Matthew 8

Mt 8:1-4.

HEALING OF A

LEPER.

Mr 1:40-45;

Lu 5:12-16).

The time of this miracle seems too definitely fixed here to admit of our

placing it where it stands in Mark and Luke, in whose Gospels no such

precise note of time is given.

1. When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed

him.

2. And, behold, there came a leper--"a man full of leprosy," says

Lu 5:12.

Much has been written on this disease of leprosy, but certain points

remain still doubtful. All that needs be said here is that it was a

cutaneous disease, of a loathsome, diffusive, and, there is reason to

believe, when thoroughly pronounced, incurable character; that though

in its distinctive features it is still found in several countries--as

Arabia, Egypt, and South Africa--it prevailed, in the form of what is

called white leprosy, to an unusual extent, and from a very early

period, among the Hebrews; and that it thus furnished to the whole

nation a familiar and affecting symbol of SIN,

considered as (1) loathsome, (2) spreading, (3)

incurable. And while the ceremonial ordinances for detection and

cleansing prescribed in this case by the law of Moses

(Le 13:1-14:57)

held forth a coming remedy "for sin and for uncleanness"

(Ps 51:7;

2Ki 5:1, 7, 10, 13, 14),

the numerous cases of leprosy with which our Lord came in contact, and

the glorious cures of them which He wrought, were a fitting

manifestation of the work which He came to accomplish. In this view, it

deserves to be noticed that the first of our Lord's miracles of healing

recorded by Matthew is this cure of a leper.

and worshipped him--in what sense we shall presently see. Mark says

(Mr 1:40),

he came, "beseeching and kneeling to Him," and Luke says

(Lu 5:12),

"he fell on his face."

saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean--As this is the

only cure of leprosy recorded by all the three first Evangelists, it was

probably the first case of the kind; and if so, this leper's faith in

the power of Christ must have been formed in him by what he had heard of

His other cures. And how striking a faith is it! He does not say he

believed Him able, but with a brevity expressive of a confidence

that knew no doubt, he says simply, "Thou canst." But of Christ's

willingness to heal him he was not so sure. It needed more knowledge of

Jesus than he could be supposed to have to assure him of that. But one

thing he was sure of, that He had but to "will" it. This shows with what

"worship" of Christ this leper fell on his face before Him. Clear

theological knowledge of the Person of Christ was not then possessed

even by those who were most with Him and nearest to Him. Much less could

full insight into all that we know of the Only-begotten of the Father be

expected of this leper. But he who at that moment felt and owned that to

heal an incurable disease needed but the fiat of the Person who

stood before him, had assuredly that very faith in the germ which now

casts its crown before Him that loved us, and would at any time die for

His blessed name.

3. And Jesus--or "He," according to another reading,--"moved with

compassion," says Mark

(Mr 1:41);

a precious addition.

put forth his hand, and touched him--Such a touch occasioned

ceremonial defilement

(Le 5:3);

even as the leper's coming near enough for contact was against the

Levitical regulations

(Le 13:46).

But as the man's faith told him there would be no case for such

regulations if the cure he hoped to experience should be accomplished,

so He who had healing in His wings transcended all such statutes.

saying, I will; be thou clean--How majestic those two words! By not

assuring the man of His power to heal him, He delightfully sets His

seal to the man's previous confession of that power; and by assuring him

of the one thing of which he had any doubt, and for which he waited--His

will to do it--He makes a claim as divine as the cure which

immediately followed it.

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed--Mark, more emphatic, says

(Mr 1:42),

"And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from

him, and he was cleansed"--as perfectly as instantaneously. What a

contrast this to modern pretended cures!

4. And Jesus--"straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away"

(Mr 1:43),

and

saith unto him, See thou tell no man--A hard condition this would

seem to a grateful heart, whose natural language, in such a case, is

"Come, hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done

for my soul"

(Ps 66:16).

We shall presently see the reason for it.

but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that

Moses commanded--

(Le 14:1-57).

for a testimony unto them--a palpable witness that the Great Healer

had indeed come, and that "God had visited His people." What the sequel

was, our Evangelist Matthew does not say; but Mark thus gives it

(Mr 1:45):

"But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the

matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city,

but was without in desert places: and they came to Him from every

quarter." Thus--by an over-zealous, though most natural and not very

culpable, infringement of the injunction to keep the matter quiet--was

our Lord, to some extent, thwarted in His movements. As His whole

course was sublimely noiseless

(Mt 12:19),

so we find Him repeatedly taking steps to prevent matters prematurely

coming to a crisis with Him. (But see on

Mr 5:19, 20).

