Verses 1-4 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Leprosy was/is a very contagious disease that involves the skin, mucous membranes, nerves and connective tissues. It is also known as Hansen’s Disease. It causes skin discoloration and leads to disfigurement and deformities if not treated. Today it is treatable, but in Bible days a cure was not known. So an infected person was not allowed to dwell in the community and was not allowed to come in contract with unaffected people. The leper had to cover his/her face and cry out, “unclean, unclean”, as he/she walked down a street where other people were present. Lepers were feared by the rest of the population, not only because they could transmit the disease, but because of the social and physical consequences of becoming infected. A person would lose their job, their business, their family and their friends and not be able to participate in temple or synagogue services (which to the Jew was a terrible thing) or in any other community event. They were considered to be the walking dead and were treated as such. Be aware that in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, any skin irritation or infection was referred to as leprosy and may not necessarily have been the disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
The Greek word translated as “leper” is “lepros” and it means scaly, rough, or affected with leprosy.
The book of Matthew is the Gospel book that most clearly records some of the many healings that Jesus did during His ministry. It is from Matthew that today’s Christian believers gain insight as to the correct way to provide healing for the sick. So study these healings. In this case, notice that the leper, who is not named, first worshipped Jesus. Then the leper demonstrated his faith in Jesus’s power and authority by stating, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Application: As Christian believers, it would seem appropriate for a sick or injured person to first worship the LORD before asking for healing. So often the person asks for healing and then only worships when the healing comes. Worship, which means to give your heart to something, in this case the LORD, should be a part of every Christian believer’s life on a daily basis. During expressions of worship, believers demonstrate their faith in the healing power and authority of Jesus and in His promises.
The amazing thing and the thing that provided a very visual testimony to the crowds of people following Him regarding the lordship of Jesus was that He reached out and touched this untouchable person. This was totally contrary to known medical and common sense practice. The leper was an outcast and did not have the joy of other human contact. There were no hand shakes, no hugs, no kisses, no contact whatsoever with any other flesh, and yet here is Jesus touching this person, perhaps the only touch this person had felt for many years. And what did Jesus do to heal this person? He merely commanded, “be thou clean.”
Application: Ever been in a church service when there is prayer being offered for the sick and the prayer is long and flowery? Is the prayer a begging of God to intervene? Well in this study of Matthew, healing techniques used by Jesus will be marked with this background color so that they can be easily found, and at the end of the book, they will all be summed up so that you, the reader, can have confidence in praying for the sick or injured and expect a response from the LORD. So the first thing seen in the verse above is that Jesus merely commanded the person to be healed. He did not beg His Father to do the healing. He did the job and He did it simply and with authority. The last verse in the previous chapter, Matthew 7, states, “for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Remember this word, authority.
Jesus had not died and resurrected yet so He was operating under the Mosaic law. (Unfortunately, the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, were operating under the Babylonian Talmud which they had adopted when in captivity in Babylon and not under the Mosaic law given by God to His people.) The Old Covenant was still in place and had not been replaced with the New Covenant. Therefore he told the leper to follow the Mosaic law regarding the healing of leprosy. Read Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 to get a full understanding of what was the law of leprosy.
Why did Jesus tell the leper not to tell anyone? Perhaps it was because His ministry was just beginning and He did not want to draw attention to Himself. He knew that the resistance to His ministry would be from the Jewish leaders and elite and perhaps He wanted to keep a “low profile” at this time. Or perhaps it was because He was a humble man even though He was God, very God. Philippians 2:8 states, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Scripture does not really explain so this writer does not have a concrete answer.
Verses 5-9 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The 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. 9 For 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.
The name “Capernaum” means “village of comfort” and was a city of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, also called Lake Gennesaret. It is interesting that Jesus chose to reside in this city whose name mirrors what He was there to do which was to provide a light to those that were in darkness, to heal the sick, cure the lame, and generally bring comfort to a people who were suffering under the religious leadership of the Jewish Pharisees and the government of Rome.
