Matthew 8:1-17 Healing for the Outcast

Matthew’s Purpose in Recording the Healing Miracles

You are listening to recast Church of Madawans podcast. Join us as we are in a sermon series entitled not your average Savior Study in the book of Matthew.

Well, good morning. How's everybody doing? Everybody's doing all right. Okay good. Make yourself comfortable again. I get coffee get some doughnuts. Whatever it takes to kind of get the wiggles out during the message.

No problem. You're not going to distract me. Say Happy Mother's Day again. It's all of you mothers that are here again one more time. I want to explain to you I know that it would be tradition at many churches to do a Mother's Day message.

How many of you kind of have been to a church where they would do a Mother's Day or Father's Day message on? Certain, you know or just something like that. I'm not trying to be countercultural. That's not my goal.

But I am not doing a Mother's Day message this week. I think there's only so many topics or so many passages in Scripture I could get myself on kind of a a merry-go-round of preaching the same Messages every year the same time.

Regarding different things and it's my conviction that God's Word has it should have an impact on all of us all the time. Does that make sense? So I hope that the message this morning speaks to mothers.

And.

To fathers and to those who are Married and to those who are not married. Into those with children. Into those without children. So I it's my it's my hope that every time we open God's Word Everybody gains something from it.

Does that make sense? And also I don't want to marginalize half of All of you by preaching to just one segment. So I would like it to be something that impacts all of us. We've been in the book of Matthew since December.

Hopefully you've been getting know Jesus the the title of the sermon series is not your average Savior meeting Jesus in The book of Matthew. That's been the goal of my heart is to see us understand a little bit more about who Jesus is as we've gone through this.

Hopefully you have gained some understanding about Jesus have gained some understanding about the way that he ministered the things that he did. Our text this morning is moving us out from a larger section.

It was about his teachings so we spent several weeks in the Sermon on the Mount where we heard the type of teaching that Jesus offered and How did the people respond? Do you guys remember? How did the people respond to his teaching?

Shocked astonished amazed. They were in awe of his teaching you got to remember that he's opened his mouth and he's spoken to them and they are amazed and astounded. And he hasn't even done miracles yet so we're gonna see him actually do some miracles this week and we're gonna enter into a Part of the text where we're gonna see Matthew give a series of miracles not just this week but on down for a couple of weeks and Matthew was seeking to show how unique Jesus is and he did that by demonstrating his teaching and now he's going to show us Jesus has miracles three healings and I think that these three healings are singled out because of his attitude towards three categories of people all Three being outcasts in his culture.

So you'll see the title healing for the outcasts here open your Bibles, please to Matthew chapter 8. We're gonna be looking at 1 through 17. That's page 692. And if you don't own a Bible, please take that one home with you.

That is a gift from us to you. If you don't own a Bible take that one 692 follow along as I read Matthew chapter 8 1 through 17. When he Jesus came down from the mountain Great crowds followed him and behold a leper came to him and knelt before him saying Lord if you will you can make me clean and Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying I will be clean and Immediately his leprosy was cleansed and Jesus said to him see that you say nothing to anyone.

But go show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a proof to them when he entered Capernaum a Centurion came forward to him appealing to him. Lord. My servant is lying paralyzed at home suffering terribly.

And he said to him I will I will come and heal him. As a centurion replied Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority with soldiers under me and I say to one go and he goes.

And to another come and he comes and to my servant do this and he does it. When Jesus heard this He marveled and said to those who followed him truly I tell you that no one with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

I tell you many will come from the east and West and recline at the table with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into 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.

And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her and the fever left her and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who?

Were sick this was to fulfill what was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah. He took our illnesses and bore our Diseases, let's pray father as we come to this text. It's something that's so Foreign to us something that is so outside of our experience to see Jesus Christ physically healing people.

And yet father I believe that you have some lessons for us to learn About the nature of who you care for the nature of who you love and Then in turn how we as a church ought to show compassion and concern for others as well.

Father I pray that you would open our eyes To the lessons that you would have for us from this text that we would leave here changed that we would be doers of the Word and not just hearers of it. I ask this in Jesus name.

