SCRIPTURE:
“But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come into my home. Just say the word from where You are, and my servant will be healed.”
Matthew 8:8
“Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged Him to go away and leave them alone.”
Matthew 8:34
OBSERVATION:
Here in Matthew, we have two encounters with Jesus that have a common theme, with two separate causes.
In the first, Jesus is performing miraculous healing and miracles. A Roman Centurion, an officer with much influence, sees Jesus at work and asks for His help in healing his servant/slave; more like a son or brother to him, as slaves back then were treated well, like family.
Jesus agrees to go. But the officer does NOT want Jesus to go. Why?
Because he feels HE IS NOT WORTHY for Jesus to trouble Himself to make the trip.
He feels he doesn’t deserve His presence, but he does ACKNOWLEDGE His AUTHORITY in the power of the Holy Spirit, and His ability to heal by “just saying the word”. And Jesus is amazed by this centurion’s faith.
The second example is following the exorcism of a “legion” of demons that had been possessing two men in the Gadarenes area. Demons so powerful, that no men could apprehend them as they terrorized people.
Jesus went and cast the legion into a herd of pigs, which then rushed into a lake and drowned. Pig soup!
The people of the town that was terrorized by the demon possessed men, came and saw the pigs drowned, the two men in clear and sane mind, free from the oppression of the demons. Did they thank Jesus? No; instead they asked Jesus to LEAVE!
Not that they were unworthy. They just wanted His presence to be away from them! Out of town!
Leave us alone!
Why? The verses don’t say.
But, either they valued their pigs over the men’s lives... accepting the fear of the demon possessed men as “normal” as long as they had their pigs around.
Or...there were other demons in their town that they thought Jesus would expose. Or...they just didn’t know how to handle His presence.
Both groups wanted Jesus to not be present. But one acknowledged Him and His power…and the other just wanted Him away from them. Interesting.
APPLICATION:
How do I approach my Savior, my Healer, my Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and my soon-coming King?
Do I acknowledge Jesus, and His authority, away from the church, and the security in fellowship? Can I be in physical and emotional isolation, yet know that He can “just say the word” and His will be done, in faith?
Or do I want Jesus to be separated from my life? My hidden sins, my bouts of unbelief....my occasional reliance on other things besides Jesus to sustain me and guide me?
I need to heart check myself daily to ensure that my walk with Jesus is like the Centurion, who knows His authority and believes in faith!
And when I feel like the town, wanting to be left alone, I need to check my heart and run to Him. He never leaves me, even when I run away from Him.
PRAYER:
So Lord Jesus, thank You for Your power and authority.
Help me learn from these two that You don’t choose, we do. I rely on You each day to sustain my faith.
Just say the word. Amen!
