That upon which the Son of God fastened. as worthy of admiration was not the centurion's benevolence, nor his perseverance, but his faith. And so speaks the whole New Testament, giving a special dignity to faith. Our Lord found something unusual in this man's faith, which he contrasts with the faith he had already observed. Evidently this man had risen above the common ides or' faith, as a sort of magical influence, which required some personal touch, or the working of some charm, to the idea of a delegated power, depending only on the will of him who possessed it. The centurion's expectation of instant obedience to his lightest command enabled him to believe that Christ had a similar power and authority in relation to disease. Consider the requirement of faith.

I. THE PRIMARY DEMAND OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IS FAITH. Illustration in our Lord's demand from all those whom he healed. This is sometimes very evident; it is always present, though needing to be searched out. The first demand of Christianity may seem to be love; it is only love because love carries and enshrines faith.

II. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE LORD JESUS ARE NOW THE OBJECTS OF FAITH. Just as the word of Jesus was for the centurion. He believed the word Jesus had spoken, and acted on the belief. The life and death of Jesus

(1) reveal God, and ask me to believe that he is Love;

(2) reveal me, and ask me to believe that I am a sinner;

(3) reveal the glory and grace of Jesus as God's Son and my Saviour.

III. CONVERSION IS FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD, WHICH JESUS IS. The strength and happiness of Christian life come from believing and obeying the word which the living Jesus speaks. "God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

IV. FAITH IS A REAL AND PRACTICAL POWER IN COMMON HUMAN CONDUCT. "We trust our senses; and that though they often deceive us. We trust men; a battle must often be risked on the intelligence of a spy. A merchant commits his ships, with all his fortunes on board, to a hired captain, whose temptations are enormous. Without this principle society could not hold together for a day. It would be a mere sand-heap. Such, too, is religious faith; we trust on probabilities; and this though probabilities are often against us."

V. FAITH IS THE LINK GOD HAS APPOINTED TO ATTACH US TO HIMSELF FOR SALVATION AND STRENGTH. F.W. Robertson says, "Faith is that which, when probabilities are equal, ventures on God's side, and on the side of right; on the guarantee of a something within which makes the thing seem to be true because it is loved." - R.T.

I. THAT THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED SHALL BE GREAT. "Many." Might expect the contrary from aspect of society. God has secret servants.

II. THAT THE LARGE COMPANY SHALL BE MADE UP OF MEN FROM ALL NATIONS. "From the east and west."

III. THAT ALL THESE PERSONS SHALL BE UNITED IN HEAVEN IN SOCIETY. "Sit down together." The happiness of heaven will not be solitary; it will not be without union.

IV. THIS CHANGE TAKES PLACE IN HEAVEN. Must not take earthly conceptions of this celestial state; it is a state connected with God.

V. WE MAY INFER SOMETHING WITH REGARD TO THE NATURE AND COMPLETENESS OF THE HAPPINESS THAT WILL BE ENJOYED BY THE SAINTS IN GLORY,

1. Rest. "They shall sit down."

2. Sovereignty. They shall sit on thrones as kings.

(J. W. Cunningham, M. A.)

Christ receives applications from all sorts of characters. The centurion — conscious of personal unworthiness — concerned for his domestics — unbounded confidence in the capacity of Christ.

I. THE EXULTING PROPHECY. Implies that God is no respecter of persons (Isaiah 45:6; Isaiah 59:19; Malachi 1:11); that many shall be saved; that heaven is an exalted state of felicity, rest, and social intercourse, etc. (Chronicles 25:10; 26:29; Luke 14:15; Luke 22:30: Revelation 19:7-11). Loyal submission to the King, enjoyment of His presence, admiration of His glories; laud and magnify His name.

II. THE AGENCY BY WHICH IT SHALL BE EFFECTED. Manifold — chiefly by the preaching of the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21); adapted — to every stage of human society, to every order of mind, and to every moral condition; efficient — the power of the Holy Ghost, awakening, convicting, etc. (1 Thessalonians 1:5, &c.). "All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."

(A. Tucker.)

The readiest way in the world to thin heaven, and replenish the regions of hell, is to call in the spirit of bigotry. This will immediately arraign, and condemn, and execute all that do not bow down and worship the image of our idolatry. Possessing exclusive prerogatives, it rejects every other claim — "Stand by, I am sounder than thou. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we!" How many of the dead has this intolerance sentenced to external misery, who will shine like stars in the kingdom of our Father! How many living characters does it not reprobate, who are placing in it all their glory! No wonder, if under the influence of this consuming zeal, we form lessening views of the number of the saved: "I only am left — yes, they are few indeed, if none belong to them who do not belong to your party — that do not see with your eyes — that do not believe election with you, or universal redemption with you — that do not worship under a steeple with you, Grin a meeting-house with you — that are not dipped with you, or sprinkled with you! But hereafter we shall find that the righteous were not so circumscribed.