A centurion was a Roman army officer. He would have been a Gentile, but he must have heard about Jesus and he was not afraid to seek his help. A Gentile would not have been welcomed in the temple religion of the Jews or by a Jewish priest, but Jesus was different. He was approachable and He did not look down on the Gentiles. The Greek word translated as “palsy” is “paralutikos” from which the English word paralyze comes from. It means paralytic, disabled, or weak of limb. This servant was in terrible pain, torment or distress. The centurion, through his military training, knew what it meant to be in and to have authority. He trusted Jesus to exercise His authority and he had the faith to believe that Jesus would act. He also apparently knew that He was in the presence of someone greater than he and was not afraid to humble himself on behalf of his servant.
Application: Where does faith come from? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 Who sends or gives faith? “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 So faith in the LORD is not something a person musters on their own by their own will. It is a gift from the LORD through the Holy Ghost/Spirit that believers are given and this faith can wax and wane in strength from one day to the next. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Verses 10-12 When 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. 11 And 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. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
When Jesus stated that He had not found this kind of faith in Israel, He was referring to the Jews. It was a Gentile centurion that had healing faith. This incident lead to Jesus making a prophecy. Read it carefully because it has come to pass. Jesus’ people, the Jews, rejected Him and killed Him, denying that He was the promised Messiah. They were not counting on Him resurrecting from the dead and establishing His Church. So the church age and New Covenant became the blessing to the Gentile people which is every other nationality in the world. Can the Jews be saved from sin, death and Hell? Of course, as long as they believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and follow Him. Unfortunately nationalistic pride and doctrines of devils along with the traditions of men prevent most of them from believing in Jesus. However, Jesus stated that people would come from all over the Earth and sit down in Heaven in eternity with the patriarchs of the Hebrew people. The Jews to whom Jesus was sent would be cast out of the kingdom of God which is not of this world. The Jews have been so busy over the centuries trying to attain world domination that they have lost their chance to spend eternity with their Messiah.
Verse 13 And 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.
Application: The healing of the centurion’s servant demonstrates distance healing. It is possible to pray for someone and have them healed without being in their presence, without laying hands on them or anointing them with oil, and without even knowing them. The faith of the centurion was the catalyst for this healing.
Verses 14-15 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
This verse throws out the Catholic teaching that their church was built upon the Apostle Peter and that he was the first pope. A pope is supposed to be celibate, abstaining from marriage and sexual relations. But Peter had a wife and a mother-in-law. Hmm.
Application: Here Jesus heals by touching the sick person’s hand. It is possible to heal a person by touching just their hand and not necessarily the body part that is injured or ill. Christian believers often feel that if, for instance, a person has a headache, they must put their hand on the person’s head. That can be done, of course, but Jesus simply touched Peter’s wife’s mother on the hand and she was healed.
Verses 16-17 When 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: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Application: Notice that verse 16 above states that Jesus healed ALL that were sick. He did not just get some of the people healed, but all of the people who came to Him were healed. Mark 16:16-18 records Jesus giving His disciples instructions as to what they were/are to do when He is no longer physically with them. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So clearly Jesus is the believer’s example, the Christian believer is to be like Christ, therefore the Christian believer is to be healing ALL that come in contact with him/her by using Jesus’ name and His word.
The Bible verse in Isaiah that Matthew is referring to is Isaiah 53:4 which states, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted”
Verses 18-20 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And 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.
Why did the people come to Jesus and form great multitudes that necessitated His moving by boat to the other side of the lake? There are many reasons, of course, and the following reasons are mostly postulated by this writer, so be aware that Biblical evidence is not being offered here to support the reasons. 1. God sent them to Jesus to fulfill His will and Bible prophecy. 2. Jesus was so different to what the people experienced with their religious leaders that they wanted to see and experience Him in person. 3. Jesus was not afraid to speak the truth and people were looking for the truth. 4. Jesus made following the LORD simple and uncomplicated. He did not hand out rules and regulations that were impossible to keep, let alone remember. 5. The Jews were looking for a Messiah that they believed would restore the earthly nation of Israel back to what it had been like in the days of King David. They wanted then, as they want now, to rule the world. 6. They wanted a political leader to free them from the bonds of Rome. 7. They saw Jesus as a social welfare program, a person to feed and care for them. 8. They saw and believed in His miracles and wanted physical, emotional and psychological relief from the burden of their lives. Many of these reasons are why people seek out Jesus today. Some reasons are more honorable than others, but people have not changed in the last 2000 years.
