You’re Ministering to Whom?
Notes
Transcript
Two questions plagued the Jews when Jesus had his earthly ministry: Who is this man and who did he come for?
Of course, these are the same questions that people wrestle with today.
The Jews thought that Jesus was just a good teacher, if that. Perhaps he was just a misguided carpenter from Nazareth that needed to be silenced.
If he was a good teacher, he was just supposed to interact with the religious elite or the people deserving of such teaching. You know, people that good Jews hung around with.
Today, people still think that Jesus was just a good teacher, if that. Some people say that he never existed.
But, if he is a good teacher, they say that he is for those who are religious, or those who are deserving, who have earned his attention. Some people say that he came for someone else, and not them. Perhaps because they aren’t good enough, perhaps because they don’t believe, or they believe in something else.
Either way, he is for those people in that box, and he isn’t for the others.
But, is that true?
After Matthew presents Jesus’ credentials in his birth, his baptism, and his testing, after he presents Jesus’ earth-shattering teaching, in the Sermon on the Mount, he talks about Jesus’ authority and his audience, and through the narrative asks us: what are we going to do with Jesus?
Let’s read that passage:
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come 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 amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”
We are going to look at the outcast, the pagan, and the woman today as we explore Jesus’ authority and his audience.
Before we dive in, will you pray with me?
A. The Outcast
A. The Outcast
Jesus has just preached an amazing sermon. Everyone is astonished:
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
He walks down the mountain and that astonished crowd is following him. And a leper walks up to him:
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
We may not fully understand what is going on here, because we don’t live in this culture.
Leviticus describes various skin diseases, under the term which we translate Leprosy. These are not necessarily modern day leprosy because the descriptions are not parallel with the descriptions of modern day leprosy.
As the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible notes:
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible In the Old Testament > Leprosy, Leper
If a priest today used the criteria given in these verses, he would probably declare many leprosy patients unclean; but he would also pronounce unclean many individuals with a variety of other skin conditions. The disease we call leprosy does not fit the description given in Leviticus. The white hairs referred to so frequently in these verses are not typical of leprosy and may be found in many skin diseases. A white patch of skin is not characteristic of leprosy, nor is the scalp ordinarily affected.
Leviticus also talks about a leprosy on fabric and the walls of the house. A better translation would be scourge: referring skin diseases or moldy defilements on the surface of objects.
Whatever the translation, the condition was highly contagious. Anyone with it was to live outside the camp and could not come into contact with anyone.
If they were coming into populate areas, they had to call out “unclean” so that no one would come near. No one was supposed to touch an unclean person.
During the time of Christ, one rabbi would not eat an egg purchased in a street where there was someone with leprosy. Another rabbi threw stones at lepers in order to keep them away.
Can you imagine what it would be like in a highly communal culture to not be able to interact with your family, with your friends? Life occured in the community. Interaction with God occured in the community. And now, you were expelled from the community.
Can you imagine not being able to touch someone for years? To be hated because of your body.
As Jesus is coming down the mountain, he is approached by a leper. And this leper does not call out “unclean! unclean!”
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
He uses what is termed a 3rd class condition. It presents the knowledge that something has the ability of happening, but may not. He has confidence that Jesus has the power and authority to heal leprosy, but he doesn’t know if Jesus is willing to do it. And so, he presents his request and waits.
And Jesus doesn’t answer. Instead, to this man who hasn’t been touched for who knows how long, Jesus reaches out his hand and touches him.
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
No one else would give this man the time of day. In fact, someone might have thrown stones at him. But, Jesus touches the man society had cast out. And at his touch, the man was cleansed.
Who did Jesus come for? The outcasts of society. Those who didn’t belong, who no one wanted to spend time with. Who carried a societal curse. Who everyone was concerned would infect them with something they didn’t want.
What does Jesus have the authority to do? Completely clean someone of what everyone said that they couldn’t recover from.
2. The Pagan
2. The Pagan
Let’s talk about the pagan.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.
The Centurion.
He commanded 80 soldiers within a legion. This position was the only position that a regular soldier could work his way into. But, only Roman citizens could be centurions. And to become a centurion, one needed to take pagan religious oaths to the emperor. To declare that you would serve the emperor as your god in addition to the rest of the gods of Rome. And because of their divinity, you would serve and not turn back from death in that service.
This man was not a follower of the one true God. In fact, he set himself up against the one true God. He was of those who oppressed the people of God and spit in the face of the sacrifices towards the one true God.
