Having finished His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus descends as crowds follow Him. A leper emerges and cries out for cleansing, which Jesus gives in His good will. In touching the leper, Jesus does not become unclean; instead, His cleansing flows to the leper. After Jesus enters Capernaum, a centurion approaches Jesus for healing for his servant. The centurion knows the authority of Jesus’ Word and so does not even ask Jesus to enter his house. Jesus marvels at the centurion’s faith and gives according to that faith.

Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 8:1-13.

To learn more about Trinity in Colby, visit trinitycolby.org.

“The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected]