The Authentic Jesus | Wonder Worker
February 12, 2023
Matthew 4:23-25; 8:1-17
Matthew 4:23-25
23And 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. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 8:1-17
1When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And 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.”
5When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8But 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. 9For 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.” 10When 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. 11I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13And 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.
14And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16That 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. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Purpose
To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst
To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships
To participate in God’s mission to the world
Opening Prayer
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Responsive Prayer—Psalm 116:1-8
1I love the LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Our God is merciful.
6The LORD preserves the simple;
When I was brought low, he saved me.
7Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
Summary and Connection
This week’s study is based on two passages from the gospel of Matthew 4:23-25; and 8:1-17. In these passages we see Jesus proclaim the kingdom of God by his words, and demonstrate the kingdom of God by his deeds. Here we learn an important aspect of Jesus’ ministry: What Jesus did and what Jesus said revealed the nature of God’s kingdom. God’s rule corresponds to God’s character. Jesus, as the wonder worker, performed healing of the disabled—lepers, blind, epileptic, and paralytics, and the demon possessed—and the ones oppressed by evil. Furthermore, Jesus, by performing miracles and wonders, brought healing to a broken world, and salvation—God’s wholeness and rescue—at every level of our need. We also see Jesus reaching out to those who were pushed to the margins of the society and offering incomparable benefits to ordinary people—God’s healing, forgiveness, and restoration.
In Matthew 4:23-25, we see an overview of Jesus’ ministry as an itinerant preacher and teacher, beginning from Galilee and extending outwards to Syria—northern Roman province embracing all of Palestine, and reaching beyond the territory of Jordan. Matthew emphasizes the all-encompassing nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ ministry of word and deed was not limited to Jewish regions, but it extended to the Gentile territories as well. In this passage, Matthew also enumerates the character of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God through his words, and he enacted the kingdom of God through his miraculous deeds. The beneficiaries of Jesus’ healing ministry included the diseased and the demon possessed—the people who were marginalized both socially and religiously. When we read through the nature of Jesus’ deeds, we are confronted with the staggering questions about the reality of miracles—did they happen? The meaning of miracles—what did they mean? And the purpose of miracles—what was their intended purpose?
In order to answer the questions above, it’s vital for us to look into the manner in which Jesus performed the miracles. In Matthew 8:1-17, we see Jesus heal three different people—a leper, a paralyzed Gentile servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law.
The very possibility of miracles poses a big problem. How can one expect to believe in miracles in the 21st century? The Scriptures present Jesus as different from others both in his person, and power. Miracles are associated with Jesus from his very birth, to his bodily resurrection, and ascension. As we see in this passage, Matthew presents the outworking of Jesus’ ministry of word and deed in a matter of fact manner. In 8:1-4, we see Jesus heal a leper by touching him. Jesus here demonstrates that his will to heal the leper is decisive and effective. His power to heal is not contingent on leper’s faith. Jesus required faith from the leper for him and others to see God’s compassionate heart and to engage the leper in his own healing. Jesus made the leper’s experience part of his relationship with God. Jesus’ touch is a healing and restorative touch. Jesus, by touching the leper—a ceremonially unclean person— cleanses him physically and spiritually. Jesus restores dignity to the leper by reintegrating him to the society of God’s people, Israel.
In Matthew 8:5-13, we read about the miraculous healing of the Gentile servant. In this instance, the servant is healed from a distance. In verse 13 we see Jesus affirm the Centurion’s faith by healing his servant. This incident helps us to understand the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ miracles. In verse 7 we see Jesus respond to the Centurion’s plea by offering to visit his house to heal the servant. However, in verses 8-9, we see the Centurion’s humility and faith. He requests Jesus to command healing from a distance. Centurions were the military commanders who established the emperor’s authority. A Centurion’s command, in other words, was spoken with the emperor’s authority, and to obey the centurion meant to obey the emperor. Thus, the Centurion, albeit a Gentile, truly identifies Jesus as the one who is commissioned by God to exercise authority over God’s people. Jesus marvels at the faith of the Gentile, and in verses 11-12 we see Jesus proclaim the inclusion of the Gentiles from all over the world into the kingdom of God.
This passage clearly shows us that Jesus’ miracles were not performed for the sake of power or popularity. The miracles of Jesus reveal the compassionate heart of a God who cares for the physical and spiritual needs of his people. Miracles emphasize Jesus’ claim as to who really is. In 8:17, we see Matthew mention the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy—Jesus’ miraculous healing points us to Jesus as the Savior who takes on our sickness of sin on the cross. Furthermore, the miracles act as the pictures of what Jesus offers to fallen humanity. Jesus offers physical and spiritual restoration by touching and healing the leper. Jesus offers new power and vitality to the paralyzed servant, and in affirming the Centurion’s faith, Jesus offers a new vision of life under his authority. Finally, the miracles pose an inescapable challenge. We cannot set Jesus apart from his miracles. There is no “non-miraculous Jesus.” The miracles forces us to decide—should we assign it to God? Or should we explain it away? We cannot sit forever on the fence. Jesus is either the God incarnate who ushered in the kingdom of God, or he is a liar, or worse, an instrument of evil. The choice is ours.
