Matthew 8:1-34

Matthew’s Good News

Matthew’s *Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 8

*Miracles when Jesus healed people 8:1–9:38

Matthew showed Jesus’ authority by what he taught in Chapter s 5-7. Now Matthew shows Jesus’ authority by his actions. There are nine incidents. We can divide these *miracles into three sets of three with some teaching in between.

The first set of three is:

1. Jesus heals the man who had very bad skin disease 8:1-4

2. Jesus heals the *Roman officer’s servant 8:5-13

3. Jesus heals at the town called Capernaum 8:14-17.

The next set of three is:

1. The storm on the lake 8:23-27

2. The men with evil *spirits in Gadara 8:28-34

3. The man who could not walk 9:1-8.

The next set of three is:

1. Jesus raised a girl to life and he healed a woman 9:18-26

2. He caused two blind men to see 9:27-31

3. He healed a man who could not talk 9:32-34.

1. The man who had a very bad skin disease 8:1-4

v1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. v2 A man who had a very bad skin disease came to him then. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. ‘*Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean’, he said.

v3 Then Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I do want to’, Jesus said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the disease left the man. v4 Then Jesus spoke to him again. ‘Make sure that you do not tell anyone. But go and show yourself to the *priest. There you must offer a gift to God exactly as Moses ordered. This will show people that you are better now. So you are able to come back into society.’

Verse 1 The word ‘leprosy’ appears in many Bibles and it can mean various skin diseases. It also means Hansen’s disease, which is the disease that we know as ‘leprosy’ nowadays. Anyone with ‘leprosy’ had to stay away from other people. These people with leprosy had to warn people by shouting ‘I am not clean!’ So the sick person suffered both from the disease and from the fact that people avoided him or her.

Verse 2 The man believed that Jesus could heal him. But he was not sure that Jesus wanted to heal him. He was humble in the way that he approached Jesus. He behaved as if he was *worshipping Jesus. He was humble as he requested help.

Verse 3 The *Law said that a person with ‘leprosy’ must not come closer than 6 feet (2 metres) to another person. They were ‘not clean’ so they might make the other person ‘not clean’ too. But Jesus is very kind. So he touched the man who had this bad skin disease. Then he caused the disease to leave the man.

Verse 4 Jesus ordered the man not to spread this news. Nobody should know that Jesus had healed him. The *Jews were already looking for someone to be their leader. They wanted to fight against the *Romans, who ruled them. The crowds wanted to make Jesus their king when they heard about these *miracles. Jesus had to prevent them. Jesus also ordered the man to go to the *priest. The *priest also acted as a medical officer at that time. He would examine the person who had been ill. Then that person had to offer certain gifts to God (Leviticus 14:1-32). The *priest needed to be sure that the patient was clean. Then that person could return to society. Jesus wanted to show that he respected the *Law. That is why he told the man to do this.

2. The *Roman officer’s servant 8:5-13

v5 When Jesus entered the town called Capernaum, a *Roman officer came to him. He asked Jesus to help him. v6 ‘*Lord’, he said, ‘my slave is lying at home. He cannot move. And he is really suffering.’

v7 ‘I will go and heal him’, Jesus told the man.

v8 ‘*Lord, it is an honour that you come into my house. I do not deserve it’, the officer replied. ‘But if you just say the word, I know that my servant will recover. v9 There are other officers who give orders to me. And I give orders to my soldiers. I tell this one to go, and he goes. I tell that one to come, and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this” and he does it.’

v10 The officer’s words astonished Jesus. So he spoke to the people who were following him. ‘I am telling you the truth’, he said. ‘I have not found anyone in Israel who believes me like this man! v11 Many people will come from the east and from the west. They will take their places at the special meal in heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. v12 But God will throw out many people from their families. They must stay outside in the darkness. There they will weep and rub their teeth together.’ v13 Then Jesus spoke to the *Roman officer, ‘Go home! It will happen exactly as you believed that it would.’ And his slave recovered at that same hour.

Verses 5-7 This *Roman officer was a ‘centurion’. That means that he commanded a hundred soldiers. He was not a *Jew. He was in the *Roman army or the army of Herod Antipas. In Luke’s account, the *Jewish leaders asked Jesus to help this officer. Matthew records that the officer came for help himself. It was unusual for someone to care about his slave. Most people did not care if their slaves suffered. They owned the slaves, so they thought about them as ‘things’ rather than as people. And the slaves had no rights. Their master could easily get another slave if one died. But this officer cared about his slave. He did not want to see the slave suffer.