"And He withdrew Himself," adds Luke

(Lu 5:16),

"into the wilderness, and prayed"; retreating from the popular

excitement into the secret place of the Most High, and thus coming

forth as dew upon the mown grass, and as showers that water the earth

(Ps 72:6).

And this is the secret both of strength and of sweetness in the

servants and followers of Christ in every age.

Mt 8:5-13.

HEALING OF THE

CENTURION'S

SERVANT.

Lu 7:1-10).

This incident belongs to a later stage. For the exposition, see on

Lu 7:1-10.

Mt 8:14-17.

HEALING OF

PETER'S

MOTHER-IN-LAW AND

MANY

OTHERS.

Mr 1:29-34;

Lu 4:38-41).

For the exposition, see on

Mr 1:29-34.

Mt 8:18-22.

INCIDENTS

ILLUSTRATIVE OF

DISCIPLESHIP.

Lu 9:57-62).

The incidents here are two: in the corresponding passage of Luke they

are three. Here they are introduced before the mission of the Twelve:

in Luke, when our Lord was making preparation for His final journey to

Jerusalem. But to conclude from this, as some good critics do (as

BENGEL, ELLICOTT, &c.) that

one of these incidents at least occurred twice--which led to the

mention of the others at the two different times--is too artificial.

Taking them, then, as one set of occurrences, the question arises. Are

they recorded by Matthew or by Luke in their proper place?

NEANDER,

SCHLEIERMACHER, and

OLSHAUSEN adhere to Luke's

order; while MEYER,

DE

WETTE, and

LANGE prefer that of Matthew. Probably

the first incident is here in its right place. But as the command, in

the second incident, to preach the kingdom of God, would scarcely have

been given at so early a period, it is likely that it and the third

incident have their true place in Luke. Taking these three incidents up

here then we have,

I. The Rash or Precipitate Disciple

(Mt 8:19, 20).

19. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will

follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

20. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of

the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head--Few as there were of the scribes who attached

themselves to Jesus, it

would appear, from his calling Him Teacher, that this one was a

"disciple" in that looser sense of the word in which it is applied to

the crowds who flocked after Him, with more or less conviction that His

claims were well founded. But from the answer which he received we are

led to infer that there was more of transient emotion--of temporary

impulse--than of intelligent principle in the speech. The preaching of

Christ had riveted and charmed him; his heart had swelled; his

enthusiasm had been kindled; and in this state of mind he will go

anywhere with Him, and feels impelled to tell Him so. "Wilt thou?"

replies the Lord Jesus. "Knowest thou whom thou art pledging thyself to

follow, and whither haply He may lead thee? No warm home, no downy

pillow has He for thee: He has them not for Himself. The foxes are not

without their holes, nor do the birds of the air lack their nests; but

the Son of man has to depend on the hospitality of others, and borrow

the pillow whereon He lays His head." How affecting is this reply! And

yet He rejects not this man's offer, nor refuses him the liberty to

follow Him. Only He will have him know what he is doing, and "count the

cost." He will have him weigh well the real nature and the strength of

his attachment, whether it be such as will abide in the day of trial. If

so, he will be right welcome, for Christ puts none away. But it seems

too plain that in this case that had not been done. And so we have

called this the Rash or Precipitate Disciple.

II. The Procrastinating or Entangled Disciple

(Mt 8:21, 22).

As this is more fully given in Luke

(Lu 9:59),

we must take both together. "And He said unto another of His disciples,

Follow Me. But he said,"

Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto

him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead--or, as more

definitely in Luke, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and

preach the kingdom of God"

(Lu 9:60).

This disciple did not, like the former, volunteer his services, but is

called by the Lord Jesus, not only to follow, but to preach Him. And he

is quite willing; only he is not ready just yet. "Lord, I will;

but"--"There is a difficulty in the way just now; but that once

removed, I am Thine." What now is this difficulty? Was his father

actually dead--lying a corpse--having only to be buried? Impossible. As

it was the practice, as noticed on

Lu 7:12,

to bury on the day of death, it is not very likely that this disciple

would have been here at all if his father had just breathed his last;

