Todays scripture...

[WillyCamaro]

Titus 2:11-13
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

[WillyCamaro]

Jesus Heals a Leper

Matthew 8:1–4 “Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them’” (v. 4).

Today we resume our study of Matthew in chapter 8. Thus far, the first evangelist has shown our Savior to be a new Moses in his gospel. Like Moses, Jesus was in mortal danger shortly after His birth (Ex. 1:8–2:10; Matt. 2:16–18). Christ, the new covenant mediator, delivered God’s word on a mountain just as Moses received the Torah (the Law) on Sinai (Ex. 19:20–23:33; Matt. 5–7). However, Jesus comes not as Moses’ equal, but as his superior. Unlike Moses, our Lord explains the Law by His own authority (7:28–29). Moreover, Jesus comes down from the mountain to cleanse His people after declaring His Father’s will (8:1–4). Christ is better than Moses, who came down with commands that could only pronounce them “unclean” (Ex. 34:29; Lev. 13:1–8).

According to the Mosaic law, leprosy renders a person unclean, and the leper who approaches Jesus in today’s passage is used to living apart from the community in isolation or in a leper colony (Lev. 13:45–46). Since lepers are outcasts in Jesus’ day, the diseased man acts with audacity when he comes for healing, at least in the view of his culture. Yet the leper displays faith, not arrogance, when he kneels before the Christ. Convinced of the Savior’s power, the man knows that Jesus can make him clean if the Lord is willing to exercise His healing touch (Matt. 8:1–2). Truly, the leper’s recognition that Christ’s will is determinative is an example of how all are to come before Him (6:10).

Jesus could heal the man with His word alone (8:5–13), but He chooses to touch the leper (vv. 3–4). This point helps us interpret this text since Matthew emphasizes the touch with the “unnecessary” detail of Christ stretching out His hand (v. 3). Contact with a leper should render Jesus ceremonially unclean (Num. 5:1–4), but He is not defiled. Instead, His contact purifies the diseased man (Matt. 8:3–4), showing Him to be the fulfillment of the Law. Ceremonial regulations, including the leprosy laws, show us our need to be separated from all pollution, but such separation is ultimately possible only if men and women are themselves clean. Jesus’ touch cleanses His people, lepers or not, and will make it unnecessary to follow the letter of the ritual purity laws any longer.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Though not all diseases will be healed before the Lord returns to consummate His kingdom, we can be sure that He will cleanse the sins of everyone who confesses Him as Savior and follows Him as Lord (1 John 1:8–9). If you feel unclean this day, know that Jesus has indeed cleansed you if you love Him and have turned from your sin, placing your faith in Him. Pray for His continued cleansing and look forward to the day when all creation will be made new.

For further study: Numbers 19:20–22

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks again for posting these Willy!

[WillyCamaro]

The Faith of a Centurion

Matthew 8:5–13 “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’” (v. 10).

Notably, Jesus orders the leper to tell no one about his healing. Instead, he must first go to the priest in order to be declared clean (Matt. 8:4). Having the cured man obey the laws for leprosy’s cleansing (Lev. 14:1–32) testifies to the priests that Jesus does not come to break the Mosaic law. Also, the ability to heal leprosy is a prophetic miracle (2 Kings 5:1–14), and so Christ may intend to reveal His prophethood to the priest through the leper’s testimony. Moreover, the commoners expect a Messiah who will kick the Romans out of Palestine. Having the cured man not proclaim Christ’s power will help keep His acclaim from spreading too rapidly and arousing Rome’s ire before the proper time.

Jesus’ healing of the leper is also a clue that His ministry will fulfill and thereby end the ceremonial regulations that separate Jew from Gentile. He can cleanse the unclean and touch the polluted without Himself suffering such uncleanliness. This is a strong hint that the new covenant era will not be one marked by ceremonial distinctions as the old covenant was.

The healing described in Matthew 8:5–13 also involves a person considered unclean in first-century Judaism. A centurion, who is a Roman officer in charge of one hundred troops, comes to Jesus urgently requesting his servant’s healing (vv. 5–6). Most Jews are hostile toward these foreign occupiers, but Christ feels for the man’s beloved servant and acquiesces to the man’s request (v. 7). However, the centurion’s great faith means that our Savior will not have to go to the man’s home (v. 13). In Roman society, the emperor has supreme authority, and he delegates it to officers like centurions. To disobey these officials is to disobey the emperor himself. The centurion sees that Jesus is invested with a similar authority, only the person He represents must be God (vv. 8–10). This officer understands, as John Calvin comments, that “he who, by the mere expression of his will, restores health to men, must possess supreme authority.”

Many who should know better never recognize Jesus’ authority. This Gentile sees Jesus for who He is, anticipating the day when many foreigners will, by faith, be grafted into God’s people Israel (vv. 11–12; Rom. 11).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

In Christ, God is keeping His promise to bless all the families of the earth in Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3). The conversion of the nations to Christ is among the most tangible proofs for the veracity of the Bible. What Jesus has predicted is coming to pass — the Gentiles are coming to faith in Jesus. Think today on Jesus’ transformation of the nations and be encouraged that He has not left His people without a message.

For further study: Genesis 27:29

[WillyCamaro]

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks Willy!

I enjoy reading these in the morning!

[WillyCamaro]

[WillyCamaro]

Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth:
he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so he openeth not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation?
for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death;
because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,
he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto death:
and he was numbered with the transgressors;
and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks for posting that scripture Willy.

What a wonderful prophesy of our Lord Jesus!

[WillyCamaro]

Isaiah prophesied this, 400 odd years before are Lord...

[WillyCamaro]

Hebrews 10:19-22
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

[WillyCamaro]

Jesus Stills the Storm

Matthew 8:23–27 “The men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (v. 27).

Having explained the cost of discipleship to two would-be followers, Jesus and His disciples set out to cross the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 8:23). Little do the disciples know that this journey will give their teacher an opportunity to show forth His identity in a way they have not yet seen.

Because of its geographical location, violent squalls frequently occur on the open water of the Sea of Galilee, especially in the period between May and October. Seasoned fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John (4:18–22) are certainly familiar with such storms, and so their fear, evident in Matthew 8:24–27, shows that the turbulence in which they find themselves is unusually fierce. However, despite the storm’s ferocity, Jesus is able to sleep peacefully as the boat traverses the waves. This indicates His great trust in God and comfort in His faithful obedience because the Old Testament understands sound sleep to be a gift from God to His holy people (Lev. 26:6). Christ’s ability to sleep in the storm is more remarkable when we consider that the boat in which His company is traveling is the customary fishing boat of His day, just big enough to accommodate the small group of men and a large catch of fish. The sailors are completely exposed to the elements. Jesus is not worried like the others even though He feels the storm’s effects no less than they do.

Yet Jesus’ command of the storm tells us about much more than His great faith. In the biblical worldview, the sea and the storm are associated with chaos and destruction (Ps. 69:1–2). Only God can control the sea, and in fact, He sets its boundary and stills its fury (Job 38:8–11). That Jesus is able to silence the storm and still the waves indicates that He possesses an authority equal to the Creator’s (Matt. 8:26–27). The disciples marvel at this miracle because it is evidence that their beloved rabbi is more than just a teacher; He is in fact God Almighty. John Chrysostom writes that “[Jesus’] sleeping showed he was a man. His calming of the seas declared him God” (Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, 28.1).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

We put our lives in Jesus’ hands based on the evidence of His power. Today’s passage shows us that we can trust Him because He has authority over all nature and is worthy of our faith since He is the incarnate God over all creation. We follow the Creator of all things, not merely a good man. Take time today to review biblical teaching on the divinity of Christ (for example, John 1:1–18) so that you may be confident that your trust in Him will never be in vain.

For further study: Proverbs 8:22–31

[Meridian_Mike]

Wonderful lesson showing us that Jesus is God!

Thanks Willy!

[WillyCamaro]

[WillyCamaro]

Christ’s Divine Authority

Matthew 9:1–8 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’” (v. 2).

Continuing to display His divine authority through the working of miracles, Jesus returns to Capernaum (“his own city,” Matt. 9:1; see 4:13) where the people are glad to see Him. Unlike the Gentiles in the region of the Gadarenes, the citizens of Capernaum apparently want Jesus to stick around. He is back only a short time when some men seek Him out to heal a paralyzed friend (9:2).

In Jesus’ day most people slept on mats that were laid upon the floor. These pallets served as a stretcher that was fairly easy to carry, and the paralyzed man was lying on a mattress of this kind. Our Savior’s first response is to pronounce the lame man forgiven (v. 2), and some commentators believe this indicates that sin is the cause of the man’s paralysis. Sin can indeed cause many illnesses, but note that Scripture never teaches that disease is always proof of transgression in a person’s life (John 9:1–3). In any case, Christ’s declaration of pardon does not sit well with the scribes. Forgiveness, it is well known, is the prerogative of God alone (Ps. 130:3–4). An ordinary man who claims this right puts himself in the Creator’s place and commits blasphemy (Matt. 9:3).

Yet Jesus is no ordinary man. Seeing that He is accused of breaking the third commandment (Ex. 20:7), Christ asks the scribes what is easier to pronounce — forgiveness or healing (Matt. 9:4–5). Of course, it is easy to declare sins forgiven since divine forgiveness cannot be verified or falsified with the senses. However, healing can be tested empirically. To say that a person is healed when no healing has taken place makes the would-be healer a liar. In pronouncing forgiveness, Jesus has made the easier declaration, but to show that His pronouncement of forgiveness is not merely wishful thinking, He declares the paralytic healed and restores the man’s health (vv. 6–7). The truth of His healing word verifies the truth of His forgiving word. John Calvin comments, “As it is not easier to quicken by a word a body which is nearly dead than to forgive sins, there is no reason to wonder that he forgives sins, when he has accomplished the other.”

The citizens marvel that such authority has been given to Christ (v. . After all, if Jesus can forgive sins, then He is more than a man. He is God incarnate.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Some theological traditions tend to pursue physical healing as if it is the ultimate need of human beings. Yet while it is good to ask the Lord to heal us when we are ill, we fundamentally need our sins to be forgiven. This forgiveness has been purchased by Jesus and is the great blessing of God on all of those in Him. If you doubt the Lord’s pardon, know that He forgives the repentant; therefore, each day ask Him to forgive your sins.

For further study: Psalm 103:6–14

[Meridian_Mike]

Thanks for posting this lesson Willy!

[WillyCamaro]

Glad yer finding them helpful brother.

[WillyCamaro]

Wine for Fresh Wineskins

Matthew 9:14–17 “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is…the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” (v. 17).

From an argument with the Pharisees over the propriety of eating with sinners (Matt. 9:10–13), Jesus moves to a misunderstanding regarding fasting in today’s passage. The disciples of John the Baptist protest that Jesus and His followers do not fast like they and the Pharisees do (v. 14).

This text is not saying that Jesus neglects fasting altogether. As a devout Jew, He certainly obeys God’s command to fast on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29, 31). He also fasted before meeting Satan in the desert (Matt. 4:1–2). Furthermore, Jesus teaches that His people will fast after His ascension (9:15). But in the first century, certain “pious” Jews observed fasts on Mondays and Thursdays each week, in addition to the fasting prescribed in the Law. People were upset with Jesus because He did not engage in this extra fasting.

Our Lord’s answer to the protestors reveals that they do not understand the era in which they live. Using the image of a wedding feast, Christ says it is improper to fast while He, the bridegroom, walks the earth (v. 15). In that society, there was a celebration that lasted several days wherein the groom was present at his reception. Similarly, Jesus the bridegroom is with His disciples; thus, there should be joy, not the solemnity His culture associates with fasting. Christ’s likening of Himself to the bridegroom is remarkable given it is an Old Testament metaphor for God (Isa. 54:5–8). Jesus is implicitly identifying Himself with Yahweh, revealing that He is the divine Messiah who has come to transform His people and bring them great rejoicing (Zeph. 3:14–18).

Most first-century Jews expected the son of David to leave the old covenant unchanged, but today’s passage challenges this assumption. When sewn on old clothing, a new unshrunken patch will shrink in the wash and tear at the old, shrunken, inflexible cloth. Gases from new, fermenting wine force brittle, old wineskins to expand and burst (Matt. 9:16–17). Likewise, the new covenant cannot be contained in the forms and rituals of the old. Jesus fulfills and thereby changes the forms of old covenant piety (Heb. 7:11–19), and only those who fail to trust Jesus have the audacity to protest this transformation.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Many of Jesus’ contemporaries were unwilling to accept the change God was bringing to His covenant with them, and they rejected Him. Though the essence of God’s covenant of grace is the same for those who live on either side of the coming of Christ, the outward forms, rites, and customs have undergone a significant transformation. Rejoice that we live under the new covenant and have greater knowledge of Jesus as well as a fuller experience of the Spirit.

For further study: Jeremiah 31:31–34

[Meridian_Mike]

Glad yer finding them helpful brother.

Yes.... I enjoy these studies that you post Willy!

Thanks you for posting them my brother!

[WillyCamaro]

Glad yer finding them helpful brother.

Yes.... I enjoy these studies that you post Willy!

Thanks you for posting them my brother!

[WillyCamaro]

Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Matthew 9:9–13 “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners’” (v. 13).

Tax collectors are among the most reviled people in Jesus’ day because of the corruption associated with the office. Customs duties on goods transported through Galilee are among the taxes collected, and it is likely that Matthew, whom we meet in today’s passage (Matt. 9:9), gathers these fees. In his work he collects a set amount for Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, who in turn sends it to Rome. Matthew is free to assess the value of the goods carried through his region and, like other collectors, demands a tax higher than what the government requires and keeps the difference for himself. This offers ample opportunity for unjust taxation, giving the people reason to hate tax collectors.

Galilee also views the tax collectors as traitors, for they are representatives of Rome’s oppressive government. Matthew goes by the name Levi, making it likely that he is a Levite (Luke 5:27–28). According to the Pharisees, this would make his collusion with Rome much worse because God set apart the Levites for Himself (Num. 8:5–22), not service to the pagans. In any case, the Pharisees are upset when Jesus calls Matthew as His disciple and then dines with him and other sinners (Matt. 9:10–11; Luke 5:29–30). Eating a meal with someone in the first century shows relational intimacy, and our Savior reveals His love for tax collectors and others deemed beyond forgiveness when He dines with them.

Christ responds to the Pharisees’ objections by telling them to “go and learn” Scripture, specifically Hosea 6:6 (Matt. 9:12–13a). This is ironic because the Pharisees, of all people, should know the Bible, which says our Creator is eager to forgive the repentant (Ps. 86:15). Jesus has come to effect this pardon of sinners; the righteous have no need of His work (Matt. 9:13b). Of course, in saying this, Jesus is not asserting that the Pharisees are righteous in themselves. All men are sinners (Ps. 14:2–3), and only those who recognize their spiritual poverty can even begin to understand what righteousness really means (Matt. 5:3, 6). In effect Jesus is saying, “Pharisees, you of all people should know that the Messiah comes to save sinners, and, in fact, you would also see your desperate need for forgiveness if you knew the Scriptures as well as you claim.”

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

We are all recovering Pharisees who must get over our tendency to frown only upon certain sins. John Calvin comments that we must “never think it strange that he should gather to salvation those who have been the worst of men, and who have been covered with a mass of crimes.” Our churches must welcome repentant abusers, repentant homosexuals, and others often seen as beyond God’s forgiveness. We deserve His pardon no more than they do.

For further study: Proverbs 28:13

[Meridian_Mike]

Amen!

[WillyCamaro]

Pretty much sums up my little ministry here, praying eventually it grows to a full blog/own site.
God bless!

Ephesians 6:7-8
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

[WillyCamaro]

At the end of the day, this is why I have this ministry for the Lord.

1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

[Meridian_Mike]

Amen!