasons.
2. It shows a concerned Master.
a. Jesus was concerned for all.
b. That includes both the common people and women.
3. It shows a complete work. When she was healed, she was immediately able
to get up and go back to her work.
4. It shows a servant’s companion.
a. Peter was married. He had to be to have a mother-in-law.
b. While that is not surprising, it along with many other Scriptures
demonstrates that God uses married men and women. It is well
known that some religious orders mandate celibacy for their
leaders. There is no Biblical reason for any to do so. In fact,
the opposite is true.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober,
of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
E. \\#8:16\\ The Power of Jesus over Disease
1. \\#16\\ "they brought unto him many"
a. That evening, many more people were brought to Jesus. This event is
reminiscent of \\#Matthew 4:23-25\\ and shows that ordinary people
had opportunity to come to Jesus.
b. Those who were brought had a variety of conditions.
(1) Some were "possessed with devils." Those Jesus "cast out."
(2) Others were "sick." Those he "healed."
2. Jesus demonstrates His power over all diseases. There was none that
Jesus could not heal.
F. \\#8:17\\ The Cost of the Power
1. The power to remove sin was not free. It required a payment.
a. Sickness and infirmities are part of death.
b. Death is due to sin.
c. For the sickness to be removed, a payment must be made.
2. "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
a. A quote from:
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
b. Jesus put the payment for these healings on His account.
3. Isaiah indicates that while Jesus’ death was payment for our salvation,
His extra sufferings were payment for our healings.
a. All the Law required for salvation was death.
b. The sacrificial system of the Law demonstrates a merciful, quick
death for the sacrifice. Jesus’ death was anything but that.
c. Why the extra suffering? Perhaps it was the payment for the
healings given—both when Jesus walked the earth and since.
d. If so, for each healing Jesus has granted, an extra pain may have
been inflicted upon our Lord.
4. Jesus both paid for salvation and healing.
a. While salvation is eternal, healing that we receive in this life is
just temporary for "corruptible must put on incorruption."
(1) No physical healing given in this life is going to last.
(2) Even those who were raised from the dead had to die again.
(3) The ultimate and only true healing for the believer is a
glorified body in the eternal resurrection.
b. It may also be that while the efficacious blood of Christ has power
to save all from their sins for all eternity, that as Jesus
suffered a limited number of stripes, so only a limited number of
healings will be granted.
c. Paul may have alluded to this as well.
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is
behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the
church:
(1) Paul seems to be saying that some suffering was left "behind."
(2) He was seems to be saying that he is glad to be able to bear
that suffering for them.
G. \\#8:18-22\\ The Sacrifice of Jesus and His disciples
1. \\#18\\ "Now when Jesus saw great multitudes… he gave commandment to
depart…."
a. It is often asked why did Jesus command those who benefited from
His power not to tell what had happened.
b. I believe there may be a relationship to that answer and what Jesus
does here, leaving when the crowd gets large.
c. It is possible that Jesus did not want the crowds getting "out of
hand" and attempting to force Him to be their King.
(1) As more and more people recognized the power that was Jesus’,
it would be likely that sooner or later, they would want to
install Jesus as King, especially as some became convinced
that Jesus was indeed their Messiah.
(2) But before Jesus can be the King that reigns, He must be the
Lamb dies; and even more, that death must be as the
prophecies proclaimed.
(3) Those prophecies do not include Messiah leading a revolt and
rebellion.
d. It is probable that when Jesus sensed (or knew) that the crowds
would start to revolt, He simply left.
e. It is also possible that Jesus commanded those He healed not to
tell of it to limit the news of His abilities.
(1) Jesus did not come to promote His healing ministry.
(2) He came to make the payment for sin, and that can only be
secured by faith.
2. \\#19\\ "Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest."
a. The Bible does not tell us who this man was only that he was a
"certain scribe"; that is, one of the religious order responsible
for copying the Scriptures.
b. His statement would indicate that he was a believer.
c. Jesus’ response may indicate that the scribe was not sincere in his
commitment to follow Jesus, but it may also be that Jesus used
this man’s true expression of surrender to warn others of the high
price required to follow.