Verse 8. This man was an important army officer, but he was humble. He said that he was not good enough to have Jesus in his house. He may also have thought that Jesus would not want to enter his home. *Jews did not want to be with people who were not *Jews. They did not like to enter foreigners’ homes. They thought that it would make them not ‘clean’ for their religion.

Verse 9 It was usual for the officer to receive orders and to give orders. Superior officers had the authority to give orders to him. Also, he knew that his slave and his soldiers would obey him. He was able to order them to do things because someone had authority over him. He showed that he believed Jesus. He just wanted Jesus to use his power and to give an order. That order would heal the slave, because Jesus had God’s authority.

Verse 10 Jesus was astonished that this foreigner should believe him more than God’s own people, the *Jews.

Verses 11-12 The *Jews believed many things about the future. They believed that, when the *Messiah came, there would be a very special party. They would enjoy the special meal with those who began their nation - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They never thought that any foreigners would be there. Jesus said that many other people would come to share this special meal. The ‘wise men from the east’ (also called ‘magi’) had already come to *worship him (Matthew 2:1-12). Many other people who were not *Jews would believe later. Jesus’ *disciples would go ‘to many places all over the world’ to tell people his message (Matthew 28:18-20). Many *Jews, who should have been in God’s house, will lose their place at the special meal. Although they belong to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they will be out in the darkness, To trust in being a member of the ‘nation that God chose’ is not enough. People can only enter where God rules when they believe Jesus.

Verse 13 Jesus was a long way from the slave when he healed him. The *Roman officer believed that Jesus could give such an order. So Jesus did it that way.

3. Jesus healed people at Capernaum 8:14-17

v14 Then Jesus came into Peter’s house. He saw Peter’s wife’s mother there. She was lying in bed because she was ill and very hot. v15 Jesus touched her hand and the illness left her. So she got up and began to get a meal for Jesus. v16 When evening came, people brought many sick people to Jesus. Evil *spirits controlled some of those sick people. But when Jesus spoke to them, the evil *spirits left them. He healed all the other people who were ill too. v17 Long ago God spoke through his special servant called Isaiah. Jesus now showed that Isaiah’s words were true:

‘He took away our weaknesses and carried our diseases.’

Verses 14-15 Peter’s home was in the town called Capernaum. Jesus may have used Peter’s house as his own home. Jesus healed Peter’s wife’s mother at once. Usually people feel weak after they have been ill like that. But she immediately got up and served a meal to Jesus.

Verse 16 We know that it was God’s rest day. Mark and Luke wrote that they left the synagogue that day (Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38). The synagogue was a building where *Jews gathered to pray. Nobody could go for a walk until the evening, when that special day ended. They could not travel very far. Also, they could not carry a sick person.

Verse 17 Matthew added the words from Isaiah’s poem about a servant (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus made these words come true. All his life, he sympathised with those who suffered. He healed those who were ill.

Other people wanted to go with Jesus 8:18-22

v18 Jesus saw the crowd that was round him. So he ordered his *disciples to cross the lake to the other side. v19 Just then a man who taught the *Law came to him. ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go’, he said.

v20 Jesus replied to him. ‘Foxes have holes and birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.’

v21 And another man, who was one of his *disciples, spoke to Jesus. ‘*Lord, first let me wait until I bury my father’, he said.

v22 But Jesus told him this. ‘Follow me. Let dead people bury their own dead people.’

Verses 19-20 Jesus attracted a man who taught the *Law. This man recognised that Jesus was teaching differently from himself and other teachers. Jesus was honest. He never taught that it was easy to be his *disciple. He wanted the man to think about the kind of life that he would have with Jesus. Jesus did use Peter’s home in Capernaum. Also, there were women who helped him. They provided many things that he needed (Luke 8:2-3). But it was true that he did not have his own home. Even animals and birds have their own place to live. But Jesus did not have such security.

Jesus used the words ‘Son of Man’ to describe himself. It is like the name ‘*Messiah’. This idea comes from the book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Someone who was ‘like a son of man’ came to God. He ‘received power and honour and he became a king’.

Verses 21-22 This man was already a *disciple, but he did not want to be completely loyal to Jesus. It was the duty of a son to bury his father. But this man’s father was probably still alive, so his funeral would not be soon. The man wanted to follow Jesus, but he wanted to postpone it too. He wanted to wait until his father had died. That might still be years later. Jesus knew that the man just wanted to delay. Jesus’ answer was, ‘Follow me’. It showed that a *disciple must make Jesus most important, even more important than family relationships.

