Matthew 8

Chapter 8

8:2 ¹ And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

(1) Christ in healing the leprous with the touch of his hand, shows that he abhors no sinners that come unto him, be they ever so unclean.

8:5 ² And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

(2) Christ by setting before them the example of the uncircumcised centurion and yet of an excellent faith, provokes the Jews to jealousy, and together forewarns them of their being cast off and the calling of the Gentiles.

8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall ^a sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

(a) A metaphor taken of banqueters, for they that sit down together are fellows in the banquet.

8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into ^b outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(b) Who are outside the kingdom: For in the kingdom is light, and outside the kingdom is darkness.

8:14 ³ And when Jesus was come into Peters house, he saw his wifes mother laid, and sick of a fever.

(3) Christ, in healing many diseases, shows that he was sent by his Father, that in him only we should seek remedy in all our miseries.

8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed ^c all that were sick:

(c) Of all sorts.

8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the ^d other side.

(d) For Capernaum was situated upon the lake of Tiberias.

8:19 ⁴ And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

(4) The true disciples of Christ must prepare themselves for all kinds of miseries.

8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] ^e nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.

(e) Literally, "shades made with boughs".

8:21 ⁵ And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

(5) When God requires our labour, we must cease all our duty to men.

8:23 ⁶ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

(6) Although Christ often seems to neglect his own, even in most extreme dangers, yet in due time he calms all tempests, and brings his own to the haven.

8:28 ⁷ And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

(7) Christ came to deliver men from the miserable enslavement of Satan: but the world would rather go without Christ, than the vilest and least of their conveniences.

8:30 And there was ^f a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.

(f) On a hill, as Mark and Luke witness: Now Gederah, as Josephus records, book seventeen chapter thirteen, lived after the order of the Greeks and therefore we must not be surprised if there were swine there.

8:34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would ^g depart out of their coasts.

(g) Where men live as swine, there Christ does not abide, but demons.