[And He Walks With Me] Matthew 8
1-4 Parallel passages may be found in Mark 1:39-45 and Luke 5:12-16.
2 Leprosy in the first century included what is today called leprosy (i.e., Hansen’s Disease, a chronic infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae) and any number of other skin diseases ranging from dermatosis to psoriasis, lupus, ringworm, and more. Most of these diseases are easily treatable today, but in the first century, there were no antibiotics and other medicines. In order to prevent spreading these diseases, Levitical law prescribed isolation and observation (see Leviticus 13:1-46; 14:1-32; Numbers 5:1-4). After a period of observation, if the condition was deemed not contagious, a person was allowed to rejoin society. Otherwise, the person had to remain outside the community until the disease was healed. In the case of chronic conditions, this often meant indefinite exile. The language used in Levitical law is significant: a person with a skin disease was unclean. This carried spiritual overtones and compounded the impact of the exile. Essentially, people with skin diseases were considered sinners, and the community was not to associate with them in any way. As part of this, the person “was required to wear torn clothes, cover the lower part of his or her face, and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’”[153]
It is important to notice the man’s timing. Jesus was coming down from the mountain following the Sermon on the Mount (1). That is, he was in a remote place, which was where most leper colonies were located. Yet, large crowds followed him (1). As a rising teacher, this placed Jesus in a rather precarious position: if anyone suspected he had contact with this man with leprosy, he would be considered unclean. Consequently, he would be prohibited from entering the temple, and his ministry would be effectively cancelled.
The man with leprosy did not demand healing. Rather, having heard of Jesus’ healing ministry (Matthew 4:23-25), he appealed to him as one that God used to heal people.[154] In fact, his use of the title Lord indicates the man’s recognition of Jesus’ sovereignty.
3 Despite the audience and the risk to his own health and reputation (see note on vs 2), Jesus [reached] out his hand and touched the man with leprosy. Notice that he did this before healing him. After living outside the city for an extended period of time, with absolutely no physical contact and only very limited human contact in general, the impact of this gesture must have been absolutely profound. Moreover, the sequence of events is crucial. Jesus touched this man, but “instead of becoming unclean himself, he cleanses the leper.” Therefore, he does not violate Old Testament purity laws and so become unclean himself.[155]
Jesus’ response is two-fold. First, he was willing. Second, he bid the man, be made clean. The connection here is significant. If God is willing, nothing can stop him. Conversely, if God is unwilling, nothing can compel him.
Notice the use of immediately. Levitical law required people with skin diseases to undergo periods of observation because skin diseases typically required some time to heal. In the original Greek, this term is placed at the beginning of the clause (just behind and) and therefore given emphasis, thus highlighting the supernatural nature of this healing.
Jesus’ healing of the man with leprosy demonstrated his resolve to transcend cultural and ceremonial perception and the typical notion of purity[156] to reach those who are marginalized by the rest of society.
4 For the first time in Matthew, Jesus instructed a person he had just healed to keep the matter a secret. This will be a recurring theme throughout the gospels. Jesus apparently demanded discretion to avoid stirring up crowds of people who misunderstood his nature and mission. The miracles were intended to corroborate the gospel message, but they could very easily overshadow the message instead. Indeed, people could very easily focus on the miracles to the point that they assumed physical healing was the extent of Christ’s mission, or they might conclude that someone who could wield the supernatural power of God could overpower the Roman occupiers. Indeed, even his disciples were confused by this as late as Acts 1:6.
5 A centurion commanded a group of 100 soldiers called a centuria. This was the smallest unit within the Roman military, making the centurion the most common professional officer in the army. Not much is known about the Roman military presence in Galilee during the first half of the first century, but archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a military garrison stationed at Capernaum. Judging by the gospel account, this centurion apparently had a working relationship with the Jews living in the region.[157]
The parallel account in Luke 7:1-10 expands upon the narrative provided here. There, the centurion initially sent Jewish elders to Jesus to plead on behalf of his servant. He then sent friends to tell Jesus to not trouble himself but to give the order from afar. Matthew’s account does not contradict that version as much as it abbreviates it. The centurion may not have come personally to Jesus, but he was the one who sent for Jesus.
8 The centurion demonstrated an unusual degree of cultural awareness and sensitivity. His statement, I am not worthy, reflected the tradition that Jews who entered the home of a Gentile were ceremonially unclean.[158] His use of the title Lord was a recognition of Jesus’ authority and, tacitly, divinity.[159]
The centurion’s role in the Roman military prepared him for an extraordinary degree of faith. Particularly in remote outposts such as Capernaum, orders coming from afar could have a profound impact on soldiers’ lives. The centurion here takes that understanding to the next level and confessing that Jesus could just say the word to heal the servant from afar.
