Matthew 8:28-34

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28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.29 And they cried out, saying, ``What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?'' 30 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. 31 The demons began to entreat Him, saying, ``If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.'' 32 And He said to them, ``Go!'' And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.

Here we have the first mention of DEVILED HAM in the Bible.

Jesus entered into the country of Gadara on the East side of the Sea of Galilee. He was confronted by two men who were demonized, men with such a violent reputation that people avoided them. There are two very interesting observations here:

1. Jesus was confronted by evil and was victorious over it.

2. Even though Jesus freed the two men, He was rejected by the community and asked to leave.

Two men were freed from demonic bondage and still Jesus was rejected for what He had done. You see, not everyone is happy when others are freed, especially when this freedom begins to change those around them. I've seen this happen with alcoholics and drug addicts. When an addict gives up his drug and is freed up from the bondage, those around him become very uncomfortable.

Spiritually speaking, this happens frequently. People can watch their friends find personal freedom, but that very freedom threatens their own agendas. This is what Jesus' presence did. His security and confidence in Who He was made people uncomfortable. Therefore they persecuted Him and eventually killed Him. This is precisely what Jesus was talking about in two of the beatitudes. When you hunger and thirst for righteousness and righteousness begins to show, then you will be persecuted for it. Why? Because your new experience and example of walking in righteousness (walking with Jesus, the Righteous One) will inevitably make others feel very uncomfortable and those people will be very critical of you and what you've done.

Have you ever helped someone, only to be criticized by others for your efforts. Or even worse, have you done something good for another person and that person later turns against you for some reason. How does this ungratefulness make you feel? I've struggled with this for years. The answer to this dilemma? I am not working to please people or to win a popularity contest. I work for Jesus and only seek His approval. Just as Jesus sought to please His Father, so I am to please Him.

Jesus wants my faithfulness, not my successfulness. He wants my heart, then He will take care of what happens. You see, we work for an audience of one. His name is Jesus.

Matthew 8:18-27

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18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. 19 Then a scribe came and said to Him, ``Teacher, I will follow You wherever, You go.'' 20 Jesus said* to him, ``The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere, to lay His head.'' 21 Another of the disciples said to Him, ``Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.'' 22 But Jesus said* to him, ``Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.''

23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ``Save us, Lord; we are perishing!'' 26 He said* to them,``Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?'' Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, ``What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?''

NOTE that when Jesus sees the crowd, He departs in another direction. What is it that He is thinking when He does this? It sure is different than any church growth thinking and example on the scene today.

In the presence of the Messiah real follow-through and devotion is required. 1. Scribe-wants to be a follower of Jesus, but apparently came across as if it was going to be a great ride. Well, following Jesus is a great ride, but it is filled with some discomforts and sacrifices along the way. That's Jesus' response to his excitement.

2. Another disciple-to "bury his father" meant to handle all of the affairs of the family since his father's death seems imminent. Jesus' response was that someone else can handle those things. When you're in the presence of the Messiah, total devotion is required!

Why do you think Jesus took His disciples on a boat ride? I think it was a field trip! The theme of this mini-retreat? It was devotion again, but this time it was measured by how they trusted Jesus in the midst of a crisis. And what was their response? It was to panic and see only the negative-"We are perishing!" Jesus got up, rebuked the winds and the sea became perfectly calm. What kind of response was Jesus looking for?

As then, Jesus still is inviting His followers to trust Him. Think about it! 1. Jesus took them on a boat ride. 2. It was obviously the place He wanted them all to be in. 3. Now, what's the problem?

I WONDER if their response should have been to wait on Him rather than be in a panic about it all? You see, everywhere Jesus sends you, He is right there with you. So, don't panic. He knows and is very capable of getting you through all of the tough waters you may encounter.

Matthew 8:14-17

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14 When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. 16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill,. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ``HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.''

AGAIN the touch of Jesus, just as with touching the untouchable leper, Jesus' touch is powerful, therapeutic and miraculous! The immediacy of its effect is most always there. NOTE that as soon as she was whole again, her immediate response was to serve Him. Do you remember when you first believed and couldn't do enough? Now that you're older and more spiritual "mature", that initial excitement seems to have faded into a little callousness and maybe, at times, has transitioned into being a little cynical about life and now a spectator, not "waiting" on Jesus as Peter's mother-in-law's response? Also NOTE how the word spread, by word of mouth! Not a newspaper add or a door-knob hangers. Word spread by people sharing what they had seen and heard. The best "promotion" is "attraction" to other people sharing their experience, strength and hope.

NOTE the family dimension here. I love it! All of us who are believers are brothers and sisters, we know, but this has a little more down-to-earthness about it. Peter, Jesus' spiritual brother, becomes like a blood brother through the compassion expressed by Jesus toward other family members. We enjoy this so much. We feel like family to so many people out there and therefore feel empathy toward all of the family members in the bunch. I think of the Feenstra/Kellenger clan, Hahns, Sanders, Buskeys, Page, Teran, Ramynke, Thornbro, Nassaney, Peykoff, Calhoun, Klopfensteins, Kurjans, Kucheras and the Kegel's, just to mention a few. I love it!

One more thing about "the touch". This paragraph demonstrates how God used the differing personalities to write the Gospels. Mark, who in his Gospel presented Jesus as the Messiah-the Servant, said the Jesus "helped or assisted" Peter's mother-in-law. Luke, the physician presenting Jesus as Messiah-the Son of Man in all of His humanity, said the Jesus "cured" her. And here, Matthew presents Jesus as Messiah-the King, says that Jesus "touched" her as the touch of the King.

WDJD? What Did Jesus Do? is most important to know in your life. WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? The question is really the answer! Then, you can move into WWYD? What Will You Do? to be and do like Jesus in the world around you today? He wants you and me to be family in as many relationships as we can to reach out and touch those family members who are sick to bring them back on track. WWYD?

Matthew 8:5-13

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5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly."

This was a bold move by the centurion. A Roman centurion was a high-ranking military leader within the Empire of Rome. He was concerned for one of his servants who had become paralyzed and was suffering from it. Jesus quickly responds to his request. 7 Jesus said to him, "Shall I come and heal him?"

The centurion's reply back to Jesus was: 8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

By his response he was expressing his high respect for Jesus and His authority and power. Note how Jesus views the centurion's response: 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."

Jesus was so impressed with this man's faith and Jesus claims this is the greatest expression of faith he has seen in all of Israel. What makes this so powerful and shocking is that this incredible expression of faith is not coming from any of the Jewish community, but from the Roman world. The Romans served many gods in their culture, including their emperor. Now NOTE what else Jesus says:

11 "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Jesus clearly says that many non-Jews will come from throughout the world and from many other cultures to be followers of Jesus. And, on the contrary, many of the Jewish faith and culture will not even be allowed to join in the great feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom. If you were to translate this into a more contemporary expression, Jesus is saying that the people of faith who will ultimately sit at the table of faith in the Kingdom will not all be Christians and from a Christian culture.

This is one of the key passages from Jesus that shows His attitude and teaching regarding sharing God's Messiah with the many cultures of the world.

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. What I think is most curious here is that Jesus pronounces this man as a most significant man of faith and implies that this man and many others like him will come to the table of fellowship and faith. To me, it is even more important what Jesus does not say here. Jesus does not warn him to deny his Roman culture and gods nor did Jesus invite Him to come to a synagogue class where he can get his doctrines straight. Why? Because it's all about a person's relationship with Jesus and not a system or list of beliefs, nor is it about converting a person away from his native culture into the Christian culture.

Jesus is looking for people to follow Him and by following Him you will learn that His ways are full and meaningful for your lifestyle and in the process of following Jesus you will come to know the God of gods. In fact, it's in following Jesus that God, the Father and the Spirit will have the opportunity to transform your life inside out. I like that song, "It's All About You". In this song it says, "We made it something else, but it's really all about, Jesus." It's all about your response to Jesus.

Matthew 8:1-4

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In Matthew 5-7 Jesus answers the question that was in the minds of those who had been observing His actions and hearing His words. That question was, "Jesus, how does your teaching differ from what we've been taught growing up?" Jesus answers this question in a most powerful way by articulating His new Kingdom manifesto.

Then, Matthew sets aside chapters 8 through 12 as the miracle section of his gospel message. Remember, the gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the King to a Jewish audience. Within the Jewish community over the years lots of traditions were accumulated. One of these traditions had to do with the miracles the Messiah would perform when he showed up. There were three of them:

FIRST-The Jews believed that when the Messiah shows up, he will be able to heal a person who is born blind. SECOND-When the Messiah comes, he will heal a person of leprosy. THIRD-When the Messiah comes, he will be able to cast demons out of a person who cannot hear or cannot speak.

In Matthew's miracle section he begins with the healing of a leper here in chapter 8 and he ends the section in chapter 12 with the healing of a man who couldn't hear or speak. Let's check out how Jesus deals with the leper who comes to Him.

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

This miracle will prove to be a real tip-off that this new Rabbi is not just another teacher making his way around the community. This one is very different. NOTE what Jesus says to the leper after He immediately cleansed him. He says, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony."

Here's my thinking on this. Jesus was using a very reliable marketing practice. You see, every priest had learned how to perform all of the sacrifices that were given in the Mosaic Law. They all had learned the appropriate thing to do to declare a leper genuinely cleansed. But up until this point, no priest had ever performed this ceremonial cleansing, because no leper had been cleansed. Now, if you were the local priest and a leper came to you with his request for ceremonial cleansing, what would you do? You're going to be the first priest ever to perform this ceremony. Don't you think you would call the local papers and news agencies? I mean, this is news, big news and you would let everyone one you ever knew know about this unique happening. This was ingenious!

The three miracles the Jews were looking for the Messiah to perform were based upon their traditions. These weren't set forth in the Scriptures as THE THREE miracles the Messiah was to perform. These were the three that stood out as the most popular traditional Messianic expectations. What I think is most interesting here is Jesus was not bound to perform these miracles. He performed them as an accommodation to the Jewish people and their culture. This is why Jesus is so attractive and irresistible. Jesus is relentless in His efforts to reach out to everyone everywhere! He'll use every opportunity to touch every person on the planet.

Remember, all Jesus requires is that you be interested. And, in the words of Jesus being interested is having ears to hear and eyes to see. Simply put, this means ears to hear what Jesus says and eyes to see what Jesus does. Once you see what Jesus does and hear what Jesus says, there is only one proper response and that is to practice what you hear and see in your own life-to be like Jesus wherever you are.