Third Sunday after Epiphany (1886)

Matthew 8:1-13 "This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us."1 John shows all of us with these words the free access to Jesus and assures us if we only ask, as is fitting, He will give us what our heart desires, and deny us nothing. We have from this in the Gospel two glorious examples before us in the leper and the centurion from Capernaum. What did it matter that these two with their prayer were so kindly received by Jesus and were heard so graciously? If they themselves should say it to us, then they would say with John: "This is the confidence" etc. Therefore: The joyfulness of faith in prayer to Jesus: 1. how this joy proves itself, namely a. with the leper. We see . from the need that moved the leper to ask Him; . from the prayer that he accomplishes . in faith and joyful confidence, . according to Jesus' will. "Lord if you will" etc.2; b. with the centurion. We in turn consider . the need that drove him to ask, the sickness of his servant3; . his prayer is a prayer full of grace, confident, and at the same time a really humble prayer.4 2. what benefit we have from it: a. the leper is . answered, "I will do it" etc.5, . healed and purified, so that the priests had to recognize him as clean6; b. the centurion is . granted his gracious request7, . publicly praised because of his 8 faith , . assured of eternal salvation and glory.9 Let us confidently and with all confidence in every concern cry to Jesus and believe that He is able not only to hear us, but also wants to answer and help, and only see to it that we ask according to His will. Georg Stckhardt

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1 John 5:14. Matthew 8:2. 3 Matthew 8:6. 4 Matthew 8:6, 8-9. 5 Matthew 8:3. 6 Matthew 8:4. 7 Matthew 8:7, 13. 8 Matthew 8:10. 9 Matthew 8:11.