Scripture Study: Matthew 8

Matthew 8  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 6
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In the miracles of the Lord Jesus, we have a testimony that God, full of goodness which can meet man’s need, has visited the world. The power of God is manifested in goodness and grace. Where the need is felt, there the blessing is realized.
Matthew 8:1-41When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. (Matthew 8:1‑4). The first one brought before us is a leper, a Jew who knows that the Lord has the power, but does not know His willingness to cleanse him. He put forth His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be thou clean.” And lo, the leprosy fled. Any other man would be defiled, but Jehovah-Jesus cleansed him by His touch. None but He could say, “I will”; His word declares it done. And the man is sent to Israel’s priest (see Lev. 14), to offer an offering seldom used; for none but God could heal leprosy, and this to the priest bore witness that Emmanuel was come.
Matthew 8:5-135And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. (Matthew 8:5‑13). Here we have the Gentile centurion’s servant healed. It is God’s purpose to bless Gentiles also. Luke tells us the centurion sent the elders of the Jews to Jesus. This was to show the Gentile’s place as getting blessing through them. The centurion’s faith was beyond Israel’s; for owning his utter unworthiness, he owns the Lord as omnipotent, with all principalities and powers at His command. His faith gets its full answer.
Matthew 8:16-1716When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. (Matthew 8:16‑17). In the evening many were delivered from the power of demons, and healed of their sicknesses by His word, and Isaiah 53:44Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4), is fulfilled: “Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses.” God was there delivering from the effects of sin and Satan’s power; as another has said, “Jesus put Himself in heart under the weight of all the sorrows that oppressed Israel, in order to relieve and heal them.”
Matthew 8:18-2218Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:18‑22). He does not seek popularity, but to do the Father’s will, so He gave commandment to depart to the other side. A scribe proposes to follow Him whithersoever He goeth. Then the truth comes out that He is a homeless stranger, with nowhere to lay His head, and those who follow Him, must be prepared for this. Another of His disciples said, “Suffer me first to go and bury my father,” but the Lord’s claims are above everything else. If we follow the Lord, we will lose our character as well as our comforts, but we are gainers in the end (Matt. 19:2929And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29)).
Matthew 8:23-2723And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! (Matthew 8:23‑27). Then His disciples follow Him, but it leads into a storm where He does not seem to regard their danger. He is testing their faith. How doubting we are. They could not perish with Him in the ship. Can we? The Lord of glory cannot fail; there are no accidents with Him. It was a deep lesson of their unbelief, and His faithfulness, Who can raise a storm and calm the winds and waves? What manner of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?
Matthew 8:28-9:128And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. 1And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. (Matthew 8:28‑9:1). Here we have the power of Satan holding its victims, and how this poor world would rather be permitted to go on in its own way, living in sin, under the power of Satan and without God. (The gospel turns the world upside down. Acts 17:66And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; (Acts 17:6)). Jesus delivers this remnant who own Him as the Son of God, and the demons enter into the swine; a picture of apostate Israel, they rush on to their destruction. They that saw it, who kept the swine, fled and told it in the city, and the whole city came out, not to welcome Him, but besought Him to depart out of their coasts. And entering into a ship, He passed over and came to His own city.
To this day the world does not want the One they put out.