The Jewish people hated Roman soldiers for what they stood for and they especially hated the centurions, for these centurions were the officers that the citizens of Israel would most frequently have to confront. And because they hated them, they tried their best to not interact with them at all. They knew people who had died or been abused or raped because of Roman soldiers.
These were murders and sex offenders. How would you treat them? Would you want your kids around them?
This pagan comes up to Jesus:
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Surprisingly, the centurion comes on behalf of someone else. The leper came on his behalf, but the centurion comes for a servant. A child, as the word seems to indicate. A centurion was not supposed to have a legal family for the 20 years of service. Many would have concubines in the spots that they were stationed, but they were moved around so much, they couldn’t really have permanent ties. This servant might have been the only family he had, per say.
Jesus responds to the man:
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
The emphasis is on: you know who I am, a Jew, and you are a Roman. Jews were not supposed to enter Roman houses because of the idolatry that happens in that place. And the centurion accepts the barrier that Jesus puts up and makes an amazing statement of faith:
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.
The pagan believed that Jesus had the authority of sicknesses, so much so that he could say the word and a child could be healed on the other side of town. That is unheard of. The pagan believed.
And so Jesus did.
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
The power. The authority.
What other person or being has the authority to speak something and in another spot it happens. Only God. Only the one who is everywhere at all times can do that.
The power of Jesus’ words.
Jesus shows that he has authority to completely clean that which is unrecoverable.
Jesus showed that he has the authority to change things that are not physically present, by merely speaking. Well, he did this at the beginning of time when he created all things by the power of his word: Let there be! and there was.
His authority. Who did he come for?
Yes, he came for the outcast of society.
He also came for the pagan. The one who refused to believe in a singular God, but instead chose to follow the pantheon.
And Jesus said that the kingdom would be made up of those who were followers of other religions but who turned and followed him.
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
Why would they follow him? They saw what he did and they acknowledged that only a god could do that. He proved his truthfulness, his authority, his power, and he demands complete unshared allegiance. You cannot serve both Jesus and a false god.
Jesus came for the pagan. He came for the outcast.
3. The Woman
3. The Woman
Let’s talk about the woman.
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
Women were second-class citizens in the Roman empire, but also in Jewish culture. Men were not to be alone with another women. Men were not to touch another women. Even more than that, one was not to touch someone with a fever, especially this severe of a fever, for fear of catching it.
And what does Jesus do?
He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
He defies all tradition and cultural understanding and touches the untouchable. He gives worth to the second-class citizen.
The leper, the pagan, the woman, all were not allowed the court of Israel in the temple where offerings were presented to the priests.
But, Jesus approaches each of them, meets their needs, and by his presence brings God to them.
The leper petitioned his own healing to Jesus. The pagan petitioned for his servant. But, the woman, she was sick. And no one asked Jesus to heal her, but Jesus looked with compassion on her and healed her.
And he didn’t just heal her, he healed her so that she could get up and feel well enough to do some work.
I was sick a few weeks ago, and I just wanted to sleep. When I was getting better, my muscles felt weak and I didn’t have a lot of endurance. But, this lady got up and served him.
He has the authority to heal completely.
Word spread and Jesus got to show his authority to heal other things.
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
All the sick were healed. All who were demon-possessed were healed.
There is an interesting word that is used earlier in Matthew, but isn’t used here.
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.
What the NIV translates “having seizures” and the NASB translates epileptics, is literally “moonstruck.” A term in the Greek that is used for lunatics, those with mental illnesses.
Jesus healed those with mental disorders too.
He has the authority over everything.
And he proved it, fulfilling Scripture.
Isaiah wrote:
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
This is a passage that everyone agreed was about the Messiah, the one sent by God, who would be God, and who would heal the sins of the world. A sign of who he was is his ability to heal.
And he showed that. The creator having authority over all the creation, even that which is marred by sin.
Everyone seeing his miraculous works was faced with the question: what are you going to do with Jesus.
Just like everyone today is faced with that question. To answer that, one must acknowledge who this man is and who he came for.
He is the one with all authority, as the one true God. And he came for you. Because if he came for the outcast, the pagan, and the woman, he came for everyone.
As the one true God, with all authority, who came to have a relationship with you, will you turn to him in faith, as the outcast, the pagan, and the woman did? He died on the cross so that you might have a relationship with him, if you would but trust him as your savior. Turning to him alone to save you.
If you have done that, praise the Lord, rejoice in your relationship with God. But, it is for us to turn around and show that relationship with others.
We are to bring the message of the Messiah to everyone.
“Scruples about ritual purity, ethnic exclusivism, and gender stereotypes must not hinder this mission. Followers of Jesus must love and minister to outsiders as he did.”
How are we doing with this?