The Greek word translated as “scribe” is “grammateus” and it means a clerk, public servant, secretary, recorder, but most likely in the verse above, the scribe was a man learned in the Mosaic law and other sacred writings. He used the title of Master when addressing Jesus and this meant Teacher. At his offer to follow Jesus, the LORD pointed out that animals have homes, but He did not. In other words, the life of following Jesus would be costly so think before acting. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment, but when reality sets in, things look differently and take on a different perspective. Read Matthew chapter 13 or Luke chapter 8 to see the parable that Jesus told about the seeds.
Verses 21-22 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
One of the rules in understanding Scripture is to first look at the natural, and then look at the spiritual. In the verse above, in the natural, the dead cannot bury anyone. So Jesus was speaking about the spiritual. Those who do not follow Him are spiritually dead. They can be viewed as the walking dead as without salvation provided by Jesus Christ, they are dead in their sins and will spend eternity in Hell. The physical life is all they have. So Jesus was saying to this disciple not to wait to follow Him because of his family. How many years were going to pass before this disciple’s father died? Scripture doesn’t give the details. But salvation is now. If you, the reader, do not have a real relationship with Jesus, you are not guaranteed tomorrow, and should physical death come to you, it will be too late to repent, be baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Think about that, please.
Verses 23-27 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And 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. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
The Greek word translated as “tempest” is “seismos” from which comes the English word seismic. It means a shaking, a commotion or an earthquake. Think about the spiritual aspect of this dramatic event. Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. They grew up around the lake, they fished the lake, and they would be very aware of weather and of the signs of impending storms. Yet they all climbed into a boat and headed out for the other side of the Lake of Galilee without any hesitation. Why? Why did they not anticipate danger? Could it be that the god of this world, Satan or the Devil, sent the storm to try and kill Jesus? His goal was and has always been to be God, and he could not achieve this as long as Jesus was alive and well. Remember that Jesus was both God and man. Because He was dwelling in a physical body, He was subject to the same things any other human being was/is subject. As you, the reader, go through the Gospel accounts, notice how often Jesus’ life was threatened and see if you can see an evil spirit behind the various incidents.
This storm was bad enough that the disciples believed they would die. Water was coming into the boat so it would swamp and sink, but Jesus was asleep. This writer has sailed on the sea, and sleeping is not an option when there is a storm. No doubt Jesus was tired out, but this sleep must have been because He knew He had a mission to fulfill and that His time to die was not at hand, and so there was nothing to worry about. Just as He healed all and cast out devils with His word, He just scolded the winds and the sea and all was suddenly calm.
Notice the reaction of the men in the boat with Jesus. It says they marveled which means they wondered at His power and authority. Yet they had already seen many miracles of healing and of demonic bonds being broken in the multitude of people. Perhaps “seeing is not believing” as these men were still not convinced that Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God or the Messiah.
Verses 28-32 And 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. 29 And, 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? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And 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.
Gergesenes is also called Gadarenes and is the name used by the Gospel writers of Luke and Mark. The name means “a stranger drawing near” and that is exactly what happened when Jesus showed up unexpectedly and cast out the devils. Notice that the devils knew who Jesus was and why He was there. Devils like to inhabit a body. They knew that Jesus was going to tell them to leave, and so they begged to inhabit the poor pigs. Jesus granted their request. But just because the pigs drowned, that did not mean the devils were destroyed. They are spirits. Scripture does not say where these devils ended up. My former pastor, David Meyer, used to say that this encounter with Jesus was the first recorded incidence of Deviled Ham. Perhaps that is where the product name came from? Perhaps it was mocking this Bible story? You decide.
Verses 33-34 And 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. 34 And, 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. (Matthew 8)
So the pig farmers lost their income and were most likely afraid of what they had seen and ran to tell the tale. As a result of their telling of the story, possibly embellishing it somewhat to create a greater hysteria, the verse above says the whole city came out to ask Jesus to go away. Amazing, don’t you think? There stood God, very God, the One who could heal them and give them eternal life, and they turned Him away.
Application: Just like the people of the city of Gergesenes, people today can be shown Jesus Christ and still turn Him away.