Amen. When is the last time? That you met somebody who would be considered an outcast of our society. Think about that. Has it been recent? Has it been fairly recent. Has it been a long time since you've met somebody like that?

Who are the outcasts of our society? Can you even I had a hard time with that honestly this week of actually determining in my mind who are outcasts maybe? Homeless people. Would that be someone that you would think of as maybe an outcast in our culture in our society?

I think it may be maybe drug dealers. Maybe on the other hand, maybe we've all met drug dealers. I think they probably look a lot like us. So maybe they're not so outcast after all I had a hard time in my mind drawing a distinction between air drawing an analogy between our culture and Jesus's culture because Jesus's culture had real genuine outcasts who were definitively declared to be Outcasts and it was the way of the society that he lived in.

Here in our text, we're going to see Jesus interact with three different people that in his society. Were considered to be outcasts at least in varying degrees and I believe they're highlighted in the text because of their status.

We were to go down to verse 16 for a second. I just read it. It's the second to the last verse in our text this morning says that evening. They brought to him many who were oppressed by demons and he cast out the spirits with with a word.

And healed all who were sick. We're gonna hear three specific stories of healings. Three among many. There were many stories that Matthew could have picked from. Matthew was present. Matthew was watching these things.

He was in the crowd and he singled out three stories to tell there were many many many stories to tell how many lives. Did Jesus change and impact while he was here on this earth? Hundreds of thousands.

And. Here we're gonna see Matthew picking out three and I believe their significance anytime that we're looking in the in the Gospels. We're looking at why did the author choose how many of you know when you're when you're writing a biography about a person's life?

You could fill volumes. So anytime that a biographer somebody who's writing about the life of an individual this case, it's theological biography. They're picking out stories for an Intention for a reason to get a point across and anytime that I'm I'm looking through the Gospels anytime that you're reading in the Gospels.

Studying in the Gospels. You should ask yourself. Why did the author include this? Why did God want this story here? And here we're going to see three people that are singled out because of I believe their status in the culture.

We're gonna see Jesus caring for these people who were marginalized. They were on the fringes of that culture in that society. We see that the context of this right from the beginning and turn back a page here.

In verse one when he came down from the mountain, so he's been up there on the mountain teaching them. Remember this he pulled his disciples up sermon on the mount. He's up there talking with them. Crowds begin to gather as he's teaching.

So you should have in your mind is that the sermon went for a while and people started to come in and they were hearing. Where he was at and they were they were flowing in and eventually this Mountaintop is or this hilltop is full of people and to the degree that there's a great crowd that is now following him in.

The Cleansing of the Leper

8 -1.

We're gonna see the first healing here the healing of somebody who is designated as unclean in verses 2 through 4 we see in our text in verse 2 and Behold all of a sudden you're meant to see this as a sudden occurrence all of a sudden a leper shows up on the scene Comes up to Jesus and bows down to him.

Now. What is a leper a Big cat that lives in South America or you know it's not. How many of you how many of you have heard that word or have some kind of a thought in your mind of what a leper is. Okay, most of you have heard that word a person suffering here in this context.

It's a person suffering for something from some kind of a skin disorder. It's a visual disease it's something that is on the outside of them that is visible and Considered to be contagious in that day and I remember we're not talking about a lot of modern medicine back then a lot of specific Diagnosis diagnosis.

So what we're looking at is leprosy was a catch-all skin disorder that was perceived to be contagious and perpetual. Not just acne or something like that. But something that they thought was going to be contagious and dangerous to those people around them now.

We have a modern disease That we often think of as leprosy. It's called Hansen's disease. That's the actual designation of it Hansen's disease and often we Misapply that to assume that that's what this man had now.

Hansen's disease is a neurological disorder. How many of you've heard this before? Neurological disorder where the extremities the nerves in your extremities begin to become Influenced to a degree that you lose feeling in your fingers your feet your nose in all of your extremities to the degree that you No longer sense it have the sensation of pain.

And so what happens if you step on a nail and you can't feel it. Okay, you end up getting an infection and eventually these people would literally start losing limbs it was a very very Horrendous thing not extremely contagious like what we might assume but still contagious nonetheless caused by a bacterial infection of a certain kind so that's what we're.