3. \\#20-22\\ What must a disciple of Jesus being willing to do without?
a. The short answer is the same things Jesus did without.
b. Matthew gives us two examples.
(1) \\#20\\ "the Son of man hath not where to lay his head"
(a) While "foxes have holes" and "birds have nests," the God
of heaven and earth had no house, no room, no bed, and
no pillow on which to lay His head.
(b) While not all earthly comforts are evil, they are
comforts which the Lord did without.
(c) Jesus did without earthly comforts and the disciple is
not promised any.
(d) This is a cost which must be counted before one enters
the ministry. It is better to never enter the ministry
than to enter and leave because of weak dedication for
the Master.
(2) \\#21-22\\ "let the dead bury their dead."
(a) Another "disciple" offers to follow Jesus but first
desires permission to bury his father.
(b) Some have speculated that the disciple’s father was still
alive but aged and frail. This is logical in that it was
the culture of this land to bury the dead on the day of
their death. If the man’s father had died that day, he
probably would not have been in this crowd but would have
been preparing the body for burial. Most likely, what
this man was offering was to follow Jesus WHEN his father
passed away.
(c) Jesus rejects this man’s offer for the kingdom of God
cannot wait.
(d) Certainly there is duty to family. The Bible commands it;
however, the work of God’s kingdom cannot be placed
second.
(e) If a man or woman has obligations other than Christ which
demand their allegiance, the work of God will have to
go on without them.
(f) It is for his very reason the Apostle Paul encouraged his
readers not to seek marriage and the responsibilities
that come with it.
1Cor 7:32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried
careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he
may please his wife.
H. \\#8:23-27\\ The Power of Jesus over Nature
1. \\#23\\ The Location
a. "he was entered into a ship"
b. Jesus and the disciples entered a ship on the Sea of Galilee.
2. \\#24-26\\ The Conditions
a. \\#24\\ The Storm - "there arose a great tempest in the sea"
b. The Ship - "the ship was covered with the waves"
c. The Savior - "he was asleep" - It is obvious that the Lord was not
concerned about danger of the storm or the condition of the ship.
d. \\#25-26\\ The Servants - It is obvious by their actions and Jesus’
rebuke that the disciples were afraid of perishing. They thought
their ship was about to sink.
3. \\#25\\ The Cry
a. "Lord, save us; we perish."
b. It is always right to cry unto the Lord when we are afraid or
troubled.
4. \\#26\\ The Calm - Calm was given to the storm and the servants!
a. "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith"
(1) This is Jesus calming the servants.
(2) While the words may sound like a rebuke, they are intended
to teach the disciples that even nature obeys the will of
God when commanded in faith.
(3) But why would nature ever be OUT of the will of God?
(a) It cannot, but God can send a storm for no other purpose
but to demonstrate His power and the power of faith.
(b) This would not just be storms of nature but also storms
of sickness, adverse circumstances, and even the threat
of death.
(c) IMPORTANT LESSON - We should not simply ACCEPT the
circumstances as being the will of God. Sometimes,
the circumstances are send to demonstrate God’s power!
(d) The goal of the Christian is to be so in-tune with God
that we can discern the difference!
b. "Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea…."
(1) This is Jesus calming the storm.
(2) Jesus is Lord and Master even over nature!
5. \\#27\\ The Conclusion
a. "the men marvelled" - And who would not??
b. "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey
him?" He is no mere man, but God in man’s flesh!
I. \\#8:28-34\\ The Power of Jesus over Demons
1. \\#28\\ The Country - "the country of the Gergesenes"
a. Also called the country of the Gadarenes \\#Mark 5:1, Luke 8:26\\.
b. A city along the Sea of Galilee, supposed to be on the south-
western bank, in the area known as Decapolis during Jesus’ time.
c. In the Greek, "deca" means 10 and "polis" means city. So Decapolis
meant a region with 10 cities.
d. Although the land was once home to the half tribe of Manasseh, it
had fallen under pagan influence long ago. In Jewish tradition,
the region was known as "the land of the seven," representing the
seven pagan nations driven from Israel in Joshua’s day. Jews
believed the area was dominated by the devil.
http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=2101
e. All of that would make the city primarily Gentile, not Jewish.
f. The western bank of the River Jordan quickly rises into rough,
mountainous terrain.
