Matt: 4
In chaps. 8-9, Jesus backs up his powerful words (chaps. 5-7) with powerful deeds. The major thrust of these chaps. 8-9 is Jesus’ divine authority.
While people must avoid touching lepers—otherwise they risk infecting themselves—the opposite is true with Jesus: when he touches them they are healed of their leprosy (Matt 8:1-4).
Jesus’ divine authority is such that even a Gentile centurion recognizes it (Matt 8:5-10). This story is particularly interesting in view of the background of Roman Imperial Theology (see earlier blog). According to RIT, Caesar was invested with the authority of the gods; and consequently, all of his officers/soldiers had authority over others not in and of themselves but b/c of their connection to Caesar: they served and represented him. The Roman centurion says that b/c he is “a man under authority”—i.e., Caesar’s—people must obey him. He sees that Jesus too is “under authority”—i.e., Almighty God’s—and therefore not just people but even sickness must obey his orders. And so it does (Matt 8:13).
Matthew describes how Jesus can cast out demonic spirits “with a [single] word” (Matt 8:16). This provides an interesting point of contrast with other people in that day who performed exorcisms. Exorcists in the Graeco-Roman mystery religions used “magic” spells and incantations, even objects like amulets to ward off evil spirits. Early Jewish exorcists (at the time of Christ & 100 or so years earlier) used lengthy prayers or rituals; they would invoke the name of some of their ancestors like Solomon or David; they would also use amulets, & stuff like that. But how different is Jesus! No lengthy incantations, no rituals, no “magic” objects; he just cast out demons with a single word (8:16)—such was his authority!
His authoritative single words were not limited to demonic spirits: they extended even to nature (Matt 8:23-27). Consequently, his disciples marvelled when Jesus stilled the storm, exclaiming, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (8:27)
With this kind of authority it should not be surprising, then, that Jesus can even forgive sins (9:1-8). When Jesus proclaimed to the paralytic that his sins were forgiven, everyone was shocked (Matt 9:3). I mean, think about what Jesus did, for a minute. If you punch me, and I say, “I forgive you,” that’s 1 thing. But, if 1 stranger punches another stranger, and I say, “I forgive you for punching him,” wouldn’t that sound weird? If you were the 1 who got nailed, what would you say to me? “Thanks for forgiving that guy for sucker-punching me; that really means a lot.” Uh, somehow I don’t think so. The only person who could say something like that in that kind of situation is God: b/c every sin is always a sin against God, who is supremely holy. For anyone else, that kind of proclamation is utter nonsense, or blasphemy—unless the one making that proclamation walks in God’s authority (being God himself) . . . like Jesus.
Another thing that these chapters do is they reveal how Jesus went about saving his people from their sins (Matt 1:21). Prior to the cross, Jesus saved them from the consequences of their sins, viz., physical sickness and demonic oppression. Why is there sickness and oppression in the world? Because Adam and Eve sinned—which theologians refer to as “the Fall.” When they sinned the floodgates opened for sickness and oppression—physical, emotional, spiritual, relational—to enter our world. So ultimately, the common cold, cancer, schizophrenia, and every other illness ultimately owe their existence to the Fall. Had there been no Fall there would have been no sickness of any kind on the earth. But sometimes the sin—sickness link can be more specific. In the case of Israel, for example, the Hebrew Scriptures make it pretty clear that when they rebel against God they can expect to reap sickness and oppression.
So when Jesus, Israel’s Ultimate Deliverer came, he began to save his people from the ramifications of their sins: from physical sickness and demonic oppression. Hence, when he noticed that his people were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36), Jesus sent out his disciples to shepherd his people Israel and to extend his “saving” ministry to them (Matt 10:1-8).
In addition to saving them from the ramification of their sins, Jesus also offers them God’s forgiveness for their sins (Matt 9:2), which would climax in his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead—but that’s later in the story!
Now, you would think that with all this healing going on, everything would be great. But, that wasn’t the case, as we’ll see next.