It's not definitive that that's what this guy had. But one thing that is well established. Is that anybody who carried the label in Jesus's day of leper? Was an outcast and this individual carried that label so he was an outcast he was declared to be unclean By the priest and he was cast outside of the community cast outside of daily affairs.

He was not allowed to appear and and and buy from the marketplace at all of these types of things. He was not allowed to associate with people in the same way. We see that according to the Old Testament law Leviticus 13.

How many of you have read the book of Leviticus by the way? Okay, it can be a tough read, right? And if you're reading through the Bible in a year a lot of people get stuck in Leviticus and never make it out.

You know what I'm saying? Leviticus 13 and 14 two whole chapters dedicated to leprosy pretty pretty intense verses 45 and 46 of Leviticus 13 says this. The leprous person who has the disease Shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose and he shall cover his upper upper lip and cry out unclean unclean.

So basically they were supposed to dress like an 80s rock band. Got their hang hair hang loose and make sure they have a mustache. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the Disease. He is unclean.

He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside of the camp. How many of you'd sign up for leprosy? Doesn't sound like a Good disease to have in that day and age. Further anyone that touched a leper was declared to be unclean.

Had to go through a ritual of washing and cleansing. Had to wait 24 hours before engaging in any religious activity or touching anyone else. And it's important that we understand that uncleanness is not primarily a category of dill dirt or filth.

That's not what's implied by that word unclean, but it is a religious category that places an individual significantly. Significantly outside of the worship community as well. You feeling some of the weight of what it would be like to be a leper in that culture and in that society.

It would be a horrible thing a horrendous disease with horrible social ramifications. So this is the guy That approaches Jesus. He's supposed to be shouting unclean unclean as he approaches. Can you imagine the fearful glances of the crowd now?

They're surrounding Jesus? They're on their way to a destination and they're walking along with him and here this man walks up and can you hear the gasps as everybody kind of pushes against each other trying to get back away from this individual who can be seen and Figured out who he is and what he has just by looking at him by the way.

He's dressed by the things he's saying. And he pulls up and the crowd parts like the Red Sea. Nobody wants to be near the sky and Jesus stands there as everybody backs up. Now I find it unlikely that this man came right up to Jesus feet.

He probably stood a ways off picture that there's this kind of shouting thing that's going on he's probably from here to the back wall and he kneels down and Jesus is here and He begins to talk to him and we see the attitude of this man's approach.

Notice this how desperate he must be how bold he is to approach and be close to this crowd. He's humble. He bows down to Jesus. He calls Jesus. What in the text? Lord he calls him Lord and then he makes this statement.

That is just a clear amazing powerful statement of faith. If you will he says to Jesus if you will. You can make me clean. If you will if it is in your desire if it is within your plan, I know it'll be taken care of.

That sound like faith to you. What an amazing statement of faith. What is our request. What do we bring before God when we pray do we pray like that kind of faith? If you want this hurdle this roadblock to be removed.

It will be taken care of an implicit trust in the sovereignty of God. Do you see that here? Do you see how this leper was designating Christ as sovereign over his life and saying you are here. And I am here and and if you want this done, it's going to be accomplished.

Can you see that in the text you see how he understood the sovereignty of God? This needs to be the way that we pray to God. Acknowledging his ability. Do you believe that God is powerful?

Do you?

Do you believe that he is almighty? Do you believe that he is sovereign? We believe he can do anything. The leper doesn't question whether or not Jesus can heal him. He's ultimately question his ultimate question is ultimately is it your will?

And that is what prayer that is the centerpiece of prayer. You're gonna hear me say that many many times the centerpiece of prayer is Acknowledging the will of God and saying I would like things to go this way.

And I know that if it's your desire, they will go this way, but I'm submitting myself to your will. That's the power of prayer. The power of prayer is in changing us not in changing God's mind about things.

Have you experienced that before have you experienced a prayer coming before God and receiving peace? About a really difficult situation because you have laid it at his feet. And said if you want if you want to deal with this you can if you want to leave it that way.

You can do that too. But I'm taking this burden off of my shoulders and Laying it down at your sovereignty. I'd like it to go this way and there's no problem asking that way. Do we ask for people to be healed?

