Jesus, the Compassionate Healer, Matthew 8, Day 20, Jan 20 | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

El Greco

Matthew 8

Look at the amazing economy of the writing. 3 stories in 17 lines. Wow!! It is cinematic writing, rapidly moving from one vignette to another.

I was praising the literary skills of the writers to Roy, who commented that perhaps their literary skills owe something to Jesus who just got down to the heart of the matter, to blessing, without too many words, and without any wastage of time.

The Kingdom of God has come. We saw the authority of Jesus in his teaching ministry. And now we see Jesus at work in practical ministry.

Matthew 8

¹ When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ² A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
Amazing, and socially taboo acceptance of a leper.

“I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Two things stand out. The compassion of Jesus, and his swift and immediate action.
In the midst of the large crowds following him, he focuses on one needy individual. Wow!

Secondly, his only focus was on being kind. Not only was he prepared to not receive the praise and honour due him for this remarkable healing, but he expressly forbade the man with leprosy to tell anyone about it, but to, instead, keep “the Messianic secret.”

Jesus was in an intense love affair, with his Creator and Father. That approval was enough for him. He didn’t need more.

Oh Jesus, strengthen my sense of your eyes on me, and your love for me. Satisfy me in the morning with your love that I may sing for joy and be glad. Satisfy me.

⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
I would have liked to known Jesus in the flesh. He strikes me as a really sweet person.

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
A Jew who entered the house of a Gentile became ceremonially unclean

But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed
There are just a few instances in the Gospels, when Jesus, the omniscient son of God is recorded as being amazed, and they are always to do with faith, such as the faith of another Gentile, the Syro-Phoenician woman

and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I also love this picture of heaven. It is a feast.

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Go. Let it be done just as you believed it would.

Faith literally changes the course of one’s life. I think some of the biggest moves in my life–applying to Oxford University, moving back to Oxford from America and finding lucrative enough work here, starting a publishing company, were entirely the results of faith and prayer.

So, how does one use the nuclear power of faith? We talk about the walk of faith.

So where are you now? What are greatest desires? What you most want to see happen? Start praying in those areas. Behave as if God will answer your prayers. For instance, if you desire to write, then start writing.

If your desire is for your child to be a Christian, thank God for hearing your prayers, and then behave as if she already were a Christian.

¹⁴ When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

¹⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”

I just love to see Jesus’ intention for human beings–healing, complete healing.
Amazing power, he drove out the spirits with a word. Oh amazing powerful Jesus, you are still alive today. Give me eyes to see you.