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Matthew Chapter
Eight
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Manifestation of Power of the King
I. On healing all kinds of diseases:
A. Healing the leper (v.1-4)
B. Healing the one that is lying paralyzed (v.5-13)
C. Healing the one that is sick with fever (v.14-15)
D. Healing ones that were demon-possessed and all
who were sick (v.16-17)
II. On all kinds of
regions:
A. His power is manifested in men’s hearts by
attracting different kinds of people to follow Him (v.18-22).
B. His power is manifested in nature by calming the
winds and the sea (v.23-27).
C. His power is manifested in the scope of spirits
by casting out demons (v.28-34).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Matt. 8:1 “When He had come down
from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.”
YLT: “And when he came
down from the mount, great multitudes did follow him,”
Literal
Meaning: “great multitudes
followed Him” most of those who followed the Lord for their astonishment (see
Matt. 7:28).
Spiritual Meaning: “When He had come
down from the mountain” The Lord’s coming down from the mountain symbolizes
that He humbled Himself from heaven to earth.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The heavenly king humbled Himself to go along
with His people (“He had come down from the mountain”) so that we who are not
worthy of His grace have received His full grace.
2) The words of the Lord are with authority (Matt.
7:29) and therefore “great multitudes followed Him.”
Matt. 8:2 “And behold, a leper came
and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing,
You can make me clean.’”
YLT: “and lo, a leper
having come, was bowing to him, saying, `Sir, if thou art willing, thou art
able to cleanse me;`”
Literal Meaning: “behold” here indicates that this case is worthy of
being noticed.
“A leper came and worshiped Him” It is a humble
action, indicating that he knew the power of the Lord.
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
clean.” This sentence shows that on one hand he knew his corruption and he
needed healing, on the other he knew the power of the Lord and He was able to
heal him.
Spiritual Meaning: “a leper” According
to cases recorded in the Old Testament, leprosy is connected with disobeying
authority and commandments (See Num. 12:1-10, 2Kings. 5:9-14), therefore a
leper is the type of the disobedient people, i.e.
In the Bible, leprosy is the type of
men’s unclean sins:
1) Leprosy starts from the inner part, symbolizing
that sin is of men’s nature.
2) Leprosy is difficult to be healed, symbolizing
that sin is difficult to be removed.
3) Leprosy is contagious, symbolizing that sin is
contagious.
4) Leprosy makes men rot and stink unto death,
symbolizing the dirtiness of sin and the dreadful and miserable end of sin.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s flesh and nature, full of dirties of sins,
always offend God. We are lepers in the sight of God.
2) This verse reveals us the conditions to be
healed as a sinner:
A. One has to admit his corruption and helplessness.
B. One has to come and worship the Lord and confessed his sins.
C. One has to trust in the Lord’s power of healing.
D. One has to ask the Lord.
3) We have to come down from our own throne and
come to the Lord with humbleness (“come and worship Him”) and then we will
experience His power.
4) Many times we believe in the Lord’s almightiness
and we dare not believe in His willingness. Believers should not only believe
in His power but also His love.
5) The Lord’s “can” is the matter of His power. The
Lord’s “willingness” is the matter of His will. The Lord’s power is dominated
by His will.
Matt. 8:3 “Then Jesus put out His
hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
YLT: “and having
stretched forth the hand, Jesus touched him, saying, `I will, be thou
cleansed,` and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Literal
Meaning: “Jesus put out His
hand and touched him” Usually, men do not touch lepers lest they may be
infected with uncleanness. However the Lord Jesus acted in a diametrically
opposite way and brought cleanness to the one being touched.
“I am willing” This sentence shows that not
only the Lord has the power to heal the wicked but also His heart was
“willing”.
Spiritual Meaning: “Jesus put out His
hand and touched him” The Lord’s touching is direct contact of body. It
symbolizes that the Lord came into the Jews by incarnation. He is the one that
the Jews had heard, had seen with their eyes, contemplated and their hands
handled (1John. 1:1).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord is able to sympathize with our infirmities
(Heb. 4:15) and our sufferings. He likes to enter into our feelings (“Jesus put
out His hand and touched him”) and sympathize with us.
2) “Touch” symbolizes unification in the Bible. The
Lord, the heavenly doctor, heals us from our inner part through unification
with us.