Yes, we do and we should. Saying God I want this to be the case. But I submit to your will and that I know that if you want it It can happen. So I submit to you. Notice what the man is asking for he doesn't ultimately just come right out and say heal me.

He says I want to be cleansed a pretty technical word. Sure, he has this horrendous disease he wants gone. But it is the ostracizing nature that he addresses. I want to be cleansed. I want to be reinstated into my culture.

I want to be reinstated in my society. I want to be reinstated into worship. I want to be cleansed. Not just healed. But I want to be made right. Imagine what this man had endured in his life.

The difficulties the ostrich.

Ostracization. Is that a.

Isolation.

He's kneeling before the only one who can give him hope and I can imagine it's a pause between the request. Any pause even if It was just a split second seemed like eternity between his request to Jesus and the reply but Jesus walks up to the man and reaches out his hand and.

What does he do?

He touches him. We don't know how long this man had the disease the text doesn't tell us but it's pretty sure you can be you can be assured that nobody had touched him since he was diagnosed and Jesus reaches down and touches him.

It's said in two different ways for emphasis reached out his hand and touched him. Because it's such a dramatic thing. For something to touch a leper meant that it became unclean that is for something common to touch a leper meant that it became Unclean, but Jesus we see is not common he is holy and In touching this leper.

He makes him clean. And I don't know who the script writer was for this one, but it just seems like you know, not necessarily a riveting dialogue. The guy says to him if you will you can make me clean.

He just says I will be clean and Off they go do their own thing. I was like, wow, you know I mean, maybe we could have written some like dynamics in there or something. But wow, isn't that in its simplicity, isn't it?

Isn't it amazing. Jesus says I will and it's accomplished. Amazing just yep here. Let me reach down pull you up your heel. Now. What is the nature of leprosy? What did I say? It was an External disease.

This would be a visual healing. This would be something that the crowd would go. Oh, no way spots are gone. This is this is this is one of those healings like the guy with the shriveled hand in the synagogue.

Whose hand was shriveled up and not working and Jesus heals him and the hand is restored. It's visual it's a it's something that would just be astonishing to see. Not like somebody who just says, you know, I've got a abdominal pain and you see these televangelists were like I'll heal your abdominal pain.

Well, that's kind of a little hard for us to verify isn't it? It's kind of get a little skeptical about those things. This is an amazing amazing thing and it's in its visual. It's right there in front of them Jesus tells him that he should first head off to the temple in Jerusalem without delay without telling others.

This is the idea of Clint of clean and unclean behind it. It's not that he wanted it to be kept a secret necessarily now we see that there's a theme throughout the Gospels of Jesus kind of wanting to not overstep and and push people into trying to make him the King of Israel right away.

And he knew that if if everybody was catching word of his miracles and all these things eventually it was just going to get to. A frenzy, but at this point there's a different motivation for him saying this to the man.

Don't go and tell others. Because he wanted this man to follow the law in Leviticus 14 1 through 32 32 verses in the Old Testament dedicated to what do you do when you become? Cured of leprosy now I mentioned in the skin disease.

So you were going this happened often was it often that people were healed of this? Well it because it's such a broad spectrum of different diseases a person could be diagnosed with leprosy and. Then eventually it clears up so to speak and so then they would follow these this Prescription to go to the temple have the priest confirmed that they are clean get his stamp of approval.

And then they're reinstated into society, and that's what he's supposed to be doing here. So in Leviticus 14 1 through 32 we see those instructions He's supposed to go to the temple in Jerusalem see the priest the priest observes him for a couple of days.

He offers a sacrifice.

Bathes and.

Then is reinstated into society. So if this man were to go to all of his friends and go back to his family and say I'm clean I'm clean like you haven't been to Jerusalem yet stay away from me. He has to go to Jerusalem to be to be reinstated.

Does that make sense. So that's why Jesus thing. Don't go don't go. Don't go talking to everybody yet. Go down let the priest follow through the pattern of the way that this is supposed to go. And he does.

From this first healing what kind of people do we see that Jesus loves? Those who are marginalized. Those who are on the fringes of our culture in our society. Or maybe those who shower every day and brush their teeth and dress real well.

