Matthew 8:1-17
The service of the Lord in love and righteousness follows on from His teaching. We come first to three miracles of healing. The leper in v. 2 knows the power of the Lord Jesus. But he doubts His love: "If thou wilt, thou canst . . ." The Lord Jesus is indeed willing, and heals him (Hosea 11:3).
The centurion of Capernaum makes his approach with a two-fold feeling: the all powerful authority of the Lord, and his own unworthiness. "Speak the word only". The Lord Jesus wonders at this exceptional faith, and it causes Him to rejoice. He presents it as an example to His followers, and it surely humbles us.
Finally it is necessary for the Master to act even in the family circle of His own followers. He heals the mother-in-law of His disciple, Peter.
The Lord Jesus did not deal with those who were ill in the same way as doctors, who examine the patient, make a diagnosis, write a prescription and then go away. He was not satisfied just to heal them. He Himself "took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses", going back to their source, which is sin. He has felt all the weight, all its bitterness (John 11:35). Such sympathy is even more precious than the deliverance itself. It is the experience of many Christians in time of illness.