Matthew 8:11-13 From the East and West
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 20, 2019, Matthew 8:11-13
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Jesus was not threatening the Jewish leaders. Instead, He was looking into the future with sorrow that the sons would not be sitting there with the fathers. He saw the happiness of the Gentiles being drawn to the kingdom of heaven and the sadness of the sons’ refusal to believe. This all revolves around faith. The centurion’s faith brought hope and admiration. On the one hand, here was someone who was raised in the devil’s school, yet he was following the drawing of the Holy Spirit to Jesus. On the other hand, were the Pharisees and other Jews educated in the schools established to learn of the one true God, and they refused to be drawn to Jesus rejecting the leading of the Holy Spirit. Jesus saw the juxtaposition of the joy and sorrow that would be the marriage supper of the lamb.
(Understanding the Text) The centurion’s faith was rewarded. I imagine him keeping vigil in his friend’s room. As he stood by his servant’s bedside watching his features contort in pain and waiting for word from the friends that he had sent to Jesus, he saw the miracle occur. The facial muscles relaxed and the slave heaved a large sigh of relief. The slave slowly sat up in bed and took stock of his limbs moving them and smiling up at his master. I imagine the master smiling back as a weight of grief and worry flowed off of his shoulders. He had known that Jesus could heal his servant, but he couldn’t be sure that Jesus would heal his servant. As the slave got out of bed and stood up, I imagine master and slave hugging before they remembered their places and quickly separated while still grinning at each other. I imagine others in the household seeing the miraculous recovery and crying out in joy. I see the friends returning to report on what Jesus had said and being told as they entered of the miraculous recovery. There was joy in the centurion’s house that day because he believed and asked of God for a miracle, and God smiled at the centurion’s faith.
Guzik makes the point that the centurion’s faith was great partly because of his accurate understanding of the working of authority and of Jesus’ high position in the kingdom of heaven. “The man’s understanding of Jesus’ spiritual authority made Jesus marvel. His simple confidence in the ability of Jesus’ mere word to heal shows a faith that is free of any superstitious reliance on merely external things. This was truly great faith, worthy of praise.”
(Application / Prayer) Our heritage does not give us any special privileges, nor does our past history negate our present choices. In the end, the only choice that matters is continued faith in God. Broken faith means we have broken our relationship with God. Faith is the glue that holds a relationship together. The greater the faith, the better and stronger the relationship. God never breaks faith with us, so if we stop trusting Him, it is because we have let the whispers and attacks of the enemy come between us and God. I pray to have the trust that will bind me close to You. I pray never to break faith with You.