Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 12:1) At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungry and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

In the last post, the disciples of John the Baptist had come to Jesus inquiring if He was the expected Messiah.  Jesus took that time to give a tribute to John, and then went on to call the weary and heavily burdened to Him, saying His yoke was easy and His burden was light.  It was during this time of His preaching and teaching that He and His disciples walked through cornfields on the Sabbath.  His disciples were hungry and began to pluck and eat ears of corn.

(2) But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the sabbath day."

The Pharisees, who seemed to be following and watching, saw Jesus's disciples pluck and eat the corn, and told Jesus they were doing what was unlawful to do on the Sabbath.  I always knew that Jesus taught the spirit of the law rather than the strict legalistic adherence to it, but as it turns out, the old commentaries that I study point out that this act was indeed lawful.  It was not lawful for a man to tend to or even visit to inspect his own fields on the Sabbath.  However, in Deuteronomy 23:25, it was stated that when a man came to the cornfield of a neighbor, he was allowed to take what he could by hand, meaning only what sufficed for the present necessity.  That was not considered work, whereas a man inspecting and plucking his own corn was viewed as working or tending his fields.

(3) But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him?"

Jesus turned a recrimination back to the Pharisees asking if they had ever read the scripture about David and those with him at a time when they were hungry...

(4) "How he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them who were with him, but only for the priests?"

Jesus went on to tell that David had entered the tabernacle, for the temple was not yet built, and he and those with him ate the showbread that was on the golden table before the Lord, that was only to be eaten by the priests.  No example could be more relevant than David, a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), of whom the Jews boasted, when suffering in God's cause and in need of provisions, ate the showbread that was illegal for anyone but priests to eat.

(5) "Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless?"

Jesus asked the Pharisees if they had read in the law that on sabbath days the priests in the temple did servile work doing God's service in the temple, but they were blameless.

(6) "But I say to you, that in this place there is one greater than the temple."

Jesus told the Pharisees that in that particular place and time, there was something greater than the temple, of course, meaning Himself who was Lord of the temple, and the temple had actually been a sort of symbol of Him.

(7) "But if you had known what this means, 'I will have mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."

Jesus again quoted the scripture in Hosea 6:6, which He had once in Matthew 9:13 told the Pharisees to go and learn.  The meaning is that when the two interfered with each other, God always preferred mercy to legalistic ceremonial acts.  The law was merely a means of religion, whereas love was the ultimate goal of it.  If the Pharisees had learned the meaning of that scripture in Hosea, they would not have condemned His disciples.

(8) "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

Jesus was Lord of all, even the Sabbath.  After all, the sabbath day was a symbol of the sabbath rest in Him, stated in Hebrews 4:10, "For he who has entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His."

(9) And when He was departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

When Jesus departed from the cornfields and His conversation with the Pharisees, He went into their synagogue.  He may have gone immediately from the cornfields to the synagogue on that same day, but Luke stated in his account that the following took place on another sabbath day.

(10) And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?"--that they might accuse Him.

There was a man there with a withered hand.  The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but their intentions were not to learn, but to trap Him.

(11) And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbath day, would not lay hold of it and lift it out?"

Jesus then asked the Pharisees a question about a situation that might easily happen to any of them.  Was there any of them who, if he had a sheep, and it fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lift it out of the pit.

(12) "How much then is a man more valuable than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath days."

Jesus pointed out that a man was of much more value than a sheep, so it was definitely lawful to do for man what one would do for his sheep.  Once again, Jesus taught the spirit of the law.  It was not to be taken so literally and strictly that by observing it, one would actually do harm, as to destroy a life or allow it to be destroyed, when he had it within his power to save it.

(13) Then He said to the man, "Stretch forth your hand." And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole as the other.

Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out, and when he did, it was restored and just like his other hand.  The act of stretching forth his hand might have been just to show that his hand was healed, but I believe there might have been a little more to it.  In this case, we don't have evidence of the man's faith in Jesus; from what was written, we don't see that the man sought out Jesus to heal him.  Jesus and the Pharisees just saw the man and the Pharisees used him to test Jesus.  Jesus had the man stretch forth his hand.  I believe that was to show faith in Jesus that He might heal him.  He could just as easily have kept his hand to himself if he believed the Pharisees and thought he would be engaging in an unlawful act.

(14) Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees then went out and held a meeting to plot against Jesus, how they might destroy Him.  Imagine that!  There was no regard for the life that was healed, but only judgment and perhaps envy in their hard wicked hearts to destroy the one who did only good on the Sabbath.  

(15) But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from there; and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

Jesus knew the hearts of men and their thoughts, so when He realized what the Pharisees were doing, He withdrew from the synagogue and the city to the sea of Galilee, so says Mark in his account.  Jesus did not withdraw because of fear, but because it was not yet time for Him to suffer and die.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, explained how this was a good example for Christians.  We don't retreat in fear, but if by withdrawing, we take away the occasion for the other party to sin, that is a good thing.  There is no reason to purposely provoke.  We are not to fear persecution, but as our aim should be only to do good, if we can prevent sin and go on to do more good, then we should.  However, if there comes a time when we must choose God or evil, we of course, choose God, even if it means persecution and death.  Withdrawing from such situations is often humbling; we must not let our pride get the best of us and cause sin and persecution, when peacefully withdrawing would do good.  When Jesus left, multitudes of people followed after Him, and He healed them all.  

(16) And charged them that they should not make Him known.

Once again, Jesus warned those He healed not to tell of their miraculous healing, or at least not reveal Him as the healer.  Again, it is not because He feared what would happen to Him if they told, but it was not yet time for His suffering and death.

(17) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, (18) "Behold, My servant whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon Him and He will show judgment to the Gentiles."

That charge to not make Him yet known was to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1 that He would share the entire Christian system of truth and judgment to the Gentiles, not just the Jews.  Matthew, in quoting this prophecy, showed the reason why Jesus withdrew.  The Jews had been expecting their Messiah to be a conqueror, but instead of being a brave warrior, He was withdrawing.

(19) "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither will any man hear His voice in the streets. (20) A bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth judgment to victory; (21) And in His name shall the Gentiles trust."

Matthew went on to quote the rest of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 42:2-4.  The Messiah would not come fighting and shouting for battle.  He would not come oppressing the poor and feeble.  Whereas one rough touch might break a bruised reed or quench a flickering smoking flax, His touch would be tender and loving to lift up the meek.  He would not further oppress those who had little strength; He would not quench the hope and life when it seemed to be almost extinct.  He would not be like the Pharisees, proud and overbearing, and trampling down the poor.  He would not treat them harshly, but would cherish the feeble flame, and kindle it into a blaze, a victory.  The Gentiles would trust in His name.  The original prophecy was that the isles would wait for His law, meaning His gospel would be preached to the Gentiles, those beyond the sea in distant lands. 

This is an especially long chapter, so I will end this post, and finish the chapter in the next one.  The main points in this first half were to show that Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath, and that He fulfilled prophecy.  The entire Old Testament was a foreshadowing of things to come.  The Pharisees took the law so literally, and adhered to it so strictly (most likely when it suited them), that they had lost the original intent of it, which was to bring people closer to the Lord, and to have them love one another.  The Pharisees would not hear Jesus's teaching, but God would have it preached to the Gentile world.  Hallelujah for that!

Jesus's Tribute to John the Baptist and His Invitation for the Weary to Come to Him

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 11:1) And it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had just instructed His twelve disciples and sent them out to preach His gospel.  Now that He had sent them out, He Himself went forth to teach and preach in the cities of the Jews.

(2) Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples.

At this time John the Baptist was in prison, but he had been hearing of the works of Jesus, so he sent out two of his disciples.

(3) And said to Him, "Are you He who is coming, or do we look for another?"

John's disciples went to Jesus and asked if He was the coming Messiah they had expected, or if they should be looking to the future for another.

(4) Jesus answered and said to them, "Go back and show John those things which you hear and see: (5) The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."

Rather than confirm outright that He was the Messiah, Jesus told John's disciples to go back to him, telling what they had seen and heard about Him.  He quoted prophecies that had been spoken about Him by the prophet Isaiah.  The blind received their sight (Isaiah 35:5); the lame walked (Isaiah 35:6); the lepers were cleansed; the deaf could hear (Isaiah 35:5); the dead were raised up (Isaiah 26:19); and the poor had the gospel preached to them (Isaiah 61:1-3).

