THE WORKS OF THE KING (Matthew 8)

THE WORKS OF THE KING (Matthew 8)

H. A. IRONSIDE

In all His works of power Jesus Christ was but telling out His personal glory.  

Had Israel been right with God disease would have had no place among them (Ex. 15:26). Every sick person in Palestine was a sad testimony to the fallen condition of the favored nation. Everywhere Jesus went He found men and women suffering from illnesses of various kinds. Each one pictured the consequences of sin in one form or another.

Leprosy speaks of the uncleanness and loathsomeness of sin. It is a constitutional disease which wrought fearful havoc in the bodies of its victims, even as sin works havoc in the souls of those who are under its power. 

  MATTHEW 8:5-13 - Here we find a Roman centurion, evidently one who had come to know the God of Israel, whose servant was sick of the palsy. In this paralyzed man we have a picture of the helplessness of the sinner. And such was the condition of all of us until grace saved us. It was while we were yet without strength that Christ’s death availed for us. 

  MATTHEW 8:10-13 - Such confidence rejoiced the heart of Jesus. In Israel He had not found such trustfulness. He saw in this an earnest of the great Gentile harvest yet to be gathered in, when believing sinners out of all nations should join with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in giving glory to God. But many of “the children of the kingdom”—those who by national birth were the seed of Abraham but lacked Abraham’s faith—would be rejected and should go into the outer darkness, to be shut out of the joys of the kingdom for which they had waited so long. For them there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth: the one speaking of the grief they would suffer, and the other speaking of the resentfulness of their hearts, indicating that they would remain unrepentant.

  When Jesus rebukes the fever of sin, service becomes a joy and life a glad experience. 

  Jesus is the all-sufficient One, in whom are infinite resources to meet every emergency. Nothing ever takes Him by surprise, and no need is too great to bring to His attention. His life on earth was the manifestation of divine love and compassion, giving to men an altogether new understanding of the goodness of God and His care for His children. And what He was on earth He is in the glory: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). He does not always exert His power in the same manner, but nothing ever alters His concern for His own. His was unlimited power. 

  MATTHEW 8:24 - Although the sea of Galilee is but a small body, yet because of its position deep down between high hills, it is subject to sudden storms of great intensity, caused by shifting air-strata and heavy winds coming through the passes with tremendous velocity. These storms come up very quickly and often with scarcely any warning. 

  “What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29) While there is a great mystery about demon possession, it is evident that these are fallen spirits under Satan’s domination. They have not yet been confined in hell, but are able to control men and women to their ruin. They knew Jesus at once and recognized Him as the Judge who is to pronounce their final doom. From this they shrank and recoiled with horror. 

  Is demon possession possible today? Unquestionably it is. There are many authentic cases of this terrible affliction related by servants of Christ who have come in contact with it. Particularly is this true in pagan lands where Satan holds supreme sway. When the gospel comes in, the powers of hell rally to fight against the message of the cross. There are many instances of the casting out of demons, and the complete deliverance of those who have been under their power. 

   God finds delight in ministering to the needs of His creatures, and in delivering them from the distressing circumstances that fill their souls with fear, and freeing them from the enthrallment of Satan, whatever form it may take. Because Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, His works are the works of God, and ever manifest the divine interest in and attitude toward men. We need to learn to confide in Him more fully, and as we do, we shall know by practical experience how real and how definite is His concern for those who trust His love and count upon the exercise of His power. Jesus is the exact expression of the divine character (literal rendering, Heb. 1:3), and in His activities of grace we see God’s heart revealed.