3) The Lord said “I am willing”. Sinners are in the
heart of the Lord. He has the feelings of sinners and feels sinners’ sufferings
as if it were received in person.
4) The Lord not only said that He was willing, He
but also put out His hand and touched Him, indicating that His willingness was
full. If a man is not saved, it is not due to the unwillingness of the Lord. It
is that he, who is of little faith, is not willing to come to the Lord.
5) “Be cleansed” Words of the Lord are with
authority. Once the word is spoken by the Lord, it will take effect.
6) Most of works of the Lord are done by His words.
If we want to work with the Lord, at first we have to obtain His words.
Matt. 8:4 “And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself
to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
YLT: “And Jesus saith to
him, `See, thou mayest tell no one, but go, thyself shew to the priest, and
bring the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony to them.’”
The
Background: according to the law
of the Old Testament, when a leper was healed, he would be looked by the
priest. After the priest had pronounced him clean, he would be able to offer
sacrifice to the Lord. Since he had sacrificed to the Lord, he bore witness
before the folk and it became a fact which was unable to be overthrown (Lev.
14:2-20).
Literal Meaning: “see that you tell no one” This is because
that the Lord knew what was in men (John. 2:25) and He did not want men to
follow Him with evil motives.
“But go your way, show yourself to the
priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded.” Because it was a transitional
period and the dispensation of grace had not come (the Lord had not been
crucified to fulfill the redemption). Therefore the Jewish believers still
walked according to the regulations of the law of the Old Testament.
“As a testimony to them” It proves that
the leper was fully recovered and he was able to contact with others normally.
Spiritual Meaning: “offer the gift that
Moses commanded” The gift was the type of Christ. He Himself is the proof for a
sinner to be acceptable to God (see Heb. 9:9, 14, 24-28).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A man of heaven does not like to show off (“see
that you tell no one”) and he likes to hide himself.
2) The Lord did not fully disregard the
righteousness of the law (Matt. 3:15). Believers should not disregard to give
just and lawful testimony before men (“as a testimony to them”) in excuse of
being of spirit.
3) After we have been saved, we have to continually
offer Christ and manifest Christ as to please God.
Matt. 8:5 “Now when Jesus had
entered
YLT: “And Jesus having
entered into
Literal
Meaning: “centurion”: an
official title in Roman Government. The centurion rules one hundred soldiers.
Spiritual Meaning: “a centurion” here
is a type of the gentile believer.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Salvation come to the Jews first and to the
Gentiles (see Acts. 3:26, 13:46, Rom. 1:16, 11:11).
2) “Came to” and “pleading Him” are the necessary
conditions to receive the salvation of the Lord.
Matt. 8:6 “saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully
tormented.’”
YLT: “and saying, `Sir,
my young man hath been laid in the house a paralytic, fearfully afflicted,’”
Spiritual
Meaning: “lying at home paralyzed” The patient was
unable to do what he hoped to do. Therefore it symbolizes that the world is
unable to do the right (Rom. 7:18) and the will of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Lord, my servant” Here it is to make
intercession for others. Children of God should care about others and often
bring others to God.
2) To sympathize the subordinate and make
intercession for others are the manifestation of love to others of those who
magnify the Lord. They are also the best example for believers to follow.
3) In the prayer of the centurion, he only set the
bitterness before the Lord and did not ask the Lord to heal his servant. This
shows that he knew the authority of the Lord------whether the servant was
healed depended on the authority of the Lord.
Matt. 8:7 “And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’”
YLT: “and Jesus saith to
him, `I, having come, will heal him.’”
Meaning of Words: “heal”: wait upon,
care about, serve, and take care of.
Spiritual Meaning: “heal” symbolizes to
salvation.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The asker had not believed that the Lord was
willing and the Lord said that He was “willing” (v.3). The asker had not asked
the Lord to go and the Lord said that He would “come”. Our Lord does not grudge
showing mercies to us and He always takes the initiative to show mercies to us.
2) The centurion only proposed that his servant
needed healing and did not tell the reason for healing. The Lord immediately
answered him. In praying we only need to tell the actual need to the Lord and
do not need to state many reasons.
3) God shows grace to us only according to our
needs. Many reasons sometimes contrarily become the block for us to receive
God’s grace.