Discussion Questions
1. Looking at the Bible
What does the text say? What according to you is the theme of this passage?
- In Matthew 4:23, we see Matthew describe the two dimensions of Jesus’ ministry—what are those, and what can we learn about the character of God, and the nature of the kingdom of God?
- In Matthew 8:1-4, we read about Jesus healing a leper. If you notice verse 2-3, the leper requests Jesus to make him clean, and Jesus responds by saying, “Be clean.” What is the significance of Jesus cleansing the leper?
- In Matthew 8:10, we see Jesus marvel at the faith of the Centurion. How is the centurion’s faith different from the faith of the Jewish people?
2. Looking at Jesus
At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.
- What can we learn about the reality, meaning, and purpose of Jesus’ miracles from Matthew 4:23-25; 8:1-17?
- How do we as 21st century Christians experience the miraculous work of Jesus in our lives?
3. Looking at Our Hearts
- Jesus’ miraculous deeds recorded in the gospels does not stop at the physical healing and deliverance from the demonic oppression. Jesus’ ministry was characterized by his emphasis on the most serious of all sickness—sin. How would you describe the miracle of your salvation?
4. Looking at Our World
- How do the miracles of Jesus both challenge us to examine our hearts, and give us hope and confidence to be God’s instruments of grace in this city?
Sending
God’s word is a lamp to our feet. Christ’s teachings are a light to our path. May God’s word take root in our lives. May Christ’s love nourish and sustain us. Amen.
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View Study Guide Notes
Question 1: In 4:23 Matthew describes the two dimensions of Jesus’ ministry. Firstly, Jesus is said to teach or proclaim the gospel in the synagogues. Jesus, as an itinerant teacher, primarily declared the kingdom of God through preaching. Jesus proclaimed the gospel of repentance and faith, and through his word ministry, Jesus offered forgiveness of sins and reconciliation of relationship with God. The second dimension of Jesus’ ministry included the demonstration of the kingdom of God through his miraculous deeds. Jesus’ ministry demonstrated that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. Jesus did not come simply to preach the kingdom of God, but to enact the kingdom of God by bringing God’s wholeness, healing, and salvation—God’s rescue at every level of our need.
From this passage, we can learn about the compassionate heart of God towards fallen humanity. Jesus reaches out to the sick and the needy with God’s compassion. What Jesus did and what Jesus said revealed the nature of God’s kingdom—God’s rule corresponds to God’s character. God sent his son to bring healing and forgiveness into the lives of people he met. Jesus fulfilled the promises of the kingdom of God by offering forgiveness and healing to the sick, the ceremonially unclean, the social outcasts of the society. We also learn about the universal scope of the kingdom of God from this passage—absolutely anyone who puts his or her faith in the person and work of Jesus, is invited into the kingdom of God as the child of God.
In order to understand the significance of Jesus cleansing the leper, it is important to know what leprosy was indicative according to the Levitical law. The word leprosy covered a variety of serious skin diseases, and according to the law, lepers were considered as ceremonially unclean. There are several passages in the Old Testament wherein to be a leper was interpreted as being cursed (cf. Numbers 12:10, 12; Job 18:13). These lepers were ostracized from the rest of society, as they were impure. The lepers were forced to dress in rags, and to shout out ‘unclean’ wherever they went.
Jesus encounters the leper on the outskirts of the city. The leper displays his faith in his boldness to approach Jesus. By requesting Jesus to cleanse him, the leper identifies Jesus to possess the authority to make him morally and ceremonially clean. Jesus not only healed the leper, but also, in a gesture that restored the dignity, healed him by touching him. According to the Levitical law a Jew who comes in contact with a leper would become ceremonially unclean. However, Jesus reverses the law in that he cleanses the leper by touching him. Jesus’ miraculous healing is also significant as the leper is not only cleansed physically, but he is also cleansed spiritually.