(6) "And blessed is he who shall not be offended in Me."

Jesus ended His answer to John's disciples by stating that whoever was not offended by Him would be blessed.  This was another prophecy by Isaiah (Isaiah 8:14).  The Jews were offended at much concerning Jesus.  They were offended by His parentage, by His poverty, by the lowly place of His birth, by His lack of education, by His occupation, by His followers and audiences being usually of a poorer ignorant and scandalous sort, and by the doctrines that He preached.  However, blessed would be those who did not stumble because of these things, "stumble" being the literal definition of the word "skandalizo" that was translated as "offend".  The similarity to our word "scandal" is obvious.

(7) And as they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"

As the disciples of John left Jesus, He began to talk to the people gathered around Him concerning John.  Back in Matthew 3:5 we learned that multitudes of people from Jerusalem, Judaea, and all the region around the Jordan went out into the wilderness to see John the Baptist.  He asked them what they had gone into the wilderness to see at that time.  Did they expect to see one easily swayed by every breath of wind, unsteady and constantly changing?

(8) "But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses."

He asked if they had expected to see one finely dressed out in the wilderness, for those dressed that way were more likely found in palaces.

(9) "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."

Jesus's point was that they obviously wouldn't have gone out in the wilderness to see one swaying with every different wind of the day, and they wouldn't have gone out to see a grand man splendidly dressed, so was it a prophet they had gone out to see?  Yes, Jesus affirmed, John was a prophet and much more than that.

(10) "For this is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.'"

John was not just a prophet, but Jesus said he was the one prophesied in Malachi 3:1, that would be God's messenger and the forerunner of the Messiah who prepared the way for Him, and prepared the people to receive Him.

(11) "Verily, I say to you, among those who are born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Jesus told the people that among all who had been born on earth in the traditional manner, there was none greater than John the Baptist.  That was saying a lot, when you consider Moses and others before him.  John had had the benefit of being the prophet prophesied about in scripture, and he had the privilege of showing the fulfillment of scripture that other prophets could only foretell; John had seen it come to pass, had the honor to baptize the Messiah, and could enjoy the salvation the others could only foretell.  However, Jesus said that the very least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John.  That is because the fullness of the kingdom of heaven on earth with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was not known until after Jesus had been crucified and risen from the dead.  The least of these would have the benefit of the Holy Spirit in them.

(12) "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."

Since the time John the Baptist started preaching until the time Jesus was then speaking, He said the kingdom of heaven was suffering violence.  The original word "biazo" that was translated as "violence" is more accurately "force, press or crowd into".  The "violent", the "biastes", the "strong, forceful, energetic" take it by force.  This is a description of people rushing into the kingdom of heaven with a violence or force or earnestness like those taking a city by storm.  It's hard to know whether the kingdom of heaven was the one suffering from the force or it was the one doing the forcing, as that word "biazo" can mean either.  Therefore, this could also be seen as the present time Jesus was speaking, never had the kingdom of heaven come upon earth with such force, with the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power.  Additionally, this rush of the kingdom of heaven on earth would cause its enemies to fight more violently against it.  So this was a spiritual war, and it would take a strong, purposeful, and forceful act to push through all the hazards and obstacles to salvation.

(13) "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."

The Old Testament prophets and the law were only able to tell of things to come.  With John the Baptist, the prophecies were now present and real-time.

(14) "And if you will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come."

Jesus told them that if they would accept it as truth, this John the Baptist was the one prophesied in Malachi 4:5 who would be sent before the coming of the Lord.  In the prophecy he was called Elijah.  In the same account in Luke, it was expressed that John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah.  The Jews took the prophecy literally, and were looking for Elijah to return in person and usher in the Messiah.  That is probably why Jesus said "if" they would receive that truth.

(15) "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus used a proverbial expression that whoever heard His words should pay the highest attention to what He said.  What He had said about John the Baptist was of great importance; John was Elijah who had been prophesied to usher in the Messiah.

(16) "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the markets and calling to their friends, (17) And saying, 'We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you have not lamented.'"

Jesus posed the question to what He should liken that present generation of Jews.  He said they were like children being called by their friends in the marketplaces, but as their friends complained, they would not be pleased with dance music nor would they respond to laments.  It seemed nothing pleased them.

(18) "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a devil.'"

Jesus said that John the Baptist came in an austere way, not participating in celebratory feasts; and the people accused him of having a demon.

(19) "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.' But wisdom is justified by her children."

In contrast to John the Baptist, Jesus came eating and drinking freely and socially, and the same people complained He was a glutton and a drunk and a friend of those considered wicked.  They could be satisfied neither way.  However, Jesus said, wisdom would be shown to be true by its results.  The wise children would hear and understand that what He said was true.

(20) Then He began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works were done, because they did not repent.

Then Jesus began to rebuke the cities where He had performed most of His mighty works, because they did not respond to His message and repent.  The more God does to draw men to Himself, the less excusable they are if they continue in their sin.  "For to whom much is given, of him much will be required" (Luke 12:48).

(21) "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."

Jesus made a solemn declaration to the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, cities in Galilee, of the misery they were bringing upon themselves by rejecting the gospel of Christ.  Knowing the hearts of all, He remarked that if He had performed the same mighty works in the heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon, and they had received the same advantages as Chorazin and Bethsaida, they would have repented long ago, signified by sackcloth and ashes.  

(22) "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you."

Once again, that is because to whom much is given, much is required.  Tyre and Sidon, not having had the advantage of having Jesus teaching in their midst, would be judged less harshly than Chorazin and Bethsaida.

(23) "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to hell, for if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."

Jesus turned His attention to Capernaum which He called exalted to heaven.  That may have been because it was indeed a very high and lofty city, but certainly because of the privileges that it had enjoyed with Jesus spending most of His time dwelling there.  He said that high and mighty city would be brought down to everlasting destruction because it rejected Jesus.  He remarked that if Sodom had had the advantages that Capernaum had had, it would have never been destroyed because it would have accepted the truth.

(24) "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."

And again, Sodom would be judged less harshly than the cities that enjoyed much more privilege and advantage by having the presence of Jesus and His teaching and miracles.

(25) At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes."

In reference to the high and mighty city of Capernaum, as well as the privileged Chorazin and Bethsaida, Jesus thanked God the Father for revealing His gospel to the poor and ignorant He called babes.  You can be sure that God was not purposely hiding the truth from those who considered themselves wise and prudent, but because those learned and self-righteous men could not see the truth, He thanked the Lord for revealing it to others.  So often knowledge can stand in the way of simple truth; the well-educated look for complicated and scientific explanations for what they deem to be fairy tale fantasies of the ignorant.  They are wise in their own eyes, but are fools (Proverbs 12:15, Romans 1:22).

(26) "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."

The will of the Father, right and good, was that His message that was despised and rejected by the scribes and Pharisees should be offered to the simple people.

(27) "All things are delivered to Me by My Father; and no man knows the Son but the Father; neither does any man know the Father except the Son and to whomever the Son will reveal Him."

All the things of God the Father are given to God the Son in human form on earth.  No man can know the mind of Jesus Christ but God the Father.  Neither does any man know the mind of God, nor understand fully His attributes, except God the Son, and anyone to whom the Son reveals those things.  That is why men wise in worldly things cannot know the things of God by natural reason.  It has to be revealed to them by God, and they have to be willing to receive it.

(28) "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Jesus, having signified that God's truth can only be revealed by Him to those He chooses to reveal it to, called to Himself those who were weary and heavy laden with sin and guilt.  He said He (and He alone) was able to give them rest, that was spiritual rest and peace of conscience and mind through His pardoning grace.

(29) "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Jesus encouraged those He called to believe in Him, for He was meek toward all men, and lowly and in subjection to God the Father; only in Him would they find rest for their souls.  Believing in Him and following Him was easy.  There was a heavy burden imposed by the law, but those who accepted Christ's sacrifice for their sins had a very light burden.  As Jesus would later sum up the whole of His commandments in Matthew 22:37-40, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...and...you shall love your neighbor as yourself."  How easy is that?!