Matt. 8:8 “The centurion answered
and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that
You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be
healed.”
YLT: “And the centurion
answering said, `Sir, I am not worthy that thou mayest enter under my roof, but
only say a word, and my servant shall be healed;”
Literal
Meaning: “I am not worthy
that You should come under my roof” On one hand he thought that he was not
worthy it. On the other he knew that the Lord is God that surpasses space.
“Only speak a word, and my servant will be
healed.” The centurion really knew the authority and power of the Lord Jesus.
He knew that the power to heal diseases was in the His words and therefore he
only asked “a word” of the Lord and that was enough.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The words which the Lord had spoken unto us are
spirit and are life (John. 6:63).
2) The Lord’s word was with authority (Luke. 4:32).
He upheld all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). As long as we obtain
“a word” from the Lord, the difficulties of our own or the assembly will be
overcome.
3) Unless the Lord “touches” one (v.3), in vain are
all the other touches. Unless the Lord “speaks a word”, in vain are all the
others words. What believers need is the Lord’s touch and the word spoken by
the Lord in person.
Matt. 8:9 “For I also am a man under
authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,' and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,' and he comes;
and to my servant, ‘Do this,' and he does it.’”
YLT: “for I also am a man
under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and
he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this,
and he doth [it].’”
Literal
Meaning: the centurion knew
that as long as he obeyed the higher-ups, he would have the authority to
instruct his subordinates. Because he knew that the Lord was usually under the
authority of the Father in heaven and therefore He has the power of God. The
centurion learned that the power of the heavenly king was in His words from his
own words which were with authority to his subordinates.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If you want to hold power, you have to learn to
obey the authority. If you fully obey God, God’s power will be in you and His
authority will make you dominate others. This is the requirement to gain power.
2) At first we obey the Lord and then others may
obey us.
3) This verse shows the relation between power and
word------power is the backing of word and word is the manifestation of power.
Matt. 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, He
marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly,
I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in
YLT: “And Jesus having
heard, did wonder, and said to those following, `Verily I say to you, not even
in
Literal
Meaning: faith comes from our
knowledge of the Lord because Jesus is the leader and completer of faith (Heb.
12:2). The
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Faith of the centurion based on his knowledge of
the power of the Lord. If we have more knowledge of the Lord, we will have
greater faith.
2) Faith is the key to use heavenly power. Men have
to use faith to connect with the authority of God to bring in God’s power and
blessings.
3) “Such great faith” indicates that men’s faith in
the Lord’s words is greater than men’s faith in the Lord’s touch. Generally,
“touch” is more authentic than “a word” in men’s eyes. However the greater
faith is that the Lord’s word is enough and there is no need of the Lord’s
touch.
4) When you have the knowledge of the authority of
the Lord, you will easily believe in His words. Those who have doubts about
God’s words lack the knowledge of God’s authority.
Matt. 8:11 “And I say to you that
many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “and I say to you,
that many from east and west shall come and recline (at meat) with Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob, in the reign of the heavens,”
Literal
Meaning: “many will come from
east and west” These people are Gentile believers.
“Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” They were
ancestors of the
This verse indicates
that there will be many Gentiles partake in the heavenly kingdom by faith and
enjoy the feast of salvation by their willingness to be ruled by Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Thank God. We once were not a people, but now we
are God’s people. We were not enjoying mercy, but now have found mercy (1Pet.
2:10).
2) At all times and in all countries, there were
many people risen by the Lord and partake in the kingdom of heaven. We should
not hold that I am the only one who loves the Lord.
Matt. 8:12 “But the sons of the
kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
YLT: “but the sons of the
reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness there shall be the weeping and
the gnashing of the teeth.’”
Literal
Meaning: “the sons of the
kingdom” are the Jews who lack faith.
“Out darkness” indicates that when the
Son of Man comes in the glory in His kingdom (Matt. 16:27), anyone who lacks
faith will be cast out of His face of glory and will not partake in the feast
of the kingdom of God (Luke. 13:27-29).
“Weeping” means regret in one’s heart.
“Gnashing of teeth” refers to great
remorse.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What determines our result in future is not our
“past” state but our state right now.
2) Many first shall be last and last first (Matt.