Right. If you were to look at churches in America today, who would we be most likely to say we? Convey that God loves. What do we convey? More often than not. Sometimes I think we can accidentally convey that it is just those who dress well and look nice that God loves.

We give the impression that the Christian faith is for those who are wealthy clean-cut and have their act together. So who Jesus came to minister to? He says I didn't. A physician doesn't need to see the healthy a physician comes for those who are ill.

Who need healing? Jesus ministered to those who were cast off from society. He brought dignity and real compassion to those who were living in very very hard places.

Praise God for that.

If the church is going to carry forward the ministry of Jesus Christ if recast is going to carry forward the ministry of Jesus Christ. Then we need to seriously consider. What God is calling us to. Maybe better yet.

Who God is calling us to. Some here in our church are ministering to those in nursing homes. They're already there doing work. Come and see me if that's something that would interest you. Sierra works down at the gospel mission.

She's involved there. I'm sure there's opportunities for us to minister to those who are marginalized and on the fringe of our society.

Homeless and.

Seeking help some are looking into free pregnancy testing for young ladies in our community. That's something that you'd be interested in. Let me know and not only that but we're engaging in a community-wide food pantry.

That Matawan Community Church is going to be putting on down here. They have a food pantry there already. But it's it's it's pretty small. There's a significant need to expand that right now. They are they are serving the community on the third Saturday of every month in the morning.

Families will line up 12 deep. They're looking for food. They'd like to expand that to be once a month, but they can't do it themselves. They need community assistance. They're actually talking about forming a new 501 c3.

What's the word nonprofit organization that is that is community based. They don't own that now. They're donating the facility for right now. If you're interested in something like that. Actually, there's immediate action.

You can take on that this Saturday May 15th at 9 o 'clock. They're going to be doing a training. He said anyone who comes is welcome to help and serve and to learn the ropes 9 o 'clock. There will be a training from basically 9 to 10 about how do you how do you take these families through?

What can they get they have you know, just shelves full and a refrigerator and a freezer and it's you know, you take up you. Personally walk a family through it you get a chance to interact with them to talk with them minister to them.

And provide food for them. That's May 15th. 9 o 'clock is the training there. Contact me if you want to know more about that. I think if it works out of I'm hoping to be there that morning May 15th.

But.

There's opportunities for us to serve the marginalized those who are In a sense outcasts in our culture and society those who are on hard times. The second healing we're going to see in verses 5 through 13 the second healing a man very different in the social strata of the time.

Still an outcast nonetheless. He's a centurion. He's a soldier a Roman soldier over a hundred approximately a hundred that are stationed there in Capernaum. And we know that other gospels the gospel of Luke gives an accounting of the same event and we learn there that the centurion Was fairly well known and actually had fairly good relations with the Jews and that he personally had funded Helped to subsidize the building of their synagogue there in Capernaum.

There's a house of worship for the Jews and he was wealthy enough.

To.

Help subsidize the building of that so he was kind of in with the Jews in a more positive relationship. But nonetheless he is still an outsider to them. He is a Roman. He is part of the oppressor. He's working for the man.

You know who I'm talking about. He's the equivalent maybe of a modern IRS auditor. Nobody here's an IRS auditor. They'll come and talk with me afterwards if they are. We find out from context that Jesus comes back.

Is on his way back into his home base the town of Capernaum and we know even further down that he's destined final destination as he's walking down from this hill teaching his Followers is Peter's house in Capernaum.

We're gonna see that here in a minute. But as he's going along the soldier approaches him with a request. He says my servant is ill and suffering. Notice so far that both healings people were seeking out Jesus.

They saw something in him that they wanted and they were going to find it. They saw him as the source or as the answer to their issues. That's a source but the answer. And in this case this unknown unnamed soldier comes in and appeals.

The word is there appeals begs implores Jesus to help his servant and One more time Jesus is addressed as Lord the courtesy that is highlighted by the centurion's position over Jesus in their cultural Hierarchy the soldier is over.

This lowly Jewish rabbi and yet this centurion Addresses Christ as Lord. It appears likely from the description that the centurion has a servant who is suffering from polio. Polio was a very common disease in that day and age and the symptoms are similar to what is described paralysis with significant pain.

Notice that in the text the centurion hasn't even asked anything of Jesus yet he says.

