We have seen last time that our Lord's teachings were generally sandwiched between
many miraculous signs and wonders that He had performed, which had served to authenticate
His teachings. His power over every aspect of life, served to affirm His ability to provide the
eternal life that He proclaimed could be found in Him, and in Him alone. And so, it is no
surprise then that the Sermon on the Mount itself, which proclaimed the true nature of all who
are in the Kingdom of God, in contradistinction to the impotent teaching and example of the
Scribes and Pharisees, was surrounded by a flood of miraculous healings performed by our Lord.
Last time, we considered our Lord's healing of a leper, when He had come down from the
mountain, with His disciples and a large multitude following Him. This morning, Matthew fasts
forward a bit, providing us with another sign of attestation, which our Lord had performed when
He had arrived at Capernaum. And here, we will see again, another glorious attestation of the
power and glory of Christ, as He graciously deals with a Gentile centurion, whose beloved
servant is mortally ill.
But, before we do this, I want to address a very important matter concerning the
recording of this event, when comparing Matthew's account to Luke's, who also addresses the
same event, but from a bit of a different angle. I want to spend time doing this, because sadly,
the faith of some has wavered over such matters, and non-Christians will highlight these types of
differences, suggesting that the Bible contradicts itself, when in fact such differences actually
serve to further substantiate the glorious unity and integrity of the Scriptures. |
