Day 20

Chase: Hello and welcome to the Point Church Podcast. We're really glad you're here. Before we jump in, if you'd like to stay connected, you can download the Point Church app. It's a simple way to find messages, resource, and what's happening. And if this podcast is helpful, take a moment to like, subscribe, and share. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Let's get into today's episode. Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Point Church Podcast. We're here with Pastor Sam. As we're going forty days, forty podcasts through the gospel of Matthew, and we've been taking it line by line and going through. And we finished the Sermon on the Mound yesterday, and now episode twenty, halfway. Halfway. And now we are in chapter eight, where we're picking up today, and in verse one it reads When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. And that's Yeah, that makes sense. Yep. Right away, a man with leprosy came out. Came up and knelt before him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, I am willing, be made clean. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. I think we need to stop there and have you explain why this is so big with this man. Well, so first off, there's crowds. Yeah. That's key because lepers were not supposed to be anywhere near a crowd. In fact, they were supposed to announce their coming, ⁓ some by ringing a bell, but screaming basically like unclean or dirty, some variation of it, so that no one would touch them on accident and get leprosy. The other understanding was that leprosy was seen as a result of your sin. Like it was your punishment for God. So this man is like, ⁓ this is God, maybe this is my chance. And so he calls him Lord. Like he gives he's like if there's any sin I've done that has caused this leprosy, make me clean. ⁓ and so what what he's saying is it's beautiful because he doesn't say heal my leprosy, he says make me clean. So he could very well be saying, I know you're not gonna do anything about the leprosy because I deserve this, but make my heart clean. Yeah. And Jesus not only says I'm willing, but But he touches him and no one else is supposed to touch him. There was no You weren't supposed to touch a dead body, you weren't supposed to touch a leper, and he does Let alone be around him. Yes, and and he does both. ⁓ and so again, Jesus is showing I I move where I'm wanted for those who you know, call upon my name. Again, ask, seek, knock. I bet that got his attention. And then I have the power over disease. Yep. And I I'm not afraid to like Associate with someone who's unclean or dirty. Yeah. Yeah. So good. Because picking up verse four it reads And then Jesus told him ⁓ Jesus told him, See that you don't tell anyone. Important. But go show yourself to the priests and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them. Yep. ⁓ like three things here. First one, ⁓ Jesus said, like, I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. So part of this is fulfilling the law of Moses. Like if a healing has happened, go show yourself to the priest. So he tells him to do that. Second thing is that Jesus is ⁓ operating. ⁓ basically he's practicing what he's preaching. Like, don't don't go like, you know, you don't need to go bragging about me. Like left hand, see what your right hand's doing. Like I'm showing how to do good work. without you know getting all this fame. The third thing Jesus is doing, and this one's a little bit of a mystery, is they refer to in the Gospels as Jesus ⁓ would like slip away or he didn't want his identity revealed until his hour had come or his time had come that he knew once word got out enough about him, it was going to be like a lot of things were going to go in motion. So some divine way Jesus knew when it was time to like let the priest know who he was and let the religious or let the ⁓ Roman rulers knew who he was. But it wasn't yet. So that's also part of what's going on too is he's like d just twin you and me. Yeah, not yet. Yep. All right. In verse five, it says when he entered Capernaum, ⁓ centurion came to him, pleading with him, Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed in terrible agony. He said to him Am I to come and heal him? Lord, the Centurion replied, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but just say the word of my servant will be healed. So maybe ⁓ you know, if someone doesn't know the context of this, why this is so again not just in the leprosy is crazy, but then you got this centurion. Centurion. Yeah. Yeah. So the centurion was one who was ⁓ like a basically an officer in the Roman military. And ⁓ you'll have to remember that Israel is under Roman occupation. They've been brought under Roman rule. ⁓ there was a time where there was a rebellion known as like the Maccabees, but now they are like being crushed by Rome, like through taxes and this was an enemy of Israel. And this man is like I I I'm my eyes are not lying to me. I I've heard of this man, I've seen what this guy can do, and I think he can heal my servant. And so again, the crowds would have been like, Really? This is even for the Romans? Are you serious? So ⁓ and then Jesus. Yeah, exactly. He's flipping it. He's always flipping it. So ⁓ again showing his kingdom. So then he goes on to it more and more. Yeah, in verse nine it says, For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one go and he goes, and to another come and he comes and to my servant do this and he does it. Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to the To those following him, truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. I Let's pause there for a sec, 'cause like what what about it was so great in Jesus' eyes and and I think the answer is that this Roman centurion recognized his own authority. He's like, All I have to do is say it. These guys have to go. And he's geez, your authority's all the way up here. That even over, you know, disease or you just over anything, all you have to do is say it. You don't have to be there. Like a commanding officer does not need to be looking over your shoulder the whole time. All they need to do is say a word. But he also recognized Jesus' He also says Lord, too. Like And he says that, but he also recognized that Jesus has authority with God in heaven. That's exactly right. He says I am too. Yeah. And he's like, But your authority far surpasses mine. And all you have to do is say it. I believe all you have to do is say it because I've seen how authority works. And so that's why Jesus like, Do you see what this guy is saying? Like everybody, like you see this, so yeah, he's he's blown away by this man's faith. Yeah. 'Cause he says, I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the the outer darkness where there will be weeping and Gnashing of teeth. Yep. So it goes back again to Jesus' saying, All these 'cause remember, the the Israelites have been scattered. Okay, they've been scattered because of the Babylonian exile. So there's gonna be a time where ⁓ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be having a banquet again, like when the kingdom comes fully, and everyone's gonna come back, but they're not going to come back. back because of their faith in Jesus, it's again they're coming back because of their lineage, which is what we've talked about before, their bloodline. Not because of their faith, but their bloodline. And Jesus is like, no, that's not going to be enough. Like again, he's constantly flipping. He's like, my kingdom is not ruled by who you were born into or your race or your nationality or your social status. It's you are invited to the banquet because you've placed your faith in Me. Anyone who doesn't do that will be thrown out. Mm. Yeah, because then he says then Jesus told the centurion, Go as you have believed, let it be done for you. And his servant was healed at that very moment. There you go. That's how powerful. Like now Jesus shown like of course he's already shown you know. Now he can do healings from a distance. Yeah. Yeah. From far away. Yeah. So verse fourteen it goes on with more healing. ⁓ Jesus went into Peter's house and saw his mother in law lying in bed with a fever. So this shows Peter was married. Yep. Peter was married. Peter's married. We're just gonna leave that there. Yep. So he touched her hand and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve him. When the evening came they brought to him many who were demon possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word, one word, and healed all who were sick. So that So that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. He himself look at looked or hen he himself took our weakness and carried our diseases. Yes. So first thing to point out is Jesus comes down from the mountain. Mm-hmm. The most outsider of all society is there, a leper. Yeah. Probably the next most outsider or Roman. Yeah, an enemy is there, calling him Lord. Then a most probably insider of, you know, a Jewish woman. Mm-hmm. And Jesus works outside in. Like he works the leper, healed. The centurion servant healed. ⁓ Peter's mother in law healed. So again, he's showing all the outsiders will be healed, the insiders will be healed. As long as so he's not anti any of the sons of Abraham, he's like, but it comes to your faith in me. Like I've come to heal everybody. Mm-hmm. And just imagine how tired he was, too. Yeah, like he's just been brought many Yeah, he's been preaching and he's he's already healed like three people, like three individuals, and then they say everyone who's demon possessed and all he needs to do is say a word and they're driven out. So he has authority now not only over disease, but ⁓ like of leprosy, whatever was ailing the servants, ⁓ The centurion servant or ⁓ Peter's mother in law's fever. But like he can heal all the diseases close or afar, but also over demons now. Yeah. Again, all about the authority. So like again, this I just think like he's gotta be exhausted. Yeah. But he's showing Okay, I preached the message about healing the world. Now I'm showing that only I have the authority to heal the world. And so it's it's a Quite a powerful thing, again, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of the old testament. Yeah. He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. Like again, that's foreshadowing. When you think about Jesus carrying something, you think about something specific around Good Friday. So like again, it's foreshadowing. He's taking on the evil and the wickedness of the world and he's triumphant every single time. Every time. And with that we're gonna close out episode twenty, our halfway point, and we'll pick back up Tomorrow, so thanks for tuning in.