Matthew 9:27-34 NIV
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.
Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More healing stories, but this time they are about the blind having their sight restored and the mute given the ability to speak. This is a direct fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Isaiah 35:4-6 NIV
...say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Matthew often makes direct narrative assertions that prophecy is being fulfilled by Jesus, but in this case the reader must be familiar with the prophetic writings to catch the inference. Today we have many footnotes and commentaries to inform us.
The two blind men call out to Jesus, addressing Him as the Son of David, which is a title for the promised messiah. While the prophets aren't as clear about the messiah as the formal doctrine that developed over the centuries, there are many references to Davidic king our a deliverer of some sort sent by God to restore Israel from bondage. The interesting thing about the New Treatment's use of these texts is that they were written to encourage Jews in exile in the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. Some were written as late as the 5th century B.C. The appearance of Jesus, His life and ministry, His death and resurrection, had so many connections to prophetic writings, the apostles had their eyes opened wide to the notion that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of every promise of God regardless of the original circumstances.
2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
God promised David that He would always have a son to sit upon throne and given Israel in wisdom and righteousness. Jesus is God's ultimate fulfillment to this promise. For Christ reigns forever a spiritual Israel made up, not simply of Jews, but of all who believe the gospel.
The two blind men represent both Jew and Gentile who cannot see the truth of God's redemptive action in bringing Christ Jesus to the world. Even today there continues to be both Jews and non-Jews who do not see who Jesus really is. Some see Him as myth, not a historical person. Some see Him as historical and a wise teacher, but not divine. Some see Him as divine, but not the singular way to salvation, but one of many ways to God. But when faith gives hope in Christ, the reality of Jesus confronts us and His power heals, helping us too see who He is and giving us ability to speak the truth and witness to the good news.
Jesus told them to keep this healing a secret. We don't know why so we have to suggest reasons. A popular theory is that it was not time for Jesus to be hailed as king of the Jews. It was not yet time for His coronation upon the cross. Another possibility is that Jesus didn't want to draw attention to Himself, but continue to direct His followers to God the Father. Perhaps Jesus wished to avoid the clamour of the crowd seeking spectacle. In any event, the men went and told everyone they could about what Jesus did for them.
The mute man was unable to speak because of the grip of demonic forces. Jesus drove out the demon and the man could suddenly speak. What force keeps Christians today from opening their mouths and testifying to the good news about Jesus Christ? Is it fear and discomfort? Is it a feeling of incompetence? Could it be they we let the values of society trump the commands of Christ to go and make disciples? What would it take to open our mouths so that we speak on Christ behalf?
The restorative power of Christ is amazing, but some will continue to discredit His name for their own purposes. The jealous religious leaders said that Jesus drove demons by the power of demons, demeaning His good work. Their intent is to turn followers away from Christ and keep the people listening to them.
The gospel is and always has been offensive. It asserts that Jesus is the king of kings, the ultimate authority in heaven and on earth. It proclaims that Jesus is the only way to eternal life, the saving knowledge of the one true God. It condemns all humanity for sin, and pronounces God's judgement to show sinners mercy through the sacrifice of His Son. What kind of retorts have you heard spoken against the gospel?
