Scripture
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
1Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
3Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.[1] This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
The Faith of a Roman Officer
5When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer[2] came and pleaded with him, 6“Lord, my young servant[3] lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
8But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Jesus Heals Many People
14When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. 15But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.
16That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,
“He took our sicknesses
and removed our diseases.”[4]
The Cost of Following Jesus
18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.
19Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man[5] has no place even to lay his head.”
21Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
22But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.[6]”
Jesus Calms the Storm
23Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
27The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men
28When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes,[7] two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.
29They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”
30There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. 31So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
32“All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
33The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. 34Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
Translation notes (7)
- 8:4 See Lev 14:2-32.
- 8:5 Greek a centurion; similarly in 8:8, 13.
- 8:6 Or child; also in 8:13.
- 8:17 Isa 53:4.
- 8:20 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 8:22 Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
- 8:28 Other manuscripts read Gerasenes; still others read Gergesenes. Compare Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26.
Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
I recently heard a story about someone who needed extra help cleaning out her house. She was a hoarder. She had not let anyone in her house for a long, long time out of embarrassment. Finally, she decided enough was enough, and it was time to clean her house and get rid of all of the clutter, but she needed help. It was not a project that she could tackle on her own. Her friends knew that she was unlikely to reach out for help because she was so hesitant to let anyone in her home. Knowing this, her friends decided one day just to show up. They knocked on her door and said, “Please let us help you. We are not afraid of the mess that’s inside.” Reluctantly, she let them in, and they tackled the clutter in her home, one room at a time until the project was done. What a beautiful picture! Ultimately the gesture of this woman’s friends makes me think about Jesus because He is also not scared of our mess. He cares for you.
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He made it clear that He was not scared of the messes we might bring. The best examples we see of this are instances where He touched people who were considered unclean to the rest of the world. For example, Matthew 8 records a time when a man with leprosy came up to Jesus and asked for healing (verse 2). Now, if a person with leprosy approached us today, we might be a little nervous. In Jesus’ day, the nervousness we might feel today was magnified 100 times because of how contagious it was and the lack of medical care available. Add on to the truth that “good Jewish people” would never touch anything unclean, especially someone with leprosy. Jesus, however, was not scared. In fact, He did something shocking. He touched the man (verse 3). Certainly shocking everyone, Jesus demonstrated that He was not scared of anyone’s mess or “uncleanliness.” Our messes do not scare Him. He can handle anything we bring to Him.
When was the last time you thought about the fact that God is not scared of your mess? He can handle anything you have to bring to Him. This means freedom, my friend. You get to simply bring yourself to Jesus, knowing He loves and accepts you just as you are. He is not afraid to stoop down and touch areas that seem unclean or untouchable to the rest of the world. Praise God that He is not afraid of our messes.
Moving Toward Action
Take a few minutes to journal. Think about the fact that God truly cares about you and is not scared or does not step away from your mess. What does it mean to you that God cares for you this deeply? How does it change the way you view your relationship with God? Then, find moments throughout your day to thank God for not being afraid of your mess.
Going Deeper
Matthew 8:1-34 (NLT)
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