Daily Bible Study

Tweet

Day 14 Matthew 8:1-17 Matthew 8:1 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 said unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou should 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 goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled, 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. 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. 14 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. 16 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 bore our sicknesses. Sickness and disease is something all of us deal with, maybe not every day, but at various times in our lives, and we want more than anything to be rid of the sickness, and particularly the disease that eats away at our bodies, leaving us a shell of the person we were. When Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount, people met him and asked for healing, and he healed them. The first to meet him was a leper. Leprosy is an incurable disease. However, Jesus showed disease had no power when Jesus told the leper he was clean of his disease. Next came a centurion. Centurions were Romans, not Jews, and Jesus showed he came to heal everyone, no matter what country they came from. Then Jesus healed Peter’s wife’s mother of a simple fever, showing that all illness was powerless against Jesus’ touch. In every case, he spoke the word or touched the person and they were instantly healed. In doing so, Matthew also showed Jesus fulfilled the prophecy Isaiah gave. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (KJV) This verse speaks to our salvation through his shed blood on the cross, yet, it also spoke to his ministry as well, because the cross wasn’t the only place we are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. As Christians, you know Jesus came for everyone in the world, not just to one nation, tribe, and people. He didn’t restrict himself with whom he healed. However, you also see that in doing so, some Jews rejected him, believing he was their Messiah only, and not the Messiah of the world, and Jesus told them they would not see eternal life, but would be cast into outer darkness. Acts 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. (KJV) Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (KJV) Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. (KJV) Romans 15:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. (KJV) Jesus’ ministry of healing is for all people, and when you accept all that Jesus did for you, you too will not only see healing in your life but will also have eternal life. Let’s pray: Father, you did not send your Son, Jesus, for a few, but for all, for healing, restoration, and salvation. Let me see all people as worthy of your love, healing, and salvation. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 2 May 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay