Mateus 8
William Barclay · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 8
Barclay - “In Palestine there were two kinds of leprosy. There was one which was rather like a very bad skin disease, and it was the less serious of the two. There was the one in which the disease, starting from a small spot, ate away the flesh until the wretched sufferer was left with only the stump of a hand or a leg. It was literally a living death.”
Mateus 8
Barclay on Leprosy - “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....In the middle ages, if a man became a leper, the priest donned his stole and took his crucifix, and brought the man into the church, and read the burial service over him. For all human purposes the man was dead.” SEED THOUGHTS A CURE FOR THE UNCLEAN Matthew 8:1–4 I. Who He Was. “A leper.” (1) Diseased, not sound; (2) Unclean, polluting; (3) Separated, shut out from fellowship and privilege; (4) Incurable, beyond all human skill and hope. II. What He Did. (1) He came to Jesus, the fountain of living waters; (2) he came in the presence of the crowd, not ashamed; (3) he came worshipping Him, in deep, unfeigned reverence; (4) he came confessing his need, “Make me clean;” he acknowledged his real condition; (5) he came believing, “If Thou wilt, Thou canst.” III. What He Received. (1) The touch of Jesus, identification; (2) The word of Jesus, illumination; (3) The power of Jesus, salvation. (James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose) McGee paints the picture of what this leper's life must have been like - Have you ever stopped to think that this man not only had the physical disease of leprosy but that he had a psychological hang-up that was terrible? I do not know this man's background, but I imagine that one day he noticed a breaking out on his hand. Perhaps he had been out plowing, came in, showed his wife, and she put some ointment on it. The next morning it was just as red as it could be, and he went out and plowed again. This went on for about a week, and his wife started getting uneasy. She suggested he visit the priest. He went to the priest who isolated him for fourteen days. At the end of this period of time the disease had spread. The priest told him he had leprosy. The man asked the priest if he could go and tell his wife and children and say good-bye. The priest said, "I'm sorry, you cannot tell them good-bye. You cannot put your arm around your wife again or hold your children in your arms anymore. When anyone comes near you, you must cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.'" He saw his children grow up from a distance. They would leave food in a certain place, and he would come and get it after they withdrew. He could not touch them. In fact, he had been able to touch no one, and no one had been able to touch him. Then one day he came to Jesus and said, "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean." And what did the Lord Jesus do? He touched him. May I say to you that the touch of Jesus was one of the most wonderful things that ever had happened to the man. It not only cleansed his leprosy, but it brought him back into the family of mankind and into the family of God. "Immediately his leprosy was cleansed." (Thru the Bible: Genesis through Revelation) Fruchtenbaum expounds on the significance of leprosy in the Jewish community - This is the account of the healing of a Jewish leper. How do we know he was Jewish? Because Jesus ordered him to go the the priests and observe the offerings that Moses commanded. Jesus had performed a number of miracles up until this time, but this is the FIRST instance of a Jew being healed of leprosy. We need to realize that this sign was very special and unique. From the time of the giving of the Mosaic Covenant there is no record of any Jew being healed of leprosy. The case of Miriam was before the completion of the giving of the Law. In the case of Naaman, he was Syrian, not Jewish. Leviticus 13-14 are devoted to dealing with leprosy, more than 100 verses. The priesthood was given detailed and specific instructions regarding leprosy. Only the priest had the authority to declare someone a leper. Once someone was declared a leper he would tear his garment. He would have to move out of his or her community and into a quarantined area for lepers. While this sounds cruel, notice how the Law protected society from the spread of disease before anyone understood the nature of microbes and germs. He would be excluded from Jewish society, and reviled. He would have to wear a face covering below the eyes. He would never be able to enter the Tabernacle or Temple compound. He had to announce himself “unclean, unclean,” when encountering someone on the road. Anyone touching him would also become unclean. A person with leprosy was viewed as having been judged by God. (Life of Messiah) Related Resources: Medical Article - Biblical Leprosy- A Suggested Interpretation (In depth - 25 page article) Summary - The article argues that the condition translated “leprosy” in the Bible is very likely not the same as modern leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, but rather a broad category of skin disorders and ritual defilements described by the Hebrew word tsaraʿath. The author begins by noting how deeply feared modern leprosy has been, and how Christian preaching and charitable appeals have often reinforced that fear by equating biblical leprosy with the modern disease and treating it as a picture of sin. He contends that this is historically, medically, and exegetically misleading. Surveying ancient evidence from Egypt, Babylon, India, China, and Greece, he argues that there is no firm, clinical proof that true leprosy was clearly recognized in the ancient world before about 600 BC. References once thought to describe leprosy more likely refer to scaly skin diseases or external conditions in general. Turning to the Old Testament, especially Leviticus 13–14, he maintains that the biblical descriptions do not fit Hansen’s disease: the lesions are repeatedly described as “white as snow” (Ex. 4:6; Num. 12:10; 2 Kgs. 5:27), whereas true leprosy is not characteristically snow-white; the conditions often undergo short periods of observation and may clear quickly, unlike the chronic course of leprosy; the scalp and beard are involved, though leprosy rarely affects the scalp; and there is no mention of anesthesia or nerve damage, one of the hallmarks of true leprosy. Instead, the descriptions better fit a range of conditions such as psoriasis, ringworm, favus, ulcers, boils, inflammatory eruptions, pigment changes, and other visible skin disorders. Thus, tsaraʿath appears to function as a collective term for various diseases or blemishes that rendered a person ceremonially unclean rather than as the name of one specific illness. The article further argues that the central concern of the Levitical legislation is not medical diagnosis in the modern sense but ritual purity before a holy God. Israel was called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6), and therefore anything suggestive of corruption, infection, decay, or defilement had to be separated from the camp. In this framework, tsaraʿath is better understood as a form of defilement or a stricken condition than as modern leprosy. The author distinguishes between temporary uncleanness, from which a person could be restored after a period of separation and sacrifice, and more serious forms of uncleanness that required prolonged exclusion and, in the case of garments and houses, even destruction (Lev. 13–14). This emphasis on ceremonial separation explains why the same term can apply not only to people but also to clothing and houses. In the New Testament, Jesus’ cleansing of “lepers” shows Him working within the Mosaic framework, commanding the healed to show themselves to the priest and offer what Moses required (Matt. 8:4; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14). By the time of Christ, true leprosy may well have existed in Israel, but the Gospel accounts still reflect the Jewish concept of uncleanness inherited from the Law. After Christ’s death and resurrection, however, the ceremonial law of cleansing disappears from the New Testament because Christ Himself fulfills what those rituals pointed to: true cleansing from defilement and sin through His own blood (1 John 1:7; Heb. 10:4). The author’s final concern is pastoral as well as scholarly: he warns that identifying modern leprosy as a special symbol of sin has caused needless misery and stigma for sufferers of Hansen’s disease. His conclusion is that biblical “leprosy” should not be simplistically equated with the modern illness, but should be understood as a broad Old Testament category of ritual impurity and visible defilement, fulfilled ultimately in Christ, who removes the deeper uncleanness of sin. Torrey Topical Textbook Leprosy Easton's Bible Dictionary Leprosy Fausset Bible Dictionary Leprosy Holman Bible Dictionary Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Leprosy Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Leprosy Smith Bible Dictionary Leper, Leprosy Vines' Expository Dictionary Leprosy 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Leprosy International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Leper; Leprosy Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Leprosy McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Leprosy The Jewish Encyclopedia Leprosy WHO - Leprosy Leprosy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leprosy- Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) - CDC Matthew 8:3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. NET He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, "I am willing. Be clean!" Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. GNT καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ λέγων, Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθέως ἐκαθαρίσθη αὐτοῦ ἡ λέπρα. NLT Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared. KJV And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ESV And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. NIV Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Jesus stretched out His hand - 2 Ki 5:11 I am willing - Ge 1:3 Ps 33:9 Mk 1:41 4:39 5:41 7:34 9:25 Lu 5:13 7:14 Joh 5:21 11:43 15:24 immediately - Mt 11:4,5 2Ki 5:14 Lu 17:14,15 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JUST ONE TOUCH FROM JESUS Parallel Passages: Mark 1:41+ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Luke 5:13+ While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” The cleansing or healing of leprosy involved religious, physiological, and sociological implications. Since leprosy was regarded as a defilement and hence made a person ritually unacceptable, it also meant excommunication from normal social life. The removal of leprosy was regarded as an important religious matter, and the healing had to be verified by the priests before an individual was regarded as ritually cleansed. Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him - The leper had come to Jesus imploring Jesus to help him and now Jesus reaches out His hand and touches him which must have sent a grasp and a "buzz" through the crowd of Jewish onlookers who would never even consider touching a leper! So don't miss the point that just one touch of a leper would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (cf Lev 14:46; see also the Mishnah, Nega'im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12 where the word "Nega'im" describes the various forms of tzaraath, a leprosy-like disease described in the Parshiyot of Tazria and Metzora in the Torah, which affected people, clothing, and homes. The tractate describes the different types of blemishes symptomatic of the disease, and the various rituals involved in purifying someone who has been affected by it." (Wikipedia) According to Leviticus 5:3, Jesus became unclean the moment he touched the leper. In fact, Jesus did not become unclean, but in fact cleanses the unclean! As D A Carson says "at Jesus' touch nothing remains defiled." Douglas Sean O'Donnell applies Jesus' touch of the leper - by touching this leper Jesus is showing us that he is willing to take on his impurities and is foreshadowing his taking all of ours as well (2 Corinthians 5:21+). Put differently, his mission is the cross. (See Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth - Page 205) Stretched (1614)(ekteino from ek = out + teino = to stretch) means stretch out literally, as a gesture with one's hand stretched out. Jesus' stretched His hands out "toward His disciples" (Mt 12:49), to Peter drowning (Mt 14:31), to the leper (Mk 1:41, Mt 8:3, Lk 5:13, cf healing in Acts 4:30). Ekteino is used of the stretching out of Paul's hand as he prepared to offer his verbal defense (Acts 26:1). Ekteino refers to Jesus telling the lame man to stretch out his hand (Mt 12:13, Mk 3:5, Lk 6:10). Ekteino can mean stretching out one's hands with a hostile intent to lay hands on or arrest (Lk 22.53). As a euphemistic figure of speech referring to one's hands stretched out in crucifixion (Jn 21.18). In Mt 26:51 when they came to arrest Jesus Peter "extending his hand, drew out his sword, and struck." In Acts 27:30 ekteino refers to the sailors pretending to "to lay out (stretch out the) anchors from the bow, (Act 27:30). In the Septuagint in Exodus 7:5 ekteino is used of God stretching out His hand over Egypt and deliver Israel (cf Ps 138:7) frequently of Moses telling Aaron to stretch out his hand and staff (Ex. 7:19; 8:5-6,16-17), and of Moses stretching out his hand to bring plagues (Ex 9:22-23; 10:12,21-22) Paul alludes to the Lord stretching out His hand to the nation of Israel - But as for Israel He says, "ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE." (Ro 10:21-note) Touched (681)(hapto/haptomai where haptomai is the middle voice which constitutes the majority of uses) means to grasp, to lay hold of with the basic meaning of touching for the purpose of manipulating. Hapto conveys the sense handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon it or upon oneself. The majority of the 39 uses are in the Gospels and are associated with Jesus touching someone (or someone touching Him) usually with a beneficial effect as here with the healing of the leper and in Mt 8:15 with the curing of the fever of Peter's mother-in-law. 🙏 THOUGHT - H A
Mateus 8
