Introduction
Jesus proves who He is—THE MESSIAH—by what He does!
Matthew’s Design:
Teaching of the Kingdom - Matthew 5-7
Proof of Jesus’ Authority - Matthew 8-9
• Authority over sickness - Mt. 8:2-17
• Authority over disciples - Mt. 8:18-22
• Authority over Nature - Mt.8:23-27
• Authority over the Spiritual Realm - Mt.8:28-34
The Authority of Jesus
John Stott: “Do not ask ‘what do you make of this teaching?’; instead ask ‘who is this teacher?’”
Jesus the Teacher
• Jesus is not dependent on other sources such as famous rabbis or tradition
• Jesus speaks authoritatively: “you have heard it said… but I say…”
• Jesus taught God’s message - John 7:16
Jesus the Christ
• If the kingdom of God has come, then the King is here. This King is the Christ- Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand - Mt.4:17
- Jesus proclaimed: the Gospel of the Kingdom - Mt. 4:23
Jesus the Lord
• Jesus calls himself the Son of Man - Messianic Title from Daniel 7:14
• Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter heaven
• Jesus claims that He is the LORD
Jesus the Savior
• Name Him Jesus, for he will save His people from their sins - Mt.1:21
• Blessed are - Jesus claims to know the way to blessedness and salvation
• Jesus knows the way to life and the way to destruction - He is the way!
• Jesus claims that He can forgive sin - Mt.9:1-6
Jesus the Judge
• Jesus claims that He is the Judge - Mt.7:22-23
• Jesus will hear the evidence and He will pronounce Judgment
• Jesus is the Judge - Mt.25:31-46
• People will be judged based on their attitude toward Jesus
• People will be judged based on their obedience to Jesus
• Judgment will include exclusion from Jesus’ presence
Jesus the Son of God
• Jesus taught the disciples to pray to God as Father
• Jesus claims that God is uniquely His Father:- Jesus was very precise with his use of ‘your’, ‘our’ and ‘my Father’
• Pray then like this: Our Father - Mt.6:9
• Jesus promises: Your Father hears your prayer and knows what you need - Mt.6:32
• Your Father will give you good gifts - Mt.7:11
• Everyone who does the will of my Father - Mt.7:21
• No one knows the Son except the Father - Mt. 11:27
- Jesus was very precise with his use of ‘your’, ‘our’ and ‘my Father’
Jesus is God
• Jesus claims the prerogatives of deity:- Pronouncing Judgment
- Forgiving sin
- Receiving worship
• Jesus claims that the suffering of the disciples on account of Him is the same as the suffering of the prophets of old who spoke for God: - Mt. 5:11-12
• Obeying Jesus is equal to obeying the Father - Mt. 7:21-27
—> Believe in Jesus not only because of His Words (Teaching) but because of His Works (Miracles).
• John 10:37-38
• John 14:10-11
• John 20:30-31
• Acts 2:22
Healing the Leper
Matthew 8:1-4
And behold a leper…
• Leprosy could be one of a number of skin diseases common in that day including the most severe form we refer to by this name today: Mycobacterium Leprae - Hansen’s Disease)
• Infectious disease that damages the peripheral nerves and targets the skin, eyes, nose, muscles, and even organs.
• Associated with God’s displeasure and Judgment
- Miriam - Numbers 12
- Gehazi - 2 Kings 5:27
- Uzziah - 2 Chronicles 26:19-21
• Caused exclusion from normal life, including family, work, worship - Numbers 5:1-4
Lord, if you will…
• the leper trusted Jesus’ power completely!
• did he question Jesus’ love and care?
make me clean!
• uncleanness
• outcast from the people of God
• separated from worship and access to the temple
Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…
• compare Mark 1:41- “moved with pity”
• outrageous act of Jesus
• if you touch anything unclean you will yourself be contaminated
be clean…
• Jesus is not defiled by the leper - instead, His holiness is ‘contagious’ and brings cleansing and wholeness to the leper!
• Compare Isaiah 6:1-7 - Isaiah is a man of unclean lips, but the holiness of God represented by the coal from the altar cleanses Isaiah.
Application
EXPIATION - Cleansing of sin and guilt through someone making atonement
Come to Jesus and He will make you clean!