February 2 - Matthew 8:1-13, 9:1-8 - "Better than Better"

MPC 2nd February 2020.

Phil Campbell

Hey, as a culture, we're fixated by the issue of health, aren't we? Just pause sometime and take in the news.

I mean, it's not every week that we're being hunted down by the Corona virus, I know. But the fact is, it leads every bulletin.

And that's just the start. Watching the news Tuesday night on Channel Nine, after the Corona virus story we find out there's an unhealthy level of salt in the snacks we're putting in kids lunch boxes. Health alert. Watch out for the muffins and banana bread.

And then the story of a drug trial that's showing promise in treating early onset Alzheimer's. Which if it pays off is great news for anyone living with it. They interviewed the daughter of a lady on the trial, her daughter said, she's reading again. Doing puzzles again. She said it's made such a difference. Because now there's hope.

And then after the ad break. A new treatment for Parkinson's disease. Which I'm sure is welcome news to our friend Joe up the road and anyone else who's suffering.

Now I'm not raising those things to minimise how exciting it is to be living in an age of medical progress.

And I'm not for a minute wanting to minimise the huge challenge we all face when we come up against untreatable illness. Longing. For something new. Trying every new doctor with every new idea. Like the woman Pete spoke about last Sunday.

I'm not at all minimising that. But just pointing out as a sample from the Tuesday night news our level of interest. Our fascination. With being well. With getting better. If we're not well. Or we fear that one day we might not be. Which - sorry to break it to you - is a pretty realistic fear.

Now I want to put it to you that in the time of Jesus, things were no different. Because as you might have noticed in our reading I suspect the single biggest reason Jesus draws a crowd is that he has a reputation as a healer.

And there's a reason for that. Because as we heard from Pete last week, he was astonishing.

This morning we're in Matthew chapter 8.

ENCOUNTERING JESUS

Our summer series called Encountering Jesus.

And you can see there's a load of people desperate for an encounter with Jesus. Because they want to be healed.

The American pastor Tim Keller say a survey of religious beliefs in America shows that most Americans live by what he calls moralistic therapeutic deism. A made up religion that says Jesus just wants me to feel better; that says, I'll be moral and go to church now and then. And it's his part of the deal to bless me. It's his job to meet my needs.

And the rest of the time I'll just ignore him.

Patrick from Kenya, you might have met him here the last couple of weeks, was telling me that back home so many churches are teaching exactly that idea. That Jesus will make you wealthy and well. But you'll find it here in Brisbane too.

Which again is maybe understandable. When you see what he can do.

Here in Matthew chapter 8 and 9 there's an astonishing array of healings . Which means there's an ever growing crowd.

It starts small. Jesus has come down from the mountain; the sermon on the mount. But instead of the place buzzing about what he's just said; it's buzzing about what he can do. Right here, right now. To fix stuff. Though the leper in verse 2 might be close to the mark; because in Jewish culture leprosy has always been kind of symbolic. Unclean.

A leper, saying, Lord if you are willing you can make me clean.

Maybe even without the leprosy. Even without the symbolism of a stained body. That's something you'd love too. All the old messes. The guilt. The bad decisions. Wiped up.

Then from verse 5 there's the centurion saying, Lord, my servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible pain. Jesus says will I come and heal him? And the centurion says, just say the word. That'll do.

Which Jesus does. amazed at his faith. Go. And it's done.

Next it's Peter's mother-in-law; who's lying in bed with a fever... and he heals her with a touch.

Verse 15. The fever leaves her. And she gets up to cook dinner.

A touch. A word. A touch. Is all it takes.

And so when evening comes it's no surprise that word is spreading; there's a healer in town.

And so now all kinds of people are there outside. Verse 16: Murmuring. did you hear what he's doing.

Read it. "And when evening came many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all the sick."

Which might make you think that's what he's here for. Certainly draws a crowd, if that's what he wants. Hundreds. Screaming for his attention. wanting an encounter with Jesus. To bring them relief.

And yet do you notice in verse 18 a strange thing? When Jesus sees the twilight crowd getting bigger and bigger, he says to his disciples, get me outa here. Right over to the other side of the lake.

