Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20121205.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Matthew: Jesus As Israel's Messiah And His Kingdom
Part XIII: Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Authority, Matthew 8:1-11:1
C. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Authority Over Sin's Effects
(Matthew 8:14-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. If Matthew's Gospel was written to show the Hebrew that Jesus is the Messiah (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1337, "Intro. to the Gospel Acc. to Matthew"), it would be important for Matthew to report on Christ's ability to handle the destructive effects of sin as the Old Testament Creator God's Messiah.
    2. Matthew 8:14-17 abundantly reveals this capacity of Jesus, and we view it and its edifying application:
  2. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Authority Over Sin's Effects, Matthew 8:14-17.
    1. Jesus demonstrated His power as the Messiah from the Old Testament Creator God over not only physical sickness caused by sin, but also over the physically draining affects of sickness itself, Matthew 8:14-15:
      1. When Jesus met Peter's mother-in-law, she had been forced to lie down (beblemenen = perf. pass. part. of ballo, "lay," U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 27; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 130-131) due to "suffering a [wasting] fever," puresso, Ibid., p. 738; brackets ours; Matt. 8:14.
      2. However, when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her and she arose and "ministered" (diakoneo, "wait on someone," Ibid., p. 183) unto Him, serving Jesus a meal, Matthew 8:15 NIV. This miracle involved not only healing the illness, but reversing the energy-sapping effects of her illness.
      3. [Note: Peter had a mother-in-law (penthera, Ibid., p. 648), so he was married, 1 Cor. 9:5. This reveals the error of the Roman Catholic Church in denying marriage for the priesthood!]
    2. Jesus demonstrated His power as the Messiah from the Old Testament Creator God over not only sin, but over its extremely unwholesome spiritual effects in the form of demon possession, Matthew 8:16a, b:
      1. When the evening had come, people brought to Jesus many demon possessed folk, Matthew 8:16a. Demon possession represents an extreme level of sin against the Lord.
      2. Nevertheless, by His mere word, Jesus cast out all of the demons from all these people, demonstrating His great power over the effects of sin in the spiritual realm, Matthew 8:16b.
    3. Jesus demonstrated His power over all kinds of diseases that are caused by sin, Matthew 8:16c: Matthew 8:16c KJV claims Jesus healed all that were "sick," or "ill," (kakos, Ibid., p.399), demonstrating His power over all kinds of physical maladies that were the result of sin.
    4. Matthew 8:17 claims these miracles signified Christ's fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 (as follows):
      1. Matthew claimed that Jesus' record of healing in Matthew 8:14-16 fulfilled the Isaiah 53:4 KJV claim that Jesus Himself took our "infirmities" (astheneia, "sickness, disease," Ibid., p. 114) and bare our "sicknesses" ( nosos, "disease, illness," Ibid., p. 545).
      2. Actually, Isaiah 53:4 uses "the figure of sicknesses" to refer "to sin itself" (Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah (NIC), 1974, v. III, p. 345). However, "the verse also includes the thought of the removal of the consequences of sin," Ibid.
      3. Thus, though Jesus ultimately accomplished the bearing of sickness at the cross, and the effects of the cross are fully realized only in the eternal state (Romans 8:18-23), He revealed His capacity to deal fully with sin's effects in healing all of these folk of all of the full realm of the effects of sin, be it physical disease, physical debilitation caused by disease, or demonic possession and its immensely negative effects in the spiritual realm, Bible Knowledg e Commentary, New Testament, p. 37.
Lesson: Jesus demonstrated His authority over both sin and its full realm of unwholesome effects, revealing He was the Messiah of the Old Testament Creator God Who had created the universe completely wholesome out of chao s, Genesis 1:2, 31.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ as the Old Testament Creator God's Messiah to be saved, John 20:30-31. (2) May we anticipate our final victory over sins effects in the resurrection (Romans 8:18-23) and (3) trust God to handle sin's debilitating effects in us now that we can fulfill His calling for us even in our sin-affected, earthly sojourn (like healing Peter's mother-in-law so she could serve Him a meal)!