Matthew 8 Commentary

Large crowds follow after Jesus. A leper comes to Him, asking to be made clean. Jesus touches and miraculously heals the leper instantly. This is Matthew’s first specific account of Jesus miraculously healing someone.

Matthew gives his second account of a specific miracle of Jesus. Jesus heals the servant of a Roman centurion of great faith. Jesus marvels at this centurion’s faith and makes an important and stunning point to His disciples: Gentiles who have faith will participate in the kingdom of heaven alongside the patriarchs, while the sons of the kingdom who lack faith will lose rewards, and be excluded from being honored.

Matthew records his third account of a specific miracle. Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. Later that evening some people bring Him many who were demon-possessed. Jesus frees them from their spiritual bondage. Matthew points out that these instances and others is a direct fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4. This is the tenth time Matthew has said Jesus fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah.

As the crowds gather around Jesus, He gives orders to His disciples to go “to the other side” of the sea of Galilee where the Gentiles live. Two disciples come to Him, one who expresses willingness to follow, the other who mentions an obligation.

Jesus gets into the boat to go to the other side of the sea and His disciples follow Him. As they cross the sea, a great storm arises and threatens to sink their boat and drown them all. Jesus is fast asleep. The disciples wake Him and ask Him to save them.

Jesus and His disciples arrive on the other side of the sea on the eastern shore in the Greco-Roman province called the Decapolis. Two violent, demon-possessed men come out to meet them and shout at Jesus, calling Him the "Son of God." Jesus casts these demons into a herd of swine. The swine run off a cliff into the sea and to their deaths. When this is reported to the inhabitants of the city of Gadarenes, the entire city comes out to see Jesus and beg him to go away.