Even if all of Christianity remained silent, even the rocks would cry out, Hosanna to the Son of David! Lord, save us! Open our eyes to see You and free our mouths to speak the truth.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Matthew 9:18-26
Matthew 9:18-26 NIV
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matthew tells some more healing stories. I have to ask myself what purpose these bring to His account, when he had already reported Jesus' ability to heal on a number of occasions. What's different here is the level of healing and the level of faith. Jesus raises a little girl from death! The woman with the issue of blood believes a simple touch of the edge of His cloak will heal this chronic condition. The synagogue leader believes if Jesus lays hands on his dead daughter she will live again. This reveals that the faith of the people is increasing. With their increased faith we witness miraculous healing. Central to these two healing stories is the faith of the people approaching Jesus and their focus on touching. In the case of the woman with the issue of blood, she believed if she touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she'd be healed of a 12 year condition that made her religiously unclean. The number 12 is symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel. Does the woman's unclean condition, a condition that bars her from attendance at temple, isolated by religious law, imply that Israel is unclean? God is holy. As such the Holy One does not allow unholy or unclean persons or things in His presence. The Old Testament reveals a few occasions where unauthorized (unholy) people approaching the sanctuary of God was lethal. The uncleanliness of Israel may be because they sin, but Jesus is a friend of sinners. There's a new era of mercy and love. So if Israel would just reach out to Jesus in hope, like the woman with the issue of blood, they would be restored and reconnected to the God of life. The blood leaving the woman made her tired as life was stripped away, for life is in the blood. In the same way a life of habitual sin separates one from God and strips away life from the sinner. The message to Israel is to seek the Lord for healing and reconciliation with the Holy One. Jesus' raising of the dead girl is a mini-Easter. It points to what's going to happen for all who hope in Christ. We will all experience resurrection to eternal life. Notice that the faith of her father saved her. She was dead, but because he humbled himself before the Lord and asked that He come and lay His hands on her, she was brought back to life. Parents often witness their children making sinful choices. It pains us to watch them suffer mistakes. Sin causes estrangement within ourselves. Sin causes shame, a feeling of being outside of the Father's love. This is not exactly the case. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ, not even our sin. (Rom 8:38-39) We feel the estrangement just the same, like Eve with her eyes opened to her shame after she ate the forbidden fruit. God did not cease to love her. He provided clothing for her to cover herself. But God allowed her to face the consequences of her sin. I'm sure God was pained. Eve was His first daughter; she and Adam the first of His human children. And like a father God watched them make their choices to listen to the serpent's lies rather than God's commands. God began to provide a way for them to endure their banishment from paradise. God hoped His human children would learn to choose obedience rather than rebellion. In the same way parents watch their children make decisions that do not lead to the narrow gate of life, but to the wide road that leads to destruction. We pray and hope that our children will find their way back to the righteous path. Like the synagogue leader we kneel before Jesus and ask that He touch our children, believing that His hand will return them to life in God. The word spread about Jesus. He said the girl was not dead but only sleeping. He took her by the hand and raised her to life. This happened because of the prayers and intercession of a loving parent. Let these stories give you hope. Perhaps you've been living with an illness, or something else that isolates you from others. You've tried a lot of things that didn't work, but don't lose hope. Reach out for Christ. Perhaps His touch will heal you because of your faith that Jesus can heal you. Maybe you have children going the wrong way in life. You fear for the consequences they will face. Kneel in prayer every day and ask the Lord to touch their lives. Ask Jesus to take them by the hand and restore them to the path that leads to eternal life. Above all be amazed at the power of Christ. That same power resides in you through the Holy Spirit, a power that can conquer the grave and everything that leads there. |
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Matthew 9:9-17
Matthew 9:9-17 NIV
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The challenges to Jesus' ministry continue in the calling of Matthew, a tax collector. You may know that tax collectors were hated in Israel. The tax collector was a fellow Jew, employed by Rome to collect taxes from his own neighbors. The tax collector made his living by charging more for tax than Rome needed. Whatever he charged the people, the Roman soldiers helped to extract by force when necessary. Tax collectors became very wealthy from overcharging to pay their wage. You can understand why they were despised.
For Jesus to befriend Matthew was scandalous. For Him to eat with Matthew and his associates was to broadcast friendship with sinners. It was unconscionable for a holy man to do so. Yet Jesus called Matthew to become His disciple and Matthew followed.
The simple invitation, "Follow me", means to assist Jesus in His ministry. It means to serve Jesus as a faithful attendant and to keep to His teachings. Matthew left his tax collection business to serve Jesus. He threw a dinner party in celebration and some in Matthew's circle came to join their host, Jesus, and the other disciples.
The teachers of the law, disgusted at Jesus for associating with sinners and tax collectors, asked why He did so. Jesus responded that the healthy don't need a doctor. The sick do. He came to call sinners not the righteous back to God.
Why wouldn't Jesus call the righteous? I can assume it is because the righteous were too busy hating the sinners to be any use to Jesus' revival of Israel.
Today churches everywhere are dwindling in membership, filled with the faithful frozen chosen. They are chosen by Christ as His disciples to go and make more followers of Jesus and thereby transform the world with God's mercy and compassion. They are faithful to the traditions of the church and serve church ministry and contribute to missions and other forms of service, but they do not effectively reach their surrounding community. Perhaps it is because they are too busy with church activities, or too afraid to reach out and associate with sinners and those marginalized by our society. The teachers of the law in this story could have been in attendance at a few church bible studies and committee meetings I've joined, for the same us-versus-them mentality prevailed. While the so called righteous consider themselves the inside crowd, Jesus is building His church with those considered outside of God's blessings.
Are you a church insider confident of your good standing before God? Or are you more like Matthew and his friends, outside of the entitlement of religious affiliation, but hearing God's call to join Jesus in helping to revive the lost souls around you with good news about God's love and mercy? Will you get up and follow? Will you stand with your arms crossed and wag your tongue about sinners? Will you love, reach and teach, or scold and obstruct? Ask yourself if your response is righteous in Jesus' eyes.
The disciples of John the Baptist also challenged Jesus and His disciples about feasting with Matthew, rather than fasting like the other observant Jews did. Jesus reasoned that you don't mourn when the wedding party is happening. No! You join in the celebration. The point is that Jesus is cause to celebrate, for He ushered in the era of grace. He is truly a friend to sinners. But unfortunately the religious gate keepers don't understand this new era. Faithfully defending the traditions of their fathers, they guard against any change or new interpretation that may cause them to live differently, like embrace sinners as brothers and sisters made in God's image.
Jesus said the disciples will mourn and fast later when the bridegroom (Jesus) is taken away, a reference to His crucifixion. Now, while Jesus walked among them, they are to celebrate. Jesus poured Himself into simple men and women. Many were poor like the fishermen He called, some were wealthy like Matthew, but all were far enough removed from the religious guard dogs that they were malleable and ready to be formed as His disciples. They are like new wineskins, able to stretch spiritually speaking. Those stuck in tradition were not able to accept Jesus. Even the disciples of John the Baptist may not have been able to embrace Jesus as their teacher and master.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-tradition. I'm not. I love my Methodist tradition, most odd it anyway. However, traditions have a way of existing for their own perpetuation, and not truly for Christ's mission of redemption in the world. Insiders can become blind to what God is doing as they maintain what has been handed down to them.
The new wine is the gospel, which Jesus preached and which formed the church. The new wineskins were the apostles and others who answered His call to follow. Again this story of John's disciples challenging Jesus about fasting illustrates that the presumed insiders are outside the new thing God is doing.
What these stories of Jesus say to me is to always be open to the new thing God is doing. Right now there are many social issues that are hot topics in the church. These issues cause division. As I watch the rift forming and tearing at my own tradition, I wonder to myself, "What is God up to?" Few of our heated debates reveal the humility needed to consider that perhaps our tradition needs to change in order to follow Christ, in order to join Him in the new thing He is doing. Each fighting faction holds their ground while Jesus is reaching out beyond the assembly halls where church policies are made dogma.
The word of God asks me today if I wish to follow and attend to Jesus and His ministry to the outsiders. I have to admit that it feels comfortable on the inside. I'd much rather live in the illusion that I'm on the right side of every issue and busy myself with inwardly focused church activities, which makes me unfit for the mission of Christ's church. I doubt I'm alone in my thoughts, however deplorable they may be. The gospel compels me to shake off the dust of my ineffective attempts at discipleship and follow Jesus into reaching out to sinners and the marginalized, people very different from me. Pray for me to find grace to "get up and follow".
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The challenges to Jesus' ministry continue in the calling of Matthew, a tax collector. You may know that tax collectors were hated in Israel. The tax collector was a fellow Jew, employed by Rome to collect taxes from his own neighbors. The tax collector made his living by charging more for tax than Rome needed. Whatever he charged the people, the Roman soldiers helped to extract by force when necessary. Tax collectors became very wealthy from overcharging to pay their wage. You can understand why they were despised.
For Jesus to befriend Matthew was scandalous. For Him to eat with Matthew and his associates was to broadcast friendship with sinners. It was unconscionable for a holy man to do so. Yet Jesus called Matthew to become His disciple and Matthew followed.
The simple invitation, "Follow me", means to assist Jesus in His ministry. It means to serve Jesus as a faithful attendant and to keep to His teachings. Matthew left his tax collection business to serve Jesus. He threw a dinner party in celebration and some in Matthew's circle came to join their host, Jesus, and the other disciples.
The teachers of the law, disgusted at Jesus for associating with sinners and tax collectors, asked why He did so. Jesus responded that the healthy don't need a doctor. The sick do. He came to call sinners not the righteous back to God.
Why wouldn't Jesus call the righteous? I can assume it is because the righteous were too busy hating the sinners to be any use to Jesus' revival of Israel.
Today churches everywhere are dwindling in membership, filled with the faithful frozen chosen. They are chosen by Christ as His disciples to go and make more followers of Jesus and thereby transform the world with God's mercy and compassion. They are faithful to the traditions of the church and serve church ministry and contribute to missions and other forms of service, but they do not effectively reach their surrounding community. Perhaps it is because they are too busy with church activities, or too afraid to reach out and associate with sinners and those marginalized by our society. The teachers of the law in this story could have been in attendance at a few church bible studies and committee meetings I've joined, for the same us-versus-them mentality prevailed. While the so called righteous consider themselves the inside crowd, Jesus is building His church with those considered outside of God's blessings.
Are you a church insider confident of your good standing before God? Or are you more like Matthew and his friends, outside of the entitlement of religious affiliation, but hearing God's call to join Jesus in helping to revive the lost souls around you with good news about God's love and mercy? Will you get up and follow? Will you stand with your arms crossed and wag your tongue about sinners? Will you love, reach and teach, or scold and obstruct? Ask yourself if your response is righteous in Jesus' eyes.
The disciples of John the Baptist also challenged Jesus and His disciples about feasting with Matthew, rather than fasting like the other observant Jews did. Jesus reasoned that you don't mourn when the wedding party is happening. No! You join in the celebration. The point is that Jesus is cause to celebrate, for He ushered in the era of grace. He is truly a friend to sinners. But unfortunately the religious gate keepers don't understand this new era. Faithfully defending the traditions of their fathers, they guard against any change or new interpretation that may cause them to live differently, like embrace sinners as brothers and sisters made in God's image.
Jesus said the disciples will mourn and fast later when the bridegroom (Jesus) is taken away, a reference to His crucifixion. Now, while Jesus walked among them, they are to celebrate. Jesus poured Himself into simple men and women. Many were poor like the fishermen He called, some were wealthy like Matthew, but all were far enough removed from the religious guard dogs that they were malleable and ready to be formed as His disciples. They are like new wineskins, able to stretch spiritually speaking. Those stuck in tradition were not able to accept Jesus. Even the disciples of John the Baptist may not have been able to embrace Jesus as their teacher and master.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-tradition. I'm not. I love my Methodist tradition, most odd it anyway. However, traditions have a way of existing for their own perpetuation, and not truly for Christ's mission of redemption in the world. Insiders can become blind to what God is doing as they maintain what has been handed down to them.
The new wine is the gospel, which Jesus preached and which formed the church. The new wineskins were the apostles and others who answered His call to follow. Again this story of John's disciples challenging Jesus about fasting illustrates that the presumed insiders are outside the new thing God is doing.
What these stories of Jesus say to me is to always be open to the new thing God is doing. Right now there are many social issues that are hot topics in the church. These issues cause division. As I watch the rift forming and tearing at my own tradition, I wonder to myself, "What is God up to?" Few of our heated debates reveal the humility needed to consider that perhaps our tradition needs to change in order to follow Christ, in order to join Him in the new thing He is doing. Each fighting faction holds their ground while Jesus is reaching out beyond the assembly halls where church policies are made dogma.
