Matthew 8:5-20 ~ He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.

Matthew 8:5-20

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

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. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.


14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”


Isaiah 4:2-6

2 In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious,
and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel.

3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.

5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy.

6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

You have to love Matthew 8. Jesus realizes He has no adult home and chooses His dwelling. Jesus is saying He dwells where He has found faith. My heart finds such joy when we see Jesus making decisions we all make. When we see Jesus making choices we make today.

Maybe we see this as millenniums ago - The Word of God assures us millions of years is a day to God.

Bethlehem stables a hundred years ago.

God does amazing things. According to the Word of God - Genesis 7 destroyed the Garden of Eden - the Flood. So there is Exile.

And yet, several centuries later after the Flood, Abraham hears God and follows His Word. Jesus always sent out His disciples in pairs. And Sarah did laugh. So where was Abraham's ministry support? God sent Abraham support. And Abraham did recognize this support! We are told perhaps there was again a garden - a branch - beautiful and glorious. Abraham's pride and honor in surviving being a sojourner in life. In a mighty Holy Spirit event.

We find a restoration of man speaking with God.

Hebrews 7
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

The truth is people get very bothered by this High Priest Melchizedek. Yet the Scriptures repeat and repeat to comfort believers. David contemplated and wrote of this High Priest. Abraham found Melchizedek to be Comfort. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, the Teacher. God tells us about mystery beyond our knowledge:

1 Timothy 3:16
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

What would Abraham have seen to have been so taken with this High Priest?

The disciple John saw this as well:

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

Moses proclaimed with such a voice, we hear 3 Millenniums later:

Exodus 34:6
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"

The brother of Jesus Christ gives great witness:

James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Father God, so many things in life and in Scripture are beyond our comprehension. What gives comfort in the experience is knowing the ones You love are comforted. To be able to put our work of faith in the arms of Jesus who comforts. Lord Father God, when we are not comforted, come to us and uphold us again.

Mystery, Father God, would be why the Nativity Story is so complex. With the burden being put in Your great heart and will. Knowing the answer is Your willingness to experience our complexities. We see in simplicity, Jesus was put in the arms of Joseph, a man who knew in a dream to show comfort. God is Love.

Help us in our journey to do the Love and Work You give us to do. You give us the Words of Life Father God. We ask that Your Love surround us, heal and guide us in all goodness. Strengthen and encourage us in Your Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus the Lord. We will rest in You. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves † 

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