Matthew Chapter 8 - Helpful Notes

I want to examine in this chapter, the cost of following Jesus, miraculous healings and some of the supposed contradictions between this and the other gospels.

Mt 8:1-4. Christ cleanses the leper;

The cleansing of the leper is such an important verse in the gospels, because it tells us a number of important things. We have spoken a lot in the previous chapters about Holiness.  Holiness has the sense of being clean or undefiled. Figuratively speaking, the opposite of that is graphically demonstrated by the disease of leprosy. Go to Leviticus 13:44-45 (Read)

Dr. Richard H. Pousma, a missionary in Asia and a hospital superintendent in New Mexico, explains:

“Leprosy was greatly feared by the Israelites, not only because of the physical damage done by the disease, but also because of the strict isolation laws applying to leprosy, making patients feel like feared outcasts of society. . . . Leprosy [in the Bible] appears in two principle forms. The first, and by far the more dangerous, is called lepromatous; and the other, more benign type is designated tuberculoid. Both start with discoloration of a patch of skin. . . . In the lepromatous type of leprosy, the patch may spread widely in all directions. Portions of the eyebrows may disappear. Spongy, tumour-like swellings grow on the face and body. The disease becomes systemic and involves the internal organs as well as the skin. Marked deformity of the hands and feet occur when the tissues between the bones deteriorate and disappear. . . . Untreated cases may be sick with lepromatous leprosy from ten to twenty years, death occurring from the disease itself. . . . “

The leper approaching Jesus is, I believe, a picture of the sinner approaching Jesus. He comes with an incurable disease, one that has made him unclean; his whole flesh is touched by this plague. Luke 5:12 describes him as “a man full of leprosy.” Yet the leper is drawn to Jesus “and worshipped Him” a clear indication of the Deity of Christ, since he is not reproved for doing so) and says, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Is Christ willing to make the leper clean? Is Christ willing to make others clean? Next, the man expresses faith in the abilities of Jesus, “thou canst make me clean.” So we see that faith, when it is fixed to that object that is the will of God, brings results. (Read verse 3)

In verse 4 Jesus tells the man to “shew thyself to the priest…”

This is according to the law in Lev. 14:2 . Matthew Henry comments, “Christ took care to have the law observed, lest he should give offence, and to show that he will have order kept up, and good discipline and respect paid to those that are in office. It may be of use to those that are cleansed of their spiritual leprosy, to have recourse to Christ’s ministers, and to open their case to them, that they may assist them in their enquiries into their spiritual state, and advise, and comfort, and pray for them.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary)  This is, I believe, part of the pastoral role and part of a Pastor’s gifting. Any Pastor that doesn’t make enquiry, or at least encourage the congregation to examine their spiritual state is, in my opinion, being negligent.

Mt 8:5-13. Heals the centurion's servant,

There are many healings in this chapter and the following and we can sometimes pass over them as we search out the more explicitly doctrinal, or prophetic passages. But here is often much to be learned from such healings. One such instance is he healing of the Centurion.

Two important things to note about the Centurion: One, he was a Gentile and two, he was a soldier. Neither of these conditions prevented him from not only receiving from Jesus what he requested and even receiving from Jesus the highest commendation. Judea and the surrounding area was under Roman military rule at this time, with headquarters at Cæsarea, and soldiers in every leading town. This centurion probably commanded the company stationed at Capernaum.  We learn from Luke 7:3 , he came to Jesus, not in person, but by Jewish elders, he thought would have more influence with Jesus. These elders were perhaps willing to come because he had built them a synagogue. The Centurion reasons that, because HE is a commander and he tells a soldier to “go” and he goes; so Jesus, who is the highest authority, can command this sickness to go and it must obey.

Mt 8:14-15. Peter's mother in law,

Just let’s take a little time to look at Peter’s situation. Go to Luke 18:28-30 (Read)

• Peter has a Mother-in-law, therefore he must have a wife; even though he was an Apostle of Christ.
• Peter had a house, which was also Andrew's (see  Mark 1:29 )
• Peter was then a young man, as were all the apostles.

The curing of Peter’s wife’s mother seems to be a special act of kindness on the part of Jesus and there is no suggestion that this was some kind of incurable illness.

Mt 8:16-17. The sick and the possessed.

Jesus goes on in verses 16-17:

• To heal.
• To cast out spirits with His word.

In fulfilment of Isaiah 53:4 (read) you will notice that “griefs,” are translated “infirmities” by Matthew; and “sorrows” is translated “sicknesses.” Now why do we have this discrepancy? Can both meanings of each word be applied to the ministry of Christ? John Wesley offers this explanation, “The evangelist here only alludes to those words, as being capable of this lower meaning also…He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin.”