10-12 Jesus’ acknowledgment of the centurion’s extraordinary faith stands as a not-so-subtle indictment of the Jews. The centurion recognized Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, even if he could not articulate it, but the Jews still saw Jesus as a nifty sideshow attraction. Jesus went on to point out that many from east and west – that is, non-Jews – would share in the banquet for God’s people while many who were direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – that is, the would-be people of God – would be rejected for their lack of faith and repentance.[160] This is significant because Jesus has not yet announced his intention for the church to extend to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), but he is here foreshadowing it.
13 The miraculous healing of the centurion’s servant demonstrates Jesus’ power over distance. It also demonstrates his resolve to cross ethnic and political boundaries to reach those typically excluded by the religious society.[161]
14-15 As with the previous two miracles, Matthew’s account of how Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law is abbreviated in comparison to the parallel in Luke 4:38-39. In Luke’s version, for example, we learn that Jesus arrived at Peter’s house from the synagogue, indicating it was likely Sabbath.
Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law demonstrates his disregard for typical gender boundaries. Indeed, women were often overlooked by ancient cultures including the Jews.
It is interesting to notice that this scene occurred at Peter’s house. Following Jesus does not necessitate leaving behind every vestige of our former self and life. Neither will Jesus ask us to abandon our family responsibilities. Rather, we must give up only that which prevents us from following Jesus with undivided attention.[162]
For centuries, tradition identified a particular site as the home of Simon Peter. In 1968, archaeologists excavating the site discovered the ruins of a house built in approximately 63 BCE, and the artifacts and evidence found there have led most scholars to believe the tradition is accurate.[163]
16 Luke’s parallel account of vss 14-15, Jesus is said to have come from the synagogue, suggesting it was the Sabbath. This explains why Matthew would note that the healings happened when evening came.
17 By quoting from Isaiah 53:4, Matthew again notes how Jesus life and ministry was the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
18-22 There is a parallel passage in Luke 9:57-62. Once again, Matthew abbreviates the account as Luke’s version includes a third person who wanted to go and say good-bye to the people at his house.
18 While many people will seek out a large crowd, Jesus eschewed it by going to the other side of the sea. This is indicative of an important tension that must be maintained by Christ followers. On the one hand, we are called to minister to the crowd, which is filled with people who need to hear the gospel message and be invited into God’s kingdom. On the other hand, however, we must be deliberate about withdrawing to minister to those who have already responded to the gospel and focus on our own relationships with God. Be deliberate about ministering to the unsaved, but do not be consumed by it.
19 In Jerusalem, scribes were prestigious members of the Sanhedrin along with the chief priests and Pharisees. Outside of Jerusalem, they served as resident teachers and interpreters of Scripture. Typically, a would-be scribe sought out and followed a rabbit, sitting under the rabbi’s tutelage until he became a legal expert. This scribe’s declaration, that he would follow Jesus wherever he went, served as a statement of intent: he intended to follow Jesus, to examine his teachings, and determine if Jesus was worth following in the long run.[164]
20 Jesus’ response to the scribe’s proclamation highlighted the contrast between his ministry and that of a typical rabbi. Typically, rabbis enjoyed a degree of honor among Jews, leading to prominence in the synagogue, wealth, and comfortable accommodations wherever they went. Jesus, however, warned the scribe that those things were not guaranteed if he followed Jesus.
Notice Jesus’ use of the title Son of Man to refer to himself. The scribe would have immediately recognized this title from the Old Testament, where God used it to address the prophet Ezekiel and Daniel used it to describe the Messiah. The ambiguity of this title is important. Because it referred in the Old Testament to both the human prophet and the divine Messiah, Jesus could use it as a way to teach his true identity and mission without his listeners jumping to conclusions based on what they had always been taught.[165]
21-22 There is some debate over this second disciple’s situation. What is clear is that the term disciple was used rather loosely, and this man was not one who would be included among the Twelve. Also clear is the fact that, whether his father was still alive and the man wanted to wait until he died to follow Jesus or his father had just died and the man needed several hours to bury him and a couple days to regain his ceremonial cleanness, this man was allowing other things to be more important to him than following Jesus. This makes more sense if the father was not yet dead. Indeed, while we are certainly commanded to honor our fathers and mothers, we must also be careful to not allow anything to be more important than our commitment to follow Jesus.
23-25 The Sea of Galilee has a surface area of 64.4 square miles (166.7 sq km). Its maximum depth is more than 140 feet (43 meters). Between the surrounding geography, climate, and the size of the lake, the Sea of Galilee becomes a major driver for weather patterns in the region. Sudden, isolated storms are not uncommon around nightfall because water evaporates from the lake during the heat of the day and then, as temperatures cool in the evening, condenses and falls back to the earth as precipitation. These storms are often accompanied by violent winds. Ancient mariners certainly recognized this pattern, and while they certainly arranged their activities to minimize the risk, they were likely familiar with operating and navigating their boats in a sudden gale.
