Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Matthew 8:1 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

14 When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. 15 But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.


It was the start of a new work-week for the disciples. They had spent the previous day listening to Jesus give his Sermon on the Mount. All the powerful teaching they heard would now be put before them in their usual, everyday life. In Matthew 5-7, Jesus gave all the information they needed to know. Now in chapter eight, it was time for the application of what they heard.

In Jesus' day a pious Jew would thank God every day he was not born a leper, a woman, or a Gentile; these are the three people God tells of in chapter eight. What was God revealing through each of these people?

This teaching is different. Usually rabbis cite generations of rabbis before them when making claims about the meaning of Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus honors the law, but He is clear—the law must be read in a new way.

The Leper (v. 2-4)

He came by himself. There was no one with him. There will be times when you will have no one but Christ; just come to Him, He did not wait for an altar call or a certain point of a service. There was no one clapping for him when he went for a miracle, there was no music, He made his own altar time. He worships before any miracle takes place. Our worship is not because of my miracle or for my miracle but because of Who God is.

Of all of the miracles performed by Jesus, few were as spectacular as those where He healed lepers. We don't know why this man came to Jesus in such an advanced state. Surely, he must have thought his leprosy was so terrible that even Jesus could not heal him. He perhaps heard that Jesus told of a God of love, and lived a different lifestyle. Jesus was moved with compassion. "He touched him." Jesus didn't have to touch him. He healed others without a touch. Why did He do it? I believe He did so to show compassion, to affirm and to reassure. It had been so long since this man had known human touch but Jesus sensed that he needed it. He loved someone very different from Him.

Later in Matthew we hear those immortal five words from Jesus as He tells his disciples, "I was hungry, and you fed Me; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." We, too, must touch the untouchable -- we have been touched, we must touch. Some people need the touch of reassurance while others need the touch of compassion. Still others need the touch of faith and others the touch of Christian witness. Whom do you need to touch?

The Centurion (v. 5-13)

He, a Roman, was probably the worst Gentile in the eyes of the Jews. Making matters worse, he came to pray for one of the most despised people groups–the slaves. Learn to pray for the despised. It is difficult to gossip about, be bitter against, or hate those you pray for regularly. He did not forecast his prayers. He did not tell Jesus what to do but simply told Jesus the problem and let Jesus decide.

esus is being called upon to practice what He has just preached. He is asked for help by the enemy. What He had just said was "Love your enemies." Now He is required to put that into action. And He does. Something remarkable happens here. The faith demonstrated by this normally unacceptable centurion was far greater than that of even the religious elite. Despite the fact that Jesus risked the anger of those who would have disapproved of His aiding the Gentile oppressor, He acts.

The Mother-in-Law (v. 14-15)

Not only did Jesus receive the unacceptable and touch the untouchable but also in the final encounter in this passage we see that Jesus Valued the Unprofitable. The third healing which takes place in this passage is that of Peter's mother-in-law. Quite frankly, this woman was of no practical value to Jesus or, for that matter, to Peter either. She was most likely an illiterate second-class citizen, probably an elderly woman living in the house of her son-in-law. Not only this, but the woman was also a person who could do little for His ministry. She had little wealth or influence, unlike the centurion. This disease carries no drama in the healing like that of the leper. The "fever" which she had may have been a disease that was contagious -- some have suggested typhoid, cholera or malaria. Yet once again He heals. The scripture says He "touched her." An amazing thing happened. The woman was no longer a burden but became a blessing.

No one asked Jesus to heal Peter's mother-in-law. Jesus saw for Himself that she was sick. Many times God moves without me asking because He is sovereign. The part of the body going to be used was touched by Jesus. Jesus touches you not just to be healed but also to be used. We do not just need people going to healing services but people being healed and getting into service for Him.

What question is God asking you? Who is He asking you to touch? Who is He asking you to accept? Who is He asking you to value? Who is He asking you to love?

Choose Love

“We know that the fields are white and ready for harvest (John 4:35). God is imploring us as laborers to go into the field, but do we have what it takes to go?

The flesh is at war with our spirit, wanting to have its own way. It prefers to take the path of least resistance, which yields the least constructive results. How much easier it is to choose an hour of television than an hour of reading or learning or certainly an hour of prayer! But we reap what we sow, and those who sow to the flesh do not get a good harvest, much less an eternal one (Gal 6:8).

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “diligence” as marked by persevering, painstaking effort. The Latin derivative, diligere, means “to esteem”-a word combination of “to love,” and “to choose.” An interesting view! Are we choosing this kind of “love” for ourselves and for the sake of those around us? Vine's Expository Dictionary of the Bible defines “diligent” as business gains gotten by work, endeavor, pains, earnestness, and zeal. In other words, there is a mindset of determination and completion of hard work that yields the fruit of diligence. Consider scriptural admonitions to develop this character trait:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).

The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor (Prov 12:24).

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty (Prov 21:5).

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing...(Prov 13:4).

Diligence is man's precious possession (Prov 12:27b).
(Another translation reads, “Substance of a diligent man is precious.” There is tangible substance in diligence!)

The Hebrew word for diligence, charuts, means “sharp, pointed, determined, and earnest.” It has the connotations of incisive; as in having sharp teeth, and determined and hardworking as in digging a trench or mining gold. No passive or unintentional action here!

Think of the fruit of revival we could bear if we apply ourselves to diligence. In light of the proverb just examined, such fruit would include rulership over enemy destruction in people's lives...natural and spiritual wealth, abundance, and wisdom. What worthy gain from applying oneself!

Combine diligence with discipline, and the results are exponential. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “discipline” as: “Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement; self-control.” Vine's Expository Dictionary declares it “an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind; self-control.”

Quite simply, the choices we make on a daily basis will determine in the long run who we are and who we become in Him. Our choices will even help determine the advantage others have in the same way. Choices toward self-control and determined effort can open up the harvest to those who might never hear or know the Lord, and bring the knowledge and sweet savor of Jesus in such a way that hastens His return. May that be our goal!

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16).”

Get Out Of The Way!

We get in God’s way when we refuse to give Him His proper place in our lives.

In any survey concerning spiritual convictions, most North Americans will say that they believe in God, but the quality and integrity of that belief is shown in the degree to which they permit God to exercise His presence in their lives. There are those who call on God quickly when in a crisis situation, but the rest of the time they prefer to run their life their own way. There are those who believe in God for what they can receive from Him. Like the children of Israel, they hold on to God when things are going well, but when their weak faith does not pay off, they shake their fist in God’s face. There are also those superficial Christians who acknowledge God’s everyday attributes; His love, power, and grace, but when they are facing life’s demands they worry and fret.

Now all these have one thing in common. They do not let God have a place or action in their lives. They get in God’s way either by their ego and pride, or whimpering complaints. This all points to a major flaw in the exercise of our religious belief today. God has become something to be possessed and used for personal advantage. In this thinking we fail to see that life consists not in our possessions but in our being possessed. We flaunt our high standard of living and say, “all belongs to us” but we don’t go further and ask the question, “To what do we belong?”

To allow God to have His purpose with us involves openness of mind and heart. This begins when we seriously ask ourselves, “what purpose is my life? To what do I give the highest allegiance of my soul and will?” The Apostle Paul testifies, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”, Galatians 2:20.