Jesus Sends Out His Twelve Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Matthew 10:1) And when He had called to Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

At the end of the last chapter and post, Jesus had remarked that the harvest of souls was plentiful, but the laborers were few.  He had now appointed His twelve disciples and had equipped them for that work.  He gave them the spiritual power to cast out unclean spirits and to heal all manner of sickness and disease.  It is noteworthy that Jesus chose twelve disciples to be His inner circle, twelve being the number of the tribes of Israel.

(2) Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: the first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.

Here begins the list of the twelve disciples, or apostles, as the inner circle of twelve were now called.  Peter and Andrew were called the first because they were the first called by Jesus.  James and John, the sons of Zebedee, make four.

(3) Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the publican, James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddaeus.

The names of the next four disciples were Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew, the tax collector and author of this gospel account.  Next was James, the son of Alphaeus, who was named to distinguish him from the son of Zebedee.  The tenth apostle named was Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, and that is the name used in the list made by Mark in his gospel account.

(4) Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Rounding out the twelve were Simon, the Canaanite, distinguishing him from Simon Peter, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.  This Simon was also called Simon the Zealot.

(5) These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans. (6) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Jesus sent out His twelve disciples on a mission with His instructions.  First they were commanded not to go among the Gentiles or into any city of the Samaritans.  They were to preach the gospel first to the lost souls in Israel, the original chosen people of God, the people among whom the Messiah was born, the people who had long looked forward to His coming.  It was only fitting that they should receive His message first.

(7) "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

As the disciples went through the cities of Judea, they were to preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, proclaiming the same words used by Jesus's forerunner, John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2).

(8) "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely you have received, freely give."

Jesus instructed His apostles, with the power He had given them, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons.  They had been freely given the spiritual gifts to do all these things, and they were instructed to perform those gifts freely to those in need.

(9) "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, (10) Nor bag for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor staffs, for the workman is worthy of his food."

Jesus told them not to carry money in their purses, nor prepare any bag for their journey.  They weren't to carry a change of clothes, nor extra shoes or staffs.  Workmen were worthy of their necessities, meaning the work they would be doing would make them worthy of receiving provisions and support from those they ministered to, and God would surely provide.  They were not to concern themselves with stuff, but were to depend on God for their provisions and put all their effort into His work.

(11) "And into whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and abide there till you go out."

When the apostles came into a town or city, they were to inquire and seek out the place best suited to receive them as guests and allow them to stay there until they left that town.

(12) "And when you come into a house, salute it."

When the apostles first entered a house, they were to show the family of the house all the customary tokens of respect and civility, regardless of whether or not they would stay there.

(13) "And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."

If the household proved to be courteous and welcoming, and ready to receive them, then the peace the apostles wished for in their salutation to the house, should come and rest on the house.  However, if the house proved to be unwelcoming, then those blessings of peace and goodwill would be upon the apostles themselves as they sought another house.

(14) "And whoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet."

If a house rejected them, or if no hospitable house was found in an entire city, the apostles were to depart the house or city, shaking its dust off their feet, indicating they no longer had any connection with it, or any responsibility for its guilt in rejecting them and their message.

(15) "Verily, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

The sins and punishment of Sodom and Gomorrha were well known by all inhabitants of the region.  Jesus said that those who rejected the gospel would be judged more harshly than the sinners in Sodom and Gomorrha.  That was because Sodom and Gomorrha had not been so highly favored with so much light and instruction as the Jews at the time of Jesus, for to whomever much is given, from him much will be required (Luke 12:48).

(16) "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Jesus told the apostles that He was sending them as defenseless sheep into a cruel and ravenous world.  Therefore, He advised them to be wise and even cunning as serpents were said to be, but in their cunning, they should be harmless as doves.  Their cunning ways were not to bring any harm.  

(17) "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues."

Jesus warned them to be on guard against men, their own countrymen with whom they may have once felt comfort, for they now might want to oppress and persecute them, and turn them over to the courts for punishment.

(18) "And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles."

The reason they would be persecuted was for Jesus's sake, purely for their profession of faith in Him and for preaching His gospel.  Jesus told them they would even be brought before governors and kings to testify the truth before them, a testimony that would appear to be in opposition to all they thought they knew with their legalistic laws of men.  It was called a testimony against the Gentiles, too, which might be so said because they would be brought before heathen kings, but it might also be a hint that the apostles' message would soon be spread to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews.

(19) "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak. (20) For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

Jesus told them not to worry or be anxious about what they might say or how they might behave when they were brought before the courts or rulers, for the Holy Spirit of God would speak through them.  What a wonderful promise and such a beautiful thing that no surprise attack, no deficiency of talent, nor ignorance itself, would hurt the purpose of God!  The apostles would be willing instruments of the Holy Spirit of God!

(21) "And the brother will deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children will rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death."

This is a harsh and hard fact to understand presented by Jesus, that members of family would turn against one another, that parents could actually turn aside their natural affection for their children and deliver them up to wicked magistrates to be put to death, just because they professed a different faith.  This shows an astonishing enmity in the soul of man against the gospel of Christ!  Whenever there seemed to be no plausible explanation for something, my husband always explained it was spiritual.  It is a sad corruption of human nature resulting from spiritual warfare led by Satan himself that people could have such pure hatred for the gospel of Christ that they could put aside natural affections and kill because of it!

(22) "And you shall be hated by all for My name's sake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved."

Jesus warned the apostles would be hated by all kinds of men all over because of their attachment to Jesus Himself.  However, He encouraged them with the fact that if they endured in their faith till the end, they would indeed be saved.  It also seems to suggest that if they did not hold fast to their faith till death, they would not be saved.  Is this an argument against "once saved, always saved," or perhaps a passing reference to Judas Iscariot, who would obviously not endure to the end, but would betray Christ?  

(23) "But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another, for verily I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, before the Son of Man comes."

Jesus told the apostles if they were persecuted in one city, flee to another, for time was short.  They would not have finished their work of preaching the gospel of Christ before His kingdom would indeed be come to earth in that He would be resurrected and His Holy Spirit poured out on earth.

(24) "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord."

Jesus told them that a disciple was not better than his teacher, nor a servant better than his master.  They should expect no better treatment as merely His disciples than He, the Lord Himself, would receive.  

(25) "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call them of his household?"

A disciple should think himself well off if he received the same treatment as his master, and be happy if he received no worse treatment than his master.  If men have called the master of the house Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, or a name for Satan himself, are they really going to treat the members of his household much better?  

(26) "Fear them not therefore, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."

Jesus told His disciples to therefore not fear men for all would be revealed.  They could be assured that God saw everything and that they would not receive any worse treatment than would Jesus, and soon all would be known.  Even though we know Jesus would suffer unimaginably, He overcame that death and arose, and therefore His followers could expect to overcome it all, as well.

(27) "What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."

Jesus told His disciples that what He then told them in secret, they were to declare openly and publicly.  

(28) "And do not fear them who can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

He told them not to fear anything they might suffer when proclaiming these truths.  Men could indeed kill the body, but that is all they could do.  They could not kill the soul, and the body's temporal life is nothing compared to the eternal life of the soul.  Likewise, mere men who would themselves soon die, were nothing to fear against the Lord God who held their souls and could destroy both body and soul in an eternal hell.  The disciples who would be working for God should have a reverential fear for the One who held their souls in His hand, and therefore fear not mere men.

(29) "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father."

A farthing was a coin of very little value.  I'm not sure of its exact worth in Biblical times, but a British farthing was equal to one fourth of a penny.  Jesus's point to His disciples was that even though the sparrows were of such little value in the eyes of the world, not one fell to the ground or died without His knowledge and will.

(30) "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

Sparrows of such little value were of concern to the Father, but concerning His disciples, the Father knew the exact number of hairs on their heads, indicating even more care and attention to the smallest details of their lives.

(31) "Do not fear, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Indeed, Jesus told His disciples, they were more valuable to God than many sparrows, so they had no reason to fear men; they had God on their side.

(32) "Whoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in heaven."

Jesus told them that whoever publicly confessed Him to be the promised Messiah, He would acknowledge that person before God in heaven that he was His own. 

(33) "But whoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

However, whoever denied Christ before men would likewise be denied as one of His own before God in heaven.  Christ was Mediator between God and man, Savior to all men who could never be good enough on their own to approach God.  Therefore, to deny Christ, was to forbid themselves access to the kingdom of God.

(34) "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword."

How could it be that the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) did not come to bring peace, but a sword?  I believe the meaning is that His purpose was not to get along solely for the sake of peaceful getting along.  What He brought with Him to earth would produce much strife and contention, but He would never back down from the truth.  He would be proactive, and not merely reactive.  The sword is a symbol of that, and is often used to represent the Word of God.  

(35) "For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Jesus quoted Micah 7:6 in this, meaning that His coming would create disagreement and strife within families.  A father, while unconverted, would oppose a godly child, and vice versa.  It is the spirit that is in those who sin against God that is opposed to that spirit which is in the followers of Christ.  Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that it is the spirits that are in opposition, and not the persons, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against...rulers of darkness..."

(36) "And a man's foes will be those of his own household."

Jesus told His disciples that a man's foes would those of his own family.  Those are the people who knew him best, and vice versa.  There would be the most intense debates over religion, so there would the most hostilities and strife erupt.

(37) "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

Jesus was not contradicting the commandment to honor father and mother, but one must not drop the confession of Christ or neglect His commands in order to please a family member.  We must love God and Christ above all others, or we are not worthy to be called by His name.  This is where the sword divides families.

(38) "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."

The meaning of this is that one must be ready to endure all the punishment and afflictions that would come when following Christ.  More than that, what a prophetic statement it was!  Taking up one's cross is more than bearing trials in general, but is a preparedness to go forth following after Jesus even unto crucifixion.  This was a more remarkable statement by Jesus when you realize that crucifixion was not a Jewish method of capital punishment.  Jesus's followers must be willing to follow Him wherever it leads or they are not worthy of Him.  

(39) "He who finds his life shall lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake shall find it."

Finding one's life is a way of saying preserving or saving his life.  One who preserves his life by denying Christ and living according to worldly lusts will lose eternal life.  However, one who dies to selfish lusts, and gives his life to Christ, will find everlasting life.

(40) "He who receives you, receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent me."

After so much warning about persecution, it must have been an encouragement to the disciples to know that some people would receive them and their message favorably.  And those who received them were in actuality receiving the message of Him who sent them, and in receiving Jesus, they received God the Father.

(41) "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward."

Whoever received a prophet, or minister of the gospel in this case, as a prophet or the messenger of the gospel as he was, would share in that prophet's reward.  Likewise, receiving a righteous man as he was, would give him a share in the righteous man's reward.  Those who graciously received the disciples would be blessed, obviously by the message itself, but even more so because they had been so gracious to God's workers.

(42) "And whoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily, I say to you, he shall in no way lose his reward."

Jesus said that whoever gave so little as a cup of cold water to those little ones, the disciples, regarded by the world as lowly, and perhaps regarded by themselves as little unlearned followers of Christ, would be rewarded for that act of kindness.  As Jesus said elsewhere, in Matthew 25:40, whenever one gave a drink to the least of these, His brethren, so he gave it to Him.

In this chapter and post, Jesus prepared His disciples to go out into the world preaching the Gospel.  By His instructions we can learn many things that direct how we should go forth in the world today.  The gift of God's salvation through Jesus Christ is as free as all other gifts of God, including air, water, and sunlight; all are welcome to receive it, regardless of their stations in life.  Because it is a free gift, ministers of the gospel should depend on God for their provision.  We should treat messengers of the gospel kindly; they are sent to benefit the world and it is proper that they should be kindly received and have their needs supplied.  It is no small matter to reject Christ and the gospel, and judgment will be forthcoming.  We should take proper care of our lives and not endanger them by foolish unwarranted actions.  We should flee from danger when we can do it without denying God.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote, "He that throws away his life when it might have been, and ought to have been preserved, is a self-murderer. He that exposes himself when duty does not require it, and whose life pays the forfeit, goes before God 'rushing unbidden into his Maker’s presence,' nor can he be held guiltless."  We are to persevere through all trials till the end, and know that God watches over us.  We have a duty to confess Christ before men and never be ashamed of Him and His gospel.  How easy it is to receive the rewards of heaven!  What is easier than giving a cup of water to a stranger?!  Of course, it's the motive of the heart that determines God's reward; love heightens the smallest act.  Even the poorest person can be hospitable.  I will end this post with a message I just received this week.  My new neighbor helped pull me out of the mud and went over and beyond what was necessary to help.  He then proceeded to tell me his philosophy on life and obedience to the Holy Spirit.  He said that hospitality originated with the Holy Spirit and that the word "hospitality" itself was short for "Holy Spirituality".  Although I don't necessarily believe that is true, I thought it was a beautiful thought.  Indeed we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19-21).

The Calling of Matthew and Many More Healings by Jesus

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Matthew 9:1) And He entered into a ship and crossed over, and came into His own city.

At the end of the last chapter and post, the Gergesenes had asked Jesus to leave their country.  Therefore, He boarded a ship and crossed over the sea, going back to His own city, Capernaum, where He spent most of His adult life.

(2) And behold, they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed; and Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the one sick of the palsy, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

Some people brought to Jesus a man struck with palsy, which probably meant he was paralyzed.  It is interesting to note that the original word translated as "palsy" is "paralutikos," very similar to the word "paralytic."  The fact that they brought the man lying on a bed, probably more accurately a mattress or pallet, shows he could not walk.  Jesus saw faith in those who brought him to Him to be healed, but rather than just immediately healing the man, Jesus told him to be of good cheer.  He called him "son," probably meant to be an endearing term, and may have been encouraging him as the man most likely had begun to greatly despond.  Jesus, knowing the hearts of men, may have known the man felt guilty and believed that sinful living had brought about his condition.  He may have felt he was too great a sinner for Jesus to regard him.  Therefore, Jesus, first calling him an endearing name, told him to take heart and be of cheer because his sins had been forgiven.  

(3) And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, "This man blasphemes!"

Some scribes who were witnessing this event, said either to themselves, or within their circle, but not aloud and openly, that Jesus blasphemed, because He had attributed to Himself the ability to forgive sins, that which only belonged to God.

(4) And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?"

Although they had not said it aloud, Jesus knew the thoughts of the scribes, and asked them why they regarded Him as evil; and with that, knowing their thoughts as no mere man could know, He proved His power divine; only God can forgive sins and only God knows the hearts of men.

(5) "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say 'Arise and walk'?"

These scribes had obviously seen or heard of Jesus's miraculous healings.  How could He miraculously heal, other than by divine power of God?  That same power that miraculously heals, forgives sins; both are equally easy to God, and equally difficult to mere man.  The root cause of sickness and death in this world is sin, and Jesus had gone directly to the source of the sickness in this man.

(6) "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins," then He said to the one sick of the palsy, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

So that the scribes might know the truth, that the same One who had power on earth to miraculously heal, also had the power to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralytic to get up, take his bed, and go home.  In other words, to prove to the scribes that He had the power and authority to forgive sins, He would perform the act of healing that they surely perceived to require the power of God.

(7) And he arose, and departed to his house.

The paralytic, perfectly healed, indeed rose up and went to his house.

(8) But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

That which was seen as evil and blasphemous to the scribes, was seen by the multitudes of people as a miracle of God, and they praised and glorified Him.  At this point, they realized only God could do these things, and in their minds, Jesus was a mere man, but they saw Him as one to whom God had given great power.

(9) And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the custom house; and He said to him, "Follow Me." And he arose and followed Him.

Jesus went on from the place where He had healed the paralytic.  He saw a man named Matthew (the author of this gospel account) sitting at the custom house, a place where taxes were collected.  Matthew was also known as Levi, which some of the other gospel authors call him.  Matthew was in the custom house, presumably in the midst of his business of collecting taxes, when Jesus called to him to follow Him.  It appears he, without hesitation, immediately rose and followed Jesus.

(10) And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

This same account in Luke says that Matthew himself had made a great feast in his own house for Jesus, and there was a great company of tax collectors and sinners who were at this feast.  As Matthew had been a tax collector, it makes sense he would have known many such people.  

(11) And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

When the Pharisees saw this, the account in Luke says they murmured against Jesus's disciples, asking why would their master or teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners, not daring to ask Jesus Himself aloud.  Of course, the insinuation was that their master could not be righteous Himself if He associated with such people.

(12) But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but they who are sick."

Even though the Pharisees didn't have the courage to address Him, Jesus heard what they said, and addressed them directly.  Jesus told them that those who were well did not need a physician, but it was the sick who needed Him, and He should be found among them.  Likewise, those who would deem themselves righteous as the Pharisees obviously thought of themselves, then perhaps felt no need to have Him around them.  However, to those sinners He came to heal and save them.  Here Jesus represented Himself as the Great Physician of souls.

(13) "But you go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Jesus challenged the Pharisees to learn the meaning of the scripture Hosea 6:6, "For I desired mercy and not sacrifice."  The meaning, of course, was that God preferred acts of mercy and kindness over ritual acts of religion.  Jesus came for the merciful act of saving sinners, not for engaging in religious rituals with the righteous.  Jesus told them He did not come to call the righteous to repentance, but He came for sinners; therefore it was right He should associate with them.  Of course, all are sinners, but the Pharisees didn't see themselves that way, so Jesus was in essence telling them, if they were so righteous, then they didn't need Him, but these people did.

(14) Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

It appears that these disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus at Matthew's feast.  It is probable that John was in prison by this time.  His disciples probably correctly understood that John was the forerunner of the Messiah, so they didn't understand why there was this difference between John's disciples and Jesus's with regard to fasting.  They were possibly grieving because of John's imprisonment, and at that time observing days of fasting; and they didn't understand why the followers of Jesus would not join with them in lamenting the captivity of the one who was the forerunner and baptizer of their Lord.

(15) And Jesus said to them, "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast."

The 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes states that "children of the bridechamber" was a Hebrew idiom for those who were admitted into the marriage chamber as the groom's closest friends.  Jesus's point was that while He, the bridegroom, was with them, it was a time of rejoicing, not mourning.  However, He did say there would come a time when He, the bridegroom, would be taken away from them, and then they would mourn and would fast.

(16) "No man puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up takes from the garment, and the tear is made worse."

This is a rather difficult verse to understand, but I believe the meaning is this:  No one would put a new raw unwashed piece of cloth on an old garment and expect it to properly mend a hole.  The patch of new cloth, when washed, would shrink and pull away from the garment and the tear would be made worse.  Just like the children of the bridechamber could not be expected to mourn like those from without, that new patch of Christians could not be expected to wear like the old legalistic religious crowd.  Luke put it this way in his account, "The piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old."  Likewise, there was no agreement between the laws of God, that true spirit of the law Jesus was teaching them, and the old legalistic religious rituals of man.  It would only make things worse to plop those new Christians into the old ways, expecting them to observe the old traditions of man.  Either they would lose the true spirit of God's laws, or they would disrupt the old legalistic rituals.  Just like the children of the bridechamber could not mourn, but only rejoice, so this new patch of Christians could not be expected to squelch the spirit and adhere to legalistic laws of man.

(17) "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish; but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."

This one is even more difficult.  However, when you realize that wine bottles back then were actually leather wineskins, it becomes easier to understand.  New fermenting wine would soon burst old worn out wineskins.  Once again, the new does not agree with the old.  Expecting new growing spiritual Christians to fit into the old religion of legalistic rules would hurt both; the Christians' spirits would be squelched, and their actions would disrupt the legalistic rites of man.  Once again, keeping these new Christians in their right place and time with Jesus, the bridegroom, preserves them, and doesn't disrupt the laws of man.  Jesus was telling the disciples of John with these three examples, that there was a propriety for things, and at that present time, His disciples were doing what was proper at that time.

(18) While He spoke these things to them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay Your hand upon her, and she will live."

While Jesus was speaking to the disciples of John, a certain ruler came to Him.  The accounts in Mark and Luke tell us this man's name was Jairus, and he was an elder of the synagogue.  He indeed worshiped Jesus and fell down at His feet, according to the other accounts.  From the other accounts, we get the picture that the man left his daughter at the point of death, and he imagined she would be dead by this time, or else he had been informed that she was indeed dead by then.  This man demonstrated great faith in Jesus that with His touch, he knew his daughter would live.  This is the first account in the Gospels of Jesus raising someone from the dead, although, chronologically, there had been one before this, described in Luke.  

(19) And Jesus arose and followed Him, and so did His disciples.

It appears that Jesus immediately arose and followed the man to his home.  His disciples followed, desiring to witness the miracle, I'm sure.  Jesus could have instantly healed the girl without going to her, and may have healed her before she died.  The reasons He didn't are at the least two-fold.  One was to demonstrate to His disciples that they should spare no steps or pains to save a soul.  The other was likely to give the child time to die, and He would perform a greater miracle.  Why did Jesus have to perform a bigger miracle?  He was teaching that He had power over everything--sickness, demons, weather, and even death.  

(20) And behold, a woman who was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind and touched the hem of His garment. (21) For she said within herself, "If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole."

While Jesus was on His way to Jairus's house, a woman who had been ill with a flow of blood for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment.  She felt that if she could only touch Jesus's garment, she would be healed and made whole."

(22) But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her, He said, "Daughter, be of good comfort; your faith has made you whole."  And the woman was made whole from that hour.

When the woman touched His hem, Jesus turned around and spoke to her, telling her to be of good cheer, that her faith had healed her.  She surely had demonstrated great faith in Him that merely touching the hem of His garment would heal her.  She was healed or made whole, probably instantly.  The original word that was translated as "hour" also meant "an instant," and knowing our Lord by His previous miracles, I am sure the healing was instantaneous.

(23) And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, (24) He said to them, "Make room, for the maiden is not dead, but sleeps."  And they laughed Him to scorn.

By the time Jesus arrived at the ruler's house, his daughter was indeed dead.  There were musicians and people lamenting her death.  Jesus told them to make room for Him, that the girl was not dead, but only sleeping.  To that statement, the people ridiculed Him for they "knew" her to be dead.

(25) But when the people were put out, He went in and took her by the hand, and the maiden arose.

When the people were moved out, Jesus went in to where the girl lay, and took her by the hand, and she arose.

(26) And the fame of this went abroad into all that land.

The report of this miracle of raising that girl from the dead went far and wide all over that countryside.

(27) And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

When Jesus left Jairus's house where he had raised his daughter from the dead, two blind men followed Him, crying out to Him, calling Him the son of David, and asking Him to have mercy on them.  These blind men seemed to have great faith that Jesus was the Messiah, that Son of David (Matthew 1:1), and He would open the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 35:5).

(28) And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

When Jesus had come into the house to which He had been going, the blind men followed Him.  Jesus did not stop to talk to them as they followed Him on the way to the house, even though they were crying out to Him.  This may have been to avoid an audience, or perhaps to test their faith, as He did then, asking them if they believed He could heal their blindness.  They answered that yes, they believed He was able.

(29) Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."

Jesus touched their eyes.  He certainly did not have to touch them to heal them, but since they were blind, I believe it may have been an extra bit of communication demonstrating that the power to heal their eyes did come from Him.  Jesus healed in many different ways, I believe to show His power was not limited to any one way, and to prove there was no one magic formula.  He told the blind men that according to the great faith they had, they would receive the sight they believed He could grant.

(30) And their eyes were opened; and Jesus sternly charged them, saying, "See that no man knows."

Their eyes were immediately opened, meaning they could see.  Jesus this time more sternly charged these recipients of miraculous healing not to tell anyone.  How could they not tell?  Even if they tried to keep such an amazing miracle a secret, it would become quite evident pretty soon afterward that they could now see.  I believe the only explanation is that Jesus didn't want them to go out and immediately proclaim it.  It is probably for the same reason that He didn't heal them until they came privately into the house.  For one thing, Jesus did not heal for fame and vain glory; and He did not want to draw even more throngs of people that might hasten His persecution and crucifixion, as all things must be done in God's timing.

(31) But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country.

In spite of Jesus's stern command, the blind men went out and proclaimed far and wide what He had done for them, spreading His fame throughout all that country.

(32) As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

When the blind men went out of the house, some other people brought to Jesus a mute man who was demon-possessed.

(33) And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spoke, and the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"

Apparently, the muteness was not natural, but was demon-caused, for when Jesus cast out the demon, the mute man immediately spoke.  The multitudes marveled, meaning a great number of people had come to witness the miracle, possibly being driven by the proclamation of the blind men as they were going out.  They exclaimed there had never before been anything like the miracles of Jesus seen in Israel.  Although there had been many miracles performed in Israel's past by Moses and the prophets, they had never seen anything like what Jesus could do.

(34) But the Pharisees said, "He casts out devils by the prince of the devils."

The Pharisees, who had begun to be envious and scornful of Jesus, absurdly remarked that He cast out demons by the power of the prince of the demons, Satan himself.  They could not deny that Jesus had indeed cast out demons, nor could they deny that it was a good thing that He did in casting them out.  Therefore, their only possible charge against Him was that He cast out demons by the power of Satan, which seems a ridiculous charge, because why would Satan want to cast devils out of people?  But such is the wisdom of fools, as there is no wisdom against God (Proverbs 21:30).

(35) And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Jesus went about all the cities and villages, not confining Himself to one area, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the good news of the kingdom of the Messiah, that is, that reconciliation to God was possible through salvation in the Messiah.  Once again, it is stated that Jesus healed every sickness and disease among the people.  Also I am once again reminded that Word of Faith followers believe this means every sickness and disease must now be healed if only we had the faith to believe Christ has already done it.  He has indeed healed us from death, but He has not healed us from every disease we may possess on earth.  I believe the hundred percent healings He did during His time was for the purpose of showing His power over all sin, sickness, and death.  To not heal even one would have made fodder for the skeptics to say He was unable to heal that one.  However, we have the knowledge that Christ did overcome all, even death, and now those miraculous healings are not always necessary.  Yes, sometimes people are healed miraculously in this day and age.  I have been witness to one remarkable healing.  If that is God's will that it might be used for His glory and to bring more people to salvation, then He may choose to do it.  However, it can also be His will to have people witness the faith and joy in someone even through his or her sickness, and that can make people want to know the reason and source of their joy (1 Peter 3:15).

(36) But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were faint and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

As Jesus went about all the cities and villages, He was moved with compassion for the multitudes of people He saw.  They were weary in their minds and souls, tossed about and divided with the rites of religion and the doctrines of the Pharisees.  Although they had many teachers, they had no one to care for their souls, and were lost as sheep with no shepherds.

(37) Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Being moved by seeing all the people without a shepherd, Jesus told His disciples that the harvest of souls that were prepared to receive the truth of the gospel was plentiful, but there were few workers or ministers to bring them in to their place of salvation.

(38) "Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest."

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray to God that He would send forth laborers to bring these lost souls to salvation.  The original word "ekballo" that was translated as "send forth" was actually a much stronger emphatic word, meaning more like "eject" or "thrust forth."  There was to be an urgency in the prayers for workers who had never before had occasion for work such as this.  Therefore they were to be pushed outside their comfort zones into new territory, being led by the Holy Spirit and furnished with the grace and gifts necessary for the work.

This chapter presented many different healings by Jesus.  Jesus healed all who came to Him, demonstrating His power over all sins and demons and even death.  There is no sin so bad, nor any sinner so wicked, that cannot be forgiven by Jesus.  There was also demonstrated in this chapter the perseverance of those coming to Christ in the case of the man on a cot being brought by others, and the woman who grabbed at Jesus's hem as He went by.  So the poor sinner should let no obstacle stand in his way, but come to Jesus at once.  We saw in this chapter strong instances of faith in Jesus to heal and even raise from the dead.  We may be just as assured that Jesus will not turn any of us away who truly seek His salvation.

Jesus's Authority Over Wind and Demons

Continuing a study of the Gospels:

(Matthew 8:18) Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart to the other side.

In the first part of chapter 8, in the last post, Jesus had healed many people; all who came to Him, He healed.  Obviously, His fame had grown so much that He was thronged by crowds of followers and curious people everywhere He went.  Jesus was in Capernaum, a city on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.  He commanded His disciples that they go with Him to the other side of the sea.  Although fully God, He was also fully man, and He was probably wearied and needed rest and time for prayer; but there was also a purpose in that He would have opportunity to teach His disciples something.  Jesus did not seek applause and adoration from the crowds.  His teaching was from the heart and had purpose.

(19) And a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Master, I will follow You wherever You go."

This same account in Luke says that as they went their way to the other side of the sea, a scribe came to Jesus.  This man probably desired to be one of Jesus's disciples and wished to follow Him to the other side.  He told Jesus he would follow Him wherever He went.

(20) And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus here called Himself the Son of Man, a name He often gave Himself.  Jesus was God, yet He had humbled Himself to come in the form of man, and was born of a woman.  He said to this scribe that even the lowly creatures of the earth had homes, but He had nowhere to lay His head.  Imagine that!  The Messiah did not have a home of His own to which He could withdraw.  2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us that He, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes.  Christ humbled Himself and submitted to this lowly state to teach us dependence on God for all our needs, and to show the vanity of worldly wealth.  2 Corinthians 8:9 continues to state that through His poverty, we might become rich.  He taught people what true riches were.  If He had had even a modest house, those poorer than He might not believe that they could achieve the riches about which He taught.  In telling the scribe this, He was testing the man's motives, or perhaps proving them to the scribe himself.  Following Jesus would not be a journey filled with worldly grandeur, but quite the opposite.  If the man had any notions of any temporary advantage, Jesus warned him that would not be the case.  

(21) And another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

At this point in time, Jesus still had many followers, or disciples, not just the twelve.  One of these said he was ready to follow Him, but first wanted to go and bury his father.

(22) But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead."

Jesus told the disciple to follow Him at that time, and leave others to bury their dead.  He called the others "the dead" because they were spiritually dead, having not yet received the gift of life through Christ.  It's not that Jesus had any objection to proper burials of relations, but He was calling this disciple to a much greater purpose than the business of the world.  Besides, it's possible the disciple's father was not dead yet, but possibly at a very old age, and the disciple wished to wait until he buried his father before he followed Jesus.  That would certainly explain why Jesus wouldn't allow him the time to do that if he truly wanted to be a disciple of Jesus.  However, even if the father was dead, he was indeed dead and had no knowledge of whether or not this disciple buried him.  There were others to bury him, and the disciple was called to see that many more people did not spiritually die.

(23) And when He had entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.

This account in Mark states that Jesus and His disciples had sent away the multitudes, and had boarded the ship to separate themselves, and to go to the other side of the sea.  It also says there were with Him other little ships, so these probably had onboard his many disciples following Him.

(24) And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, so that the ship was covered with the waves; but He was asleep.

Again, the account in Mark expounds on this, and explains Jesus was in the back part of the ship asleep, when a great storm arose and whipped the ship with waves causing it to fill with water.

(25) And His disciples came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"

The disciples woke up Jesus crying for Him to save them because they were in danger of drowning.  This demonstrates that His disciples knew where their help would come from.  This is the advantage of trials in that we know our weaknesses and that we rely on God to save us.  

(26) And He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Although the disciples had some faith in Jesus by coming to Him to save them, they still had fear and some measure of disbelief, and that is why Jesus rebuked them.  In the account in Luke, He asked them, "Where is your faith?"  He then arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, calming them.  The account in Mark states he rebuked the winds, and spoke to the sea, "Peace, be still."

(27) But the men marveled, saying, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

Mark and Luke said the men were afraid at this as they wondered what sort of man this could be that the winds and the sea obeyed him.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, pointed out that the original word translated as "what manner of man" was "potapos," and actually did not include the word "man" at all.  It meant simply "what manner of" or "what possible sort," demonstrating that the disciples now realized Jesus was no ordinary man at all.  There was no man ever who could have commanded the winds and the sea and have them obey him; only God could do this, and that had these disciples marveling.

(28) And when He had come to the other side to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Jesus had gone to the other side of the sea to the country of the Gergesenes or the Gadarenes, as Mark called them in his account.  Gergesa and Gadara were towns near each other; therefore the inhabitants of the country between them were called by either or both names.  There Jesus met two people who were demon possessed.  They came out from among the tombs, in the burying place which would have been a good distance outside the city.  They were exceedingly fierce so that no one could pass by that way safely. 