19:30). We should not hold that it is enough that we have loved the Lord in the
past, lest it’s too late to regret when the Lord comes.
Matt. 8:13 “Then Jesus said to the
centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for
you." And his servant was healed that same hour.”
YLT: “And Jesus said to
the centurion, `Go, and as thou didst believe let it be to thee;` and his young
man was healed in that hour.”
Meaning of Words: “be done”: to
become, come into being, cause to be.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer,
believing, you shall receive (Matt. 21:22).
2) “As you have believed, so let it be done for
you.” The more we know and trust God, the more we will enjoy His grace. Men’s
faith is the measure to receive grace. The greater faith one has, the greater
reward will he receive from God to his faith.
3) “That same hour” The moment the Lord spoke a
word the thing is done. As long as we trust in the words of the Lord, there
will be no need to wait.
4) The Lord healed the leper (v.3) to remove the
dirtiness of sins. The Lord healed the paralyzed to get rid of the power of
sins. The Lord healed the leper at first and then healed the paralyzed. The
Lord at first forgave our sins and then strengthened us.
Matt. 8:14 “Now when Jesus had come
into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.”
YLT: “And Jesus having
come into the house of Peter, saw his mother-in-law laid, and fevered,”
Spiritual Meaning: “his wife’s mother”
symbolizes the Jews.
“Sick with a fever” symbolizes two
aspects:
1) The Jews would
suffer extreme misery in the great distress.
2) The Jews were
exceedingly zealous of the Law and the doctrines of their fathers (Gal. 1:14,
Acts. 21:20).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If believers are zealous of the things besides
the Lord and even neglect the Lord Himself, it is sick with a fever in the
Lord’s eyes.
2) When she was “sick with a fever”, she felt
different from others because only she was fevered and others were not. Anyone
who is abnormally excited or fervent may be “sick with a fever”.
Matt. 8:15 “So He touched her hand,
and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.”
YLT: “and he touched her
hand, and the fever left her, and she arose, and was ministering
to them.”
Spiritual Meaning: this verse
symbolizes that when the Lord comes to the world for the second time, the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s touch (v.3, 15) solved all the
problems. Unless we touch the Lord or the Lord touches us, in vain are all the
other touches.
2) When our hands that do the Lord’s service are
touched by the Lord, the abnormal fever will leave and then we could really
serve the Lord.
Matt. 8:16 “When evening had come,
they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits
with a word, and healed all who were sick,”
YLT: “And evening having
come, they brought to him many demoniacs, and he did cast out the spirits with
a word, and did heal all who were ill,”
Spiritual Meaning: “when evening had
come” evening typifies the last period of the old heavens and the old earth,
i.e. the time of the kingdom of a thousand years. At that time Christ will
really reign (Rev. 20:4) and manifest His power, especially in casting out demons
and healing diseases. This verse symbolizes
that in the time of the kingdom of a thousand years, all the people on earth
will have a foretaste of the power of Christ in the coming age.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Many diseases in us are connected with teases of
the devil.
2) A word of the Lord (v.8, 16) solved all the
problems. Unless a word of the Lord is spoken into us, all the other words are
in vain.
Matt. 8:17 “that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took
our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."”
YLT: “that it might be
fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, `Himself took our
infirmities, and the sicknesses he did bear.’”
Literal
Meaning: the prophecy is
quoted from Is. 53:4. In His first appearing, the Lord Himself bore our sins in
His body on the tree and by His stripes we have been healed (1Pet. 2:24). In
future He shall appear to those that look for Him the second time without sin
for salvation (Heb. 9:28).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The great redemption of the Lord on the cross
not only removes our sins but also makes us experience His power of life so
that the weak is strengthened and the sick is healed.
2) The Lord Himself is our strength and our
healing. The more the life of the Lord increases in us, the more we are able to
overcome infirmities and sickness.
Matt. 8:18 “And when Jesus saw great
multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.”
YLT: “And Jesus having
seen great multitudes about him, did command to depart to the other side;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When working for the Lord, we should be
adaptable to circumstances. We should not be reluctant to depart to the other
side or depart from the great multitudes because the work is of great effect
and the work gains many people.
2) Today we are sojourners in the world and we are
on the way departing to the other side------ a better and heavenly country
(Heb. 11:13, 16).
