Matthew 8 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Matthew 8

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8:1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper¹ came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus² stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,³ ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel⁴ have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,⁵ two demon-possessed⁶ men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Footnotes

[1] 8:2 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
[2] 8:3 Greek he
[3] 8:9 Or bondservant
[4] 8:10 Some manuscripts not even in Israel
[5] 8:28 Some manuscripts Gergesenes; some Gerasenes
[6] 8:28 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); also verse 33; elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons

Commentary

We have read Jesus' teaching; the spotlight now turns to His miracles, revealing His power. There are 12 incidents in chapters 8 and 9. Then, in chapter 10, He empowers His disciples to do the same.

People are astonished at His teaching, and amazed at His miracles. Chapter 11 provides an explanation; they are not performed as a divine magic show, but as part of the overall purpose in demonstrating that Jesus is the Messiah, "Are you the Coming One?" (11.3)

v1-4: The first specific miracle recorded in Matthew. We see Jesus willingness and compassion ; the caring king. The leprous man addresses His as "Lord," as in v6, 25. Jesus too shows respect for the scriptures, sending the man to the priest, which is important for Matthew's Jewish readers.

v5-7: The healing of the centurion's servant. This miracle presents an opportunity for Jesus to teach further, indicating the close link between His teaching and His miracles. Miracles may be seen as parables, which need to be applied and explained.

Matthew writes clearly and accurately, setting the scene.

v8-9: "Just say the word;" the centurion is confident of Jesus' power and authority; He speaks and it comes to pass. The centurion is himself a man of authority, understanding the power of a human word; how much greater is the power of a word owned by God Himself?

v10: Great commendation of his faith. There is no reference to Jewish ritual; only a life of faith pleases God, compare Acts 9.29.

v11-12: Gentiles to be saved, and Jews lost; these words challenge Jewish assumptions that only Jews could enjoy God's kingdom.

v13: The healing is performed immediately, as Jesus words are fulfilled. We therefore expect that His words about the kingdom will also be fulfilled.

v14-15: Peter's mother-in-law; a short incident, again revealing Jesus' compassion and power.

v16-17: The close of a busy day; multitudes healed. The Isaiah prophecy is applied to Jesus' life here; He took away the people's infirmities, bearing away their sicknesses. This is consistent with Luke 8.46, in that it cost Jesus to do so.

v18-22: Multitudes come to Jesus, presumably because of His miracles. He takes the opportunity to challenge the commitment of the teacher of the law, and of others. See also Luke 9.57-62, where the incident is placed later, after the transfiguration (although, of course, Jesus likely said such things many times).

A teacher of the law would have followed a Rabbi, learning from him, passing on his wisdom, and perhaps adding a little of his own. But commitment to the Lord is altogether more costly. Even earthly security and family ties must take second place to Jesus. See also 10.34-39; we need to give proper priority and balance in our lives.

v23: When Jesus gets into the boat, His disciples follow Him, but others didn't. The teacher of the law did not follow Him "wherever you go."

v24-27: The calming of the storm presents an opportunity to teach about faith, see note at v5-7. Through faith circumstances can be changed, and fear turned to peace.

The disciples, now described as mere "men," are amazed at what happens. Yet they prayed "Lord, save us," and He did this.

v28-34: To do good means to oppose evil; Jesus Christ always went around doing good, demonstrating that the power of God, being good, is greater.

Matthew is an eye-witness to events that follow, and presumably saw two demon-possessed men. Mark and Luke record only one, Legion, and perhaps tell his story. Thus, the apparent contradiction is readily resolved. Further, where Matthew records two witnesses, these provide stronger testimony to the power of Christ.

v28: The journey across the lake, from v23, arriving in the land of Gadara. Matthew describes the scene clearly and accurately; demons are active because of the Lord's presence.

v29: The demons recognise Jesus' power; James 2.19. Thus the incident is provided to demonstrate His power and authority, not to explain exhaustively the Bible doctrine of demons.

v30-31: The presence of pigs is a shame to faithful Jews. It is therefore implied that the Jews there were not faithful to the law of God.

v32: The enemy, once within the pigs, goes straight into death. Such is the influence of Satan.

v33-34: The people are fearful, not welcoming the glorious deliverance; somehow the people prefer demon-possessed men to the Lord of glory. Even so, the power of Christ cannot be tamed, even by faithless Jews.