(29) And behold, they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

Isn't it amazing that the demonic spirits that possessed these two recognized Jesus right away?  Those spirits that were so exceedingly fierce to mere men seemed to be in some fear of Jesus, asking why He should concern Himself with them, and whether He had come to torment them before the time.  I find that fascinating, as well, that the demons seemed to know that there was a time in the future when they would be condemned to everlasting punishment.

(30) And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding.

A good distance from them was a herd of swine, about 2000 of them, the account in Mark states.  It was not lawful for Jews to keep swine as they were unclean animals.

(31) So the devils besought Him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."

The demons pleaded with Jesus, that if He cast them out of these men, to send them into the herd of swine.  Isn't it amazing to consider that the demons realized Jesus's authority over them and had to ask His permission to be sent into lowly swine?  May we realize how little is their power to be dreaded by anyone who has Christ as his protector! 

(32) And He said to them, "Go." And when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine; and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.

With a mere one word, Jesus cast the demons out of the men's bodies and allowed them to go into the herd of swine.  If it seems strange that Jesus would give the demons what they asked, we must consider that it was not lawful for Jews to raise swine anyway, so it would seem just to allow them to be destroyed.  Perhaps a greater purpose was that it was a visual demonstration of the rage and violent destruction these demons would do if allowed to continue their possession of a man.  Why would the demons ask to be sent to the herd of swine knowing they would be destroyed?  Just as they knew of their eventual demise in the end, they knew they would be destroyed, but they desired to destroy as much as they could on their way out.  Even now, Satan and his demons know their end, but they desire to take as many souls as they can with them!  They destroyed someone's herd; I'm sure their hope was that it might in someway set the people against Jesus and diminish His usefulness among them.  Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

(33) And those who kept them fled, and went their way into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

Those who had kept the swine fled into the city and told everything they had witnessed.  They had witnessed the casting out of demons; they had seen them cast into their herd of swine and their huge herd of 2000 destroyed.  I'm sure they told all of this.

(34) And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they besought Him to depart out of their coasts.

The entire city came out to meet Jesus.  One would think the casting out of demons would be of their utmost interest and awe, but it seems they were more disturbed about the loss of property than the salvation of souls.  They asked Him to leave their country.  Therefore, it seems the demons got their desired result in that the people did blame Jesus for the destruction of the herd and asked Him to leave, which would indeed diminish His usefulness among them.  So why did Jesus do this?  I believe Jesus always gives us a choice.  People have to take some responsibility for their souls.  God gave us this free gift of salvation, but we do have to accept it.  It is not forced upon us.  This incident surely demonstrated the hearts of men who would value property more than men's souls.  Unfortunately, it is no uncommon thing for people to love the world and property so much.  Romans 1:25 describes how people love and worship the created things more than the Creator.

In his thoughts on this chapter in his Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes commented on Jesus's poverty as He told the scribe in verse 20 that He had no place to lay His head, no home.  I think of those, especially in the Word of Faith movement, who would say that to be one of God's children, would have to mean to be blessed by Him, and sadly, to so many, that means blessed by worldly riches.  Mr. Barnes reflected that is was no disgrace to be poor, as the Son of God was poor on this earth.  If our Maker brought us into this world in poverty, or if He allowed worldly possessions to be taken away by sickness or some other means, "let us remember that the Redeemer of mankind trod the same humble path, and that it can be no dishonor to be likened to Him who was the beloved Son of God."  The lesson of the scribe was that we should embrace the gospel without any hope of earthly reward.  The lesson of the man who wanted to bury his father was that we must forsake all for the sake of the gospel.  Our first duty is to God.  

Jesus preserves us in time of danger, as demonstrated in the calming of the storm.  All things that can injure or destroy us are under the authority of Jesus Christ.  Even Satan and his demons are bound and cannot destroy us!  What a comforting thought is that!  However, these are all gifts of Jesus that must be accepted; He would never force us to accept Him against our wills.  If we wish Him to depart from us, as the Gergesenes did, because we value the world and its riches more than we do Him or our own souls, then He will give us over to our worldly pursuits (Romans 1:26, 28).  How awful to hear those words, "Depart from Me, ye cursed..." (Matthew 25:41), because we have said to our Savior, "Depart from us."

Jesus Heals Many

Continuing a study of the Gospels:

(Matthew 8:1) When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

Jesus had just finished His Sermon on the Mount in the last chapter.  He now came down from the mountain and huge multitudes of people followed Him, having heard His sermon and marveling at His teaching.

(2) And behold, a leper came there and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean."

Leprosy was a dreadful, loathsome, and contagious disease, first appearing on the skin in white scaly patches or leprous sores.  It was generally deemed incurable, and because it was so contagious, lepers were segregated from the rest of the people.  It is probable that this leper heard Jesus only from afar, but he came to Jesus and worshiped Him.  The same account in Mark says the leper came beseeching Him and kneeling down to Him; the account in Luke says he fell on his face.  Note the type of faith this leper had.  He didn't say that he believed Jesus could heal him.  He was fully confident that Jesus could heal him; it was just a matter of whether or not Jesus would do it.  

(3) And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean."  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

In His manner of curing this leper, by reaching out and touching this man who had a most loathsome disease, Jesus demonstrated that no sinner was too abhorrent to come to Him.  Such a touch meant ceremonial defilement in the Levitical law (Leviticus 5:3).  Albert Barnes suggested in his Notes on the Bible, that this meant the leper had already been healed by the time Jesus actually touched the man.  That may be, but it certainly wouldn't be necessarily so.  Jesus transcended the law; He fulfilled the law; His purity and holiness could not be defiled by it.  I believe it is very important to realize that no sinner is too abhorrent to come to Jesus.  There is no sin that Jesus cannot be in the presence of; that is the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus; He came to intercede for us, to cleanse us before God who cannot be in the presence of sin.  The leper had said Jesus could cure him, if He "will."  Jesus replied, "I will," and with the simple words, "be clean," the man was instantly cleansed of his leprosy.  

(4) And Jesus said to him, "See you tell no man, but go your way; show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

Jesus told the man to go straight to the priest to be pronounced clean, and to offer the gifts that had been set forth in the law.  He told him to tell no one that Jesus had cured him before presenting himself to the priest.  The fact that the priest pronounced him clean would be testimony that he had indeed been healed.  We get insight in this same account in Mark, as to the possible reason why Jesus told the man not to say anything to anyone until after he had presented himself to the priest.  Mark 1:45 states the man went out and immediately began telling everyone, and broadcast this miracle so much that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, and had to retire to desert places.  

(5) And when Jesus had entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him,

Again the account in Mark expounds on this a bit and states that Jesus again entered Capernaum after some days.  A Roman army commander came to Him.

(6) And saying, "Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented."

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, suggested that the word "Lord" used by the centurion just meant "Sir," and should always be translated that way when spoken by a Roman.  At this point, the Roman centurion may not have seen Jesus as Lord.  He told Jesus that his servant was in severe torment lying, probably completely confined to a bed, at his home sick of the palsy, that is, probably paralyzed.

(7) And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

Jesus replied to the centurion that He would go and heal the servant.

(8) The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed."

The great faith of this centurion has me wondering if Adam Clarke was correct in his assertion that "Lord" always meant "sir" when used by a Roman.  Maybe his point was that it was very unusual for a Roman to mean anything other than that, so that this was an extraordinary salutation.  This man exhibited humility and a great faith that would seem to only come from the Holy Spirit.  This account was expounded upon in Luke, and it appears that the centurion had sent elders to Jesus, rather than approaching Him himself.  When he heard that Jesus was coming to his house, he sent friends out to Him, to say that he was unworthy to have so great a person in his house.  He had great faith that if Jesus merely said the word, he knew his servant would 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."

The centurion explained that he was a man under authority, specifically Caesar, the Roman emperor, and his superior officers.  He was explaining that he understood authority.  As a centurion, he had at least a hundred soldiers under him, and when he said to one, "Come" or "Go," that man did as he commanded.  Likewise, when he commanded his servant to do something, he did it.  The centurion obviously saw Jesus as one in authority, and saw himself as under His authority.  Again, I believe this demonstrated that he must have thought of Jesus as true "Lord," but if not yet, he certainly saw Jesus as having authority over diseases, and had the utmost faith, that if Jesus merely said the word, the disease would obey His command.

