"Just Give Me Your Word"
Gospel of Matthew 8:5-13
English sermon delivered on July 18th
The Lord Jesus wrote the "Sermon on the Mount" from chapters 5 to 7, and in chapter 8, verse 1. He healed a man who was suffering from a leprosy In chapter 8, verse 1, and later, he heals a man suffering from a serious skin disease, which is called Hansen’s disease today. In those days, if you had this disease then called leprosy, you had to cry out to yourself, "I am unclean," and let people know about it. It was a disease where people were isolated from society.
Some biblical scholars say that if you have Hansen's, you have to stay at least two meters away from the infected person. One of the commentaries said that if a person who had this disease was up wind, he had to stay about 50 meters away. It was such a scary disease.
Now, the world is in turmoil because of the new coronavirus. Vaccination for COVID-19 is speeding up, but what will happen in Japan, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games start this week? It seems that not everyone is safe after vaccination. I fear that wearing masks will become the norm. Keeping a distance, sitting down, and regular ventilation will become the norm. I wonder if it will become commonplace to keep your distance, sit down, and have adequate ventilation regularly. At any rate, we should not be overconfident.
But the Lord Jesus reaches out, touches and heals. This is a startling event. Then, in chapter 8, verse 5 and following, the Lord Jesus Jesus heals the centurion's servant. Many scholars assume that this centurion is not a Jew. He is a Gentile, so to speak. Isn't the amazing gospel of the Lord Jesus also written here? I would like to take this as an introduction to the Christian faith.
I would like to take this as the first lesson of Christian faith. First of all, this centurion "came near and begged" the Lord Jesus, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home with the middle wind and is suffering terribly. "The centurion first "approached" the Lord Jesus, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home with the middle wind and is suffering terribly."
Stepping closer to the Lord Jesus, faith begins with walking up to the Lord Jesus. Stepping up to the Lord Jesus means you can talk about your hardships and problems. There are many things in life that we can't accomplish even if we try.
There are many things that you cannot overcome. There are many things that we cannot overcome, like illnesses and trials. We don't get sick by choice. At some point, we will get sick. But we are grateful for the people who support us through our illness.
But through sickness, we gradually come to understand how grateful we are for the people who support us. The Lord Jesus always shows us the will of God.
In response In response, the Lord Jesus says, "I will go and heal him" (verse 7). Ken Sato translates it as a question, "Will I go and heal him? "(v.7). In his note, he says, "The question expresses concern that Jesus, an Israelite, should enter the house of a centurion, who was a Gentile or a neighbor of a Gentile.” The Lord Jesus was a Gentile.
The Lord Jesus refuses the request of the Gentile centurion, but the great thing about the centurion is that he does not give up after one or two times. He said, "Lord, I'm not the kind of person you can have under your roof. Just say the word. Then my servant will be healed. (verse 8). He also says, "I too am under authority, but under me are soldiers. I have soldiers under me, and if I tell one to go, he goes; if I tell another to come, he comes. If I say to my subordinate, "Do this" he will come. And if you say to one of your men, 'Do this' he will do it. (verse 9).
In the same way, the word of Jesus, which commands healing, will also be delivered. The centurion has total confidence in the Lord Jesus, doesn't he? We, too, can ask the Lord Jesus through the Bible, "Just give me your word. " through the Bible, we want to taste and digest the Word that is given to us, and become people who can live by it. Let us pray.