Summary: God has revealed his great love to us in the life and work of Jesus. We respond to his love by following his example.
Scripture focus: Matthew 8:1-13
Date: Sunday, 31 January 2010 (Austral Church of Christ)
With Whom Will We Be Like Jesus?
Of the catalytic events that inspired the formation of the Salvation Army, possibly the most significant occurred when William Booth took converts from the slums of London into the well-to-do churches of his day. At that time, the lower class people were always directed away from the main congregation, behind dividers. Unable to reconcile this prejudice, the Salvation Army moved into establishing its own worship centres.
Even amongst Christians, ‘profiling’ and prejudice persist, such that we treat people based on our preconceptions of them rather than on their real conditions and needs (Jam 2:1ff). Let us consider the example of Jesus, who knew no such prejudice and loved everyone anyway and at all times.
Matthew 8:1-13
There are two stories of healing contained in this passage. Let’s look at them individually, even though they are very intentionally placed together.
Notice the context of this passage related by Matthew: “When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him” (Mt 8:1). Let’s not read too much into this, but this passive crowd, along for the spectacle, 1 may in fact be set up as a contrast between the two characters who approached Jesus for healing.
Notice next that both the leper and the Roman military officer addressed Jesus as “Lord” (Mt 8:2, 6). This is quite significant because a lord is a person of power, influence and authority. In contrast to the religious and political leaders, these two men recognised Jesus’ authority and were not afraid to admit it publicly.
This point was made so very clear when the leper added, “if you choose, you can make me clean”. The leper recognised that Jesus’ power and authority were not given to him by some human institution or administrator; Jesus’ lordship arose out of his divinity. With such divine power and authority, he believed that Jesus could heal him directly, if he wanted to. At that time –without the benefit of hindsight, which we enjoy– this was revolutionary.
To understand this, you need to appreciate the biblical perspective on disease and illness. In biblical times it was understood that people became sick because they had somehow sinned or offended the gods (Lev 14:34; Num 12:1, 9-10; Deut 24:9; 2 Kgs 15:5; 2 Chron 26:20). In modern times, we know that this is not always the case. Nevertheless, we are not to interpret these passages from our perspective, but to try to enter into the hearts and minds of the immediate audience.
Also note that leprosy was considered a disease that inevitably led to death. One commentator noted that,
The term “leprosy” was applied to a variety of skin maladies as well as conditions affecting clothes (Lev 13:47-48) and houses (Lev 14:34-53). Leprosy made the sufferer a prime transmitter of impurity (a “father of uncleanness”). The leper was identified as a living corpse, because, like a corpse, he could impart impurity to objects found within the same enclosure. The primary concern of the laws regarding leprosy (Lev 13) was the prevention of the spread of the impurity, not the disease. 2
From this we understand that to cure someone of leprosy was akin to raising them from the dead, something that only God could do. The leper, then, was asking Jesus to heal him with a power attributed only to God. Of course, Jesus was more than willing to heal this man: “I do choose. Be made clean!” (Mt 8:3) Interestingly, Jesus placed no conditions on either the leper or the Roman military officer, before he healed them.
Notice also that Jesus instructed the leprous man to tell no one of what had been done for him (Mt 8:4) –a point to which preachers and teachers often draw attention, as if sharing the news of being healed by Jesus was wrong or that Jesus didn’t want anyone to know about his healing power. In this context, though, the once-leprous man was instructed by Jesus to concern himself with nothing more than fulfilling his religious obligations, which Jesus also respected and with which he had no wish to compete. But what of the crowd of spectators? Surely Jesus had to have expected that news of this healing would travel far and fast? –a point which goes against the Jesus-didn’t-want-anyone-to-know theory.
Matthew’s account continues by telling us that Jesus continued to travel from there and entered the Galilean city of Capernaum. Once there, Jesus was confronted by a Roman military officer (Mt 8:5). Now, for the ‘regular Joes’ of that time, the presence of a Roman soldier would have caused them to spasm with fear.
In a not-so-subtle contrast to this point, the man addressed Jesus: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress” (Mt 8:6). Again, let’s not read too much into this, but notice that the centurion did not even ask Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus, of course, knew what was on the man’s heart and immediately offered to go with him to heal his servant (Mt 8:7). Jesus’ enthusiasm was not the only point, though. We need to appreciate that Matthew was setting up the revelation of the Roman officer’s extraordinary humility in coming to Jesus with this request. The officer responded to Jesus’ offer by saying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mt 8:8).
Like the leprous man, who believed that Jesus himself had the power of God to heal a disease of death, this Roman military officer believed, somehow, that Jesus had the power to heal from a distance! Who can do that? and who would believe it anyway?
