June 4, 2025; Matthew 8:1-17

Daily Dose of Hope

June 4, 2025

Day 3 of Week 9

Scripture – Matthew 8:1-17

Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you, that no matter what this week has held, we can come to you and start over.  We are grateful for your forgiveness.  We are so very grateful for your care and your love.  Help us, Lord, to set aside our distractions, to set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is Wednesday, which means it is Recharge Day.  Come join us at 6:30pm in the Garage for worship, prayer, fellowship, and small community.  It’s one of my favorite times of the week!  If you haven’t been, you are missing out.

Let’s move on to today’s Scripture.  Today, we read about a lot of healing.  Remember, Jesus is embodying what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.  In God’s Kingdom, there is no sickness so Jesus heals. 

We start our reading with this beautiful story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy.  One of the striking aspects of this healing is that Jesus reaches out and touches the man.  No one was allowed to touch someone with leprosy.  They were basically pariahs.  Jesus didn’t have to touch the man to heal him; he had healed others without touch.  But Jesus chooses to touch him because Jesus’ healings were not just physical but also emotional and spiritual. 

The healing was obviously life-changing in many ways.  Even though Jesus asked him not to share, my guess is that he was overcome with how the power of God had worked in his life. Thus, he shared his story with all who would listen. "I was sick and my life was a mess. Then I met Jesus and he healed me. You need to meet him too!" How could he keep it to himself?

Next, we have the passage about the faith of the centurion.  This is such a great text!  One of the most interesting components of this story is that the centurion came up to Jesus at all.  There is no indication that he was Jewish or that his servant was Jewish.  Up until this point in Matthew, Jesus had only healed those of the Jewish faith.  It’s also interesting that this Roman centurion cared so deeply for his servant.  After all, the Roman soldiers were not known for their compassion.  But this man traveled a long way to meet Jesus, humbly approach him, and ask for help. 

When most of us approach this passage, our biggest takeaway is the faith of this man.  And it’s impressive.  He tells Jesus that he understands authority and chain of command because of his military experience.  He knows that Jesus has authority enough to heal from afar.  That is pretty incredible.  The Jews don’t understand Jesus’ authority but this Roman soldier does.

But there is also the fact that this man does not feel worthy to have Jesus walk into his home.  He is a soldier and has probably done plenty of things he isn’t proud of.  He sees Jesus’ holiness and knows that he simply doesn’t measure up.  His family doesn’t measure up.  His sick servant doesn’t measure up.  His self-awareness and humility are probably the most incredible part of the passage for me. 

How many of us would feel worthy having Jesus in our home?  What would our hesitations be? 

Jesus, of course, is amazed by his faith.  Jesus has all these Jewish disciples, Pharisees, and others around him.  It’s the faith of the Roman centurion that he lifts up.  I wonder if the others feel a bit slighted. 

Faith in Jesus can often come from unexpected places.  I remember when I worked more closely with homeless individuals that some of them had amazing, genuine, real faith.  When have you seen faith in Jesus come from unexpected places?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki