SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
(Read my reflection from 2008)
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” [Matthew 8:27]
What kind of man is this Jesus?
Willing and able to heal a leper, but what is more, He touches him – shocking!
A man with authority to heal with a word, from a distance – amazing!
One who discourages would-be followers by setting the commitment bar very high.
And one who has authority even over the wind and the waves and the pigs!
What kind of man is this Jesus?

The sick and troubled came to Him out of eagerness and desperation for healing.
The centurion had a remarkable faith for a non-Jew.
Some people were interested in Jesus, but only to a point; the self-denial and commitment He required was too much for some.
The disciples seemed to have ‘little faith’ in the storm, though I empathize with them.
And the villagers, after seeing what Jesus did, pleaded with Him to leave.
What does one do with a man like this?
Some are drawn to Him, others are driven away from Him?
What kind of man is this Jesus?

The message of the bible is centered in this Jesus, God’s Messiah.
The old testament anticipates His coming, the new testament celebrates His coming.
He stands above every other hero in history; the best leaders and teachers that humanity has produced cannot touch Him.
He is a son of man (i.e. fully human) and the Son of God (i.e. fully God).
He is exactly the ‘hero’ (Messiah) we need.

Jesus is the key to history, to hope, to life.
The better we know Jesus, the better we will know God.
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [John 14:11]
This chapter (Matthew 8) presents the evidence of the miracles to impress on us what kind of man Jesus is – He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.
In fact, this is why all of the Gospels were written, that we might believe.
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. [John 20:30-31]
Will we believe like the centurion, lack faith like the disciples, turn away at the high cost of following Him, or plead with Him to leave?
Who do you say Jesus is?

PRAYER:
Lord, I am reminded today that You are the most important man in history, the unique Son of Man and Son of God, our only hope. I believe and choose to follow You!