3) We follow the Lord not by swimming to the other
side with our own ability but by departing to the other side on the boat of
grace.
Matt. 8:19 “Then a certain scribe
came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You
wherever You go.’”
YLT: “and a certain
scribe having come, said to him, `Teacher, I will follow thee wherever thou
mayest go;’”
Literal
Meaning: “a certain scribe
came” a scribe was Bible scholar of the Old Testament. He was not called by the
Lord and he took the initiative to “come” to the Lord.
“I will follow You.” He may want to gain the
mysterious power to do wonders in order to be outstanding in religion because
he had seen the Lord casting out demons and healing diseases.
Matt. 8:20 “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’”
YLT: “and Jesus saith to
him, `The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven places of rest, but the
Son of Man hath not where he may lay the head.’”
Literal
Meaning: “the Son of Man” was
from “the chapter of the Messiah” (Dan. 7:13-14). The Lord called Himself the
Son of Man on earth instead of the Messiah. Because in the eyes of the Jews the
Messiah was a political figure who was sent by God on earth to lead the Jews to
resist the Roman Government and rebuild the kingdom of David. Certainly the
Lord did not want the Jews to misunderstand Him as the one.
This verse indicates that: event animals
have places to inhabit on earth, the Lord sacrificed the warm and rest of
family life in order to do the will of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord had sojourned on earth for us and what
shall we do for Him?
2) The Lord was rejected on earth and He had no
place to lay His head. Today what He asks for us is to dwell in our hearts
through faith (see Eph. 3:17).
3) If someone takes the initiative to follow the
Lord, He will ask him to consider the prices because natural zealousness will
be step back by prices in the end.
4) When we have a will to follow the Lord (v.19),
we should make great determination, regardless of the sacrifice of warm and
enjoyment in family life for the sake of the Lord.
Matt. 8:21 “Then another of His
disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, let me first go and
bury my father.’”
YLT: “And another of his
disciples said to him, `Sir, permit me first to depart and to bury my father;’”
The
Background: the Jews attached
great importance to bury their family members, even the religious regulations
could be delayed for this.
Literal
Meaning: “let me first go and
bury my father” It is a proverb at that time and it means to serve parents
while living and give proper burial after death. That
disciple meant that he wanted to do his duty as a son to his family first and
then he would follow the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Lord, let me first…” His word is
self-contradictory. Should the Lord be first or should I be first? Since we
call the Lord lord, we should value the Lord’s will more than ours.
2) When following the Lord, we are always
confronted with a choice: which is more important, the Lord or our family?
Matt. 8:22 “But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’”
YLT: “and Jesus said to
him, `Follow me, and suffer the dead to bury their own dead.’”
Literal
Meaning: the first “dead”
refers to sinners who are dead in spirit (Eph. 2:1, 5). The second “dead”
refers to men are dead in flesh. The Lord here did not ask us not to care about
the needs of our family. (The Lord, at the point of death on the cross, asked
His disciple to look after His mother. see John. 19:26-27) The Lord meant that
we should not wait and follow the Lord until all the earthly things are done
well.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To the scribe who took the initiative to follow
the Lord, He asked him to sit down and count the price (v.19-20). To the
disciple who had been called and would draw back, the Lord encouraged him to go
forth. It shows that what’s important in following the Lord is whether we have
the calling of the Lord rather than our own willingness.
2) Anyone knows the true significance of life would
give priority to doing the commandment of the Lord and would not let the less
important things disturb the service to the Lord.
3) He who loves father or mother above me is not
worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me
(Matt. 10:37).
4) If the authority of the king is manifested in
family life, we are able to give up coziness of flesh willingly for the sake of
the Lord and respect Him more than family members.
Matt. 8:23 “Now when He got into a
boat, His disciples followed Him.”
YLT: “And when he entered
into the boat his disciples did follow him,”
Spiritual Meaning: in the Bible “boat”
symbolizes the assembly; “sea” symbolizes the world. Though the boat is in sea,
it is separated from the sea. Though the assembly sojourns in the world, it is
separated from the world. There are only the Lord and His disciples on the
boat. That is to say, the Lord and people who are of Him make up the so-called
assembly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord and disciples are the key elements to
make up the assembly and both of them are indispensable. If there are only
disciples without the Lord, the assembly would have no means to exist on earth.