2. The Custom - "coming out of the tombs" - Because of the rocky ground,
tombs were normally either natural or man-made caves. This
mountainous region would be idea for burials.
3. The Captives - "there met him two possessed with devils… exceedingly
fierce, so that no man might pass that way."
a. These men were captives to the demons.
b. Of their own state, little is said in this passage.
(1) They are said to be "fierce." The word means savage, harsh,
dangerous.
(2) It is implied that because of them, "no man might pass by
that way," indicating that they would attack anyone who
attempted to do so.
c. \\#Mark 5:1-5\\ gives more of a description, although it only
speaks of one man.
(1) It is possible that while two men made their habitat in that
area, only one came to Jesus or one came at first and the
other followed later.
(2) \\#Mk 5:3\\ "no man could bind him, no not with chains" - He
was extremely strong.
(3) \\#Mk 5:4\\ "neither could any man tame him" - The phrase
hints that some had tried to help the man take control of his
senses but could not.
(4) \\#Mk 5:5\\ "…always, night and day"
(a) "in the tombs" - He always lived in or around the dead.
(b) "crying" - He was always sad, in great pain, or both.
(c) "cutting himself with stones" - He was always hurting
himself and mutilating himself.
4. \\#29\\ Their Cry - Because of the last part of this statement, it seems
certain that the demons were conversing through the men.
a. "Jesus, thou Son of God" - The demons would certainly know Jesus for
they are spirit beings and know the truth even though they do not
obey it. This recognition could have been shared with the men the
demons possessed.
b. "What have we to do with thee?"
(1) The demons not only knew Jesus but knew they were unworthy to
be in His presence.
(2) If the pitiful and possessed men had this thought, they
would have a pleasant surprise ahead of them for they will
find that Jesus had come to seek out the unworthy.
c. "art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"
(1) This aspect of the conversations indicates more than any other
that the demons were speaking through the men.
(2) These demons know their future is to cast into the torments of
damnation. They supposed that Jesus had come to cast them
into hell early.
5. \\#30-32\\ The Casting Out
a. \\#30\\ "head of many swine feeding" - Since Decapolis was
primarily Gentile at this time, it is not surprising that swine
were there in abundance.
b. \\#31\\ "So the devils besought him… suffer us to go away into the
herd of swine." Here we learn something of the nature of demons.
(1) They ask for mercy.
(a) Demons disobey God, but they are not stupid. They know
that their very existence is dependent upon God’s mercy,
and they are not too proud to ask for more.
(b) Is it not strange that these demons ask for a mercy that
they will never give? Such is the way of the demonic
world and may help to explain why God tells us that we
must give mercy in order to receive it \\#Matt 6:15\\.
(2) \\#32\\ Being granted mercy, they then kill the very herd
that they had requested to inhabit.
(a) Perhaps that was their means of exiting the pigs so that
they could seek a new human host.
(b) Or perhaps demons are just so evil that they kill and
destroy everything and everyone with which they come
into contact.
6. \\#33-34\\ The Conclusion
a. Concerning the men of the city - They "besought him (Jesus) that he
would depart out of their coasts."
(1) Perhaps they had combined their herds or maybe they feared a
repeat which might later cost them their herds. Whatever the
reason, the city thought it in their financial interests to
invite Jesus to leave.
(2) One wonders if they considered the help that had been given to
the demon possessed man.
b. Concerning the men that were possessed
(1) Matthew tells us nothing of what happened to them after the
demons left them.
(2) Mark tells us that at least one of the demon-possessed men was
completely healed.
Mark 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil,
and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were
afraid.
(3) We would supposed that if both men were freed of the demons,
both would have been completely healed but it is possible
that only one elected to be healed or that only one came back
to sit at Jesus’ feet.
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