Bible Study on Matthew 8, verses 18 to 22, let the dead bury their dead

 

Matthew 8:18 ¶  Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19  And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20  And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21  And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

 

This scribe swears that he will follow Christ anywhere and Christ replies with the fact that He, as the Messiah of the Jewish people, indeed of the world, has no home. This suggests that the scribe better think of the cost before he writes a check with his words that his actions can’t cash. Here is the cost of following Christ in another passage;

 

Luke 14:25 ¶  And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

 

Matthew 8:22 is a significantly important statement about how the Jews of that time were spiritually dead. This is a stark condemnation of their spiritual state. According to John Gill, who preached in Spurgeon’s church a hundred years before him the Jews counted the sinner as dead and spoke of them, even while alive, as dead.

 

The phrase Son of man links Christ to Daniel 7:13.

 

Daniel 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

 

It is the Messiah in His human form as fully man just as He is fully God as the Son of God.

 

Bible Study on Genesis 38, verses 1 to 11, the ordeal of Tamar

 

Genesis 38:1 ¶  And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2  And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3  And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4  And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. 5  And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. 6  And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7  And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. 8  And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9  And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10  And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. 11  Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

If you recall, the excuse that Rebekah used for sending Jacob away was the concern about the daughters of Heth, Canaanite women, from whom Esau selected his wives. Here, Judah, who we now know as being in Christ’s genealogy rather than his elder brother Reuben, has relations with a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shuah. She bore him three sons; Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah arranged a wife for Er, named Tamar, but God killed Er who was wicked.

Judah’s command to Onan to father children by his dead brother’s wife comes to us in a modern word for the system called a Levirate. In a society where women have no political and little economic power this system can provide a protector and offspring, a male child being the only support in old age for a widow. More importantly to Judah and Onan in this culture the system provides for a man’s physical lineage to continue by his brother being a proxy. Compare, if you will, the similar action of a woman providing her maid as a surrogate wife to bear children for her husband as we have already discussed. The Levirate has been practiced in several African cultures, as well.

Onan resented his duty to provide offspring in his brother’s place and practiced a form of birth control we call Coitus Interruptus but has been known, because of this Bible character, as Onanism, named after Onan, came to mean any sexual act that was not meant to produce offspring. This even was carried over into birth control which was considered a sin in parts of our culture still not long ago. Onan’s unwillingness to obey his father invoked God’s displeasure. Onan clearly knew that Er was the firstborn and any child considered his would be the heir of Er and his father, Judah’s, wealth, in the main. We see later in the Law given to Moses how standards of long practice are confirmed by God. In this case the Levirate will be called for in the Law given to Moses.

Deuteronomy 25:5 ¶  If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. 6  And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. 7  And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother. 8  Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; 9  Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. 10  And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

This is evident in the book of Job, for instance, in seeing that people knew God’s standard long before the Law was given. Many of the Laws God gave to Moses were not new things but the reinforcement of old standards along with new commands separating the Hebrews from the behavior of the Canaanites.

Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, will come through Judah so there is some importance here that goes beyond simply rebelling against your father’s wishes so that you inherit all rather than your dead brother’s heir that you helped make.

God kills Onan. Who knows how? A heart attack, an aneurysm, or some other of the million or so ways that God uses to end our physical lives, takes him. Judah tells his unfortunate and perhaps traumatized daughter-in-law, Tamar, to live in his house until his youngest and only remaining son, Shelah, is old enough to secure an offspring. Now, the story gets even stranger, if that were possible. This story was certainly not invented by someone trying to glorify an ancestor or justify a leader’s position of authority. It is remarkably disgusting as some Bible stories tend to be. It certainly isn’t how you or I would write Christ’s lineage unless we were simply reporting the unpleasant and unvarnished truth.

One thing that this story represents is how God makes a plan out of the wreck and unseemly life you create for yourself. For all of your wickedness you cannot thwart God’s will.

Bible Study on Matthew 8, verses 14 to 17, the prophet Isaiah being fulfilled

 

Matthew 8:14 ¶  And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15  And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

 

Here is a reinforcement of the last passage with Jesus healing with a touch and a word and casting out devils. Peter’s mother-in-law is healed. Matthew tells us that this confirms and fulfills Isaiah when he writes;

 

Isaiah 53:4 ¶  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 

This confirms as well that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah explained in Isaiah.

 

   Isaiah 52:13 ¶  Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14  As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15  So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

 

    53:1 ¶  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 

    4 ¶  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

 

    10 ¶  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

See how Peter alludes to Isaiah 53:5;

 

5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 

1Peter 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Bible Study on Genesis 37, verses 31 to 36, Joseph sold in Egypt

 

Genesis 37:31 ¶  And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32  And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. 33  And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35  And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36  And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

Joseph’s coat of many colors is now used to present false evidence that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. As explained previously an evil beast would refer to an animal intent on violence. It would have nothing to do with a supposed moral condition. Evil in this context has to do with an intention of malice and violence, not sin.

The lie worked and Jacob is grieving and like Job, those close to him seek to comfort him to no avail. He states that he will go to his grave mourning for Joseph, who is sold by the traders to an Egyptian officer.

If we create in our minds a spiritual comparison to what happens to Joseph and what happened to Jesus, understanding that types rarely hold up on deep examination, we might muse that the Midianite traders taking Joseph out of the pit are like angels transporting the souls of the dead to their destination.

Luke 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

And we know that Jesus went to Hell, which Joseph’s destination, Egypt, is like in type, not to suffer but to preach. (see Deuteronomy 4:20; 1Kings 8:51; and Jeremiah 11:4 for Egypt as an iron furnace.)

1Peter 3:18 ¶  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Potiphar is said to be captain of the guard. The Hyksos were a group of Asiatic people who conquered Egypt in antiquity.[1] Some scholars call The Hyksos the Shepherd Kings. I contend, as some scholars do, and we’ll have Biblical evidence later in Exodus, that Joseph and his family came into Egypt under their reign. The Hyksos are said to have ruled through Egyptian vassals who would have worshipped the traditional gods of Egypt and, of course, longed for an Egyptian revival, hating anyone who represented the shepherd economy of Canaan, longing to reestablish authority over not only their own country but Canaan as well. This will explain a couple of statements we will find later in the Bible in other books.

Exodus 1:8  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

This native Egyptian pharaoh of Exodus, like the rest of the Egyptians, would have held the shepherds from the area of Canaan in great contempt and hatred. He, or his dynasty, would have reestablished authority over Canaan and so, when the Pharaoh and his army are destroyed in the Red Sea disaster Canaan’s cities would have been without their protector. The Amarna Letters give us an indication that the Canaanite cities were vassals of Egypt and were under great threat around the time of the Exodus without Pharaoh’s army to protect them.[2]

Number 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

These are just some ideas that will help you connect the dots, so to speak, in the Bible. Apparently, God doesn’t regard them as all that important as He provides no great explanation through Moses, but it is interesting to think about, nonetheless.

Verse 35 shows us that either Dinah was not Jacob’s only daughter or daughters could logically include daughters-in-law as in The Ancient City De Coulanges talks about how ancient custom required a woman to leave her family and join her husband’s family.

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[1] History World International, “The Hyksos,” http://history-world.org/hyksos.htm (accessed 3.5.3017).

 

[2] The History of Israel, “Amarna Letters,” http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/amarna-letters.html (accessed 3.5.2017).

 

Bible Study on Matthew 8, verses 5 to 13, I will come and heal him

 

Matthew 8:5 ¶  And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11  And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

 

A centurion was an officer in the Roman Army, the commander of a century, about 80 legionnaires. Centuries were grouped into cohorts under senior centurions.

 

The palsy is a reference to a form of paralysis (we saw in Matthew 4 and will see in Mark 2 instances of this.)

 

The Roman officer declares an important point about God’s sovereignty. God created the universe by a word, His Word, capital W, even, and controls the universe, the one spoken sentence, by His words. It is by Him that all things are held together.

 

Colossians 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

 

Christ’s authority and power is underscored elsewhere;

 

Luke 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power…36  And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

 

Matthew 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 

The centurion’s declaration leads Jesus to make an important point of prophecy for all of us Gentile Christians whose ancestors at this time were worshipping the dead, some of them practicing human sacrifice, worshipping trees, fire, water, and all manner of diverse vanities, living in utter and complete darkness.

 

Jesus declares that such faith is not found in Israel. This becomes one of the statements that open up the gospel and salvation to Gentiles, as in all of the people of the earth, not just the Jews.

 

Genesis 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

 

Genesis 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

 

Genesis 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

 

Psalm 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

 

Psalm 98:3  He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

 

Isaiah 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

 

Luke 13:29  And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

 

Acts 11:18  When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

 

Verse 13 has its parallels also. Here are a few examples. 13  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

 

John 4:50  Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

 

Matthew 9:29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

 

Matthew 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Bible Study on Genesis 37, verses 23 to 30, Joseph is sold by his brothers

 

Genesis 37:23 ¶  And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24  And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 25  And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26  And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27  Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29  And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30  And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

Joseph is now cast into a dry pit and they took off his coat of many colors much like Jesus’ garment was removed in Matthew 27:35 and John 19:23 although the similarity is limited to the removal only. Notice the difference in the nastiness of the dungeon Jeremiah will be thrown into in Jeremiah 38:6. It is then Judah, without Reuben present, who suggests they sell their brother to the Ishmaelite traders who are traveling to Egypt. This is done as an act of mercy as Judah says that it would be better to do this than to kill him. The brothers consent. This passage seems to indicate that the Midianites were also Ishmaelities; Midianites through Abraham’s wife, Keturah;

Genesis 25:1 ¶  Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2  And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

…and Ishmaelites through his concubine, Sarai’s handmaid, Hagar;

Genesis 16:15  And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

So, we see how quickly the genealogies of the Ancient Near East became muddled.

Joseph’s life was worth twenty pieces of silver to the traders. Jesus was betrayed for thirty. To Reuben’s dismay, when he returned from wherever he had gone not knowing about or approving the sale of Joseph, his brother was gone. Tearing one’s clothing was a sign of grief in the Ancient Near East as evident in many places throughout the Bible. Did not the Jewish authorities turn Christ over to the Romans out of envy and malice?

What was Reuben going to do now?

Bible Study on Matthew 8, verses 1 to 4, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean

 

Matthew 8:1 ¶  When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3  And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4  And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

 

Chapter 8 of Matthew is the one that calls into question my belief that the sermon in Luke 6 is a different sermon rather than a differently remembered account of the one here in Matthew. Here in Matthew, before Jesus encounters the Centurion’s sick servant he heals a leper. In Luke 7 He goes right to Capernaum and His encounter with the sick servant of the Centurion.

 

So, if it is true that the Sermon on the Mount is the same event in Matthew and in Luke then we come to a very important point of Biblical interpretation. These writers are going on the memory of eyewitnesses and participants of the importance and meaning of what Jesus said. We have the meaning, the points made, here in Matthew and Luke’s accounts (Matthew isn’t present until 9:9 and both were writing, I think, from the memories of others under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).

 

But different events are emphasized and different conditions are explained. When things happened in reference to others is not as important as the teachings given to us. Still, I am inclined to believe that these sermons were given at different times, even if only slightly different, due to the details. Think about that and pray. Most evangelicals believe they are the same sermon, just different recollections. Just remember you cannot read the Bible like you would your car owners’ manual. And if two people’s accounts on any historical event are exactly the same either they copied from each other or some scribe altered the content to make it match. Two accounts of the same event, especially if neither of the authors were actually present and they depended on witnesses, are going to have differences. It is only the error of modernism that forces us to treat the Bible accounts like the instruction manual for our computer.

 

We are reminded in this discussion that given by inspiration does not mean word for word dictation and even uses, not only the writing skills of the men who wrote, but their human memories. Keep in mind what God has said about inspiration.

 

Job 32:8  But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

 

2Peter 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

 

Keep in mind also that Matthew, an exacting collector and recorder of taxes, relates a very spiritual message while Luke is recounting eyewitness accounts he has gathered together. If they are the same sermon then we can use Matthew to define what is meant by Luke’s account and compare the two sermons carefully as Matthew’s thought is more complete.

 

What do you think? Do you believe they are the same sermon, just two different versions, or are they different sermons given at different times to different audiences?

 

Jesus is willing to heal the leper and the leper is willing to be healed. This is very important for us. We ask for healing, spiritual and physical, but are we willing to be healed? I remember a book by a pop-psychiatrist named M. Scott Peck. I think it was People of the Lie. He said, if I recall correctly, that he was amazed at the number of people with severe mental illness who clearly resisted the efforts to heal them. The leper was willing to be healed and Christ was willing to do the healing. Perfect arrangement. What about us?

 

Jesus tells the healed leper to go to the priest and follow the Law to be a testimony to the priests. See Leviticus, chapter 14. As one sermon possibility when we follow the rules and are not rebellious as Christians we testify to God’s power before those over us in authority. However, that is difficult in reality in today’s world where outright communists rule over us using a twisted definition of democracy as a cloak for their evil designs.

 

Another possible sermon illustration is that the Jews looked upon someone with leprosy as a shameful recipient of God’s particular displeasure, much like poverty was sometimes looked at in the past. Jesus was willing to heal even the outcasts of society as He is willing to save even the bottommost part of the social web.