Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Truly I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such FAITH.” Matthew 8:10

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REVIEW – We finished the Sermon on the Mount, and saw Jesus preach all the way from the “blesseds” to ‘I never knew you: depart from me, you workers of iniquity.’ Jesus reasoned in such a way that astonished the people. He taught them as one with authority. (Which He had, as God.) He taught that to enter His kingdom, they had to be perfect! Or….

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Matthew 8:1-4.

As Jesus came down from the mount, a great crowd followed Him. But I bet they split away at once when they saw a leper approaching.

YIKES! Let me out of here! They ducked and pushed away, fearing contact with even just a thread of the contagious man’s rags. The most feared disease, and here he was, RIGHT THERE!! What would the Master do?

Well, He didn’t flinch. Even as the man came right up to Him and knealt down. “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

Notice the words. Not, if You CAN. No, this man had faith in Jesus’ ability. He knew this righteous man was perfectly able to cure his leprosy. No doubt.

But WOULD He? Would Jesus have compassion on this … leper? The very disease that pictured the grossness of SIN in the Bible. This man wanted to be cleansed. He knew Jesus could. He came in FAITH.

AND JESUS STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHED HIM…

The Holy Son of God TOUCHED this leperous man. (It pictured Jesus stretched out on that cross, vulnerable, enduring the SIN’s contagion of all of mankind. Willingly.)

Did the crowd, standing afar, gasp? Did their eyes bulge? Did they cover their opened mouths with their hands in horror?

But up close, Jesus answered the man. “I will. Be clean.” And instead of disease being transferred to Jesus, health and cleanness flowed into the man. Before his eyes (and those of the crowd), the white patches disappeared; the missing digits, ears, and nose were reformed, until the man was whole.

Stunned silence from the crowd.

“See that you say nothing to anyone,” cautioned Jesus, “but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (The priest would inspect him, accept the offering, and declare the man clean.)

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Matthew 8:5-13.

From there, Jesus and the massive crowd entered the town. A Roman Centurion came to Jesus with a request. He had a paralyzed servant at home, suffering terribly. In FAITH, he simply stated his need.

Now, normally, this Roman soldier would have been hated and avoided by the Jews, much like the leper. But THIS Centurion loved the Jews (Luke’s gospel tells us), and he had even built the beautiful synagogue in Capernaum for them. But this gave him no “worth” in his own eyes.

When Jesus said He would come to the Centurion’s house to heal the servant, the man said, “No, he was not worthy.” He recognized Jesus’ authority. He stated he was a man with authority too, and when he told soldiers to do something, they obeyed. He said to Jesus, “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

SUCH FAITH!

Jesus marveled at it. He told the crowd, “With no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

Then Jesus paused to give them a mini “fire and brimstone” sermon. “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven … while the “sons of the kingdom” will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!”

(And what was the difference? Faith in Him.)

Then Jesus said to the Centurion, “Go, let it be done for you as you have believed.” And it was.

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Matthew 8:14-17.

I’m sure, for a respite from the “maddening crowd,” Jesus slipped into Peter’s house. He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a ferocious fever. He touched her. The fever left. She got up and prepared a meal for them all. Wow! That evening, the people brought many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast them out with a word. He healed all who were sick.

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Matthew recalls and points his readers to Isaiah 53:4-5: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Isaiah was prophesying the time when Jesus was crucified, bearing the guilt and curse of sin on the cross.