MATTHEW 8:5-14

 Each of the Gospel writers has his own literary style and points of emphasis, and these can be seen in the way they tell their miracle stories. For example, you can see also see Matthew's Jewish slant on things by looking at the account in Matthew 8:5-14 where a Roman centurion approaches Jesus and asks him to cure his servant. Luke has a parallel account which is roughly the same. However, Matthew includes a few verses at the end of the story that are not in Luke (written more for a Gentile audience), but that tie the event in with OT prophecies.

Matthew 8:11a: “I tell you, many will come from east and west...”

Matthew connects this event with several OT prophecies that God will gather in not only Jews in exile but also Gentiles from many lands. Note that all of the following passages contain the phrase or concept of “east and west.”

“So those in the west shall fear the name of the LORD, and those in the east, his glory.” (Isaiah 59:19a)

“I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made...Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble...” (Isaiah 43:5-7)

“...so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me.” (Isaiah 45:6a)

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations.” (Malachi 1:11a)

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” (Psalms 107:2-3)

Matthew 8:11b: “...and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob...”

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.” (Isaiah 25:6)

Matthew 8:11c:  “...in the kingdom of heaven,”

When Matthew mentions the kingdom he almost always uses a phrase more acceptable to the sensibilities of the Jews, Kingdom of Heaven rather than Kingdom of God.

Matthew 8:12a: "...while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness,"

“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:2)   The Jews are not immune to God's judgment.

“Outer darkness” is a phrase that appears in Jewish Apocryphal writings composed between the OT and NT.

Matthew 8:12b  “...where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.” (Psalm 112:10)

“All your enemies open their mouths against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth.” (Lamentations 2:16)