Healing Miracles of Christ

Topic: Healing
Passage: Matthew 8:1–13

April 13, 2021

Commentary

In chapters 8 and 9 Matthew records 10 miracles. The first two miracles of healing were:

  1. The Healing of the Man with Leprosy (vv. 1-4). After the sermon on the mount, Jesus had great crowds of people following him (v. 1). Therefore, what happened next was extremely unusual. In an act of true bravery and faith a man with leprosy approached Jesus in the midst of the crowd. If anyone had noticed his deformity, they would certainly have made a scene. According to the law of Moses, one with leprosy was ritually unclean. This meant they couldn’t touch anyone or anything lest that person or thing also become unclean. The Leper came to Jesus and bowed in humility before him (v. 2). He said, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And in perfect love and understanding Jesus responded, “I will; be clean,” and the man was clean. After Jesus healed the leper, he told him to go to the priest and offer the proper sacrifice for cleansing as Moses had prescribed (Lev. 14). Jesus said this would be a testimony to the priests because in the entire history of Israel there was no record of any Israelite being healed from leprosy other than Miriam.
  2. The Healing of the Centurion’s Servant (vv. 5-13). A Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal one of his servants. Once again, the situation was very unusual. It would have taken great faith and desperation for a Roman officer to approach a local preacher in this way. When Jesus offered to go with him, the centurion said that would not be necessary for all Christ would have to do was speak and the disease would obey Him. Jesus marveled at this man’s great faith and healed his servant that very hour. Faith is a powerful trigger for the miracles of God. God delights in doing extraordinary things for those who bank their lives on His goodness and grace

Application

In this life we may long for physical healing, but there is no greater healing than that which was Spiritual healed when I was saved over 50 years ago.

Matthew 8:1– 13 (NET)

1 After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 And a leper approached and bowed low before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help: 6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof! Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! 11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.” And the servant was healed at that hour.