nor would the Lord, if He was there, have hindered him discharging the

last duties of a son to a father. No doubt it was the common case of a

son having a frail or aged father, not likely to live long, whose head

he thinks it his duty to see under the ground ere he goes abroad. "This

aged father of mine will soon be removed; and if I might but delay till

I see him decently interred, I should then be free to preach the kingdom

of God wherever duty might call me." This view of the case will explain

the curt reply, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach

the kingdom of God." Like all the other paradoxical sayings of our Lord,

the key to it is the different senses--a higher and a lower--in which

the same word "dead" is used: There are two kingdoms of God in existence

upon earth; the kingdom of nature, and the kingdom of grace: To the one

kingdom all the children of this world, even the most ungodly, are fully

alive; to the other, only the children of light: The reigning irreligion

consists not in indifference to the common humanities of social life,

but to things spiritual and eternal: Fear not, therefore, that your

father will in your absence be neglected, and that when he breathes his

last there will not be relatives and friends ready enough to do to him

the last offices of kindness. Your wish to discharge these yourself is

natural, and to be allowed to do it a privilege not lightly to be

foregone. But the kingdom of God lies now all neglected and needy: Its

more exalted character few discern; to its paramount claims few are

alive: and to "preach" it fewer still are qualified and called: But thou

art: The Lord therefore hath need of thee: Leave, then, those claims of

nature, high though they be, to those who are dead to the still higher

claims of the kingdom of grace, which God is now erecting upon

earth--Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom

of God. And so have we here the genuine, but Procrastinating or

Entangled Disciple.

The next case is recorded only by Luke:

III. The Irresolute or Wavering Disciple

(Lu 9:61, 62).

Lu 9:61:

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first

go bid them farewell which are at home at my house.

Lu 9:62:

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough,

and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. But for the very

different replies given, we should hardly have discerned the difference

between this and the second case: the one man called, indeed, and the

other volunteering, as did the first; but both seemingly alike willing,

and only having a difficulty in their way just at that moment. But, by

help of what is said respectively to each, we perceive the great

difference between the two cases. From the warning given against

"looking back," it is evident that this man's discipleship was not yet

thorough, his separation from the world not entire. It is not a case

of going back, but of looking back; and as there is here a

manifest reference to the case of "Lot's wife"

(Ge 19:26;

and see on

Lu 17:32),

we see that it is not actual return to the world that we have

here to deal with, but a reluctance to break with it. The figure

of putting one's hand to the plough and looking back is an exceedingly

vivid one, and to an agricultural people most impressive. As ploughing

requires an eye intent on the furrow to be made, and is marred the

instant one turns about, so will they come short of salvation who

prosecute the work of God with a distracted attention, a divided heart.

The reference may be chiefly to ministers; but the application at least

is general. As the image seems plainly to have been suggested by the

case of Elijah and Elisha, a difficulty may be raised, requiring a

moment's attention. When Elijah cast his mantle about Elisha, which

the youth quite understood to mean appointing him his successor, he was

ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, the last pair held by himself.

Leaving his oxen, he ran after the prophet, and said, "Let me, I pray

thee, kiss my father and my mother, and [then] I will follow thee." Was

this said in the same spirit with the same speech uttered by our

disciple? Let us see. "And Elijah said unto him, Go back again: for

what have I done to thee." Commentators take this to mean that Elijah

had really done nothing to hinder him from going on with all his

ordinary duties. But to us it seems clear that Elijah's intention was

to try what manner of spirit the youth was of:--"Kiss thy father and

mother? And why not? By all means, go home and stay with them; for

what have I done to thee? I did but throw a mantle about thee; but

what of that?" If this was his meaning, Elisha thoroughly apprehended

and nobly met it. "He returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen,

and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen

(the wood of his ploughing implements), and gave unto the people, and

they did eat: then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto

him"

(1Ki 19:19-21).

We know not if even his father and mother had time to be called to this

hasty feast. But this much is plain, that, though in affluent

circumstances, he gave up his lower calling, with all its prospects,

for the higher and at that time perilous, office to which he was

called. What now is the bearing of these two cases? Did Elisha do wrong

in bidding them farewell with whom he was associated in his early

calling? Or, if not, would this disciple have done wrong if he had done

the same thing, and in the same spirit, with Elisha? Clearly not.

Elisha's doing it proved that he could with safety do it; and

our Lord's warning is not against bidding them farewell which were at

home at his house, but against the probable fatal consequences

of that step; lest the embraces of earthly relationship should prove

too strong for him, and he should never return to follow Christ.

Accordingly, we have called this the Irresolute or Wavering

Disciple.

Mt 8:23-27.

JESUS

CROSSING THE

SEA OF

GALILEE,

MIRACULOUSLY

STILLS A

TEMPEST.

Mr 4:35-41;

Lu 8:22-25).

For the exposition, see on

Mr 4:35-41.

Mt 8:28-34.

JESUS

HEALS THE

GERGESENE

DEMONIACS.

Mr 5:1-20;

Lu 8:26-39).

For the exposition, see on

Mr 5:1-20.