‘Let the dead bury their own dead’ may mean that someone would be sure to bury the man’s father. Or it may refer to people who did not follow Jesus. They were the people who were *spiritually dead. The people who did not follow Jesus could carry out the funeral ceremonies.

In the second set of three *miracles, Matthew shows the power of Jesus over nature, over evil *spirits and over *sin.

1. The storm on the lake 8:23-27

v23 Then Jesus got into the boat and his *disciples went with him. v24 Suddenly a terrible storm came up on the lake. It was so terrible that the waves went right over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. v25 The *disciples went to him and woke him up. ‘*Lord, save us! We are going to drown!’ they said.

v26 ‘You hardly believe me at all! There is no reason for you to be so afraid.’ Jesus replied. Then he stood up in the boat. He ordered the wind and the waves to stop. And it became completely calm.

v27 They were all astonished. ‘What kind of man is this?’ they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and the waves obey him!’

Verse 23 The true *disciples went wherever Jesus went.

Verse 24 The lake is below the level of the sea and hills surround it. So storms can come up without warning. Matthew calls this storm a ‘seismos’, which means that the earth shook. So he is suggesting that there was unusual movement below the lake. This was as well as the sudden strong wind. The waves were so high that they were going right over the boat. But Jesus was very tired and he was asleep. Mark’s record (Mark 4:1; Mark 4:35-36) shows that Jesus had been teaching from the boat.

Verse 26 It is possible for a wind to become less strong very quickly. But waves usually continue to be rough for some time. Jesus’ order showed his authority over nature.

Verse 27 These were the men who followed him. They called him ‘*Lord’. They probably thought about the Psalms, where God makes the waters calm (Psalms 89:9; Psalms 107:29).

Christians often remember this account when they meet ‘storms’ (problems) in life. They remind themselves not to be afraid. The problems may be sudden illness or danger. Perhaps something that is not good attracts them. Or there may be other problems. When Jesus is with us, there can be calm in our lives.

2. The men with evil *spirits in Gadara 8:28-34

v28 Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region where the Gadara people lived. Two men met him there, but evil *spirits controlled them. These men came from the caves where people buried the dead. They were so wild that nobody could travel along that road. v29 ‘You are God’s Son, so what do you want with us?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come to punish us before the time when God judges us?’

v30 Not far from them, a large group of pigs were eating. v31 The evil *spirits urged Jesus. ‘Send us into that group of pigs if you want to force us out!’

v32 Then Jesus replied to them. ‘Go!’ he said.

So they came out of the men and went into the pigs. The whole group of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and they drowned in the water. v33 The people who looked after the pigs ran off into the town. They reported all this to everybody there. They included what had happened to the men with the evil *spirits. v34 Then everybody went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they appealed to him to leave their region.

Verse 28 Some Bibles say Gergesenes, or Gerasenes, which means ‘Gergasa people’ or ‘Gerasa people’. The right word is probably ‘Gadarenes’.

Mark gives many details about this event that Matthew leaves out. But Matthew writes about evil *spirits that possessed two men. Mark mentions only one man. The caves where they buried dead people were in the rocks. (The caves were also called ‘tombs’.) Men could find shelter there. People believed that evil *spirits lived among these ‘tombs’. The men were so wild and strong that other people were afraid to come near them.

Verse 29 But Jesus was not afraid. It was the evil *spirits who were afraid of him. They called Jesus ‘Son of God’. They knew that God would judge them one day. They knew that God would punish them then. These evil *spirits were afraid that Jesus would punish them immediately.

Verses 30-32 The pigs’ death convinced the men that the evil *spirits had gone for ever. People who tried to drive evil *spirits out of other people in those days used all kinds of special words and ceremonies. Jesus gave only a brief command and the evil *spirits obeyed him. People sometimes blame Jesus for the pigs’ death, but a human being is much more valuable than an animal.

Verse 34. The people from Gadara wanted Jesus to leave. They were afraid of someone with such great power. Jesus never forced people to listen to him. So he left that region.

gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
miracle ~ a great thing that only God can do.
miracle ~ a great thing that only God can do.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
spirit ~ the part of us that lives when our body dies; a being that is alive, even without a body; the part of a person that will always be alive, even after their body is dead. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
being ~ a person or animal that is alive.
angels ~ God's special messengers.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
priest ~ a man whom God chose to do a special work for him. The priests worked in the Temple.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
disciples ~ those who follow another person to learn from him.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.