The
Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called
The
Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin. [February 2.]
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY and everliving God, we humbly beseech thy Majesty, that, as
thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our
flesh, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts, by the same
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Fourth
Sunday after Epiphany.
The Collect.
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GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and
great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always
stand upright; Grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in
all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
The Epistle
Romans xiii. 1
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ET every soul be
subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers
that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves
condemnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt
thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt
have praise of the same: for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if
thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain:
for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for
conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's
ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all
their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom
fear; honour to whom honour.
The Holy Gospel
Matthew
8:1-13
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hen he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed
him.2 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; be 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.5 And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him,6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the
palsy, grievously tormented.7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.8 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, 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.11 And 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.12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into
outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.13 And
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.
Two separate
kinds of physical afflictions are addressed here (leprosy and the palsy), and
two different expressions of faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ has just delivered
the most comprehensive and beautifully meaningful sermon in all of recorded
time. He has spoken from the mountain top the pure Words of righteousness, but
now He descends to the level at which most of His people live and labor,
rejoice and suffer, are pained and comforted. Like every word of Scripture,
these verses, too, show us yet another marvelous aspect of the nature of Christ
and His magnanimity.
“When
he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.” Christ most often resorted to the mountain
to both pray and teach. Prayer is always addressed to Heaven. Teaching of the
Gospel is also performed from a higher perspective than the common speech. But
after our prayers and preaching, we must always descend to the common problems
of life and learn to await God’s answer to our prayers and apply the preaching
of the Gospel to the practical and routine circumstances of everyday life. The
air on the mountaintop may be clear and pristine, but when we go down to the
valleys, we encounter the unpleasant odors of human failure and hurt.
“And,
behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean.” Please note the manner in which the leper
approaches Christ. The leper CAME to where Christ was. We cannot bring Christ
DOWN to our place of sin and debauchery – we must rise up and go to Him for our
salvation and needs. Secondly, we cannot approach Christ with impudence
and irreverence – we must first worship Him in our prayers before stating our
petitions. The leper came and WORSHIPPED Jesus! This is represented by the
‘Hallowed be thy Name’ phrase in the Lord’s Prayer.
“Lord,
if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” The leper does not
overtly ask anything of Christ but presumes upon His know compassion and grace.
It was widely known of Christ that He willed all who came to Him to be made
whole. The leper simply states the obvious fact and, in his statement, the
leper anticipates the answer. “Lord, if thou wilt…not truly IF,
for Christ DID always will that lepers be made clean thereby unraveling
the dirty works of Satan to harm and to hurt. “…….thou canst make me
clean!” This is a simple statement of fact. There was no doubt in the
mind of the leper that, if Christ willed, He could make the leper clean; but
there was also no doubt in the leper’s mind that Jesus did, indeed, will that
he be made clean. This is the essence of faith and hope.
Before
proceeding further, let’s go back and review the nature of leprosy in its
similitude to sin:
1.
Sin,
like leprosy, renders its victim helpless of improving his condition. It will
inevitably lead to final death.
2.
Sin,
like leprosy, separates one from the pure and clean. The sinner is unfit for
heaven and the society of pure and holy company.
3.
Sin,
like leprosy, is infectious by intimate contact. The people with whom we
associate have critical impact on our hope of righteousness.
4.
Sin is
constitutional. The outward expressions and manifestations are but the effects
of a disease which permeates the whole system.
5.
The
tendency to sin, like the tendency to leprosy, is hereditary. Our Federal head,
the Common father in Adam, contracted this disease through disobedience in the
Garden. His propensity to sin has become a part of our human condition through
inheritance.
6.
Sin,
like leprosy, is deceitful in its working. It may not be visibly represented in
the beautiful child of leprous parents, but as time advances, the beautiful
child will slowly begin to incur the signs and debilities of the disease.
7.
Sin,
like leprosy, knows not geographic barriers.
8.
Leprosy,
at the time of Christ, was incurable by man. So is sin today.
9.
