As I said, Matthew 8 is filled with stories of Jesus healing people. First there's the story of the man with leprosy, who asked Jesus to heal him. I've known this story for a long time (or thought I knew it), but until today I had forgotten that this whole episode happened right after Jesus finishes his marathon Sermon on the Mount! Just think, if you had finished preaching a huge sermon, would you want to go right back to "real life" immediately? Or would you want some rest? I'm sure Jesus was tired and exhausted! If you were in Jesus' position, would you have cleansed the man who had leprosy? Or would you have told the guy to come back another day? One the things I love about Jesus as I'm reading through the Gospels is that He always has time for people who are sincerely seeking Him, even if He's really really tired! He always had time for people. He also always has time for you. And me.
One of my favorite stories in Matthew 8 is about Jesus calming the storm. Jesus has had a tiring day, so He's sleeping in the back of the boat while the disciples navigated it across the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly, a ferocious storm pops up right out of the blue! Certain they were going to die, they wake Jesus calling, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
Now I want to clear up a little misconception here. Remember how I've been telling you how I've thought I knew a story or verse, but then realized that there was more to it then I realized? Well, case in point here. In the Jesus-and-the-storm story in my head, ferocious storm pops up, the disciples screech for Jesus, He calms the storm, and then chastises them saying, "Where's your faith?"
I must confess, I did a bit of a double take when I was reading verses 25-26:
"The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."
Did you notice the order there? Jesus asked the disciples, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" before He calmed the storm. Did you catch that? Go read it again. Jesus asked, "Why are you afraid?" before He calms the storm. Isn't that amazing? I had always thought that the order was reversed. With the order of events in Matthew, the story takes on a whole new dimension. Just think if you were in a boat with Jesus, a gigantic thunderstorm like you've never seen before comes, and Jesus says, "Why are you afraid?"
OK. Onto our SOAP of the day!
Scripture:
"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."" ~Matthew 8:5-10
Observation:
Did you catch the gist of this this story? A Roman centurion has a servant who is sick. He comes to Jesus and asks for healing. Jesus agrees, and is about to go, when the centurion demonstrates his faith. He tells Jesus that he does not deserve to have Jesus come to his house, and that he believed that all Jesus had to do was say the word and it would happen. What great faith, and him a Roman too! It seems like all the time the Jews are asking Jesus for bigger signs that He's who He is, even with all the miracles that Jesus performs. And a foreigner Roman has enough faith to tell Jesus, "I believe that if you just say the word, my servant will be healed." What great faith! As Jesus sadly said, no one in all of Israel had the faith of the Roman centurion.
And the centurion's faith was rewarded! Check out verse 13:
"Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you have believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour."
Application:
When we truly have faith that God will do something, He will do it. His promises never fail, and He never changes.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." ~Hebrews 13:8
The Jesus who rewarded the centurion's faith so long ago will also reward our faith.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank You so much for giving me this opportunity to read these stories of how You healed and saved people. Thank You especially for the story of the centurion's faith. Help me to have that same kind of faith in You. Amen.
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I have always liked the stories about Jesus healing people for the very same reason as you! :) I especially like the ones that talk about healing people with seizures or the one about the man with the "shriveled" hand!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I even caught your point about the order of events in the calming the storm verses. GOOD POINT! We need to trust in God first--even if the storm IS still going on....