The Way - Day 240 (Matthew 8)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Matthew 8:1-4
Jesus finishes an incredible message about the importance of the heart and as He leaves the mountain many people follow Him. There was something about Jesus that drew people to Him and I'm not sure that it is any big secret...people knew Jesus cared about them. The "religious crowd" only cared about whether or not everyone was following their rules, but Jesus obviously didn't care about conformity to a man-made set of rules. Although in our modern day this religious crowd doesn't exist in name, they do exist in practice. There are people in churches (or outside the church) all over the world who carefully scrutinize every move other Christians make and are quick to point out when someone doesn't do things the way they think it should be done. They are more interested in following the rules than following Christ. Don't get me wrong...there are rules, but rules without a relationship lead to rebellion. Jesus earned the right to speak truth into the lives of these people because they knew He cared about them. He wasn't concerned about gaining a following of disciples who knew and followed the rules, but molding committed individuals who kept the rules because they knew the heart behind them. You see, it wasn't a control issue with Jesus. He was not interested in developing puppets who would jump at His every command, but He desired (more than anything) that people would passionately love God and love others. Jesus demonstrates this principle through His actions...a leper appears from the crowd who had followed Him down from the mountain. You have to understand that lepers in that day were sort of like people with AIDS in our day. No one wanted to be around them - they were outcasts. The unwritten rules of Jesus' day said to stay away from lepers, but Jesus didn't care about the rules - He cared about people. This leper told Jesus that he knew He could heal him if it was in His plan (8:2). Mark writes that Jesus was "moved with compassion" and healed the leper. Do I have that same compassion for people?

Matthew 8:5-13
Jesus enters the city of Capernaum and encounters a centurion (Roman military officer) who commanded many soldiers. This situation was very different from most that we have record of because the man approaching Jesus did not need anything for himself, but for his servant. It appears that this officer's servant was lying at home paralyzed and was in great pain (8:6). Jesus informs the officer that He will come and heal the servant. Enough said...you would think that the officer would be fine with that, but he says some things that evidence his tremendous faith in the power of Jesus. The officer feels that he is not worthy to have Jesus in his home, so he asks Jesus just to speak the word knowing that He did not need to be physically present to heal the man. He obviously understood that Jesus was God and possessed the power to speak something into existence and it would be done (8:9). When Jesus hears the officer's expression of trust, He declares that He has never found greater faith in Israel (8:10). Jesus tells the man to return to his servant and he will find him healed (v.13). What strikes me here is that this particular situation did not warrant a long drawn out explanation of the problem. The military officer gets right to the point with Jesus and from his heart shares what he needs Jesus to do. The centurion knew that Jesus possessed all power and could simply respond by a word. I really need to approach God in the same manner...realizing that He can simply speak something and it will be done. I'm not talking about a genie in a bottle, but someone who sees God as able to intervene in any circumstance with just the sound of His voice. What is it that I need God to do in my life or someone else's life? Ask Him because He certainly possesses all power and can change any situation.

Matthew 8:14-22
Jesus enters Peter's house finding his mother-in-law sick with a high fever. Immediately Jesus touched her hand and she was made well (8:14-15). During the evening of that same day, many brought the demon possessed and sick to be healed by Jesus (8:16). Scripture reveals that Jesus took the time to heal each one and ultimately fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 53:4-5 which declares that "He himself took our infirmities and bore our sickness." Jesus had a greater purpose for healing the sick and afflicted than just providing a better quality of life; He was passionate about abolishing the real problem behind sickness and death - sin. When Jesus healed people it symbolized His power over sin and death. His soon death on the cross and resurrection would finally provide the necessary atonement for the sin of mankind. As Jesus looked around Him and saw the great multitudes of people, He commanded that they depart to the other side of the lake (8:18). A scribe, who was an interpreter of the Old Testament law, approaches Jesus declaring that he would follow Him wherever He goes (8:19). Jesus replies that following Him is hard (8:20). Then one of Jesus' disciples says before He will follow, he must bury his father. The man's father was not dead yet, but this is the way people in this day would say "let me wait until my father dies so I can receive my inheritance." This disciple was admitting that he wanted to experience what life had to offer him before he could follow. The man wasn't trying to be selfish, but he was just stating that he still had other things that were important to him. Jesus responds to this man by saying "follow me and let the dead bury their own dead." This is Jesus' way of saying follow me and don't worry about other worldly things. Jesus certainly was not making death seem trite. Since the man's father was not even dead yet, Jesus wanted to show this man that he was putting following Christ on hold to wait for what the world could offer him. Jesus demands total commitment. Have I put God on hold until certain things work out? Have I put God on hold until I've reached MY goals in life? Jesus wants us to follow Him now.