(Jay.)

Mosheu, an African chief, visited Dr. Moffat at Kuruman. The missionary availed himself of the opportunity to speak of the "one thing needful," but without apparent effect. After some time Mosheu repeated his visit to Kuruman, bringing with him a very large retinue. He was agonizing to enter the kingdom of God. "When first I visited you," he said to Dr. Moffat. "I had only one heart, but now I have come with two. I cannot rest; my eyes will not slumber, because of the greatness of the things you told me on nay first visit."

I. A GLORIOUS PROMISE.

1. It is a land of rest — "sit down."

2. The good company they sit with, "Abraham and Isaac." etc.

3. Man? I shall come. I have no wish for a small heaven; many mansions.

4. Where they come from — from all places and classes, even the most hopeless.

5. The certainty "shall."

II. THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM CAST OUT.

1. Those noted for externals in religion.

2. The children of pious fathers and mothers.

3. They are to be cast out. Where to?

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

1. Many, will be there. What are " many " in the Divine authentic? Must not lower the standard of admission.

2. The imagery that of a banquet, the attitude assigned to the assembly. Nest and repose after labour and conflict.

3. The celestial citizens are to know one another, else it would little avail to sit down with Abraham, etc. The meeting-place of generations.

(H. Melvill, B. D.)

The Countess of Huntingdon used to say, "She thanked God for the wonderful letter M, for it turned 'any' into 'many;' thus the Word of God reads, 'Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called' (1 Corinthians 1:26), therefore she could be found amongst the 'not many.'" The wonderful "M" shows forth the extent of God's grace. Man does not enter heaven by virtue of his poverty or his riches, sufferings or rejoicings, morality or immorality, but by virtue of the atonement and the shedding of the precious blood of Christ. None can rightly say, "I have had so much trial and trouble down here that I am sure God will provide a place for me;" nor can they say, "I am so noble, and have such power in this world that I surely must have a place above." God is no respecter of persons. All, whatever their station or circumstances, find but one entrance into eternal glory, even through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ — the only door, the one way, by which alone any can. be saved,

I. BY THE CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM ARE INTENDED THE JEWS, who were God's peculiar people.

1. God was in an especial manner their King. He revealed Himself as their King and Saviour. He fought against their enemies.

2. As a king He laid down laws which they were to follow.

3. They were not only subjects of the kingdom; they were to be children of it.

4. The justice of that sentence, which, after their ejection, deprived the children of the kingdom of their glorious inheritance.

II. How WERE THEY CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS.

1. They were withdrawn immediately from that which is light even on earth — the enjoyment of God's grace, and the enlightenment of His Holy Spirit. This was outer darkness of soul.

2. They were driven into the darkness of sorrow and affliction.

III. THE CAUSE why this happened — their unbelief. We are now the children of the kingdom; have God's laws written in our hearts.

(J. Garbett)

Esaias, Isaac, Isaiah, Jacob, Jesus, PeterCapernaum, Gadara, Galilee, Sea of GalileeAloud, Cast, Cries, Dark, Darkness, Driven, Forth, Gnash, Gnashing, Heirs, Kingdom, Natural, Outer, Outside, Pain, Reign, Sons, Teeth, Thrown, Utter, Weep, Weeping1. Jesus cleanses the leper;
5. heals the centurion's servant,
14. Peter's mother in law,
16. and many others;
18. shows the cost of following him;
23. stills the storm on the sea;
28. drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31. and tells them to go into the pigs.

Matthew 8:12

     4812   darkness, God's judgment
     5132   biting
     5189   teeth
     5198   weeping
     5436   pain
     5483   punishment
     5561   suffering, nature of
     5952   sorrow
     6112   banishment
     6139   deadness, spiritual
     6227   regret
     9105   last things
     9110   after-life
     9512   hell, experience

