were pictures or symbols of sin, and their People in Israel were the ones who should
29 MATTHEW 8:12
2 And, suddenly, a leper came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just speak the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also 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.
3 And Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing. Be clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed away. 4 And Jesus said to him, See that you do not tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
10 When Jesus heard this, he marvelled and said to those who were following, Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. 11 And I tell you that many will come from the east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness. There will be weeping
5 And when Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.
7 And Jesus said to him, I will come and heal him.
5:36; 10:37,38; 14:11; Acts 2:22). They were Christs credentials, Gods commendation not in writing, but in action. They were proof that the kingdom of God had come (12:18).
the command through Moses. See Lev 14:1-32. 8:5 A centurion was an officer over one hundred soldiers in the Roman army. 8:7 Again we see Christs willingness to go anywhere and help anyone. 8:8 Those who think they are most worthy of receiving something from the Lord are the least worthy; those who think they are least worthy are actually the most worthy. In Gods sight humility and worthiness go hand in hand. Compare 5:3. 8:9 The centurion had a wonderful faith in the power of the Lord Jesus, because he understood the nature of authority and was sure that God had given Jesus authority over diseases. 8:10 Jesus was not surprised at the mans faith. But he counted that faith very remarkable, He admired it. In the account of Jesus life on earth only two things made Jesus marvel strong faith where naturally it would not be expected and unbelief where there should have been faith (Mark 6:6). People in Israel were the ones who should have had the great faith, not this foreigner. The Old Testament with its examples of Gods love and power, and its promises concerning the Messiah, had been given to Israel (Rom 9:4,5). 8:11 By east and west He meant peoples of all the earth. For the first time in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus indicates that His gospel and Gods kingdom are for all the world, and not for one nation. Compare 28:19,20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46,47; Acts 1:8. The centurion was the first fruit of a great multitude who would later enter the kingdom of Christ. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the first ancestors and the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. Their stories are found in Genesis chapters 12-50. 8:12 Sons of the kingdom a way of saying the subjects of the kingdom. These sons of the kingdom were those to whom the kingdom at first belonged, the nation Israel. The King (2:2) came to them, preached Gods kingdom, described something of its character and demanded repentance and faith in Him. But they refused to submit to the King. The results
The miracles of the Lord Jesus were not tricks which can be performed by a magicians art. He healed diseases like leprosy, generally regarded as incurable, opened blind eyes (9:27-30; 11:4; 20:34), walked on water (14:25), and raised the dead (Luke 7:11-15; 8:49-56; John 11:43,44). Jesus did more than teach; He revealed the power of God and the character of God in ways which were unmistakable.
This does not mean that all who do miracles have come from God (7:22; 24:24). The miracles of false prophets are evidence of the power of Satan; and the character of false prophets is clear to Christs disciples. What they teach and how they live shows what kind of people they are. 8:2 Leper see note at Leviticus chapter 13. In the Old Testament certain diseases were pictures or symbols of sin, and their healing was a picture of spiritual healing. See note at Lev 13:1-44. Under the law some infections made a person unclean and he remained unclean until healed. See Lev 13:45,46. A request to be made clean was a request for healing. 8:3 Jesus touching him was a demonstration of compassion and love. The holy King from heaven stretches out His hand to an unclean man to make him clean and whole. This is a picture of Christs work in the spiritual realm also (John 15:3; Eph 5:25-27; Heb 9:13,14; 1 John 1:7). Observe His words, I am willing. We never read in the Bible that the Lord Jesus ever turned away anyone who came to Him for help. He was always both willing and able to do what people asked of Him. 8:4 Jesus never sought publicity or popularity in fact, just the opposite (v 18; 9:30; 12:16; John 6:15). The man was sent to the priests so they could certify that his healing was real. Only then would they pronounce him clean and let him return to his home.
That Moses commanded God gave