Which is kind of odd. If Jesus has come to be a healer. A therapeutic messiah.

And yet if you're thinking Jesus just came to make us more comfortable, if Jesus just came to fix the body work; maybe you're mistaken.

Which reminds me of my cousin's husband who I saw at our family reunion last year. He's 72 years old, and I'm not kidding, he looks about 45. And I said to him, you're in amazingly good nick for your age. And he said, yeah, but don't be deceived, the body looks okay, but the suspension and the engine are a mess.

And yet Jesus has come for something bigger than the body work. And better than a suspension upgrade. Something better than just getting better.

Which you get a hint of if you back up a verse. And take a look at verse 17, which is a quote from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. And at first glance it's going to confirm what the crowd's wanting. He's the ultimate healer.

"This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah," verse 17; "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Quoting Isaiah 53 verse 4. Famous, famous Old Testament prophecy from the most famous prophet of all Isaiah.

And at this point you're thinking see, he did come to heal everyone... but here's a tip. Whenever there's a quote like that, make sure you go back and read it in context.

Because when you do, the picture gets bigger. And it turns out there's the promise of something better than just getting well.

Let me put it on the screen. At least the next verse. Here's what Matthew quotes. Isaiah 54 verse 3. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Now get the next bit...

yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Now get what he's saying. There might be plenty of sick Israelites. Everywhere you look, unclean skin diseases, fevers, demons driving people crazy. And Jesus gets that. And he steps into that and he touches it and he carries it and he takes it on board. But do you notice the real ailment of Israel, the real infirmities, they're in that second bit.

It's... their transgressions. The way they've constantly stepped over God's line. Their iniquities. Their acts of evil.

In other words, their uncleanness of heart. Their guilt. Before a holy God.

I'm not even sure we use words like transgression and iniquity any more. The only thing wrong these days is to tell someone they're wrong. There's no transgression. There's no crossing the line from what's right to what's wrong. We just wipe out the line.We just redefine stuff to say everything's okay. As long as you don't affect me.

I mean, sure it's a sin if someone backs into your car in the car-park and doesn't leave their details. But somehow it's not a sin if you do it, is it? After all, so expensive; leave your number and you'll have to pay something. They've got insurance.

And the same with lies. And cheating. And promise breaking. And marriage vows. Just do what suits. Whatever you like. Whatever feels good.

See, that was Israel as well. And God said to them you've crossed the line over and over again. And there's hell to pay.

And yet instead of wiping you out, I'll send my servant to mend you. My servant who'll touch all your uncleanness without becoming unclean himself. Who'll take on all your mess. Without become messed up.

And then will be pierced... for your transgressions. In other words, they'll nail him. For your arrogance and lies and deceptions and perversions and pretensions. This blameless and innocent servant of god. Crushed for youriniquities which the dictionary defines as gross injustices. As well as all your minor ones.

When this suffering servant comes, says Isaiah, taking up your sicknesses will just be a start. That's just the small stuff. The warm up.

The big one is, he's going to deal with your sin.

Which if you've had to spend most of your life in a wheelchair, or you've got a chronic condition that you really want fixed, or if the chemo's stopped working might not be exactly what you've been wanting to hear.

Like the guy on the mat at the start of chapter 9. Here's the encounter with Jesus that's our focal point.

Look at him. Jesus has been across the other side on the boat; he's calmed a storm. With a word. Not intimidated by the two demon possessed guys who were so vicious nobody else could pass by; drives the demons out with a word.

And now he's back home in chapter 9, and some guys bring him a quadriplegic on a mat. A guy who can't walk. Can't move. Totally depending on his friends.

And when Jesus sees how much those friends trust him, when he sees how they're relying on him to do something great, when he sees their confidence that he can do even more than they can imagine... take a look at chapter 9 verse 2:

When Jesus sees their faith he says to the guy on the mat, "Take heart." Great news. "Cheer up! Son, your sins are forgiven!"

To which the guy of course is saying to himself, yeah great. Paralysed. Can't even do most of the sins I want to. Can't even move. What do I need that for? As useful as the soccer ball they gave me for Christmas.

But can you see that for Jesus, at least, this is priority number 1.This is better than better.

Where is it for you? In your own encounter with Jesus? The priority of being forgiven. What is it you're looking for? Because sin's real.

You can imagine it away, you can define it away; but stop and look at yourself.

For Jesus, a solution to that sin problem is what he's living for, and more than that, that's what he's about to die for. That's what he's going to be pierced for like a display butterfly. On the cross. Taking a punishment that's not his own. By his stripes. His whipping. We're set free. that's the healing Isaiah's talking about.

He's not here just to fix a guy's muscles so he can walk from a few years before he's crippled again by arthritis and old age like the rest of us; it's to win his eternity.

Take heart son, yoursins are forgiven.

And the teachers of the law... get angry.

Who does he think he is, saying that? Saying your sins are forgiven. Talking as if he's God. Blaspheming. At which point Jesus, knowing exactly what they're thinking, says, let me demonstrate. who I think I am.

Verse 5,

Which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven? Or get up and walk?

It's easier to say "your sins are forgiven", because nobody's going to see anything different. Maybe a little look of relief as you're washed clean on the inside and the guilt is gone. Not the hard look in your eyes any more.

But hard to test scientifically, isn't it?

Saying get up and walk. Well, harder to say that and be convincing I guess isn't it? For you or me. Because if I say it, nothing's going to happen. And that's going to be very obvious.

But Jesus says to the paralysed guy, just so they know it's not cheap talk, just to prove he can do the other bigger thing, he says to the guy, get up, take your mat, and go home.

And he does.

And the crowd's filled with fear and amazement.

Which is exactly the right way to be when you're face to face with Jesus.

Fear I think because it's dawned on them not just that he can fix bodies. But that he actually can forgive sins.

He really can say what only God can say. And it's not blasphemy. Simply because it's true.

See the law teachers were right. It is blasphemous, if it's not true.

You come over to me, you say, "I backed into Pete's car in the car-park", and I say, "Don't worry, I forgive you... " - it's rude, really, isn't it? Not my car. Not mine to forgive.

So the mystery is, how does Jesus get to say this paralysed guy, the wrongs you've done against God... they're forgiven. Only God can say that. Think about that for a while and let it dawn on you.

You might be pretty comfortable living as if you yourself are the most important being in the universe. Which is what we do. Even though we're just tiny little specks on a tiny little planet in a huge universe that God made. Do you get the audacity of that? You might think your biggest problem is your sore knee. If only someone could fix it. Or your Parkinson's. If only that drug trial works.

And yet Jesus says the bigger thing he's come to do is forgive your sins. That he's got the authority to do that. And start cleaning up all the mess that's flowed from it as you've made yourself the centre of everything at the expense of everyone else. As you've bent the truth for your own advantage, because you're worth it. As you've turned your back on promises. Because you felt like it.

Jesus comes to put things right with God. And as you read further in any of the gospels, you can watch and see as he's wounded for your transgressions. And bruised for your iniquities. at the cross.

If you're new to MPC and if you haven't worked this stuff through yet, can I say to you, it's the very centre of what we're about. It's about finding that forgiveness and new start with God. And learning what it's going to mean to live with God's help as forgiven people.

People used to queue for miles for a new model iPhone. People queue for half a block in the city for a new sushi restaurant. You'd go on a waiting list for months and pay anything if someone offers to fix your cancer. And if it works, it's headline news.

Here's a guy who encounters Jesus, broken. And goes home not just walking. But with his sins forgiven as well. In the scope of eternity... which one's bigger?

Jesus said, what does it advantage you if you gain the world. You walk, you run, you shop 'til you drop; you're successful in every possible way. And then you die. And meet your Maker. What does it advantage you if you gain the world. But lose your soul?

Maybe for you that's the encounter with Jesus you need today. It won't make the headline news. It won't make everything better. But it will see you go home this morning forgiven. With new life. Which in the long run is something far better than better. Something far better than well.

If that doesn't make sense to you, come and chat to me afterwards. Or chat with Doug. Or one of our elders. Because this is square one in the Christian faith. This is first and foremost what Jesus came for. And this is what we need most. Whether you think so or not.

Table of Contents

February 2 - Matthew 8:1-13, 9:1-8 - "Better than Better"

ENCOUNTERING JESUS