Healing Ministry Of Christ - Matthew 8 Series

2025.03.09. Sermon Notes. Faith, Worship, Healing, Teaching and Miracles

THE HEALING MINISTRY OF CHRIST - MATTHEW 8

William Akehurst, HSWC

BIG IDEA. Faith, Worship, and the Healing Ministry of CHRIST. When it comes to our need for healing, we need to understand that HE CAN, but WILL HE?

Scriptures: Matthew 4:23-24, Matthew 7:28-29, Matthew 8:1-34, Exodus 4:6-7, Isaiah 1:4-6, Mark 1:41, Mark 1:44-45, Numbers 6:6-7, Psalms 89:8-9, John 10:10

MATTHEW 8:1-34 THE HEALING MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Let’s first look back at an important and foundational verse for Matthew’s Gospel:

Matthew 4:23-24 23 And JESUS went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and HE healed them.

REVIEW: Matthew chapters 5-7 told us about THE TEACHING MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Now HE tells us more about the healing ministry of JESUS, and how His works confirmed His words.

Last week, we ended Matthew 7 with People astonished with the Teaching Authority of JESUS.

Matthew 7:28-29 28 And so it was, when JESUS had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for HE taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Matthew 8:1-34

JESUS CLEANSES A LEPER (MARK 1:40–45; LUKE 5:12–16)

1-2 THE LEPER’S REQUEST.

1 When HE had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

When HE had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him:

The miracles of JESUS attracted attention, as did his teaching.

Behold, a leper came and worshipped Him:

Before medicines and treatments, leprosy was a terrible disease with no cure. This leper felt hopeless, so HE came to JESUS out of great need and desperation.

The Law Concerning Leprosy - Leviticus 13:1-59, 14:1-57,

Don’t touch a leper - Leviticus 22:4-6

Numbers 4:1-4

Leprosy – most feared of all diseases. A death sentence. Considered a curse of GOD

Miriam – Sin, thought it unfair that Moses was the leader. ‘Who put you in charge?’ (Numbers 12:1-15) Divine discipline

King Uzziah – Sin against GOD (2 Chronicles 26:16-21) Prosperous King, wanted to be a priest to burn incense, Priests warned, King defied. Leprosy began on his forehead and HE was a leper until HE died. GOD judgment on Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16-21)

Naaman – Healed of Leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-17)

(William Barclay) “Leprosy might begin with the loss of all sensation in some part of the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches.”

Remember Moses at the Burning Bush, and his “Leprous hand”. That must have put the fear of GOD in Moses!

Exodus 4:6-7 6 …the LORD said to [Moses], “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And HE put his hand in his bosom, and when HE took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And HE said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So HE put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.

Jewish law states that people should keep a distance of 6 feet from a leper. And if the wind is blowing from the leper towards someone, they should stay 150 feet away.

And The worst thing is to touch a leper or a dead body.

Leprosy as a picture of Sin (Isaiah 1:4-6)

Isaiah 1:4-6

4 Alas, sinful nation,

A people laden with iniquity,

A brood of evildoers,

Children who are corrupters!

They have forsaken the LORD,

They have provoked to anger

The Holy One of Israel,

They have turned away backward.

5 Why should you be stricken again?

You will revolt more and more.

The whole head is sick,

And the whole heart faints.

6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,

There is no soundness in it,

But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;

They have not been closed or bound up,

Or soothed with ointment.

Leprosy is like Sin and its Consequences.

It is a disease that spreads easily and makes people feel very weak and lifeless. Because of this, society and religious people often treat lepers poorly. Rabbis especially disliked lepers, believing them as people punished by God who did not deserve kindness.