Matthew 8-10 Miracles

Once again there is way too much in these three chapters to discuss in one sitting so I'm going to touch on just one area.
If we just read about the miracles of Christ it may impress us but it might not teach us. God's Word is so powerful that if we read it and walk away just feeling giddy or feeling Ho-Hum, then we've missed something. The miracles speak about Jesus and who He is, the promised Messiah in Isaiah Chapters 35 & 53 for instance. They have messages that shed light on His mission, i.e. - the forgiveness of sins, the gospel going to the gentiles, the mindset of the people. The first two miracles, the leper, and the centurion as examples. The first of the miracles, the healing of the leper, with its reference to the priests in 8:4, is a reminder to us of the priestly function of the Messiah. In the Old Testament, it was the priest who dealt with skin diseases such as leprosy (see Lev. 13–14). So Jesus fulfills kingly, prophetic and priestly functions. The healing of the leper is an immediate act of Jesus, a response to a passionate plea. Leprosy is Jesus day was also a symbol of sin so it represents Jesus power to forgive/heal sin. Jesus touched him.
The second miracle, the healing of the centurion’s servant (8:5–13), is a reminder to us of Jesus’ concern to extend the kingdom beyond the Jewish world. In his encounter with a Roman soldier, we again have the principle of Jesus reaching out that we saw when the wise men came to worship him as a child. All this anticipates the Great Commission to all the nations. What is interesting here is the centurion’s great faith (v. 10), which contrasts with the disciples’ ‘little faith’ (v. 26). Those whom we would expect to have great faith only have little faith, while those whom we might expect to have no faith at all show great trust in Jesus. For the centurion, Jesus heals the servant at a distance, rewarding the absolute confidence that the centurion puts in him.
God is good, all the time...Amen