Matthew 8:23-27
So far in Matthew, the author has detailed a lot of interaction between Jesus and the people, as well as Jesus confronting the religious crowd. These verses are really the first glimpse that we see where Jesus interacts with His disciples. One would assume that the initial story of Jesus with His disciples would be a story of faith and commitment to the One whom they had seen heal the sick, confront hypocrisy, and speak with authority; however, this is not the picture we get. Instead we stumble upon a seen of Jesus and His closest followers pushing out into the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly and without warning, a huge storm rises up in the sea and Scripture indicates that the waves were so big that they were overwhelming the boat. I'm not sure about you, but this would freak me out...mostly because I would feel totally out of control. There is something about us that hates to be out of control of a situation. If that is you, you'll be able to relate with the response of the disciples to the storm. Jesus is asleep in the boat and His followers wake Him up saying that they are going to die (8:25). Any normal person would have jumped out of bed and would have also been alarmed at the current danger. But, Jesus responds to their fear by saying why are you scared. The disciples must have looked at Him like "we're about to die and You are yelling at us." Jesus wasn't trying to make them feel guilty, He wanted them to understand that they didn't have to be fearful because He had control over everything. The disciples had witnessed Jesus healing the sick and diseased, but when it came to them, they had a lack of faith that Jesus could intervene in this situation. He didn't just want them to experience His power by observing what He did for others, but also by personal experience. They needed to believe Jesus was God and could step in at any moment. Jesus calms the storm (8:26) and the disciples marveled that He was able to do this. Jesus was God and just like He calmed the storm in the sea, He can also calm the storm in your life. I'm not saying that He will always take it away, but He'll give you the strength to maintain focus during the trial. The same Jesus Who calmed the storm is the same Jesus Who died on the cross for our sin and desires a personal relationship with you.

Matthew 8:28-34
We don't talk a lot about the spiritual activity that goes on around us everyday mostly because we cannot see it. What I mean is that we cannot personally see the work of demons or angels, but we can see the results of their work (good or bad). The Bible teaches that there are angels from God and demons who follow Satan and these beings fight against each other for good or evil. In these verses Jesus evidences that He has absolute reign and authority over the spiritual realm. When Jesus arrives at the other side of the Sea of Galilee He enters a city called Gergesenes (Gadarenes) where He was met by two demon-possessed men (8:28). These demons, speaking through the men, immediately recognized Jesus and even called Him the Son of God (8:29). They were concerned that Jesus would send them to eternal punishment before it was their time to go, so they begged Him to allow them to go into the herd of pigs that was nearby (they knew Jesus would cast them out of the two men). Jesus answered their request and sent them into the herd, but the herd ran off the cliff and died in the sea (8:32). Why is this account necessary. I believe it is mostly because God wants us to understand that He possesses all power, even over Satan and his demons. Every day there is a battle going on for your heart. God wants you to follow Him and truth and Satan wants you to follow his ways. Even though demons cannot possess those who are believers, they certainly attempt to influence you with their work. They try to make the world look appealing and worth your time, but God wants you to recognize that the life He offers is more abundant than you could ever imagine. Today, please realize that God has all power over the spiritual realm and even though they are battling for your attention, God has made it possible to resist the temptations of the devil (1 Corinthians 10:13). Commit today to serve the One who loves you and sent His only Son to die on the cross for you.

Dear God, help me not to fear the spiritual realm, but may I understand that You have the power over it. Help me to follow Your ways.