If there is the Lord without the disciples, the assembly will not have content
or reality.
2) The most important thing in following the Lord
is whether the Lord is on the boat. It is a big problem if the Lord is not on
our boat.
Matt. 8:24 “And suddenly a great
tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He
was asleep.”
YLT: “and lo, a great
tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but
he was sleeping,”
Meaning of Words: “great”: big,
exceedingly; “tempest”: disturbance, shake, waver.
Literal
Meaning: the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The assembly, in the world, is always attacked
by outside circumstances. Sometimes, the circumstance is so terrible that the
Lords seems not to abide with us (“He was asleep”).
2) As long as the Lord is with us, it does not
matter whether He abides with us openly (He is awake.) or He abides with us
secretly (“He was asleep”), we won’t be waved though the enemy may stir up
trouble.
Matt. 8:25 “Then His disciples came
to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are
perishing!’”
YLT: “and his disciples
having come to him, awoke him, saying, `Sir, save us; we are perishing.’”
Spiritual Meaning: “His disciples came
to Him and awoke Him” It symbolizes prayer.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Perilous circumstances always force us to come
to the Lord to call upon Him.
2) If men see the outside fierce winds and surges,
they will feel that all hope of being saved is taken away. However, if we hold
fast the Lord’s words, it is convinced that we will not be killed (see Acts.
27:20, 22-25).
Matt. 8:26 “But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and
there was a great calm.”
YLT: “And he saith to
them, `Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?` Then having risen, he rebuked
the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm;”
Literal
Meaning: “why are you
fearful, O you of little faith?” The Lord reproached the disciples because they
had lost faith in the power of His words and became fearful. They only cared
for the winds and the sea at that time and forgot the command the Lord had gave
to them earlier that “…depart to the other side” (v.18).
“He rebuked the winds and the sea” The winds
and the sea are not persons and are unconscious. What the Lord rebuked was the
ruler of the authority of the air behind the winds and the sea (Eph. 2:2) and
the demons in the sea (v.32).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) His word that goes forth out of His mouth: it
shall not return unto Him void, but it shall do that which He pleases (Is.
55:11).
2) “You of little faith” is contrary to “such great
faith” (v.10). The one had such great faith only asked a word of the Lord and
held fast the word of the Lord. Those who had little faith forgot the word of the
Lord.
3) What the Lord reproached was not their awaking
Him (v.25) ------prayer but their fearfulness. The Lord likes us to trouble Him
with prayers but He does not like us to trouble ourselves with fearfulness.
4) The fearful ones do not know the Lord or forget
the words of the Lord. This kind of people only sees men and circumstances and
therefore they fear men and circumstances.
5) We should not let circumstance change the words
of the Lord and we should let the words of the Lord change circumstances.
6) Our prayers are supposed to be manifestation of
faith. However many times our prayers show our little faith. The Lord does not
like our prayers made by little faith.
7) All the trouble that the assembly is confronted
with is stirred up by Satan and its ministers.
8) To those who really know the Lord and know to
hold fast the words of the Lord, the greater the winds and the sea, the more
faith there is in their hearts. The outside winds and sea could not blow away
their faith and on the contrary the outside winds and sea are calmed by their
faith finally.
9) The winds and sea outside are not terrible at
all and the winds and sea inside are really terrible. Though the outside winds
and sea are great, as long as we do not let them in our hearts, they are not
terrible. Therefore the Lord rebuked the winds and sea in the hearts of
disciples before He rebuked the outside winds and sea.
Matt. 8:27 “So the men marveled,
saying, ‘Who can this be, that even
the winds and the sea obey Him?’”
YLT: “and the men
wondered, saying, `What kind is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey
him?’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Tribulations make us know Him more
deeply------“who can this be?” just like Job heard of God by the hearing of the
ear, but after tribulations his eyes saw God (Job. 42:5).
2) The Lord is the king and the nature and all
things obey Him. The demons hidden behind circumstances obey Him also. We who
are of Him shall obey Him more.
Matt. 8:28 “When He had come to the
other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed
men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass
that way.”
YLT: “And he having come
to the other side, to the region of the Gergesenes, there met him two
demoniacs, coming forth out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one was able
to pass over by that way,”
Meaning of Words: “Gergesenes”: a
stranger draws near.