Lord.

See Lord. My servant is lying paralyzed at home suffering terribly. He makes a statement and. What's a little bit confusing what can tend to be confusing to us is that in verse 7? We see a statement don't we in our text.

And he said to him I will come and heal him. All right, all of you reading out of the English Standard Version or do some of you have different versions. Anybody's version have a question mark at the end of that.

Because it should. The the translators have been a little slow on the uptake to actually look at the Greek and see the key. Indicators for a question mark at the end of this verse 7 really should be something more like you want me to come and heal Him with the emphasis on the word me you want me to come and heal him.

That's what Jesus is saying and he's literally asking a question. That's pretty clear. Probably the next translation the next English translation to come out will have a question mark at the end of that scholarship is pretty clear.

That it should be a question and. And the point being that Jews in those days didn't associate with Gentiles that is non-jews.

So.

They would never enter the home of a Gentile. They would never go over to their house for dinner. It was considered unclean to do so. One more time a little ostracization from the from the community being pushed out if they were to go and eat with a Gentile.

So they didn't do so and you're never gonna see an account you can you can comb over the Gospels. You can search through the life of Christ. You're literally never gonna see an incident where Jesus goes into the house of A Gentile he doesn't do it.

He doesn't do it in this situation. We're gonna see that here in a minute. You see the a centurion understood the problem. He was posing to Jesus. And so he replies with an amazing statement of faith.

He says, you know what Jesus you don't even need to come to my house. All right. I know I know you. I know you know, you don't even have to come over. You can just say the word and my servant will be healed.

What what amazing faith. How many of you are challenged yourself by this level of faith. Yeah, I know that if you just say the word if you if it's again if it's your will and you just say the word. It's going to be done.

Wow an intense level of faith. That is there he says I Understand authority in verse 9. I am a commander of people and I sit as one under authority of Others and I recognize what it's like if I say to one of my one of my soldiers under me go he goes.

He says in the same way. I recognize that you have the authority of God to order sickness to go away. No question is mine that if Jesus said the word it would be done amazing level of faith and something amazing happens in verse 10.

Where we normally see Jesus doing amazing things and the crowd marveling and wonder and astonishment at him. We see the exact reverse here. We see Jesus marveling and amazed at an individual. Complete reversal that's significant to our lives in 2010.

You want to get God's attention? How many of you would like to get God's attention? How many of you would like to have God's smile on your life? You want to cause him to marvel. Demonstrate faith in his son.

That makes God smile. Show faith and trust in Jesus. Tell him that you implicitly trust his power and authority and his goodness. That is what gets God's it's not our good deeds. Not the things that we try to accomplish not coming to church.

You know, none of those things grab God's attention. Faith is what grabs God's attention. I want to point out That God is not taken by surprise. Jesus is not taken by surprise. The word marvel there is not one of oh my goodness.

I didn't see that coming. I Didn't I didn't see that. I never imagined that this guy would have faith like that. Whoa. I'm just totally blown away by that. He's he's amazed in the sense that he is delighted and impressed at what he sees in this individual not surprised but impressed and Jesus now uses this response from the centurion the soldier to teach something about the kingdom in verses 10 through 12.

He sees this outsider this guy who is outside of the religious community outside of the religious practices of the Jews and he sees him. And this guy is extending such a level of faith. Says He didn't.

Where do we expect to see that level of faith? Where do you expect to see the greatest faith in our culture? In churches among the religious right. Isn't that where we naturally our mind gravitates towards expecting that maybe at a missions conference about people who are selling out and going overseas to.

Win.

Unreached tribes for Jesus. Where does Jesus encounter the greatest faith? He encounters the greatest level of faith in those who are literally outside of the worship community. One thing that these two people have in common the leper the centurion one significant thing is neither one of them is even allowed in the temple.

Neither neither one of them by their culture is permitted to go in and offer a sacrifice to God. Imagine that this is the place where Jesus finds the greatest faith. Among those who are outcasts are downtrodden are crushed by their society.

That's where he finds this amazing level of faith. So there therefore he takes this in verse 10 and 11. He marvels at those. He says I tell you with no one in Israel. Have I found such a level of faith?