Jesus' Authority to Heal You

Intro

We are starting back into our series through the Gospel according to Matthew, which is the first book in the New Testament section of the Bible. Many of you have joined us over the past 6-months, so let me bring you up to speed and also provide some backround information on the Gospel according to Matthew.

Firstly, if you’re new to the Bible. The Bible itself is less of a book and more of a library of books. There are 66, written over a period of more than 1,500 years. As you read it, you’ll find what we proclaim- all of the Bible points towards a need and the arrival of a Svaiour of humanity- the person of Jesus Christ.

The Bible has two parts- the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament follows the sotry of creation to God’s chosen people- the Israelites. It tells the stories of their failures to live up to God’s calling but in equal measure God’s grace to continue to redeem His people whilst setting in motion His plan for redemption.

The New Testament picks up the story at the birth of Jesus. The very first book in the NT is the Gospel according to Matthew. Gospel meaning “Good News” and that Good News being the birth of our Saviour. Matthew was one of Jesus’ disciples- a man who previosuly worked as a tax collector for the occupying Roman Legion, he was also a Jew and he wrote his Gospel account to his people to show: “Jesus is the promised Messiah, His Kingdom is here and all peoples are welcome in”.

We are picking up now in chapter 8, we covered the previous chapters in the first 6 months of the year and all of those sermons are available online on Spotify and Youtube. Those chapters cover Jesus’ early ministry and the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ which our modern society still often refers to.

Chapter 8 is a shift from Jesus building the foundations of His ministry to now that ministry being in action.

We entitled this part of our series on Matthew “A Better Way to Live” as we see Jesus’ authority over life and death, nature, sin and the spiritual realms and His invitation for us to live under that authority. We see Him challenge the powers of the world and the self-made world views of the people He encounters. Jesus invites us to find new life in Him by abonding the things of this world which promise life but instead steal it from us.

We invite you to join us for the next few months as we explore Jesus miracles and teachings of a Kingdom that offers a better way to live.

With all that said, we are looking at a series on healings Jesus performs so let’s look at our first idea for the day- interpreting Jesus’ healings.

1. Interpreting Jesus’ Healings

A question that we often have when we hear about these healing accounts is- does God still heal today? This is big topic- so I’ll defer to a post-service conversation over coffee.

But to provide a quick answer- Yes He does- but not all the time. And there is no quick-fix formula or ritual we can perform to force His hand to do so. Jesus power to heal in the Gospel accounts for the purpose of: revealing his nature- that he desires all people to be healed and by extension saved, pointing toward a greater healing- the forgiveness of sins and; to reveal His divine nature, His Lordship over creation and authority to rule. The Apostles (Jesus key disciples) are able to perform healings in other NT accounts to prove that the authority of Christ was passed to them for the purpose of establishing His church.

Our ultimate purpose in this life is not be healed but to glorify God. Whether we experience healing or get witness it- we will all one day die, leave these afflicated bodies behind to be in paradise- or, we will witness the trumpet sound when Jesus returns in all His glory and the promised end to sin and suffering comes upon this fallen world.

Yes, God still heals. And we should pray with boldness and trust in His power to do so but let us take Jesus’ example in prayer as our way- “Lord if you are willing, take this cup. Heal us. Yet, if You’re not, your Will be done.”

Let’s unpack Jesus authority before moving on. Matthew records this of Jesus commencing His earthly ministry-

Matthew 4:23 “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”

When Jesus commissions his disciples to go, he says:

Matthew 10:7–8 “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”

So we see, Jesus’ healing is closely connected with prounouncement of His Kingdom. What is the Kingdom? We often call it the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven and what Jesus means is the establishment of a new age of rule and reign. In the old age, the world is ruled by the Evil One, chaos, sin, death and destruction reign. In the New Age, Jesus is King and His grace, order and authroity bring about a restoration of the old world and a redemption to His people.

Jesus healing people of all sorts of ailments is a symbol of His authority of the old world- but also symbolic of the restorative power of His coming Kingdom- the chaos, brokeness and sinfulness of our oldselves would be made new under His authority.

That is what His Sermon on the Mount taught us- what it would mean to be a citizen in His Kingdom and what He offers in His power to us. At the end of the Sermon, Matthew catches this response-

Matthew 7:28–29 “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.”

