October 4, 2024

Today's Reading: Matthew 8:1-17

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 4:21-40; Matthew 8:1-17

“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’” (Matthew 8:16-17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What if your health was an indication of your spiritual status? This was the general belief in the time of Jesus. If you were sick, it was most likely the direct result of a particular sin. Certain illnesses were even believed to put you outside the realm of salvation entirely. Leprosy was that kind of illness. Lepers could not be part of public society in any way. They were supposed to stay away from healers, and no one could touch a leper. Jesus not only heals the leper, but He touches him. Anyone witnessing this event would have been left with questions about the identity of Jesus. 

What about ethnic identity? The Jews were God’s people, and the Gentiles were not. Next, Jesus meets with a Roman Centurion. This, too, was a person considered to be outside the realm of salvation. Again, Jesus does the unexpected and agrees to come to the centurion’s house and heal his servant. Jews simply did not go into Gentile dwellings. The Centurion lets Jesus know that His word is sufficient, and Jesus praises him for his faith. Again, this leaves those who were there with questions about the identity of Jesus. Jesus then heals Simon’s mother-in-law, a normal Jewish woman. He goes from the surprising, even shocking, to the mundane. Again, Jesus' actions naturally lead to questions about His identity. 

Then, that evening, He casts out demons from many who were oppressed and heals all who were sick, and we finally are given the context to understand what Jesus has been doing and who He is. Jesus is the suffering servant mentioned by Isaiah. What Jesus is doing here is tied to the salvation of Israel and the ingathering of the Gentiles. What Jesus is doing here has to do with His mission as Messiah. In healing illness and casting out demons, He is showing that in Him, the redemption of Israel has arrived. In Him is the forgiveness of sins. In Him is the salvation of the whole world. There is nothing that lies outside of the realm of the salvation that Jesus brings. You are in the realm of Jesus’ salvation. No illness or ethnic identity is a barrier to the cross. Jesus has taken your illnesses and bore your diseases. You are free to rise up and serve Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

God loved the world so that He gave His only Son the lost to save, That all who would in Him believe Should everlasting life receive. (LSB 571:1)

-Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church Modesto, California.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

In Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.