Spiritual Meaning: “Gergesenes”
symbolizes that we are in the living circumstances of strange society.
“Two demon-possessed men” “two” is a
number of witness (Rev. 11:3). Therefore two demon-possessed men testify that
the whole world lies in the wicked (1John. 5:19).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In this society there are demon-possessed men
everywhere such as heavy smokers, drunkards, the confirmed gamblers, novels
addicts, movie addicts and sport addicts.
2) The demon-possessed men live a life in darkness
as in the tombs. They cannot be controlled by others and have no command over
themselves.
Matt. 8:29 “And suddenly they cried
out, saying, ‘What have we to do with
You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’”
YLT: “and lo, they cried
out, saying, `What to us and to thee, Jesus, Son of God? didst thou come
hither, before the time, to afflict us?’”
Literal
Meaning: “Son of God” the
demons knew the identity of the Lord Jesus.
“What have we to do with you?” The attitude
of the demons is held by many people that they admit the existence of God in
the world and they do not want God to interfere in their lives.
“Before the time” indicates that the time of
judgment has not come yet.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “What have we to do with You, You Son of God?”
The demons knew that the Lord Jesus is Son of God and they had nothing to do
with Him. It shows that the intellectual knowledge is not profitable to us if
it is not with a heart of trusting and obeying.
2) When we preach glad tidings to the world, the
reaction of common people is “before the time”. They are not willing to believe
in the Lord (“be tormented”) right now. They hope to enjoy their life in the
days of youth and believe in the Lord when they are old and have one foot in
the grave.
Matt. 8:30 “Now a good way off from
them there was a herd of many swine feeding.”
YLT: “And there was far
off from them a herd of many swine feeding,”
The
Background: “swine” is unclean
in God’s eyes (Lev. 11:7, 2Pet. 2:22). Generally, the Jews did not keep swine
at that time because the swine could not be sacrificed to God or used as food
(the Jews do not eat pork). Therefore the swine may be kept by the gentiles.
Spiritual Meaning: “those who kept the
swine” typify a group of people in the society. They seem to be normal from
their appearance, handling all kinds of professions diligently day and night.
However they work not for God or for the assembly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) No matter how noble is our job, if we do not
work for the Lord and the assembly, we are unacceptable to God just like those
who kept the swine.
2) The feature of swine is that it keeps feeding
and in the end it becomes men’s food. The feature of the world is that they
keep seeking earthly enjoyment and in the end they turn to be the devil’s
enjoyment.
Matt. 8:31 “So the demons begged Him,
saying, ‘If You cast us out, permit
us to go away into the herd of swine.’”
YLT: “and the demons were
calling on him, saying, `If thou dost cast us forth, permit us to go away to
the herd of the swine;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If the demon cannot play with men in them
directly, the demon will play with men by outside things indirectly.
2) Though the swine is “a good way off from them”
(v.30), the swine is under the eyes of the demons. The devil is seeking whom he
may devour everywhere (1Pet. 5:8). The safest way for us is abiding in Christ.
Matt. 8:32 “And He said to them, ‘Go.’ So when they had come out,
they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran
violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.”
YLT: “and he saith to
them, `Go.` And having come forth, they went to the herd of the swine, and lo,
the whole herd of the swine rushed down the steep, to the sea, and died in the
waters,’”
Spiritual Meaning: “So when they had
come out, they went into the herd of swine” The Lord permitted the demons to go
into the herd of swine, indicating that the career of making dirty money is the
area where the demons are permitted to act.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The demons went away until the Lord said “go”.
It expresses the power of the Lord because the demons are under His control.
2) The work of demons is to make men abandon
themselves (“ran violently down the steep place”) and go into the sinful world
(“into the sea”) and lose all reputation and ruin themselves (“perished in the
water”).
3) Sometimes the Lord would rather give up a group
of merely nominal Christians (what the swine stands for) in order to save two
sinners who truly repent (two demon-possessed men).
Matt. 8:33 “Then those who kept them
fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had
happened to the demon-possessed men.”
YLT: “and those feeding
did flee, and, having gone to the city, they declared all, and the matter of
the demoniacs.”
Spiritual Meaning: “city” symbolizes
the systemized social organization.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Those who kept them” lost the herd of many
swine and belongings. If they obtain the Lord by this, they will receive great
blessing. However they actually rejected the Lord.
2) Many people suffered losses in career and still
did not wake up to the reality. On the contrary, they rely on the society more
deeply (“they went away into the city”).
Matt. 8:34 “And behold, the whole
city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart
from their region.”
YLT: “And lo, all the
city came forth to meet Jesus, and having seen him, they called on [him] that
he might depart from their borders.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The earthly world and heavenly king cannot
coexist in one’s heart. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him (1John. 2:15).
2) Satan utilizes money to control men’s
heart------the gain and loss of money may both make us reject the Lord.
3) “The whole city” actually rejected the Lord. It
shows that those who did not know the Lord blindly united together in rejecting
the Lord.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Manifestation of the
Power of the King in all Ages
A. The Lord Jesus got along with the
B. The coming and touch of the Lord show the power
C. The Lord still asked the one who was healed to obey the regulations
in the Old Testament
II. In the age of grace (v.5-13)
A. The major people are Gentiles.
B. The Gentiles partake in the kingdom of heaven by the words of the
Lord
C. The words of the Lord manifest the power
III. In the end of the age of grace, the
time of the Lord’s second coming (v.14-15)
A. When the Lord comes for the second time, all
B. The glory of the Lord’s coming will touch the Jews
C. The Jews will be revived to serve the king of kings
IV. In the age of the kingdom of a thousand
years (v.16-17)
A. The kingdom of the world of our Lord and of His Christ is come, and
He shall reign (Rev. 11:15) .
B. He came to heal diseases and cast out demons to let people on earth
have a foretaste of the power of Christ in the coming age.
Manifestation of the
Power of the King in all Living Circumstances
A. To the nominal Christians (the scribe) ------He warmed that those who
follow the Lord would sacrifice the warm and enjoyment of family life
B. To Christians who were willing to be trained (disciples) -----He
encouraged that they should love the Lord more than their family members.
II. In the life in the assembly (v.23-27)
A. Satan always raised circumstances to attack the assembly.
B. The circumstance forced believers to pray.
C. The Lord rebuked the devil behind the circumstances.
D. The assembly kept calm through disturbance.
III. In the life of the society (v.28-34)
A. There were demon-possessed men everywhere in this society.
B. The demons bound men by careers of making dirty money.
C. The whole society adhered obstinately to error and rejected the Lord.
Several kinds of
relations between men and the Lord
I. Those who wanted to follow the Lord by
their own zealousness (v.19-20)
II. Those who were called to follow the Lord
(v.21-22)
III. Those who walked with the Lord and had
little faith towards Him (v.23-27)
IV. Those who would rather gain the herd of
swine (money) than the Lord (v.28-34)
The Way to Follow
the Lord
I. The way to follow the Lord was not always
flat------ “suddenly a great tempest arose.” (v.23-24)
II. Sometimes it was even dangerous------“so
that the boat was covered with the waves.” (v.24)
III. It seemed that the Lord did not help at
once------ “but He was asleep.” (v.24)
IV. Cast down, but not destroyed (2Cor. 4:9)
------“we are perishing.” (v.25)
V. Learn from the experience and know more
deeply about ourselves------“you of little faith.” (v.26)
VI. Seeing the works of the Lord------“He
rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (v. 26)
VII. Know the Lord more deeply------“who can
this be?” (v.27)
Two Demon-possessed
Men
II. in “the tombs” (v.28) ------ they
associated with death, darkness and dirtiness all the day
III. “exceedingly fierce” (v.28) ------their
dispositions showed demons’ nature (see. John. 8:44)
IV. “No one could pass that way” (v.28)
------ they were specialized in making troubles, disturbed others and affected
others
V. “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son
of God?” (v.29) ------ they were specialized in opposing the Lord and those
that were of Him
VI. There were “a herd of” demons in them
(v.30-32) ------ there were many demons abiding in one person (the demons make men
become a heavy smoker, a drunkard, a confirmed gambler and so on)
VII. “They begged Him to depart from their
region” (v.34) ------ for dirty money (the herd of swine) the world would
rather be disturbed by demons than receive the Lord.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren