{"id":863,"date":"2021-09-28T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=863"},"modified":"2021-09-23T18:00:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T00:00:03","slug":"using-our-pain-matthew-8-1-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/using-our-pain-matthew-8-1-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Our Pain: Matthew 8:1-4"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 8:1-4 (NCV)<\/div>
\r\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. 2\u00a0<\/sup>Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, \u201cLord, you can heal me if you will.\u201d<\/p>

3\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, \u201cI will. Be healed!\u201d And immediately the man was healed from his disease. 4\u00a0<\/sup>Then Jesus said to him, \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show the people what I have done.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 8:1-4<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Early on in Jesus\u2019 ministry, we learn about a miracle He did for a man with a skin disease. Matthew\u2019s gospel places this event after Jesus\u2019 famous \u201cSermon on the Mount\u201d, and specifically as Jesus was coming down from the hill.<\/p>\r\n

What makes this healing unique in my mind is what it says about the man requesting healing, and more importantly, what this healing says about Jesus\u2019 character towards those who are hurting. Matthew sets up this event by writing, \u201cWhen Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, \u2018Lord, you can heal me if you will.\u2019<\/strong>\u201d (v. 1-2)<\/p>\r\n

The thing that I find amazing about this request is that the man is completely open to the possibility that Jesus might not<\/em> want to make him well. He acknowledges Jesus\u2019 healing power, but he also recognizes that there might be a purpose for his condition that God wants to still use. In a very unique and spiritually mature way, this man, through his request, is open to whatever God\u2019s will is for his body, whether it is to continue living with disease, or whether it is healing.<\/p>\r\n

However, in response to the man\u2019s request, Matthew tells us that, \u201cJesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, \u201cI will. Be healed!\u201d And immediately the man was healed from his disease.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 3)<\/p>\r\n

This miracle is amazing in my mind because it tells me that God\u2019s first plan for all of us (we could call this \u201cHis will\u201d) is that none of us are sick. The man asks what God\u2019s will is regarding him being healed and the response is both quick and clear that God wants to make him well.<\/p>\r\n

But this might not be the case for everyone. In the world today, sometimes there are people who get sick and they don\u2019t get better. Sometimes sickness ultimately leads to death. This passage clearly states that this is not<\/em> God\u2019s will (i.e. God\u2019s first plan), but it does allow for God to use the place we are in for His glory.<\/p>\r\n

Perhaps He wants to plant a seed or leave an impression on a doctor or nurse through interacting with you, or maybe He has a divine appointment in mind with a fellow patient. God may even be protecting us from something worse. It\u2019s truly hard to know in the moment what God\u2019s reasons are, but whatever reasons He has, chances are that we won\u2019t be as aware of them in the moment as we will be when we are looking back later.<\/p>\r\n

When we look back on our lives, even if it is looking back from heaven\u2019s perspective, things usually look clearer. We are better able to see how God directed His will through our pain to bring about His glory. It is never God\u2019s will to make or keep anyone sick, but while sin exists in the world, God is able to use sickness that comes for His glory.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Early on in Jesus\u2019 ministry, we learn about a miracle He did for a man with a skin disease. Matthew\u2019s gospel places this event after Jesus\u2019 famous \u201cSermon on the Mount\u201d, and specifically as Jesus was coming down from the hill. What makes this healing unique in my mind is what it says about the […]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-text"],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":false,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"\nUsing Our Pain: Matthew 8:1-4 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/using-our-pain-matthew-8-1-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using Our Pain: Matthew 8:1-4 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Early on in Jesus\u2019 ministry, we learn about a miracle He did for a man with a skin disease. 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