Matthew 8:4-13

     5433   occupations

Matthew 8:5-13

     6689   mercy, of Christ
     8611   prayer, for others

Matthew 8:11-12

     5078   Abraham, significance
     7135   Israel, people of God

The Touch that Cleanses
'When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 1. 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; he 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.'--MATT. viii. 14. THE great collection …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Healing Christ
'Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.'--MATT. viii. 17. You will remember, probably, that in our Old Testament translation of these words they are made to refer to man's mental and spiritual evils: 'He bare our griefs and carried our sorrows.' Our evangelist takes them to refer, certainly not exclusively, but in part, to men's corporeal evils--'our infirmities' (bodily weaknesses, that is) 'and our sicknesses.' He was distinctly justified in so doing, both by the meaning of the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Swift Healing and Immediate Service
'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.'--MATT. viii. 14-15. Other accounts give a few additional points. Mark:-- That the house was that of Peter and Andrew. That Christ went with James and John. That He was told of the sickness. That He lifted her up. Luke, physician-like, diagnoses the fever as 'great.' He also tells us that the sick woman's friends …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ Repressing Rash Discipleship
'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.'--MATT. viii. 19-20. Our Lord was just on the point of leaving Capernaum for the other side of the lake. His intended departure from the city, in which He had spent so long a time, and wrought so many miracles, produced precisely opposite effects on two of the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ Stimulating Sluggish Discipleship
'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.'--MATT. viii. 21-22. The very first words of these verses, 'And another of His disciples,' show us that the incident recorded in them is only half of a whole. We have already considered the other half, and supplement our former remarks by a glance at the remaining portion now. The two men, whose treatment by Christ is narrated, are …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Peace-Bringer in the Natural World
'And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. 24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but He was asleep. 25. And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26. And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man la this, that even the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Peace-Bringer in the Spiritual World
'And when He was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art Thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30. And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31. So the devils besought Him, saying, If Thou cast us out, suffer us to go away …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Faith which Christ Praises
'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 I and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this; and he doeth it.'--MATT. viii. 8-9. This miracle of the healing of the centurion's servant is the second of the great series which Matthew gives us. It is perhaps not accidental that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Cross and Crown.
At last He cried, with a loud voice: "It is finished!" Perhaps not many on earth heard it, or cared about it when they did hear it; but I can imagine there were not many in heaven who did not hear it, and if they have bells in heaven how they must have rung out that day; "It is finished! It is finished!" The Son of God had died that poor sinful man might have life eternal. I can imagine the angels walking through the streets of heaven crying: "It is finished!" and the mansions of that world ringing …
Dwight L. Moody—Moody's Anecdotes And Illustrations

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. viii. 23, "And when He was Entered into a Boat," Etc.
1. By the Lord's blessing, I will address you upon the lesson of the Holy Gospel which has just been read, and take occasion thereby to exhort you, that against the tempest and waves of this world, faith sleep not in your hearts. "For the Lord Christ had not indeed death nor sleep in His power, and peradventure sleep overcame the Almighty One as He was sailing against His will?" If ye believe this, He is asleep in you; but if Christ be awake in you, your faith is awake. The Apostle saith, "that Christ …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. viii. 8, "I am not Worthy that Thou Shouldest Come under My Roof," Etc. , and of the Words Of
1. We have heard, as the Gospel was being read, the praise of our faith as manifested in humility. For when the Lord Jesus promised that He would go to the Centurion's house to heal His servant, He answered, "I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and he shall be healed." [2163] By calling himself unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not into his house, but into his heart. Nor would he have said this with so great faith and humility, had …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Heaven and Hell
To-night, I shall, I hope, encourage you to seek the road to heaven. I shall also have to utter some very sharp things concerning the end of the lost in the pit of hell. Upon both these subjects I will try and speak, as God helps me. But, I beseech you, as you love your souls, weigh right and wrong this night; see whether what I say be the truth of God. If it be not, reject it utterly, and cast it away; but if it is, at your peril disregard it; for, as you shall answer before God, the great Judge …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

Twenty-Seventh Day. Activity in Duty.
"I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work."--John, ix. 4. How constant and unremitting was Jesus in the service of His Heavenly Father! "He rose a great while before day;" and, when His secret communion was over, His public work began. It mattered not to Him where He was: whether on the bosom of the deep, or a mountain slope--in the desert, or at a well-side--the "gracious words" ever "proceeded out of His mouth." We find, on one touching …
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

