Matthew 8 - Jesus Does Not Discriminate!

Click on this Link to Read Chapter 8
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy


8 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.”
After Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does many miracles of healing in chapter 8.  Including: healing a man with leprosy, the centurion's paralytic servant, Peter's mother in law's fever, and many others who were demon possessed and sick.  And it says "all of them" were healed! 
As important as what he did, was how he did it, and to whom. Jesus used many ways to heal people.  He "reached out his hand" to the man with leprosy. This was no small deal in those days, as lepers were considered "unclean" and "untouchable".  He healed the Roman Centurion's servant by just saying "the word", even when he was not in his presence. In those days the Romans were hated by the Jews.  And, in fact, he said that he had not seen faith like the Centurion in all of Israel. Finally, he "touched the hand" Peter in law's mom and the fever left her immediately.  
Jesus has taught what the kingdom looks like in the Sermon on the Mount and know he shows what it looks like in chapter 8. And what does it look like?  
First, it comes to all people.  Lepers, Roman Centurions, and even "mother in laws".  Jesus came to show all people his kingdom, especially those who were open to it and had the faith of the Roman Centurion.  And Jesus did it in a lot ways.  A touch, a word, a hand.
In a word Jesus was showing the kingdom was available to all!  This was a radical new concept.  And guess what?  The kingdom is available today to all too.  In fact this is a primary way God draws people to himself through us.    
     

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