This Roman officer believed it, and revealed his discernment and wisdom in the conversation that followed (Mt 8:9). 3 Matthew wrote that Jesus was amazed at this officer’s faith, and then proceeded to declare that Gentiles, being all those who are not Jewish, would enter the Kingdom of God, and enjoy the Feast-to-Come, ahead of those who expected to be included, but showed little or even no faith at all (Mt 8:10-12). Thus, Jesus, although he clearly intended to heal the officer’s servant anyway, now healed the servant in proportion to the man’s faith, which was great indeed (Mt 8:13).
Something To Think About
These two stories, interestingly, do not dwell on the mechanics nor the details of the healings, but focus on the nature and power of Jesus as a healer. There is so much here to capture our attention, but let us consider just a couple of points.
In neither case, of the leprous man nor the Roman military officer’s servant, did Jesus hesitate to “work the works of him who sent [him]” (Jn 9:4; cf. 10:37-38). In both cases, he would have been completely justified in refusing to interact with these men, let alone to heal them. Instead, Jesus revealed that, “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in [and with] Christ” (Gal 3:25-29).4
We, as the followers of and co-workers with Christ, 5 must also and always be prepared to “work the works of him who sent [him]” for anyone at anytime. In being thus prepared, let us not fall victim to the-isms (e.g. racism) and prejudices that threaten to distract us from that work by encouraging us to label others and to place conditions upon them.
It is a fact that in racial profiling, police officers and customs officials naturally treat differently those persons they suspect of being criminals or such, simply because of the dictates of those profiling procedures.
On a lesser scale, everyone of us does the same when we label someone a “sinner”. In identifying someone as a “sinner”, we really are only stating the case that they are exactly the same as we. But that is a worse case scenario. Can you think of a time that you labelled someone in your mind as being such and such kind of person and then proceeded to treat them as your label dictated? Let us instead shun such labels and show compassion of the quality and quantity shown by Jesus when he loved others unconditionally.
Let us also remember that the apostle Paul encouraged us, “if it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom 12:18). This encouragement, however, presumes that we will, in fact, dwell amongst people with whom we are not at peace, people not like us. Can you imagine the effort that some people put into living and moving and working in areas where there is no one not like them? no one of a different race or colour?
If we are to be faithful to the Great Commission to, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), then let us start with the “world next door”. 6
One does not need to go very far, especially in Sydney, to find oneself on a street inhabited predominantly by people of a different race or colour or spoken language. The “world” has come to us! Let us not be afraid to dwell amongst people not like us. Do not be afraid to become friends with people with an accent! You may be surprised just how much we all have in common –our hopes and fears, our needs and concerns, our dreams for ourselves and for our children– and you may be surprised by how much we all need friends to care for us and to watch out for us. It is always within the context of genuine relationships that the gospel is most easily proclaimed.
Conclusion
God has revealed his great love to us in the life and work of Jesus. If both the least and the greatest of Jesus’ day could respond to him with such commendable faith, then we too can respond to his love by following Jesus’ example.
Lord God, you know that we are surrounded by many temptations and dangers, both coming from within us and without, and that we often stumble and fall. By your Holy Spirit, give us the strength and the courage, in body and in mind, to resist these temptations and to show your compassion anywhere, anytime and to anyone, that we too might be commended by you for having an amazing faith; we pray this through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Endnotes
- This crowd had just listened in on one of the greatest sermons in history: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). ↩
- D. E. Garland, Reading Matthew: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the First Gospel, Reading the New Testament series (Macon, GA, USA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2001), pg 93. ↩
- “He expresses his confidence in Jesus’ power to heal his loved one where he stands by drawing an analogy between his authority over troops and Jesus’ authority. Even as a minor officer, the centurion can make things happen by just saying the word. The problem is that he has no clout when it comes to healing a sick loved one. As soldiers obey the authority of the centurion, however, so demons, who are assumed to be behind severe illness, will submit to the authority of Jesus’ word” (Garland, Reading Matthew, pgs 94-95). ↩
- “In Matthew’s context, the gentile centurion must be an example of those who will come from east and west; and the figure of the banquet becomes a celebration where all social, racial, and national barriers have collapsed. Faith, like that exhibited by this centurion, will bridge the gap that currently exists between Jew and gentile” (Garland, Reading Matthew, pg 95). ↩
- See 1 Cor 3:9; 2 Cor 5:20; 6:1. ↩
- A point well described by Erwin McManus in his ? book, An Unstoppable Force. ↩
No matter what leperous situation you have in your life if you worship God , if you call upon the name of Jesus Christ, you will have a healing. The leper had great faith in Jesus. We rae not told what efforts this man had done to cleanse himself of this disease. In Jesus Christ there is immediate healing .