Healing the Centurion's Servant.
(at Capernaum.) ^A Matt. VIII. 1, 5-13; ^C Luke VII. 1-10. ^c 1 After he had ended all his sayings in the ears of the people, ^a 1 And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. ^c he entered into Capernaum. [Jesus proceeded from the mountain to Capernaum, which was now his home, or headquarters. The multitudes which are now mentioned for the third time were not wearied by his sermon, and so continued to follow him. Their presence showed the popularity of Jesus, and also …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Healing Peter's Mother-In-Law and Many Others.
(at Capernaum.) ^A Matt. VIII. 14-17; ^B Mark I. 29-34; ^C Luke IV. 38-41. ^c 38 And he arose out of the synagogue [where he had just healed the demoniac], ^b 29 And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came { ^c entered} ^b into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [Peter and Andrew had dwelt at Bethsaida (John i. 44). They may have removed to Capernaum, or Bethsaida, being near by, may be here counted as a part, or suburb, of Capernaum. Its name does not contradict …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Stills the Storm.
(Sea of Galilee; Same Day as Last Section) ^A Matt. VIII. 18-27; ^B Mark IV. 35-41; ^C Luke VIII. 22-25. ^b 35 And that day, { ^c one of those days,} ^b when the even was come [about sunset], ^a when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. { ^b he saith unto them, Let us go over unto the other side.} [Wearied with a day of strenuous toil, Jesus sought rest from the multitude by passing to the thinly settled on the east side of Galilee.] ^a 19 And there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals Two Gergesene Demoniacs.
(Gergesa, Now Called Khersa.) ^A Matt. VIII. 28-34; IX. 1; ^B Mark V. 1-21; ^C Luke VIII. 26-40. ^b 1 And they came to the other side of the sea [They left in the "even," an elastic expression. If they left in the middle of the afternoon and were driven forward by the storm, they would have reached the far shore several hours before dark], ^c 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is over against Galilee. ^a 28 And when he was come into the country of the Gadarenes. ^c 27 And …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

A Sabbath in Capernaum
It was the Holy Sabbath - the first after He had called around Him His first permanent disciples; the first, also, after His return from the Feast at Jerusalem. Of both we can trace indications in the account of that morning, noon, and evening which the Evangelists furnish. The greater detail with which St. Mark, who wrote under the influence of St. Peter, tells these events, shows the freshness and vividness of impression on the mind of Peter of those early days of his new life. As indicating that …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Return to Capernaum - Healing of the Centurion's Servant.
We are once again in Capernaum. It is remarkable how much, connected not only with the Ministry of Jesus, but with His innermost Life, gathers around that little fishing town. In all probability its prosperity was chiefly due to the neighbouring Tiberias, which Herod Antipas [2583] had built, about ten years previously. Noteworthy is it also, how many of the most attractive characters and incidents in the Gospel-history are connected with that Capernaum, which, as a city, rejected its own real glory, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Christ Stills the Storm on the Lake of Galilee.
IT was the evening of that day of new teaching, and once more great multitudes were gathering to Him. What more, or, indeed, what else, could He have said to those to whom He had all that morning spoken in Parables, which hearing they had not heard nor understood? It was this, rather than weariness after a long day's working, which led to the resolve to pass to the other side. To merely physical weariness Jesus never subordinated his work. If, therefore, such had been the motive, the proposal to …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

At Gerasa - the Healing of the Demonised.
THAT day of wonders was not yet ended. Most writers have, indeed, suggested, that the healing of the demonised on the other side took place at early dawn of the day following the storm on the Lake. But the distance is so short that, even making allowance for the delay by the tempest, the passage could scarcely have occupied the whole night. [2899] This supposition would be further confirmed, if the evening' when Jesus embarked was what the Jews were wont to call the first evening,' that is, the time …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Essential Character of the Work of Jesus.
Jesus, it will be seen, limited his action entirely to the Jews. Although his sympathy for those despised by orthodoxy led him to admit pagans into the kingdom of God--although he had resided more than once in a pagan country, and once or twice we surprise him in kindly relations with unbelievers[1]--it may be said that his life was passed entirely in the very restricted world in which he was born. He was never heard of in Greek or Roman countries; his name appears only in profane authors of a hundred …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Christ the Son of Man.
"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt. viii. 20). "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" (Matt. xvi. 13). "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life" (John iii. 14). It is a matter of profound gratitude that our Saviour was a man. "The Son of man," as well as "the Son of God," was essential to His great work …
Frank G. Allen—Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel

Kingo's Church Hymns
Kingo's church hymns naturally differ from his spiritual songs. They are more objective in form and less fiery in spirit. Most of them follow their themes quite closely, reproducing in many instances even the words of their text. Kingo is too vital, however, to confine himself wholly to an objective presentation. Usually the last stanzas of his hymns are devoted to a brief and often striking application of their text. He possessed to a singular degree the ability to express a thought tersely, as …
Jens Christian Aaberg—Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark

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