The Bible Recap - Day 280 (Matthew 8, Mark 2) - Year 4

Episode Date: October 7, 2022

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible recap. Today we drop in on Matthew and Mark. In Matthew 8, a leper approaches Jesus and kneels at his feet. This in itself is shocking because most lepers wouldn't dare approach people. They have to live outside the city and they have to yell unclean when anyone is approaching them. The fact that Jesus is this approachable shows us his great kindness and humility. Even the least lovely feel like they can come to him.

The leper also demonstrates great humility. When he asks Jesus to do something for him, he has no entitlement, no demands, but he knows what Jesus is capable of. He says, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And again, Jesus tells him not to let anyone know that he has healed him. We've seen this a few times before, so let's address this. Jesus told this leopard to keep quiet, and he did the same thing with the guy we read

about in Luke 5-12 just two days ago. But the woman he talked to yesterday in John 4 was allowed to tell everyone about him. Does he want to be known or not? Why does he keep changing his mind? There are a few things that seem to be at play here. First, you may notice as we keep reading that the times when he tells people to spread the news about him happen when he's in the Gentile regions or dealing with non-Jews, like the woman at the well. But with the Jews, there's a danger in having them know he's the Messiah, because not only will they want to crown him as king and expect him to overthrow their Roman oppressors,

but then Rome will want to kill him or shut him down. So in order to preserve the specific timing, God has planned for his revealing and his death, Jesus is very measured in his approach. It's why he gave pushback to Mary when she asked him to work a miracle. He knew it could go badly for him if it wasn't handled with discretion. On top of that, Jesus seems to want to be known for his message more than his miracles. There's a point we'll get to soon in John 6, where people are following him and he calls

them out because he says they're just chasing what he can give them without grasping who he really is. Jesus has the very difficult task of keeping the father's timeline while wanting to heal people because he has compassion on them, all the while knowing every healing exposes him a little more and gets him one step closer to his death. Next, Jesus is in his current hometown, Capernum, and one of the Roman military officials who has stationed there to keep a watch on the Jews has caught wind of what Jesus is in his current hometown, Capernum, and one of the Roman military officials who has stationed there to keep a watch on the Jews has caught wind of what Jesus is capable of. He has a sick servant, and he asks Jesus for help. If you're a Jew standing by and watching this unfold,

you do not want Jesus to help your enemy, your oppressor, but Jesus defies the status quo. And just before he does it, he even makes note of all this to his disciples and to the Roman Centurion. He says, this guy has more faith in the Jewish Messiah than the Jews do. This guy is an example of how my father's kingdom will be filled with people who are foreigners to the nation of Israel.

And those in Israel who think they're in my father's kingdom just because they're born into the lineage of Abraham, they'll be cast out of the kingdom. You can imagine this would not go over well with the locals, and then, with just a word, Jesus performs His first long distance healing. Jesus lets His followers know that following Him will be costly, not necessarily in terms of finances, but maybe. Mostly, following Jesus will cost us our priorities, things like comfort and control and our own plans and timing.

That's what happens anytime you love someone, anytime a person takes first place in your life. Your world begins to be shaped by what they bring to the table, and Jesus brings an upside-down kingdom. It shakes loose everything that isn't rooted in him. One of the things he does next is kind of shocking, but to understand it well, it helps to know the lay of the land in the Galilee, willing to amap in the show notes. The western half of the sea is the Jewish half, and the eastern half is the Gentile half. Scripture reveals this and archaeology testifies to it too. You know how pigs are

considered unclean in Jewish culture? No pig bones have been found on the western side of the sea, but they've uncovered loads of pig bones on the eastern side. So when Jesus tells His followers that they're going to the other side, this is a big deal. They're going to the unclean side. The side they've spent most of their lives actively avoiding. They hit a storm along the way. Storms in that area can kick up quickly and without warning, and with a word, Jesus takes the weather from a great storm to a great calm. His disciples are in awe. Not only is this man bossing diseases around, but he also commands the weather? What can't he do? When they finally dock, they're probably relieved to hit shore, even though it's on the unclean

side. But little do they know he's taking them to meet up with a bunch of demons. We'll read more about this encounter again later, but for now here's what's important to notice. The disciples are seeing Jesus demonstrate his complete power over things that seem increasingly threatening. He starts with beverages, then he moves to human bodies and diseases, then he takes on weather, and now he's facing down the spiritual forces of darkness. What's interesting here is not only that these demons recognize him and are afraid of him, but they know what awaits them in the future. They say, have you come to torment us before the time?

He cast them out. They go into a herd of pigs, the pigs run into the sea, and the locals are furious. Those pigs were worth so much money. Never mind the fact that these two men are no longer tortured by demons, the locals don't quite understand the upside down kingdom. In Mark 2, Jesus is at home in Capernum, possibly hanging out in Peter's backbed room, and people find out that he's there. They all gather around to hear and preach the word, and so many people show up that the place is packed. A paralytic man wants it on the action, because word has gotten out that Jesus can heal people, but obviously he can't get there on his own, he needs help. Four of his friends carry him over, but they're basically in the nosebleed section and they know they've got to figure out a way to get

into the mosh pit. They get the brilliant idea to remove part of the roof and go through the ceiling of the house where Jesus probably lives. But you know what? These guys get it. They get the upside down kingdom. They know people are more important than roof tiles. Jesus is moved by this man's situation and the faith he and his friends have and he tells him his sins have been forgiven. Some people aren't pleased about this because who does Jesus think he is? So then Jesus shows them by healing the man's legs, not just his future. One of the details I love in this passage is in verses 5 and 8. They show us that Jesus is a mind reader, he knows what the scribes are thinking, and a heart reader. He knows the faith of the paralytic man. We read briefly again about Jesus calling Levi slash Matthew the tax collector to follow him,

and people that Pharisee specifically are outraged that had kept company with a tax collector. In the next few paragraphs, they also give him grief because his disciples are eating too much and at the wrong times. The Pharisees have lots of traditions that extend beyond what God has commanded in the law, and Jesus continually and intentionally pushes their boundaries.

We'll talk more about this in the days ahead because there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye. What was your God shot today? I can't stop thinking about that Roman centurion 6 servant in Matthew 8-5-13. Some people will tell you that if your faith is strong enough, God will heal you. But do you know that servant did exactly zero in order to get the healing Jesus gave him? It was a gift. He never sought it out and he never saw it coming. Jesus just said, I can heal him, so I'm going to. What an incredibly generous God.

He reaches out to blessed people who can offer him nothing, not even their faith. And what about the demoniacs? He shows mercy to those who are so bound up by the oppression of the enemy that they can't ask for help. And the paralytic man who couldn't even seek Jesus on his own, he needed his friends to help him.

Jesus seems to have a great affection for those who are desperate. Like he said in Mark 2, 17, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Our only hope in finding the deep healing and joy of knowing Jesus is to realize we were born six sinners.

But thank God, He's generous to six sinners like us. He's where the healing is, and He's where the joy is. Okay, Bible readers, it's time for our weekly check-in. For some of you, this is your first week with us. We're so glad you joined us. I don't know if you're listening to this episode a few days late or right on time, but what matters is that you're here today, so I'm celebrating that. If this is something new in your life or your schedule, to remember it or to figure out

how your schedule can flex to make it happen, I hope that you're learning new things about who God is that will shape what your relationship with Him looks like, or ever. You will carry those things with you for the rest of your life. Nothing you're doing here is wasted and I'm so glad you decided to jump in. We'll see you back here again tomorrow! The Bible recap is brought to you by D-Group, discipleship and Bible study groups that meet in homes and churches around the world each week.