Bible Reading
Matthew 8:1-17:
1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4And 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.
5And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8The 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.
9For 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.
10When 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.
11And 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.
12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13And 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.
14And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
16When 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:
17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Devotional
When we or our loved ones are ill, we should rejoice in the compassion and power of our Saviour. The experiences through which we pass may be very painful; we may at times feel greatly shaken; and we may be anxious and fearful. But we have a Great Physician who is always near, a sympathizing, understanding, and loving Saviour and God. He loved us enough to suffer and die in our place for our sins. And He surely does not forget and forsake us when we are in need. His love and power surround us at all times.
When Peter's wife's mother was sick of a fever, our Lord touched her hand and the fever left her, and she arose and was able to minister to them. Today He hears the prayers of His suffering children and comes to their aid. He is with them every moment in the sick room. His infallible Word brings comfort to their souls. He makes use of the skill of physicians and nurses and employs other means to heal them. He is sovereign in heaven and in earth. If it is His will that His children be restored, He will bring about their restoration as surely as He delivered Peter's wife's mother from the fever when He touched her hand. And His children may be assured that when the time comes for them to leave this present evil world, He will gather them as Iambs in His mighty arms and will carry them in His bosom.
Welcome to "Think on These Things," a twelve-week daily devotional prepared by the late Dr. John H. Skilton, an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and for many years Chairman of the New Testament Department at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia.
We are indebted to P & R Publishing and Skilton House Ministries for permission to use this copyrighted material on the OPC Web site. (P & R held the copyright from 1975 to 2005, at which time they reassigned the copyright to Skilton House.)
