MATTHEW LESSON 17

     Matthew 8:1 "When he was come down from the mountain, great
multitudes followed him."

     This "mountain", here, was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus
had just finished the Sermon on the Mount. A "multitude" was, probably,
over 1,000 people, and since the Scripture included "great", then  it
could have been several thousand.

     Matthew 8:2 "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."

     A "leper" was an outcast from the community. They had to cry,
"unclean", when anyone came near them. This, they thought, was
contagious. Also, they felt that leprosy was a curse from God. Why a
leper would even be allowed to be with this multitude was a mystery in
itself. We could learn a lot from this "leper". The first thing he
did, before he asked for anything, was worship Jesus. He called Him,
"Lord". Then he said, with no doubt in his heart, You can heal me. He
knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus could heal him. He had
either heard from friends about Jesus healing people, or else he had
been an eye witness of Jesus healing someone. When Jesus healed, He
said, "Your faith has made you whole".

     Matthew 8:3 "And Jesus put forth [his] hand, and touched him,
saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed."

     It just takes one touch from Jesus to heal. His answer was always,
"I will". This man did not have to wait and hope. He was "immediately"
healed. The statement "be thou clean", showed that the man had to
accept the healing.

     Matthew 8:4  "And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but
go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses
commanded, for a testimony unto them."

     When a leper was clean, the priest had to say he was clean, before
he could take his place back in the community. This priest would
certainly know there had been a miracle. This man was to follow the
law, by giving an offering of thanks for the healing.

     Matthew 8:5 "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there
came unto him a centurion, beseeching him," Matthew 8:6 "And saying,
Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented."

     A Roman centurion was a captain of 100 men. Capernaum was the
home of Peter, near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus would later on tell the
people of Capernaum that they had very little faith. This particular
Roman had much faith. "Palsy" is a disease of the central nervous
system, and there is really no cure for it. This would have to be a
miracle. Hundreds of years have passed, and there is still no cure for
palsy, outside of a miracle from God. This disease is tormenting. It
causes you to shake out of control.

     Matthew 8:7 "And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him."

     The answer that Jesus always gave was, "I will", as we have said
before Jesus is never too busy. He was willing to go to this servant. A
servant has the same importance as a king to Jesus. Notice Jesus did
not say, I will try to heal him, but rather, "I will".

     Matthew 8:8 "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not
worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word
only, and my servant shall be healed." Matthew 8:9 "For I am a man
under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this [man],
Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my
servant, Do this, and he doeth [it]."

     Even though this man had great worldly authority, he was fully
aware that compared to Jesus, he was unworthy. In fact, we are all
unworthy. It is only through grace that we are saved. He recognized
the fact that everything and everybody was subject to the command of
Jesus. There was no question about the authority of Jesus.

     Matthew 8:10 "When Jesus heard [it], he marvelled, and said to
them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel."

     Jesus was very impressed that someone, who had never studied the
Scriptures, would believe. The learned scholars (scribes and
Pharisees) were the worst doubters of all. Jesus came to the house of
Isreal, but when they refused Him, He created a spiritual Isreal based
on faith alone.

     Matthew 8:11 "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."

     The spiritual children of Abraham shall be from all the nations
of the world. Their faith, like Abraham's, will be the saving factor.
Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond
nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus."  Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

     Matthew 8:12 "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out
into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

     Just because a person is Jew by birth, does not mean that he or
she will go to heaven. This Scripture above, is saying, regardless of
who your parents or grandparents are, without belief in Jesus Christ,
you will wind up in hell. Darkness is the absence of light. Just to
know total separation from Jesus would cause great anguish ("weeping
and gnashing of teeth"). God does not have grandchildren, only
children, Each person is expected to have his own faith and act upon
it.

     Matthew 8:13  "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."

     We can expect miracles according to the amount of faith we have.
If we don't believe, nothing will happen. The bottom line was, this
"servant was healed".

     Matthew 8:14 "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw
his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever." Matthew 8:15  "And he
touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and
ministered unto them."

     Peter's home, as we have said before, was here in Capernaum.
Jesus, probably, went there to rest from the crowd. The Scripture does not
state the cause of the fever. She was sick enough to stay in bed. Just
one touch of Jesus' hand, and the fever fled. It was such a miracle,
she immediately went to work seeing to their physical needs.

     Matthew 8:16 "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:"

     The Bible explains, in detail, how Jesus got rid of the evil
spirits that possessed the bodies they were in. An evil spirit can
come into a non-Christian, and actually control that person. I do not
believe that a Christian can be possessed by a devil. There is no
example in the Bible of a Christian being possessed by a devil. A
demon possesses darkness. A Christian is filled with Light. Light does
away with darkness. A Christian, who is full of the Light of Jesus,
cannot be consumed by the darkness of the devil. I do believe a
Christian can be tormented from without. but not inside. Take note,
here, that the Word got rid of evil spirits. That should tell us
something. Stay full of the Word of God. Take note also, that sick
people are spoken of separately. He "HEALED the sick, and "CAST OUT"
the evil spirits. Notice, also, that He healed "ALL". Let me say one
more time, that because Christians are filled with the Light of Jesus,
they cannot be possessed with devil spirits. They can be oppressed,
but not possessed.

     Matthew 8:17  "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare
[our] sicknesses."

     Isaiah prophesied that the Saviour would not only save our souls,
but wwould heal our bodies. He actually took our diseases on His body on
the cross. His "healing touch" did not just help way back then, but is
still healing people today. In John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also;
and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father." John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will
I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:14 "If ye
shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]."

     You see, Christians can pray to the Father in the name of
Jesus, and He will hear and answer our prayers. The difference is 
Jesus healed in His own name. We heal in Jesus' name. It is the power
of Jesus (not our name). We just touch and allow His power to flow
through us. Pray and believe in the name of Jesus and expect miracles.

     Next, we will pick up in Matthew 8:18.













































                        Matthew 17 Questions


1.  Where was the mountain located where Jesus taught the sermon on
    the Mount?
2.  Describe a multitude.
3.  What did a leper have to cry when near others?
4.  What was the first thing the leper did when he saw Jesus?
5.  What, besides a physical sickness, did most believe leprosy to be?
6.  What name did the leper call Jesus?
7.  How did Jesus answer him?
8.  What does "be thou clean" show us?
9.  Why did Jesus send him to the priest?
10. A Roman centurion was over how many men?
11. What type of disease is palsy?
12. Compared to Jesus, what was the centurion?
13. What and who are under Jesus' authority?
14. Why was Jesus amazed at the centurion's faith?
15. When physical Israel rejected Jesus, who did He create?
16. Where will Abraham's spiritual children come from?
17. Where, in the Bible, do we learn there is no male or female with
    God?
18. Where is outer darkness?
19. Does birth into a Jewish family insure your residence in heaven?
20. Will your mother's or father's faith save you?
21. How many great miracles can we expect?
22. What was the bottom line about the centurion?
23. Where was Peter's home?
24. What was Peter's mother-in-law healed of?
25. Can a Christian be possessed of the devil?
26. Tell what darkness represents.
27. What one thing did Jesus use to free a person from devil spirits?
28. Are sickness and demon possessions the same?
29. Is healing for today?
30. What Scripture answers this question?
31. Whose name must we use?