Touching the Untouchable
Matthew 8:1-4
Sermon – announces his authority – then his actions back it up. "The purpose of Matthew in these two chapters [8 and 9]
is to offer the credentials of the Messiah as predicted in the Old Testament."
We’ve heard Jesus speak, now we’re going to see him act. In the next few lessons we are going to see him demonstrate
his power > his ability to heal > his authority over his disciples > his authority over nature > more supernatural power >
his authority over his critics > his ability to restore things > his compassion > commissions his disciples > sends them out
> eventually > CONFLICT & eventually REJECTION.
1 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and
knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out and
touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to
him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in
the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been
cleansed.”
-The rest of the story-
Mark 1:45 But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds
soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but
people from everywhere kept coming to him.
CROWDS
1) V1 Why do you think large crowds followed Jesus?
He had good news for them.
QUESTION: What was his good news? How to live the good life. Specifically – the beatitudes (how to have a happy
outlook/disposition), there is purpose even in persecution, identity – salt and light, how to pray
He spoke directly to tough subjects.
QUESTION: What tough subjects? The need to be “right”, anger, sexual immorality, divorce, lying, dealing with
enemies, approval addiction.
He spoke directly to daily life issues.
QUESTION: What daily life issues? How to pray , how to fast, what’s worth treasuring, worry, judging, when to and
when not to give advice,
Summed up: The Golden Rule
He spoke with authority. He knew what he was talking about. He didn’t sound like a typical religious person of the day.
2) Why are many people not even part of the crowd (like the crowd that followed Jesus around,) not even curious
about Jesus? (the unaware, the walking around looking around)
Comfortable like they are, no real physical needs, heads too full of stuff to consider God, injured/hurt and don’t trust
anyone, especially God, they are following the crowd, they are letting other desires (good and bad) be their leader, high.
What can we do? Pray, live it out, wait for the Spirit to give us the opportunity (pigs and pearls)
3) For people in the crowd who need God’s “healing” and believe there is a God, and he is ultimately in control, what
keeps them from trusting God with their lives and their eternity? (the partially aware)
Comfortable like they are, no real physical needs, heads too full of stuff to consider God, injured/hurt and don’t trust
anyone, especially God, they are following the crowd, they are letting other desires (good and bad) be their leader, high.
What can we do? Pray, live it out, wait for the Spirit to give us the opportunity (pigs and pearls)
VIDEO – CHOSEN Jesus heals the leper.
(Finally, the aware and hopeful, hurting, curious, searching – IN NEED OF GOD)
THE ONE IN NEED OF HEALING
4) V2 the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Did the leper believe Jesus could heal
him? Why do you think the man was not sure Jesus would heal him?
Yes, he believed Jesus could heal him.
The man had faith in Jesus' ability to heal him. He may have heard about and perhaps seen others whom Jesus had healed.
His reservation was Jesus' willingness to use His power to heal him. The leper probably supposed that a Jewish teacher
like Jesus would probably not want to have anything to do with him, since to do so would render Jesus ritually unclean.
When you graduate and are no longer living your addition day in and day out, you will find that: People are learning to
“live comfortably” without God. Rather than being met with a wall of hostility, Christians are mostly being met with a
wall of indifference and perceived irrelevance.
5) In light of the paragraph above, what will you tell your friends/co-workers about your relationship with God who
are still struggling with addiction?
Pigs and pearls? Continue below.
6) In light of the paragraph above, what will you tell your friends/co-workers who are not struggling with addiction?
Q5-6 VERY IMPORTANT: Much of the church’s outreach over the last 60 years has been based on a few assumptions
that are less and less true every year: THERE’S BEEN A HUGE SHIFT
Young adults will return to church when they have kids.
People will turn to God when they hit a crisis.
Most people will come back to what they left when they were young.
When people have spiritual needs, they will look to the church to fulfill them.
Instead, here’s what we see as increasingly true among unchurched people who are learning to live comfortably without
God:
1-Affluence (even many of our poor are affluent from a global perspective) has left people with a sense they have all they
need to face life.
2-People don’t always turn to God in a crisis; they honestly don’t think the church can help.
3-You can only come back to something you knew; when you are on your second or third generation of ‘unchurched’,
there is nothing to come back to for many people.
4-Personalized, google-able spirituality doesn’t demand the assistance of anyone or anything else.
As Jesus followers we get to tell others about “the good life!.”
TABLE QUESTION: How can we reach a growing number of people who are learning to live comfortably without God?
1. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Jesus was deeply relational, and it seems he liked relationships with people outside the ‘church’ more than he liked
hanging around people inside the ‘church’. Salt only realizes its purpose if it gets out of the box and into the food it needs
to season. You can’t influence people you don’t know.
2. SPEAK TO SUCCESS, NOT JUST FAILURE
In your conversation, if you are only prepared to speak to people in their moments of weakness and despair, you’re going
to miss a big chunk of people.
If every example you share is of someone in a crisis or who has deep problems, you will never connect with people who
like their lives or who have decent marriages, even without God. That kind of talk is also a bit of a repellant.
What might you say? A few ideas:
i. Assume people are doing their best. The derogatory and condescending caricatures of unchurched people by some
Christians are just insulting…especially if you have unchurched people in the room. Most people are doing their best.
They really are. If you start with acknowledging that and empathizing with them, they will accept your challenge at the
end. Even value it.
iii. Respect their intelligence. Most people have done some homework. Often quite extensive. They believe what they
believe or don’t believe for what they see as good reasons. When you respect them, they are more likely to respect you
and your views. (Know what you believe and why!)
It sounds challenging, and it is, BUT, we have a great opportunity to differentiate, to show, what it’s like “to be a
good person, to live the good life,” to be a Jesus follower. BY HOW WE LIVE, besides living a life not defined as
sinful, but by how treat people, we handle a crisis, whether we are giver or takers, being salt, being light, being
part of a church that is relevant to the community – a city set on a hill..
BACK TO YOU AND ME:
QUESTION: to think about: What does it take for me to become aware of God, his presence, his desire for me to know
him intimately, to trust him with everything, to turn it all over to him? (Initially and as a pattern of life)
CHALLENGE: to think about “WHO IS YOUR UNTOUCHABLE?” Will you touch them?
THE HEALER
7) V3 Jesus begins to show his credentials. Credentials are a qualification, achievement, personal quality, or aspect of
a person, typically when used to indicate that they are suitable for something. What credential does Jesus show his
disciples in these verses? What does this credential say that Jesus is “suitable” for?
His credential was his ability to heal.
Jesus is suitable: to definitely “check out” for starters > may lead to be someone I want to follow > to be someone I want
to really know > to pattern my life after > to depend on (completely.) SUITABLE TO BE GOD.
THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL THING TO DO: Who is Michael Buble’ and who does he pattern himself after? Frank
Sinatra, tries Michael Jackson but couldn’t dance. Dian? Karen Carpenter Mike Prince? Would love to sing like John
Fogerty of CCR.
We often pattern ourselves after people. Sometimes we’re unaware. Example – parent, cool friend. Sometimes we do it
on purpose: an athlete, a singer, a musician, a teacher, a coach.
THE CHALLENGE
THE CROWD – move past being a follower. Take the next step
THE ONE IN NEED OF HEALING – know you need “healing,” become a follower and a sharer.
THE HEALER – we never “graduate” from being “IN NEED OF HEALING.” BUT, become more like the HEALER?
Me? Really? Yes, you!