Discipleship and Faith (Matthew 8:1-17)
Matthew follows the account of the Sermon on the Mount with a continuation of Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing throughout the region. In part this serves to show the power and authority that Jesus possesses. But we also learn things from each of the miracles that are highlighted. Ten miracles dominate this next section of Matthew, leading up to some teaching from Jesus about discipleship.
The first three miracles are healings.
Jesus heals a leper. What makes this healing notable amidst all of the lepers Jesus would heal in His ministry, is the disposition of the leper. He believes that Jesus can heal him if He wills. We are not owed anything from God. One of the basic elements of true, biblical faith is that it involves total trust. We trust that God wants the best for us and that whatever He wills in our lives will be for the best: both for us as well as for the glory of God.
Following the leper, Jesus is approached by a centurion seeking healing for a sick servant. When Jesus says, “take me to him,” the centurion stops Him. He understands that Jesus has great power and authority. Part of Jesus authority means that He is Master over nature. He does not need to be in touch with a sick person to heal them. A mere command from Jesus will move heaven and earth. We too serve this all-powerful Christ. He is in control. Faith tells us that we do not need certain conditions for Jesus to work in our lives. Jesus does not need to be physically present with us to act! We do not need thousands of people interceding for us to God for Him to pull off a miracle!
Finally, Jesus heals Peter’s mother. All we see here for this account to stand out is that the healing is of someone connected personally to Jesus. Oh, and she immediately begins to serve Jesus, as any mother would for a group of men visiting her son. But before we dismiss that too quickly, we need to recognize a pattern that will emerge. The people that Jesus rescues—from sickness or from sin—inevitable serve Him. This too is an aspect of biblical faith. When we are changed and rescued by Christ, we live for Him. To be His disciple is to serve Him.
The first three miracles are healings.
Jesus heals a leper. What makes this healing notable amidst all of the lepers Jesus would heal in His ministry, is the disposition of the leper. He believes that Jesus can heal him if He wills. We are not owed anything from God. One of the basic elements of true, biblical faith is that it involves total trust. We trust that God wants the best for us and that whatever He wills in our lives will be for the best: both for us as well as for the glory of God.
Following the leper, Jesus is approached by a centurion seeking healing for a sick servant. When Jesus says, “take me to him,” the centurion stops Him. He understands that Jesus has great power and authority. Part of Jesus authority means that He is Master over nature. He does not need to be in touch with a sick person to heal them. A mere command from Jesus will move heaven and earth. We too serve this all-powerful Christ. He is in control. Faith tells us that we do not need certain conditions for Jesus to work in our lives. Jesus does not need to be physically present with us to act! We do not need thousands of people interceding for us to God for Him to pull off a miracle!
Finally, Jesus heals Peter’s mother. All we see here for this account to stand out is that the healing is of someone connected personally to Jesus. Oh, and she immediately begins to serve Jesus, as any mother would for a group of men visiting her son. But before we dismiss that too quickly, we need to recognize a pattern that will emerge. The people that Jesus rescues—from sickness or from sin—inevitable serve Him. This too is an aspect of biblical faith. When we are changed and rescued by Christ, we live for Him. To be His disciple is to serve Him.
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