Mt 8:18-22. Shows how he is to be followed;

Verse 18-22 (Read) This is one of the reasons why I don’t believe when Jesus says, in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn,” that he is referring to those that are mourning for the death of a loved one. Matthew Henry notes, “This seemed a reasonable request, and yet it was not right. He had not the zeal he should have had for the work, and therefore pleaded this, because it seemed a plausible plea…Many are hindered from and in the way of serious godliness, by an over-concern for their families and relations; these lawful things undo us all, and our duty to God is neglected, and postponed, under colour of discharging our debts to the world; here therefore we have need to double our guard.” (Matthew Henry Commentary.)

The term “the dead,” indicates the spiritual state of those without Christ; Jesus is in effect saying, let the people of this world take care of the business of this world, but when God calls you, be prepared to leave everything to follow Him. That I believe is the emphasis; what are you prepared to forsake, if necessary, when Christ says “follow me.”

As the old hymn says: 

Follow! Follow! I would follow Jesus;

Anywhere, everywhere, I would follow on!

Follow, Follow! I would follow Jesus!

Everywhere He leads me I would follow on!

Easy to sing; not so easy to do!

Kirsty and I were talking about this the other day. How, in the old days, if you were called to be a Missionary, it meant you may have to give up your house; your family, your career. You were not going for a few months, just to see how things worked out! The boss wasn’t holding your job open for six months; you weren’t renting your house out, so you could return if things got a bit difficult. God wasn’t about to “call you back!” Missionary’s children were born and grew up in the country God had called them to; some of them even died there, from tropical diseases and so on. Yet Christ calls us to do something and so often we check first for stability and security in temporal things. What if this doesn’t work out? Remember Jesus’ words from Matthew 6 “Take no thought for your life.”

Mt 8:23-27. Stills the tempest on the sea;

We have a fascinating account next, which has some interesting parallels with the book of Jonah.

• Jesus goes into the ship; Jonah went into a ship.
• Jesus falls asleep; Jonah was asleep.
• A storm blew up whilst Jesus slept; a storm blew up when Jonah slept.
• Jesus calms the storm and saves the lives of those on board; Jonah calmed the storm and saved the lives of those on board.

Let’s just turn to Jonah for a moment: Jonah 1:11-12 and 15 (Read) Jonah saved the lives of the men on the boat by sacrificing himself for them. Jesus would eventually offer himself as a sacrifice, not just for those on the boat, but for the whole world. Jonah then is what we call an Antetype, a forerunner of the Lord Jesus.

Mt 8:28-30. Drives the devils out of two men possessed;

Now straight away, we have an issue. Matthew says there were two men, Mark and Luke only record one man. But is that really a contradiction? The commentator, Albert Barnes says, “Had they denied plainly that there was more than one, and had Matthew affirmed that there were two, there would have been an irreconcilable contradiction. As it is, they relate the affair as other people would. It shows that they were honest witnesses. Had they been impostors; had Matthew and Luke agreed to write books to deceive the world, they would have agreed exactly in a case so easy as this. They would have told the story with the same circumstances. Witnesses in courts of law often differ in unimportant matters; and, provided the main narrative coincides, their testimony is thought to be more valuable.” (Barnes Bible Commentary)

Verse 29 (Read) In Luke 8:30 we read that the “they” are the demons, not the men. They know immediately who Jesus is and testify to Him being the Son of God. They say “what have we to do with Thee?” Wesley says this is a Hebrew phrase, in fact we have almost exactly this phrase used by David in 2 Samuel 16:10.

Mt 8:31-34. Jesus allows the demons to go into the swine.

It is interesting to note that although the devils knew who Jesus was, they did not wish to hang around in His company! It is also interesting, that they had to have permission from Him, to even enter into dumb animals. Why did Jesus allow this to happen? Matthew Henry says, “God often, for wise and holy ends, permits the efforts of Satan's rage.”

What is apparent is the utter destruction, death and annihilation that demonic possession brings. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Verse 33-34 (Read) It is amazing, how much the people of the world, value the things of the world. Two men had been miraculously healed from the oppression of the Devil, restored and in their right mind; and yet the whole city comes out, not to thank Jesus, but to tell Him to go! He had brought about the loss of the herd of swine. Perhaps, writing from a peculiarly Jewish perspective, Matthew is highlighting how the people value that which is unclean, over the One who is sinless and holy.

Copyright © Paul Jennings.