Notice, in particular, the presence of the word violent. This is significant because writing materials were relatively expensive, meaning people typically recorded things as concisely as possible (i.e., they omitted unnecessary words). Consequently, adverbs and adjectives such as violent were generally excluded from ancient writings, and when they were included, it was as if they were all-caps, bold, underlined, and surrounded with exclamation points. This, then, was an exceptionally strong storm, even for people like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who were intimately familiar with the weather patterns of the Sea of Galilee.
The word rendered by the CSB swamped means “to hide, veil” or “to hinder the knowledge of a thing.”[166] The gravity of this situation must be appreciated. Modern small boats are filled with foam to ensure that, even if they are completely filled with water, they will remain at the surface. Ancient boats, however, did not have such things. Moreover, most of the disciples grew up around the Sea of Galilee. At least four of them were professional fishermen who spent every day on their boats on the Sea of Galilee. It is therefore not trivial that the disciples woke Jesus because they were convinced they were going to die. These men knew how to operate their boats, and they knew what their boats could and could not do. In short, this boat was on the brink of sinking.
25-26 Given the conditions, it is astonishing that Jesus kept sleeping. Between rain, wind, and waves of a violent storm… on the sea, everyone on the boat was no doubt wet and cold, and the boat was rocking violently. Jesus’ ability to sleep was a testament to his unshakable confidence in God. Of course, his faith was bolstered by the knowledge that he and his companions had not yet finished the mission God had for them, but we should be able to share Jesus’ confidence because, even without the certainty he had that his earthly mission was not yet complete, we know that we will be saved on the other side of physical death. This is the impetus for the ribbing Jesus gives them.
26 The fact that Jesus was able to calm the storm with just a rebuke alludes to his role in creation. In Genesis 1, God spoke creation into existence. Now, Jesus spoke a storm out of existence. He demonstrates his omnipotence in that something which is impossible even today (i.e., calming a storm) is to him as effortless as a word from his mouth.
Jesus’ power is punctuated by Matthew’s observation that, after he rebuked the winds and the sea, there was a great calm. Notice, in particular, the inclusion of the adjective great. Like violent in verse 24 (see note there), this word is not necessary, but Matthew included it to emphasize that this was an exceptional calm, and it presented a profound contrast with the storm of verse 24. As exceptionally violent as the storm was moments ago, with its rain, wind, thunder, and waves, it was now equally exceptionally calm.
27 The disciples’ reaction to this miracle is important. Notice the two components. First, they were amazed. This is an appropriate translation of the term here, which can also incorporate the idea of marveling at or admiring something.[167] The disciples stared, slack-jawed, at the change and the fact that Jesus clearly caused it with his mere words. Certainly, this was an appropriate reaction. Second, they asked. They had seen Jesus do simple miracles, but the magnitude of this miracle compelled them to contemplate anew who could do such things. Jesus was no mere religious leader or prophet because even the winds and the sea obey him! We also must grapple with the implications of Christ’s miracles.
28-34 The parallel passages in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 record only one demon-possessed man. It is easy to see this as a mistake or contradiction, but two facts may explain the discrepancy. First, since Matthew was actually present while Mark and Luke only recorded the story secondhand, Matthew may be incorporating his personal knowledge of the second man.[168] Second, the parallel accounts also include a bit at the end of the account where the man wanted to accompany Jesus but instead returned home to tell everyone what God had done for him through Christ. This highlights the fact that Matthew was writing to a different audience and therefore opted to focus on a different aspect of the event. In fact, Matthew’s gospel was addressed to Jews who were convinced they had a monopoly on all things having to do with God. Yet, Matthew knew that the gospel of Christ was for Gentiles, too. Therefore, he focused was on the fact that Jesus went out of his way to the region of the Gadarenes and drove demons from not one but two hopeless Gentiles into a herd of unclean pigs. The parallel accounts, on the other hand, were addressed to primarily Gentile audiences and therefore had no need to convey the inclusivity of the gospel. Instead, they focused on the need to tell people what Jesus has done. Indeed, Mark and Luke do not exclude the possibility of a second man. Therefore, it could be that there were two demon-possessed men, but only one resolved to tell people about Jesus. Be like that man!
