I Am Willing

Matthew 8:1-17
Key verse 8:3

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

1. Read verses 1-2. What do you think life was like for the man with leprosy? Why do you think he asked Jesus for healing in this way: "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean"? 

*This man had some kind of skin infection or disease. Luke tells us that he was "covered" with leprosy. This made him physically repulsive--so even if there was no other problem, he still suffered from rejection based on his physical appearance. It was worse, however, because the Bible clearly identified people with such diseases as "unclean" and mandated that they live outside of the community (see Leviticus 13).

*This man must have heard about Jesus. He believed that Jesus was able to heal him, so he came to Jesus. At the same time, however, he was not sure that Jesus would be willing to heal him. He was not only physically repulsive, but "unclean." The Bible shows us that God is holy and cannot have fellowship with anything that is contaminated or "unclean." In fact, evil spirits were called "unclean," as well as certain animals (pigs, reptiles). Nothing unclean was allowed to come near God. This man must have doubted whether holy Jesus would be willing to help an "unclean" man.

2. Read verses 3-4. Why did Jesus reach out his hand and touch the man with leprosy? What does Jesus' answer, "I am willing. Be clean," show us about him? How long did it take for the man to be healed? Why might Jesus have issued the instructions found in verse 4?

*Jesus didn't have to reach out his hand and touch him in order to heal him. He did so, however, to show that he fully accepted this man. Jesus did not become contaminated when he touched this man--instead, this man became clean. Jesus confirmed his willingness with his words. This shows us God's love for this man and for everyone who is "unclean." Of course, sin makes us unclean. Because of our sin, we may think that we are too sinful to receive mercy and help from God. Yet this passage shows that he is more than willing to make us clean--and he can do so instantly.

*Instantly.

*Jesus healed him, but the man was still not restored to society. Jesus told him to do what was needed to reenter society. Jesus also told him not to tell this to anyone because Jesus was trying to focus on teaching the word of God and not just healing physically.


3. Compare and contrast the centurion (verses 5-7) and the man with leprosy (verses 1-4).  What does Jesus' answer show about him?

*Both men came to Jesus. Both men were considered "unclean" by the Jews in a certain respect. Both men would have been regarded as "untouchables" from a legalistic point of view. Yet, unlike the man with leprosy, the centurion was seeking healing for someone other than himself.

*Jesus agreed to go even though it meant going to a Gentile's house. There was no barrier for Jesus in doing God's work.

4. Read verses 8-9. Why didn't the centurion want Jesus to come to his house to heal his servant? How did the centurion see Jesus? What can we learn from the centurion about faith in Jesus?

*Two reasons: (1) He regarded Jesus highly--so much that he was not worthy to have Jesus come into his house. (2) He understood the concept of authority. He knew about military authority, so he recognized Jesus' spiritual authority. This faith went beyond just seeking benefits. His understanding of, and attitude toward, Jesus was different because he saw Jesus as the Commander who has true authority to do all things by his command.

*We can learn that there is more to faith than simply believing in Jesus generally or vaguely. Real faith includes a knowledge of who Jesus is--particularly an appreciation for his authority as the Son of God and King of kings. Those who have the centurion's faith do not just come to Jesus when they are in need, but they listen to, and obey, Jesus' words.

5. Read verses 10-13. Why was Jesus "astonished"? According to Jesus, how does this centurion's faith foreshadow the future? What do you think this passage teaches us about faith?

*Jesus was astonished because, so far, everyone who came to him came with relatively shallow faith. The Jews were supposed to be the people of God, but they failed to appreciate who Jesus was and what he was doing. They were eager to receive benefits from Jesus, but they didn't recognize Jesus' spiritual authority.

*The centurion, however, was different. He was able to see that what Jesus was doing came from true spiritual authority. He was able to recognize that Jesus is the "Lord" -- the Commander-in-Chief of the created world. His faith was great in its depth of insight. We need to have this kind of deep faith--faith in who Jesus is--in a way that shapes our relationship with him. He is not a vending machine from which we simply pull out favors in exchange for prayers--he is the Son of God, whose word has power to do anything. We must honor and obey him just as the centurion did.

6. Read verses 14-17. How did Jesus further exercise his authority to heal? What does Jesus' healing ministry reveal about him?

*Jesus healed many, including Peter's mother-in-law.

*(1) This reveals that Jesus is the promised Messiah who came according to God's promise.
(2) This also shows the deeper meaning of Jesus' healing power. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 53, which tells of the suffering servant--a prophecy of Jesus' suffering. Jesus "took up" and "carried" our sicknesses through his suffering and death. Clearly, this refers to our sins. Jesus is willing and able to clean us from all our sins instantly. What should we do? We should believe in him. What should we believe? We should believe that he is the Son of God, our King, who suffered and died to take up our infirmities an carry away our diseases.

Additional notes:


What do we learn from this passage?

-We learn that Jesus is the Christ whom God promised to send. How do we know this? We know it because he healed all of these people. Who can do this? Who can just say the word and heal someone. We can believe in Jesus based on this.

-We also learn that faith is the key to entering the kingdom of God.

-We also learn of Jesus' willingness to heal us.

*Can Jesus make me clean? Yes. He can and he will if I believe.

Summary:

In the first part of this passage, we see a man with leprosy. Leprosy was a terrible disease. Those who had it were not just physically sick but they were legally "unclean." Leprosy was closely associated with dirtiness and contamination. Those with this disease were shunned and despised.

Jesus reached out his hand and touched this man. Did he have to touch him? Later in this passage we find the answer: no. He didn't have to touch him. Why, then, did he do so? It's because this man wasn't sure if Jesus was willing to heal him. He wasn't even sure that Jesus would not curse him or drive him away. How could he, an unclean man, hope to find favor in the eyes of God?

Many people are fatalistic because of their sin. Their sin makes them dirty; unclean. They become fatalistic in two points: (1) because they cannot overcome the problem, they feel powerless and hopeless...they are stuck. (2) because they have sinned so much (because they are so dirty), they can't believe that God would have anything to do with them. Their failures disqualify them...making them unworthy to ask God anything.

This man felt the same, but he overcame these feelings with the hope that he might somehow receive mercy. He came and fell on his knees before Jesus. He made a simple statement of faith, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus was willing. Jesus was also able. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, and he became clean.

In the second part of this passage, we find the faith of the Centurion... in this story we learn that Jesus' healing power comes from his authority as king. The Centurion recognized this. He believed it.  He knew that Jesus could heal because he has the authority over all things. Who has authority over sickness and disease? Jesus. Other people thought that Jesus had healing power, but they didn't realize that this power was not magic. It was the power to command. It was the power over the natural world that the Creator has. He realized that the one who exercises this power over the natural world is not limited by the natural world--by time or space. He understood that those who have authority issue commands and it is done just as they order.

This is the critical connection. The critical connection that produces true, valuable faith is to know who Jesus is. Jesus is not just a guy who did good deeds. Jesus is not just a nice guy; not a magician; not a super-doctor. Jesus is the Son of God; he is the king with authority from his Father. What he says happens.

Yet despite his authority, he does not impose it on us. He does not override our decisions. It is up to us to recognize him as king--to believe that he is the boss. Those who recognize that Jesus is king do not just ask him for help when they are in trouble (many people do that), but they also obey Jesus like a solider obeys his commanding officer. We see examples: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What do they have in common? They all came to believe in God as the king. (Abraham sacrificed Isaac, etc.)

The final part of this passage shows us not only that Jesus is the king, that he is willing and able to heal us, but also that he is the One that God promised to send through the prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 53--the suffering of the Christ purchased our healing-->

Conclusion:
We suffer from the sickness of sin. It makes everything bad. But God sent Jesus to take up our diseases. Jesus is willing and able to do this for even the most sin-sick of us. He is able to do this because he is the king--the one with true authority. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are no longer left as an outsider (like the leper or like the Gentile centurion)--but we become citizens of the kingdom of God. If, however, we rely on something other than faith, we may be in for a rude awakening weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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