Barclay - THE central character is a Roman centurion; and he was no ordinary man. (i) The mere fact that he was a centurion meant he was no ordinary man. A centurion was the equivalent of a regimental sergeant-major; and the centurions were the backbone of the Roman army. Wherever they are spoken of in the New Testament they are spoken of well (cp. Luke 23:47; Acts 10:22; 22:26; 23:17, 23, 24; 24:23; 27:43). Polybius, the historian, describes their qualifications. They must be not so much “seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over anxious to rush into the fight; but when hard pressed they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts.” The centurion must have been a man amongst men or he would never have held the post which was his. (ii) He had a completely unusual attitude to his slave. He loved this slave and would go to any trouble to save him. In Roman law a slave was defined as a living tool; he had no rights; a master could ill-treat him and even kill him if he chose. A Roman writer on estate management recommends the farmer to examine his implements every year and to throw out those which are old and broken, and to do the same with his slaves. Normally when a slave was past his work he was thrown out to die. The attitude of this centurion to his slave was quite unusual. (iii) He was clearly a deeply religious man. man needs to be more than superficially interested before he will go the length of building a synagogue. It is true that the Romans encouraged religion from the cynical motive that it kept people in order. They regarded it as the opiate of the people. Augustus recommended the building of synagogues for that very reason. As Gibbon said in a famous sentence, “The various modes of religion which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful.” But this centurion was no administrative cynic; he was a sincerely religious man. (iv) He had an extremely unusual attitude to the Jews. If the Jews despised the gentiles, the gentiles hated the Jews. Antisemitism is not a new thing. The Romans called the Jews a filthy race; they spoke of Judaism as a barbarous superstition; they spoke of the Jewish hatred of mankind; they accused the Jews of worshipping an ass’s head and annually sacrificing a gentile stranger to their God. True, many of the gentiles, weary of the many gods and loose morals of paganism, had accepted the Jewish doctrine of the one God and the austere Jewish ethic. But the whole atmosphere of this story implies a close bond of friendship between this centurion and the Jews. (v) He was a humble man. He knew quite well that a strict Jew was forbidden by the law to enter the house of a gentile (Acts 10:28); just as he was forbidden to allow a gentile into his house or have any communication with him. He would not even come to Jesus himself. He persuaded his Jewish friends to approach him. This man who was accustomed to command had an amazing humility in the presence of true greatness. (vi) He was a man of faith. His faith is based on the soundest argument. He argued from the here and now to the there and then. He argued from his own experience to God. If his authority produced the results it did, how much more must that of Jesus? He came with that perfect confidence which looks up and says, “Lord, I know you can do this.” If only we had a faith like that, for us too the miracle would happen and life become new. (Luke 7) The centurion of Capernaum appears upon the page of the holy Gospel as an example of great faith. Although he did not belong to the people of the Lord, he obtained the Messiah’s witness, which expressed surprise, yes, even admiration: “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” What besides many other features in him appeals to us, is his heart touching humility, which is always the mark of grace. This humbleness appeared already when he sent the elders of the Jews to Jesus, to ask Him to come and cure his dying servant, just like amongst us only the humble of heart feel the need for the intercession of others, whom they esteem more excellent than themselves. Added to this was that he, once Jesus was not far from his house, sent for the second time some friends to say unto him: “Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof!” The elders of the Jews had declared with a remembrance of the love of the centurion for the people of the Lord: “That he was worthy for whom he should do this,” but he declared himself to be unworthy to receive the Messiah under his roof: “Lord, trouble not thyself!” A great faith reveals itself always in a great humility, in a sense of our own unworthiness, in a awareness of the infinite distance that exists between the Lord’s majesty and the heart of a sinful man. This does not mean that the conviction of our own insignificance must keep us far removed from Christ; but even if we seek with our whole soul and with all our strength His blessing, it shall always take place in the notion that all grace has been forfeited and all mercy has been absolutely unmerited; it shall always take place with the unuttered or expressed thought: “Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof!” Do we sense that distance between this I and this Thou? I, a sinful son of man,—and Thou, the Holiness of God. I, a frail mortal being,—and Thou, the Eternal One. I without glory,—and Thou clothed with majesty and with honour! It shall be well with us, if behind our back the elders of the Jews may confess in truth before God that we love His people and help to build His Kingdom, but if we whisper while begging the Lord’s mercy: “Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof!” To such small ones the Lord reaches His hand, into such humble ones He enters, and upon such meek ones He bestows His blessing. He enters under their roof, into their house, at their table, yes, even into their heart! (The Loins Girded) Matthew 8:10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. NET Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! GNT Matthew 8:10 ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐθαύμασεν καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς ἀκολουθοῦσιν, Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, παρ᾽ οὐδενὶ τοσαύτην πίστιν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ εὗρον. NLT Matthew 8:10 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! KJV Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ESV Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. NIV Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ASV Matthew 8:10 And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. CSB Matthew 8:10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, " I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! NKJ Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! NRS Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. YLT Matthew 8:10 And Jesus having heard, did wonder, and said to those following, 'Verily I say to you, not even in Israel so great faith have I found; marveled - Mk 6:6+ Lu 7:9 I have - Mt 15:28+ Lu 5:20 Lk 7:50 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage - Luke 7:9-10+ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. HOW TO MAKE GOD MARVEL Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following - Who are those who were following? This had to include His disciples, but also probably some of the "brood of vipers," who were now "hot on His trail" and would not give up their hunt until they killed Him! Following is akoloutheo the word often used to describe "followers" or disciples, in this case a mixed group and not just the 12 disciples (cf " large crowds followed Him." = Mt 8:1). However, there is no doubt that Jesus as the Master Teacher was using the Roman centurion as a teaching point to His disciples ("learners")! Marveled (2296)(thaumazo from thauma = wonder, admiration) means to wonder, marvel, be struck with admiration or astonishment. Jesus expresses His surprise by the unexpected faith of a Gentile soldier. Thaumazo is found most frequently in the Gospels (33 times), where it expresses the wonder and amazement caused by Jesus' miracles but in this passage it is Jesus who is in wonder and amazement at this man's great faith! It is notable that only twice does Scripture record Jesus as marvelling at people, here in Capernaum at the centurion's great faith and in an antithetical setting in Nazareth at the unbelief of the Jewish people even in His hometown (Mark 6:6+)! Truly is amen,(verily, indeed it is true) and so here Jesus puts His "Amen" on the demonstration of this centurion's faith! NIV has "I tell you the truth." GWT renders it "‘I can guarantee this truth." I say to you - This is a very common way Jesus would begin a statement used some 55 times in Matthew's Gospel. Matt. 3:9; Matt. 5:18; Matt. 5:20; Matt. 5:22; Matt. 5:26; Matt. 5:28; Matt. 5:32; Matt. 5:34; Matt. 5:39; Matt. 5:44; Matt. 6:2; Matt. 6:5; Matt. 6:16; Matt. 6:25; Matt. 6:29; Matt. 8:10; Matt. 8:11; Matt. 10:15; Matt. 10:23; Matt. 10:42; Matt. 11:11; Matt. 11:22; Matt. 11:24; Matt. 12:6; Matt. 12:31; Matt. 13:17; Matt. 16:28; Matt. 17:12; Matt. 17:20; Matt. 18:3; Matt. 18:10; Matt. 18:13; Matt. 18:18; Matt. 18:19; Matt. 19:9; Matt. 19:23; Matt. 19:24; Matt. 19:28; Matt. 21:21; Matt. 21:31; Matt. 21:43; Matt. 23:36; Matt. 23:39; Matt. 24:2; Matt. 24:34; Matt. 24:47; Matt. 25:12; Matt. 25:40; Matt. 25:45; Matt. 26:13; Matt. 26:21; Matt. 26:29; Matt. 26:34; I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel - Anyone is the pronoun oudeis which literally means absolutely and objectively "not even one!" he phrase anyone in Israel would be a reference to those indigenous to Israel, specifically the Jews. Is this not sad that such great faith would not be found in even one Jew in the Land of Israel. After all the Jews had access to the Old Testament and the hundreds of prophecies that spoke about Jesus. The rabbis had done a good job at obscuring the truth of God's holy Word by adding all of them humanistic rules and regulations! Only twice in the gospels does Christ commend a person for great faith-the Syrophoenician woman (Mt. 15:28), and this Roman centurion. Both are Gentiles; one is a woman, the other a man. It is as if the Lord is saying, “The way of faith is open to people of all nationalities, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female.” (cf Col 3:11+) The faith that pleases God is not an exclusive thing reserved for the religious crowd. Any and all can lay hold of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by grace through faith, " the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9+)