The Jewish people of Jesus’ day failed to identify Jesus for who he was. The Jewish people anticipated the Messiah to arrive in military power, and establish an earthly kingdom by overthrowing the Roman empire. The religious leaders like the Pharisees and the Scribes despised Jesus’ authoritative ministry and attributed his miracles to the devil. In other words, the Jews were blinded by erroneous understanding of the kingdom of God and external religiosity. The Centurion was a Gentile, and yet he could identify Jesus for who he really was. He identified Jesus through the eyes of faith. In 8-9, we see the Centurion’s humility and faith in his plea for Jesus to command healing from a distance. Centurions were the military commanders who established the emperor’s authority. A Centurion’s command, in other words, was spoken with the emperor’s authority, and to obey the centurion meant to obey the emperor. Thus, the Centurion, albeit a Gentile, truly identifies Jesus as the one commissioned by God to exercise authority over God’s people. Jesus marvels at the Centurion’s faith, and proclaims the inclusion of the Gentiles from all around the world, and the exclusion of the self-righteous Jews from the kingdom of God.
Question 2: The very possibility of miracles poses a big problem. Expect questions like, “how can one expect to believe in miracles in the 21st century?” The Scriptures, particularly every strand of the Gospels manuscript, presents Jesus as different from others both in his person and power. Miracles are associated with Jesus from his very birth to his bodily resurrection and ascension. As we see in this passage, Matthew presents the outworking of Jesus’ ministry of word and deed in a matter of fact manner. See the summary and connection for more about miracles.
As we have already discussed, the ministry of Jesus included the proclamation and the demonstration of the kingdom of God. In the Old Testament, prophet Isaiah wrote about the days when the Messiah would bring in the kingdom of God. According to Isaiah, the clear signs of the arrival of the Messiah included the miraculous deeds like the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the dead raised, and the poor hearing the good news. Thus, Jesus’ ministry included both calling the sinners to repentance and faith, and healing and restoration of the sick and the needy. In both word and deeds, Jesus demonstrated God’s redemptive purpose towards the fallen humanity—God’s grace restores nature and God’s holiness establishes justice and peace.
We see the redemptive purpose of God fulfilled on the cross of Jesus. On the cross, Jesus meets the righteous demand of God’s law by his perfect obedience, and on the cross we see Jesus demonstrate God’s love for us by taking on himself the sickness of our sin and shame. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul writes, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” As Christians we have put our faith in Jesus who healed our sickness that is far worse than blindness, epilepsy, leprosy, and demon possession. Our salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone is the ultimate demonstration of the reality, purpose, and meaning of miracles in the Scriptures. Furthermore, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is called our helper is an evidence of the miraculous work of Jesus in our lives.
Question 3: The Scriptures clearly teach us that we are sinners who are dead in our sins. In Romans 3:23-25, Paul writes, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” The presence of sin brings the guilt of being in the wrong with God. Like cancer, sin consumes us alive. We need the great physician to raise us from the dead and we need Jesus, the wonder worker, to restore us spiritually.
The characteristic feature of Jesus’ healing included the spiritual restoration. For instance, in Mark 2, before physically healing the paralyzed man, Jesus pronounces spiritual healing—forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ healing goes to the very root of human sickness and misery—sin. When Jesus heals people of their sickness of sin, there is a visible transformation. The incident involving Zacchaeus in Luke 19 shows us how the wholeness of salvation is more valuable than all the material riches of the world. Jesus ministers to people at their point of need—he restores dignity to lepers, offers forgiveness to prostitutes, and gives a new identity to the downtrodden like the woman with the bleeding problem. The miracle of our salvation shows us that Jesus came to bring healing at every level of our need—physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Question 4: The miracles challenge us to examine our hearts to see whether we truly understand the reality, meaning, and purpose of the miracles as recorded in the gospels. When it comes to miracles, there are two possible dangers. On the one hand, it is easy for us to believe in a “non-miraculous Jesus’’ as we live in a society that deems miracles to be against the ‘law of nature.’ It is vital for us to understand that ‘law of nature’ is simply the term we have given to a series of observed uniformities. However, the laws of nature do not forbid miracles as long as the instance of miracle is well attested. Encourage the group to ask self-diagnostic questions like, “Do I truly believe in the miracles recorded in the Bible, and if so, do I understand their purpose?” On the other hand, we could misinterpret the meaning of miracles. For instance, the Pentecostals put a heavy emphasis on the miracle of physical healing, in such a way that the emphasis on the redemption from the sickness of sin is sidelined. If we misinterpret miracles, we run the risk of presenting a counterfeit Jesus who heals on the merit of one’s faith and spiritual maturity.
This passage gives us hope and confidence as we learn the true meaning and purpose of miracles—to reveal a God who cares so much for the condition of poor, and broken humanity that he comes in person to be the rescuer. We learn what Jesus offers to the fallen humanity—a new vision to the blind, a new power to the paralyzed, a new identity to the lepers, and eternal life to the sick, and the needy. Thus, as the sinners saved and healed by grace, we are equipped to be the doctors who offer healing by pointing to the great physician.