The King's Authority Over Sickness
Jason W Hill
The Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 8 viewsWednesday, February 26, 2025
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Text: Mt. 7.28-8:17
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Main Point/FCF:
Application:
Who does Jesus think he is?
Who does Jesus think he is?
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus has just finished his sermon on the mount. The crowds were astonished because he taught with authority. Put yourself in their shoes and pretend for a moment that you didn’t know that Jesus was God.
What kinds of teachings in Jesus’ sermon assumed a level of spiritual authority that would have been shocking?
In Mt. 5:1-11, Jesus makes promises on behalf of God.
In Mt. 5:17, Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament (that it all pointed to him).
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
In Mt. 5:20, Jesus claims to know who will go to heaven and hell.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In Mt. 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44, and Mat 6:5 Jesus claims authority to contradict the teachings of the Rabbis.
These teachings later were written down and formed the Mishnah:
The Mishnah Gittin
9:10 A The House of Shammai say, “A man should divorce his wife only because he has found grounds for it in unchastity,
B “since it is said, Because he has found in her indecency in anything (
Another example
The Mishnah Berakhot
1:1 A From what time may they recite the Shema in the evening?
B From the hour that the priests enter [their homes] to eat their heave offering,
C “until the end of the first watch”—
D the words of R. Eliezer.
E But sages say, “Until midnight.”
F Rabban Gamaliel says, “Until the rise of dawn.”
G M’SH Š: His [Gamaliel’s] sons returned from a banquet hall [after midnight].
H They said to him, “We did not [yet] recite the Shema.
I He said to them, “If the dawn has not yet risen, you are obligated to recite [the Shema].
J “And [this applies] not only [in] this [case]. Rather, [as regards] all [commandments] which sages said [may be performed] ‘Until midnight,” the obligation [to perform them persists] until the rise of dawn.”
K [For example,] the offering of the fats and entrails—their obligation [persists] until the rise of dawn [see
In Mt 6:31-33, Jesus makes promises on behalf of God.
In Mt. 7:22-23 Jesus claims authority to refuse entry into the Kingdom of heaven (and cast into Hell)
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
In Mt. 7:26 Jesus says “unless you build your life on MY teaching, you’re foolish.”
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Given those examples, how would you respond to someone that says, “I believe Jesus was just a good teacher, but not God”?
How would you respond to secular scholars who sometimes claim that “Jesus never claimed to be God—that’s just something the Church made up”?
When Scripture says Jesus taught with authority, it means he claimed authority to establish doctrine.
Jesus heals the leper (8:1-4)
Jesus heals the leper (8:1-4)
1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
How does the leper approach Jesus and ask for healing? What does this tell you about his faith?
How does Jesus respond to the man?
What is the significance of Jesus touching the leper in the context of Jewish purity laws?
Why does Jesus tell him not to say anything to anyone?
In light of Jesus’ teaching in Mat. 5-7 and the concluding remark in 7:29 about Jesus’ authority, what do you think Matthew wants us to understand as the primary significance of these miracles in chapter 8?
Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels The Ministry of the Messiah to Israel (4:12–11:1)
If the Sermon on the Mount demonstrates Jesus’ kingdom-authority in teaching (see the summary in 7:28), chapters 8–9 reveal his kingdom-authority through healing and exorcism. The primary significance of these miracles is to confirm the coming of the kingdom through Jesus’ words and deeds.
The Faith of the Centurion (8:5-17)
The Faith of the Centurion (8:5-17)
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he 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, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Read the parallel passage in Luke 7:1-10.
1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
What information does Luke fill in that we don’t get in Matthew’s account?
Do you think it was common for Centurion soldiers to be so admired and loved by Jews? What does that tell us about this Centurion’s character?
Why did the Centurion refuse to allow Jesus to come to his home?
The centurion's posture is further commendable by his recognition and deference to the Jewish laws of cleanliness, which would have made Jesus ceremonially unclean. Thus, the Centurion shows a greater level of humility, respect for the Law, faith, and acknowledgment of Jesus' identity than do the Jewish leaders themselves!
Did the Jewish purity laws stop Jesus from going to the Gentile’s home? What does that foreshadow?
Jesus' love overcomes uncleanness—For Jesus to grant this request and come to the Centurion's home would make him ceremonially unclean. Jesus's love and desire to fulfill the spirit of the law overrules this concern, and he agrees to the request.
Compare or contrast the Centurion’s faith with that of the Jews who commended him to Jesus. What does Matthew want us to see?
The faith of the Centurion contrasted with Israel—See Luke 7:1-10. The centurion's humility and faith stand in stark contrast to the Jews', who casually consider someone "worthy" of Jesus' healing, simply by virtue of their good deeds, failing to recognize who they're addressing.
He bore our diseases (8:14-17)
He bore our diseases (8:14-17)
14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Where does the quote in Mt. 8:17 come from?
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4 prophesies that the Messiah would “bear our griefs and carry our sorrows.” How does this relate to illness and disease? How did/does Jesus “take our illnesses and bear our diseases?”
Isaiah 53:5 also prophesies that the Messiah would be “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.” This refers to the doctrine of the penal substitution or substitutionary atonement. What does Jesus’ healing of diseases have to do with his greater work of forgiveness of sins?
The effects of sin are comprehensive, affecting even our physical bodies.
Sickness, death, and natural disasters are all a consequence of sin and the fall, which brought about a curse on creation as well.
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
What is implied and foreshadowed by Jesus taking our diseases and the promise of Rom. 8:20-23?
A new creation where the curse is undone, “Eden” is restored, and the physical is restored to perfection.
