Thursday, January 9, 2014

Matthew 8:5-34

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. 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.” 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.” 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?” 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.


a centurion - "A Roman army officer who commanded 100 men." (Ryrie)

"Though only a subordinate officer subject to his superiors, he had authority over his soldiers; and, if he had only to issue his commands and they were executed, might not Jesus, whom he recognized as the Lord of all principalities and powers, do the like and much more?  There was not need for Him to approach the sufferer; let Him but speak the word, and ministering angels would hasten to fulfill it." (Pentecost)

a man under authority - "If a lesser officer can give orders, certainly Christ, who possesses all authority, can." (Ryrie)

many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven - "Gentiles will be included in the blessings of the millennial reign of Christ on this earth." (Ryrie)

sons of the kingdom  - Jews

He touched her hand - "Jesus left the synagogue with James and John and went to the home of Peter and Andrew.  The mother of Peter's wife was sick.  Luke the physician noted that she had had a high fever, using a Greek tense that stressed its continuous, and perhaps chronic, nature.  She was seriously ill.  In keeping with his portrait of Jesus as a Servant, Mark said, 'He ... took her hand' (Mark 1:31).  Matthew,  in keeping with his portrait of Christ as King, said Jesus 'touched her' (Matt 8:15).  Luke simply recorded that Jesus 'bent over her' (Luke 4:39)." (Pentecost)

she rose and began to serve him - "Served Him food." (Ryrie)

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” - "Healing illnesses (which are a result of sin) was a preview of His complete dealing with sin on the cross (Isa 53:4)." (Ryrie)

Son of Man - "The title 'Son of God' is Jesus' divine name (Matt 8:29), 'Son of David' His Jewish name (Matt 9:27), but 'Son of Man' is the name that links Him to the earth and to His mission.  It was His favorite designation of Himself (used more than 80 times) and was based on Daniel 7:13-14.  It emphasizes (1) His lowliness and humanity (Matt 8:20), (2) His suffering and death (Lk 19:10), and (3) His future reign as King (Matt 24:27)." (Ryrie)

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” - "Following the Lord required full commitment; therefore let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead." (Ryrie)

“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” - "Sometimes it is better not to wake Jesus when we are troubled.  There is a higher faith; a faith that waits for deliverance out of a storm; a faith that says, If He is here, it is all right; let the waves roll, let the waters beat." (Morgan)

Gadarenes - "Lived on the eastern short of the Sea of Galilee." (Ryrie)

"In the quietness that followed the storm, Jesus and His disciples came into what Mark and Luke call the region of the Gerasenes.  Gerasa was large territory in Perea in which was located Gerash, one of the cities of Decapolis.  Matthew states that He came into the region of the Gadarenes.  Gadara was a town in Gerasa some six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  Therefore there is no contradiction in the accounts.  One speaks of the general locality and the other of a more specific portion of the territory to which they came." (Pentecost)

send us away into the herd of pigs - "The demons' request to go into the pigs was probably to avoid being sent to the abyss, which is their ultimate doom." (Ryrie)

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