Sin,
like leprosy, does not bring immediate pain and death. The moment Adam tasted
the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he immediately BEGAN
to die. In fact, his fate was sealed at that point. (Suggestive
Illustrations of the Gospel, Peloubet, 1894)
The leper is
characterized by deformity and a sickening odor. His features are possessed of
open sores and rotting flesh. Most of us would be repelled at the very sight of
a leper.
This will
make the following action of Christ even more amazing and noteworthy:
“And Jesus put forth his
hand, and touched him.” This seems a simple act at first reading,
but, Reader, please remember that no healthy human being has touched this poor,
wretched leper in a great deal of time since he first contracted leprosy. Many
of them suffer as much from a despondency of love as from the adverse physical
effects of the disease. How pitiful they are and lonely! But Jesus was the first
and only man present who would deign to TOUCH this leper. Any touch at
all for the leper would seem a compassionate caress. Jesus touched him!
He will touch us as well if we go forth to Him. And then, “I will; be thou clean.” Immediately the powers of heaven began to
pulse through the lepers veins vanquishing every sign and vestige of leprosy.
How long did the healing take? Does the word ‘immediately’ suggest an answer? “And
immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” The healing occurred,
not in graduated steps or interludes of minutes, but, rather, IMMEDIATELY!
“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.”
Though we may be healed in the sight of God and forgiven our sins, there yet
remains a responsibility on our part to make our healing known to those with
whom we associate along life’s road. So we also comply with all provisions of
law in making that healing known. In counseling the leper to “tell no man” Jesus demonstrates the
impossibility of maintaining such a marvelous grace private. Imagine the
reaction of family and friends when they see their loved one has been restored.
Have you been silent about the forgiveness and healing you have been granted by
Christ at your salvation?
“And when Jesus was entered
into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And
saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”
Now comes to Jesus a Gentile in the profession of arms, and one of some
authority, being a Centurion. Being a Captain of War, this man was accustomed
to respect and a proud countenance. But the heart of this Centurion betrays a
loving and loyal heart beneath a perhaps warlike appearance. This Centurion is
willing to subdue his pride and forego his standing to come begging before
Christ – not for himself even – but for his servant. This suggests a noble and
compassionate soul whose character seems at contrast to his profession and
calling. Jesus did not distinguish between races and social standings among
men.
“And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.” There were many demands put on Jesus’ time,
but He always found time to respond to a need. Without hesitation, Christ
immediately responded that he would go to where the servant was and heal him.
“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. 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, and he cometh;
and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth.” This is one of the
greatest statements of faith in all of the Holy Bible! The Centurion realizes
that the authority and power of Christ is knows no geographic limitations. He
does not limit the power of Christ to heal by the physical presence of the
Lord. If Christ will only speak the word, the Centurion knows that will
suffice.
“When
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.” It
is a smear on the reputation of the church that many greater acts of faith
occur outside its walls than INSIDE those stone walls. The Centurion, who lacked
the advantage of any prior knowledge of the law and prophets, demonstrated
greater faith than those who did have that advantage.
“And 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.” Christ here bears out an important truth.
The accident of birth is not a bar to enjoyment of the blessings of Israel. Men
and women shall come from the four corners of the earth and shall enjoy the
privileges of a Godly heritage. This was spoken to the comfort of the Centurion
as well as for our own.
“And
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.” It was no small miracle to heal a man who may
have been miles away by a simple utterance – but Christ did so. The servant,
miles away, was instantly healed. This exemplifies the principle that we ought
to pray for those we love. The Centurion was not afraid to ask Christ for
so great a favor. The story reminds me of a king of Lyda who surrender to
the great King Cyrus, when besieged, to save his city from certain
destruction. When King Cyrus asked the deposed king what favor he would like in
return for his surrender, the king responded, “Ten thousand talents of silver!”
A courtier of King Cyrus rebuked the deposed king for being so presumptuous in
asking such a large gift, but King Cyrus scolded his courtier and said, “If I
am as great a King as this fellow’s request suggests, then he has had the
boldness to express his high regard for my greatness by asking a gift
commiserate to it!” Is anything too great for God?
[1]
By standard, one can
mean God’s flag or side, or one could mean the level expected; here we mean
both!