(10) When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to them who followed, "Verily, I say to you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

The centurion was a Roman, not an Israelite; therefore, Jesus especially marveled at the fact that this man exhibited more faith than anyone, even in Israel.

(11) "And I say to you that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus told His followers that people would come from all corners of the earth, and believe in Him; and they would join the most eminent followers of God in the kingdom of heaven.  To "sit down" with the great patriarchs suggested they would sit down to a banquet with them, a metaphor for being in close communion with them in heaven.

(12) "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

However, the Jews, who were God's own children and subjects of His kingdom, would be cast into outer darkness, meaning they would reject the light of Christ.  There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth by them, expressing the miserable state of those who would reject Christ and be cast out of the kingdom of heaven forever.

(13) And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way, and as you have believed, so be it done for you."  And his servant was healed in the same hour.

Evidently the centurion had come out to Jesus by this time, or perhaps Jesus sent word that the centurion could go about his business, because as he had believed, it would be done for him.  His servant was surely healed that moment, but was seen as within the hour by the witnesses.  The account in Luke states that "they who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick" (Luke 7:10).

(14) And when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying and sick of a fever.

Jesus later went to Peter's house, which was also Peter's brother Andrew's house, where he saw Peter's mother-in-law, his wife's mother, lying sick with fever.  Peter, one of Jesus's disciples, was obviously married.  I was amazed at how many of the early Bible commentaries used this passage to condemn the Catholic church's position on celibacy for their priests.  I have to agree, it is obvious that Jesus did not condemn marriage in His disciples.  However, the Catholic church holds up Peter as their first "pope," and then forbids its priests to marry, contrary to the one on whom they established their church.  Not only was Peter married, but he had his wife's mother with him, demonstrating his kindness and care of his extended relations.  It appears then that marriage is no hindrance to virtue and following Christ.  Marriage is one of the first divine institutions of God.  God Himself said it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).  How is it the Catholic church insists on celibacy of its priests?  The apostle Paul might have been a better representative for the Catholic church in this regard.  He was celibate, and wished that all could be content to be that way, but he considered this a gift; Paul had the gift of celibacy.  However, he himself stated that if one could not control his passions, then it was better to be married than to burn with desire.  Could that be why the Catholic church has such a problem with sexual abuse?  Priests being forced to celibacy when it is against their nature and contributes to uncontrollable desires?  After all the abuse scandals, why won't the Catholic church change its stance on celibacy?  Adam Clarke muses, "Those who pretend to say that the single state is more holy than the other slander their Maker, and say in effect, “We are too holy to keep the commandments of God.” 

(15) And He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered to them.

Jesus merely touched the woman's hand and she was immediately cured.  Other accounts said that Jesus took her hand and lifted her up.  Jesus healed with His touch.  Sometimes He healed with a word, sometimes a touch, sometimes both, and sometimes an action was required by the recipient.  There was no magic formula, demonstrating Jesus's unlimited power over disease in whatever manner He chose.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the fever didn't just leave her, but she was immediately back to normal and serving and ministering to her guests.

(16) When the evening had come, they brought to Him many who were possessed with devils; and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all who were sick.

Obviously, the fame of Jesus grew as He healed more and more people.  Many people were brought to Him, and He healed ALL who were sick.  The word of faith bunch use this as proof that Jesus wills all people healed.  At this point in His ministry, He did.  However, there are other instances in scripture where people were not immediately healed, or when they were not healed at all, as with the thorn in Paul's side.  Paul said God's refusal to take that away kept him humble; it had a purpose in making Paul the great apostle he was.  Another example I have often thought of is the time Jesus came upon a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked Him who it was who had sinned that this man was born blind; had it been his parents?  Jesus replied that neither the parents or the man had sinned to bring about his blindness, but that it was for that moment, that the works of God should be revealed in him (John 9:1-3).  I have often thought if the word of faith believers had their way, the man would have been healed long before that time.  However God willed that he remain blind until the right time.  Or how about the time that Paul and Silas were jailed, and they prayed.  Word of faith followers would have you believe that God's will was that they be free.  Well, they prayed, and an earthquake opened all the doors of the prison.  It would seem God answered their prayers and freed them.  However, Paul and Silas did not leave, but stayed and converted the jailer (Acts 16:24-31).  We don't really know what Paul and Silas's prayers were; rather than please free us, as we selfish humans would likely pray, theirs was probably use us in this situation to Your glory, according to Your will.  People can be brought to salvation by watching Christians keep strong faith and give glory to God in all, in their tribulations and infirmities.  There may be purpose in those infirmities, far greater than would be if those infirmities were healed.

In addition to those who were sick, the people brought many to Jesus who were demon possessed.  He cast out those spirits with merely His word.  It could be that Satan and his demons caused many of the diseases as he was allowed to do in the case of Job.  However, it is more likely that these were diseases of the mind that would not be seen by the public as normal sickness.  It is very interesting to note that Josephus the historian wrote that there was not a nation under heaven more wicked than Judea in the time of Christ.  Wow!  How far had God's people fallen!  It seems Judea abounded by demoniacs at that time.  Adam Clarke wrote that the people were strongly addicted to magic, and therefore, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them.  It could be that Satan, who leads the whole word astray (Revelation 12:9), having been thrown out of heaven with his angels, his demons, was working overtime at that time because he knew his time was short (Revelation 12:12).  With so much of Satan's work evident at the time of Jesus, it allowed Him to demonstrate frequently His power over Satan.  Jesus triumphed over Satan when He rose from the dead; He triumphed over death.  We know that He will come again, and I have to believe that time for Satan is again short, as wickedness grows so quickly now.  Things are happening today that one could not imagine would have been just a few short years ago.   

(17) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

Continuing the thought started in verse 16, Jesus healed all who were sick to fulfill the prophecy spoken by Isaiah in Isaiah 53:4.  Our Bible translation of that verse says, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows..."  Yet the primary definition of the original word "choliy" that was translated as "griefs" is actually "malady, disease, sickness" and "griefs" is secondary.  I can't help but notice how similar that word is to our modern "cholic."  The original word translated as "sorrows" was "makob" and the primary definition of that word is "affliction, pain."  Therefore, we can see that the prophecy indeed spoke of Jesus taking our afflictions (infirmities) and bearing our sicknesses.

This seems a good place to end this post, as the first half of Matthew 8 was all about Jesus healing many people, all who came to Him.  Once again, I think of word of faith followers, so prevalent in some of my circles.  Isaiah went on to prophesy in Isaiah 53:5, that "with His stripes we are healed."  They use this as proof that we ARE healed; we just need to have faith enough to accept it.  Healing becomes almost an idol, the main focus.  I believe it is quite obvious that the meaning of Isaiah's prophecy is that we are healed from our sin and from death.  Jesus overcame death through His persecution and cruel death, those stripes of the beatings He received.  He rose again to eternal life, and by our acceptance of His sacrifice for our sins, we may also have assurance of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.  The reason Jesus healed all in His time was to prove His power over Satan.  If He had not healed all the ones who came to Him, it would appear He did not have complete authority over Satan.  It was necessary that He heal all during His time.  That does not mean that all have to be healed today.  Miraculous healing does still occur; I've been witness to it myself.  But it is not a foregone conclusion.  We have been healed!  Death has no hold over us!  There is no fear of death to those who know where their eternity lies.  And I firmly believe that some disease and infirmities are used by God to bring people to salvation.  To prematurely heal them from their physical infirmities might be to doom them to hell.  It might not give many others an opportunity to witness great faith through those infirmities that might bring them to salvation, marveling at the faith of those so opposite from those who grieve over death because they have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  As Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15, may we be ready to give others reason for that hope that is within us, even in our infirmities.  Paul gladly gloried in his infirmities because the Lord had told him that His strength was made perfect in weakness, so he rejoiced that the power of Christ would rest on him (2 Corinthians 12:9); when he was weak, then he would be strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).  To the Philippians in Philippians 4:13, he stated he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.  We have great hope and faith and knowledge that we should be willing to share and shout from the rooftops.  We have been healed, and so can all who come to salvation in Jesus Christ.