Matthew 8: Setting Things Right (3)
Pray Psalm 54.1, 2.
Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
Sing Psalm 54.1, 2.
Beatitudo: Father of Mercies, in Your Word
Save us, O God, by Your great Name; vindicate us with power.
Answer our prayer, remove our shame, in this our desperate hour.
Read Matthew 8.1-17; meditate on verses 14-17.
Meditate on the meaning of “fulfilled.”
Prepare.
1. What did Jesus accomplish by these healings?
2. What “methods” did He use, and what do these suggest about His power?
Meditate.
Matthew continues reaching back to the Old Testament to explain Jesus and His work. He cites Isaiah 53.4 to explain Jesus’ power to take away illnesses and deliver us from spiritual oppressors. But that familiar passage deals more with His carrying our sins away, bearing them for us and being stricken in judgment.
We cannot fail to make the connection between sin and spiritual and physical maladies—demon possession, illness, blindness, paralysis, and all the rest. These are not visited upon us necessarily because of our sin (cf. Jn. 9.1-5); mostly, they beset us because sin is in the world, and sin affects all aspects of life in the world. By taking away the sickness and fever of Peter’s mother, healing the demon-possessed, and curing those who had a variety of illnesses, Jesus demonstrated that He has power over the effects of sin, and therefore over sin itself.
Sin is the original, chronic, everywhere-pervasive spiritual pandemic which causes misery, suffering, sorrows, pain, and death. And Jesus came to take sin away, so that, even though we may yet experience various maladies, all who know Jesus enter into His victory over sin now, and can rejoice and give thanks even when maladies of various kinds befall us. For we know that, when our mortal bodies—temporal and frail as they are—come to their end in the sinful world, Jesus has taken away our infirmities, having borne them in His own body, and nothing can separate us from Him.
Notice Jesus’ method: touching and speaking. It’s not the only way Jesus brings newness to the world (cf. Jn. 2.1-11—here He simply thought), but it suggests to me that we need to stay close to Jesus, both so that we can hear Him speaking to us, and know His Presence and glory. When Jesus touches us, and when He speaks His Word to us, we know that our infirmities—be they ever so persistent or pernicious—have ultimately been overcome and taken by Him, and the joy of our restoration is just a prayer of gratitude away.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
In Matthew 8 we have seen several different methods used for healing.
The leper came to Jesus by himself and requested to be healed.
The centurion came on behalf of his servant in absentia and requested his healing.
Peter’s mother-in-law was observed by Jesus to be sick and received healing.
Then, many sick and demon-possessed were brought by loved ones to Jesus for healing.
And Jesus healed them all of their physical and spiritual maladies. But they didn’t just magically disappear;
Jesus ultimately paid the whole price for their exculpation: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt. 8.17; Is. 53.4) and took away the sin of the whole world (Jn. 1.29).
He came to remove death and bring life (Jn. 10.10).
“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God
in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6.20).
“Who is a God like You,
pardoning iniquity and
passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,
because He delights in mercy.
He will again have compassion on us, and
will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham,
which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old” (Mic. 7.18-20).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
[whether from physical or spiritual woes and travails]
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5.3).
“Let your light so shine before men,
[even in your physical and spiritual infirmities]
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5.16).
This is our work in our Personal Mission Field.
This is what we have been called to fulfill.
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
[amidst the sadnesses and pain of this earthly calling]
for great is your reward in heaven…” (Matt. 5.12).
Jesus has gone before us, through it all, and is waiting for us:
“…that where I AM, there you may be also” (Jn. 14.3).
Through Him—complete, healthy, and whole—overcomers (Rev. 21.7).
And when my task on earth is done, When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, Since God through Jordan leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me! By His Own hand He leadeth me!
His faithful foll’wer I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me.
(Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862)
Reflect.
1. Where have you experienced the healing touch of Jesus in your life?
2. Thinking about the people in your Personal Mission Field, how might Jesus work through you to bring healing?
3. As we follow Jesus, we must be ready to be used for healing, if only of a spiritual or emotional sort. How should you prepare for this each day?
Note that Isaiah did not say that he merely did away with our infirmities but that he himself bore them. Here Isaiah seems to be speaking of our sins being carried by him, in harmony with John, who said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” How does the Evangelist correlate infirmities and sins? He is either recollecting the Isaiah passage in its plain, historical sense, or he is pointing to the fact that most of our diseases arise from sins of our souls. For if the sum of all diseases, even death itself, has its root and foundation from sin, how much more is this true of most of our bodily diseases? John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew 27.1
Pray Psalm 54.3-7.
Call on the Lord to be your Helper throughout this day, to uphold you, take away all your sins, defend you from the enemy, and receive you as a living sacrifice for this day.
Sing Psalm 54.3-7.
Beatitudo: Father of Mercies, in Your Word
Strangers and foes against us rise, threatening woe and strife.
They have not set You in their eyes, but seek to take our life.
You are the Helper of our soul; You will sustain and bless.
Recompense evil to our foe in Your great faithfulness.
Willingly will we praise You, LORD, gladly adore Your Name!
You have redeemed us by Your Word and blessed us by the same.
From all our trouble, by Your grace, You have redeemed us, LORD.
While all our foes in sad disgrace reel backward from Your Word.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column looks at David as a visionary leader. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
