Matthew 8        January 20, 2015

One of the hallmarks of Christ's ministry was healing.  It's meant to show us what power and authority Jesus has.   The leper is cleansed, but is told not to say anything.  I don't think Jesus meant "don't tell anyone ever"...that would be impossible.  Lepers weren't allowed to live with un-infected people.   Everyone would notice if a man who was leprous yesterday suddenly showed up in the marketplace, handling the food.   Instead, I think Jesus was telling him "obey the law".   If you believed that you were no longer infected, then you had to go the priests, who would pronounce you clean.  (Leviticus 13-14).   Jesus wanted him to obey the Law of Moses as much as was possible.

The account of the centurion is powerful because he isn't even a Jew.   When the centurion calls Jesus "Lord" and Jesus accepts the title without rebuking him, it means that you and I can also address Him as Lord.  How wonderful that people from across the world will be gathered together in heaven, and yet how sad that some of the Jewish people (subjects of the kingdom) will miss it.   This is a new demonstration of Christ's power.  He proves that he doesn't even need to be present physically to work in the situation.

We don't think very much about the disciples being married, but there's no reason to suspect that they weren't.   We know for sure that Peter was, since verse 14 is talking about his mother in law.   I wonder how Peter's wife felt about him being gone all the time.   Did they have children?   What happened to them after Peter's death?    We never think about the thousands of side stories that would make the Gospel seem even more practical and down to earth.    Do you think Peter's children all became Christians?

In verse 18 it is another teacher of the law that says he will follow Christ.   Clearly he has witnessed the power and authority of His teaching to say that he would follow Him.   Generally we hear about the teachers of the law being resistant to Jesus.    In this case, Jesus simply reminds him that to follow Him is to essentially be homeless.   That's because Jesus' home was in heaven, not here.   Just like ours is.    While we are on the earth, we are nomads.
Telling a disciple to "let the dead bury their own dead" seems harsh, but unless Christ has priority in your life, you are always going to be torn between following him and doing other things.   I don't think Jesus meant to be callous.   On the other hand I sometimes wonder why we have funerals and read scripture for people who weren't Christians.    I tell myself it's for the people who remain behind, who still have a choice to make.

Down in verse 28 Jesus has traveled from the west side of the sea of Galilee to the east side, where more Gentiles live.    Gentiles raised pigs, where Jews believed them to be unclean.    Christ is met at the water's edge by two men who were possessed.   He casts out their demons and sends them into town.    But he allows the demons to possess a herd of swine nearby, which upon being possessed immediately rush into the water and are drown.   Such is the fate of anyone who submits themselves to satan...he comes only to steal, kill and destroy.  
The townspeople ask Jesus to leave.    That seems sad to me, that they would be more upset about losing the pigs than they were about saving the people.      I guess to them, the pigs were more important.    No wonder they beg Jesus to go with Him (another Gospel).  But Jesus refuses and tells them to witness in town.   He tells everyone one to keep quiet, and he tells them to share.    Strange.



PR