Did you catch that- he taught not as one of their scribes, but instead with authority. The next chapter, our reading for today, picks up by showing that authoirty in action- a demonstration of not just Jesus power- but His right to rule.

Ultimately, Jesus power to heal wasn’t a gimick or a coecieve illusion or even for gaining wealth or influence, but a demonstration of His right to rule over heaven and earth. We looked at this in our Christmas series in John 1 as we read “the Word became flesh” and the “Word, was God and was with God”- that’s Jesus. He is the Word, He was there at the beginning and now that same Word which spoke the galaxies and all of creation into order into motion is enacting His authority over creation as a sign of His Kingdom come.

What does this mean to us?

Firstly, let’s unpack what each of the movement’s Matthew records for us to the implicit meanings that we miss as modern readers. Then, we will look at the wider push that Matthew is also trying to share with us.

2. The Message of Jesus’ Healings

Matthew 8:1–4 ESV

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.”

Leprosy is Jesus’ time was completely incurable, left it’s victims disfigured or dead and so was by consequence socially devastating. Leprosy was a blanket term for any skin disease as actual leprosy was so devastating, anything and everything that seemed like lepresy was quickly ushered out of the community. To double down on the destruction wraught to someone’s life, anyone who contracted the diseased were considered to have some undisclosed sin or moral failure and were therefore suffering as a result of their immorality. As a consequence, they were viewed not as “sick” but as “unclean” and were ostricised from the community.

It is miraculous that Jesus can heal him- but watch the interaction: the man doesn’t ask Jesus to cleanse him, instead, he staes that he knows Jesus can- He has the authoirty to do for him which no one else can. So he kneels before Jesus, in the Greek it is more like he throws himself down and worships- recognising Jesus’ authority. “You can make me clean”. Jesus responds, I will.

What is peculiar is Jesus’ response afterwards. “Say nothing to no one, but show yourself to the priests”. I read this as an intentional inclusion by Matthew at this point of His Gospel account.

The overview of Matthew is a message to his Jewish peers that the Messiah has come. So his very first detailed miracle of Jesus has him emphasising the Law and extending a hand of invitation to the priesthood who were governing the Jew’s spiritual life at this time. The OT contains prophesy of a Messiah who will cleanse His people- Jesus is sending a message with receipts- “I am He, come join the Kingdom”.

It’s like an exclamation point and emphasis to “one who taught with authority” to the crowds who were watching.

With the crowds in mind, let us put ourselves in this story for a moment:

You’re sitting hearing Jesus’ teaching on the mount. Your worldview is being challenged and tossed about by this authority you’ve never truly expereienced. Then, as Jesus comes down the mountain, a leper comes into the crowd- imagine that reaction of the crowd- disgust, even anger that this leper would endanger the crowd and Jesus reacts how? Lays hands on him and he is cleansed. If your world isn’t upside down it sure is now- what do you do with this.

Jesus moves on down the hil to Capernaum, about 3k’s down the road and we get the next movement Matthew has recorded for us- the interaction with the Centurion.

Matthew 8:5–13 ESV

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.

A Centurion is a commanding officer in the Roman Legion who at this time were ruling over and occupying the region. In the rhythm of Matthews Gospel. Jesus first heals an outcast and will now bless an offical of their oppressors.

Just like the leper, he doesn’t ask Jesus to heal his servant but knows Jesus can. Just like the leper accouint, Matthew is also not focusing on the healing- but the account. On the interaction between Jesus and the people of the crowd.

This Centurion approaches Jesus and states that his servant is paralyzed- but why does the Centurion come to Jesus? Because he knows Jesus holds the power and authority to heal his servant. Jesus responds and based off the Greek we would be better served with Jesus’ response being phrased as a question “Shall I go and heal him?” Jesus is probing for the centurion to respond.

The Centurion responds “Jesus, you do not need to come to my house- not only am I unworthy to recieve you- but also you wield an authority that if you command it it will be done. Just as command soldiers who obey my voice- so to will the paralysis obey yours”

Like the Leper, the Centurion belives in the power of Jesus and makes a statement of faith in that power- something Jesus had yet to experience from His own people.

Remeber how I said that the overall theme of Matthew was the idea of “Jesus is the promised Messiah, His Kingdom is here and all peoples are welcome in”. The leper is proof to the first bit- the Centurion proof to the second- a Gentile, a man of the nations has greater faith than Israel’s priests. Which leads to Jesus’ comments in verse 11-12.

Matthew 8:11–12 “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.””

That first bit is great news! Everyone, everywhere is welcome in to the Kingdom! “reclining at the table” is that invitation- come and recieve the inheritance available to you.

The second part is terrifying. Jesus was kind and loving- but gave out plenty of firm warnings to His listeners. He warns of being cast into “out darkness” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Sounds weird, but they are actually imagery borrowed from OT poems and prophecy “outer darkness” conveys ideas of banishment, exile and loss of God’s presense, weeping and gnashing of teeth usually mean the experience of deep pain, anger, loss and regret.

Jesus’ warning is that some who are expecting to “recline at the table” won’t. These would mean Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah, saviour, but Jesus also uses the term “sons of the kingdom” which I belivers infers christians. In this case, I would argue Christians who are leaning on inherited worldviews, rhythms of church attendance and good deeds as a pass into the Kingdom, rather than genuine faith and trust in Jesus.

Those who fail to have genuine faith in Jesus will find themselves outside His presence and experiencing deep regret. Let me refer again back to our christmas series, John 1:11 “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” If the light of the world came in your time and you did not recieve him- would you not respond with anguish and regret when you realised?

The problem for many, is that they hope if the power of their movement, politics and policy, wealth and success. What we see in these passages is that a leper and a centurion recognise that only Jesus can do something for them that empires and priesthoods cannot. That Jesus has absolute authority- the right- to not only to heal us, but to forgive our sins.

If Christ has absolute power, a measured response is to submit to him absolutaley. The question Matthew poses is- will the Jews submit before it is too late? Will we? Will you? If Jesus came, would he find such faith amongst us?

Jesus’ mircales here ultimately point not to earthly healing but eternal delieverance and salvation.

3. Jesus Has Absolute Authority to Bear Your Sins

Matthew 8:14–17 ESV

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.”

There’s a bit of speculation around the significance of Jesus’ healing Peter’s mother-in-law: What we can say, with confidence, she is healed absolutaley and with immediate effect. She gets up and serves the household that evening. Her healing also allows her to serve and show hospitality as the city gathered at her door whilst Jesus healed all peoples of all types of afflictions and casting out demons and spirits.

This is another good place to stop and say, many think Jesus was just a good moral teacher and kind man- what teacher or man do you know has authority over the spiritual realm to cast out demons?

And so Matthew ties all that we have read and seen today with this beautiful reference to the Prphet Isaiah.

Whilst I do that the communion helpers will bring the elements.

He quotes verse 4 from Isaiah 53, I’ll read for you from verse 3-6.

Keep in mind- this passage is written about 700 years before Jesus’ birth.

Isaiah 53:3–6 ESV

He was despised and rejected by men, (remember John 1:11- rejected by men) a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus’ miraculous healings were not a gimmick to gain followers or build a religion or base of power. Rather it was deeply intertwined with the declaration of a coming Kingdom. Jesus would heal the blind, the mute, the leper, the paralysed as a sign of a coming cleansing of his people. The spiritually blind would see the truth, the sinner and unclean would be cleansed, the oppressed set free in the power of the Gospel.

As, like the leper is welcomed back into physical community- the spiritually alienated and outcast would be welcome at the table of God’s people.

Instead of Jesus becoming sick when touching the contagious, the spiritually sick are cleansed by the touch of His Holiness.

Jesus bears your sins and iniquities. He takes the transgressions against a holy God and suffered His wrath in your place. He was despised so you’d be accepted. Crushed so you’d freed. Wounded so you’d be healed.

How do we respond today? What do these healing stories mean for us?

As Jesus healed and cleansed the sick, he extends a hand of invitation. A chaotic and broken world that is our reality, doesn’t have to be our inheritance. Instead, a new Kingdom is coming. A Kingdom where all are welcome, all are invited.

Communion.

Alpha.

If you’d like to explore faith and how Jesus can heal and forgive you, then I’d like to extend a hand, as Jesus did to me, for you to come try Alpha. Alpha is a series of free, interactive sessions where we explore questions around life, faith and meaning. If you’re new to faith, exploring or even skeptical- Alpha is the place for you.

You can ask your questions and hsare what you thinkl. There’s no judgement, no pressure. In fact, just come to our Launch Party- Tuesday Night, February 3rd, here at Whitehill. If you decide it isn’t for you- no worries.

Pray.