Mat 8 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 8:1-9:34: 8:1–9:34 Here the Kingdom of God is manifested with supernatural power (see 4:23-25 ; 11:2-6 ). It reaches people who had been excluded from the blessing of God: Gentiles, lepers, blind people, sick women, demoniacs, tax collectors, those with a chronic hemorrhage, and the dead. Jesus shows compassion, but the religious leaders are provoked to opposition. Jesus calls his followers to faith and discipleship.

Summary for Matt 8:1-9:34: 8:1–9:34 ^a Here the Kingdom of God is manifested with supernatural power (see 4:23-25 ^b; 11:2-6 ^c). It reaches people who had been excluded from the blessing of God: Gentiles, lepers, blind people, sick women, demoniacs, tax collectors, those with a chronic hemorrhage, and the dead. Jesus shows compassion, but the religious leaders are provoked to opposition. Jesus calls his followers to faith and discipleship.
8:2 ^d Leprosy refers to various skin diseases. Lepers were ceremonially unclean; they were excluded from society unless they became symptom-free and a priest pronounced them clean (see 8:4 ^e; Lev 14:2-32 ^f). On some occasions, leprosy was a judgment from God (Num 12:9-15 ^g; 2 Kgs 5:27 ^h; 15:5 ⁱ).
8:3 ^j Be healed: Jesus’ healing of lepers was tangible evidence of the Kingdom in his person and ministry (11:2-6 ^k).
8:4 ^l The leper’s healing would be a public testimony—either that the religious leaders were wrong not to trust in the Messiah (10:18 ^m) or that Jesus was not against the law of Moses (5:17 ⁿ).
Summary for Matt 8:5-13: 8:5-13 ^o Jesus once again ministered to the marginalized or ostracized. The centurion was a Gentile soldier, and ministry to him would have evoked strong resentment from both the nationalistic and the separatist wings of Jewish society. 8:5 ^p Capernaum is located on the Sea of Galilee, about two and a half miles west of the Jordan River outlet. In Jesus’ day, it was a prosperous fishing village. Standing at a crucial junction on the Great Trunk Road linking Mesopotamia and Egypt, it was an international village, and much of Jesus’ Galilean ministry was based there (e.g., 4:13 ^q; 8:14-17 ^r).

• a Roman officer (Greek a centurion): A centurion, one of sixty commanders in a legion, commanded 100 Roman soldiers (see also Mark 15:39 ^s; Acts 10:1 ^t; 27:1 ^u).
8:7 ^v I will come (cp. Acts 10:9-35 ^w; Gal 2:11-14 ^x): Some have rendered this as a question: Shall I [a Jew] come [into the house of a Gentile, risking defilement] and heal him?
Summary for Matt 8:8-10: 8:8-10 ^y The centurion recognized Jesus’ authority. From his own experience, he knew that when he gave orders, they were quickly obeyed. He perceived that God had entrusted Jesus with authority to work miracles. The centurion’s faith shows that the Kingdom of God includes Gentiles (8:11 ^z).
Summary for Matt 8:11-12: 8:11-12 ^aa The influx of Gentiles fulfills Old Testament promises (Isa 2:2-3 ^ab). God’s promise to Abraham included being a blessing to many nations (Gen 18:18 ^ac). Christ fulfills this promise (Gal 3:8 ^ad, 16 ^ae).
Summary for Matt 8:16-17: 8:16-17 ^af Jesus is the authoritative Lord over every disease and demon. 8:16 ^ag with a simple command: Jesus’ authority extended beyond touch; his words brought healing and life.
8:17 ^ah He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases: When he took the sins of humanity, the Messiah also took our sickness. Sickness exists because sin is in the world, and one of the effects of Jesus’ taking our sin on the cross is physical healing (1 Pet 2:24 ^ai). Jesus’ healings and exorcisms demonstrated, in fulfillment of Scripture, that he is the Messiah (see Matt 11:2-6 ^aj; 12:28 ^ak; 1 Cor 11:29-30 ^al; Jas 5:13-16 ^am).
Summary for Matt 8:18-22: 8:18-22 ^an Jesus confronted two would-be followers with what it truly means to follow him.
8:19 ^ao The teachers of religious law had a prestigious vocation of preserving, learning, and interpreting the Scriptures for the good of society. The way to God was thought to be through them (15:13-14 ^ap; 23:13 ^aq).
8:20 ^ar Following Jesus is not easy; it involves more than intellectual mastery. Following Jesus entails being willing to forgo life’s normal comforts.
8:21 ^as Another of his disciples: This statement suggests that the teacher of 8:19 ^at was a disciple as well. Lord suggests a stronger commitment to Jesus.

• bury my father: This was one of the highest religious duties in Judaism, but Jesus requires total commitment to him.
8:22 ^au Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead: Jesus’ opponents would have misconstrued this instruction as blatant disregard for the fifth commandment to honor one’s parents (Exod 20:12 ^av), but in essence it is a restatement of the first commandment (Exod 20:1-3 ^aw). It was warranted by Jesus’ messianic authority and the impact of the Kingdom upon normal human life, including family ties and commitments (see Matt 10:34-39 ^ax; 12:46-50 ^ay; 19:29 ^az; Zech 13:3 ^ba; Luke 14:26-27 ^bb).
Summary for Matt 8:23-27: 8:23-27 ^bc The episode at sea extends the theme of what true discipleship involves. The storm challenged the disciples to entrust their very lives to Jesus for protection and deliverance. Jesus even has authority over dangerous weather and the sea (see Job 38:8-11 ^bd; Pss 29 ^be; 65:1-13 ^bf; 89:9 ^bg; 107:23-32 ^bh).
8:24 ^bi a fierce storm struck the lake: Sudden squalls are common on the Sea of Galilee, which is among mountains.
8:27 ^bj Who is this man? Salvation requires a proper answer to this question and active faith in him. Jesus’ disciples had still failed to understand.
Summary for Matt 8:28-34: 8:28-34 ^bk This episode focuses on Jesus’ authority as well as on the cost of following him; those who walk by faith will, like the Messiah, also experience opposition. 8:28 ^bl possessed by demons ... so violent: Demon-possession was often accompanied by violence, revulsion at the presence of the Son of God (8:29 ^bm), inability to speak (9:32 ^bn; 12:22 ^bo), blindness (12:22 ^bp), seizures (17:15 ^bq), and self-destructive behavior (17:15 ^br). With Jesus’ exorcisms, the power of the Kingdom broke into human history (12:28 ^bs).
8:29 ^bt Those controlled by Satan immediately recognized Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God (see Mark 1:24 ^bu) and answered the question asked by Jesus’ disciples when he had calmed the storm (Matt 8:27 ^bv). Elsewhere, Jesus’ true nature and identity are acknowledged by the Father (3:17 ^bw; 17:5 ^bx), Satan (4:3 ^by, 6 ^bz), humans (14:33 ^ca; 16:16 ^cb; 27:54 ^cc), and Christ himself (11:27 ^cd; 24:36 ^ce; 28:19 ^cf).

• God’s appointed time is the final, eternal damnation of all who oppose God (see Jude 1:6 ^cg; Rev 20:10 ^ch).
8:31 ^ci The demons were no match for Jesus’ authority; they desperately begged to avoid imminent doom.
8:32 ^cj Jesus’ word had sufficient authority to expel demons.

• drowned: Jesus had begun to defeat the enemy (12:28 ^ck; Luke 10:17-20 ^cl; Rom 16:20 ^cm; Col 2:15 ^cn).
8:34 ^co The tragedy of the incident is that those who witnessed the Son of God’s power to give salvation feared having their world upset, so they rejected him.