28 Matthew includes several details here to illustrate the gravity of this situation. (1) He points out that they were on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. That is, they were on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Gadarenes. This was considered the region of the Decapolis, a group of ten predominantly Gentile cities[169] in modern Jordan. Gentiles, of course, were rejected by God. In particular, Gadarenes suggests they were near the city of Gadara, which was approximately 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The area also included a seaside village called Gerasa, which explains why the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke describe it as the region of the Gerasenes. The way Matthew describes the location is akin to the modern phrase “other side of the tracks” and suggests that the area was God-forsaken. (2) He observes that the men came out of the tombs. This description “casts an ominous pall of death and evil on the scene.”[170] Moreover, because Jewish law considered unclean anyone who came into contact with the dead, Matthew’s Jewish readers perceived a cemetery to be an unclean place. Anyone who visited there was unclean and therefore prohibited from entering the temple and participating in worship. Consequently, Jewish people did not go to the cemetery except to bury the dead. It was forsaken by people. Yet, these men lived among the tombs. (3) These men were so violent that no one could pass that way. The Greek word rendered by the CSB as violent means “harsh, fierce, savage.” It suggests that they were furious, dangerous, and perilous.[171] In short, they were so difficult to deal with that no one even tried anymore. They were utterly beyond hope.
29 The fact that the demon-possessed Gentiles on the far side of the Sea of Galilee became the first to recognize Jesus as the Son of God must have been shocking for Matthew’s Jewish audience. Eventually, the disciples would use the same title for Jesus (e.g., 14:33; 16:16), but just hours before, in verse 27, even they were still pondering Jesus’ identity. It is funny how those who are closest to God are often the last to recognize him.
It is interesting that the demons anticipated the time when their jig will be up and they will be justly tormented. That is, they knew they were wrong and justice is coming. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the assumption that Jesus would come to torment [them] before the time. The suggestion is that Jesus was acting inappropriately by coming to earth, and submitting to him is torment for ordinary people. How many people are under these same impressions today!
30-31 The large herd of pigs punctuates that these men were Gentiles in Gentile territory. Jews held demons and hogs as morally equivalent.[172] Consequently, Jews would have relished the thought of sending the demons into the herd of pigs (32). However, Gentiles had no such aversion to hogs, and this herd was comprised of someone’s livestock being raised for market. This will have significant financial implications and predictable fallout.
It is curious that Matthew emphasizes the herd was a long way off from the demon-possessed man. Mark and Luke, in their accounts, simply describe the herd as there. Whether this was because the people tending the herd wanted to avoid the demon-possessed men or the herd of unclean pigs steering clear of the spiritual danger they sensed, there is a lesson to be found here. It is tempting to think that lesson is that even the spiritually unclean Gentiles and pigs had enough sense to steer clear of the evil represented by these men. Yet, as people who are called to be like Jesus, we must also recognize that Christ himself went to these men. Instead of landing at the town, he instructed his disciples to land at the cemetery. Instead of steering clear of the men, Jesus engaged them. If we are going to rescue sinners from the clutches of hell, we must be willing to draw very close to them even as they wallow in the hopeless mess where they have landed themselves. We must have the spiritual fortitude to remain steadfastly planted on the godly side of that line. And we must be ready to engage them and walk with them out of the mess.
32 It is interesting that Matthew does not say explicitly that the demons compelled the pigs to rush to their death in the sea. Instead, we are left to wonder if this was the work of the demons, or if it was the pigs’ reaction to the demonic presence. This ambiguity opens the door for at least two lessons to be gleaned from the fact that the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. (1) Satan and his hordes are bent on the destruction of God and God’s things. Indeed, demons are shown throughout the Bible to damage and destroy God’s creatures and creation, and they will do everything in their power to oppose Jesus and the advance of his kingdom in the world.[173] (2) Even the herd of unclean pigs recognized the demons were a bad deal, and they went as far and as fast as they could to escape them.
33 It is interesting to see the focus of the men who tended the herd. They immediately went into the city and reported everything, focusing especially [on] what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. Even the unsaved become evangelists when they see Jesus’ transformative power.
34 In an ending twist, the townspeople begged [Jesus] to leave their region. One would expect them to be excited to have a person who can drive out demons, but it would seem they were more concerned about the cost. Certainly, there was a significant cost in the loss of the pigs. We must not overlook the cost of following Jesus. We who are saved have begun to experience his blessing, which far outweighs the cost, but from the outside looking in, the cost of everything that must be forfeit can be a very high, painful threshold.
[153] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:1-4
[154] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:1-4
[155] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:1-4
[156] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:5-13
[157] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:5-13
[158] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:5-13
[159] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:1-4
[160] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:5-13
[161] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:5-13
[162] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:14-15
[163] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:14-15
[164] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:18-20
[165] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:18-20
[166] “G2572 – kalyptō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv)”, n.d.
[167] “G2296 – thaumazō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv)”, n.d.
[168] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:28-34
[169] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:28-34
[170] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:28-34
[171] “G5467 – chalepos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv)”, n.d.
[172] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:28-34
[173] Wilkins 2004, Matthew 8:28-34