The word of God asks me today if I wish to follow and attend to Jesus and His ministry to the outsiders. I have to admit that it feels comfortable on the inside. I'd much rather live in the illusion that I'm on the right side of every issue and busy myself with inwardly focused church activities, which makes me unfit for the mission of Christ's church. I doubt I'm alone in my thoughts, however deplorable they may be. The gospel compels me to shake off the dust of my ineffective attempts at discipleship and follow Jesus into reaching out to sinners and the marginalized, people very different from me. Pray for me to find grace to "get up and follow".
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Matthew 9:1-8
Matthew 9:1-8 NIV
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this account of Jesus healing a paralytic, the issue of His authority is challenged by the religious teachers. After leaving Garasenes and driving demons from the two possessed men, Jesus returns to Capernaum by boat. The people learn Jesus has returned and some men bring a paralytic to Jesus on a mat.
I love what happens next. Jesus saw their faith, the faith of the men carrying the paralytic, and perhaps the paralytic himself. Jesus was pleased, I think, not for His own benefit, but for the blessings their faith will bring. He encourages the paralytic to take heart, to be uplifted in spirit, to be of good cheer. Then Jesus tells the man His sins are forgiven.
When I go to the doctor for health he never mentions my sins or pronounces forgiveness. Why would he? But in Jesus' day the poor had little or no access to physicians. Faith healers, priests and such were involved in health matters. In the Jewish mind, when you faithfully keep the law of Moses, then health, prosperity, and security would be yours by the blessing of God. If you fell ill, then it must mean that you offended God in some way. If you break a law, fail to observe an ordinance, or shirk on your offerings to God, then illness may befall you, for God will remove His blessing from the disobedient.
Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22 NIV
However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation....
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates that sin separates us from the Lord. We become estranged from the fountain of life, our creator. This separation is painful to us for we were made to be in relationship with God.
Hear the psalmist cry for healing.
Psalm 6:1-4 NIV
Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
Jesus is reconciling the paralytic to his God by pronouncing forgiveness. Forgiveness was pronounced by priests after a sacrifice of atonement. So it's very understandable why the teachers of the law are offended by Jesus' words. In their eyes He's just a carpenter who thinks Himself a prophet. Who was He to pronounce forgiveness? Only God can do that, and that was achieved through following the prescribed sacrifices for atonement as recorded by Moses. The irony, of course, cannot be missed. God is standing right before their eyes, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, but they do not see it.
In an attempt to open their eyes Jesus heals the paralytic, a gracious miracle no one can denounce. It's one thing to pronounce forgiveness and restoration to God, but quite another to show the immediate benefit... health. The people praised God for the authority given to Jesus, a mere mortal, or so they thought.
This story is about a lot of things. It's about the mystery of the incarnate God. It is about our faith in Jesus and His authority to heal and to reconcile us to God. It's about our sin and our need for forgiveness. It's about our need to have our eyes opened that we might comprehend the mystery that Jesus, a son of a carpenter, is God in the flesh. And finally its about hope in the new creation. For when Jesus told the paralytic to "get up", it's the same Greek word used for resurrection. The powers wielded by Jesus are pointing to our future when, in the new heaven and earth, there will be no more diseases, no more sin separating us from God or one another, and no more tears over suffering and death. The old order of things is passing away and giving way to the new order in Christ.
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this account of Jesus healing a paralytic, the issue of His authority is challenged by the religious teachers. After leaving Garasenes and driving demons from the two possessed men, Jesus returns to Capernaum by boat. The people learn Jesus has returned and some men bring a paralytic to Jesus on a mat.
I love what happens next. Jesus saw their faith, the faith of the men carrying the paralytic, and perhaps the paralytic himself. Jesus was pleased, I think, not for His own benefit, but for the blessings their faith will bring. He encourages the paralytic to take heart, to be uplifted in spirit, to be of good cheer. Then Jesus tells the man His sins are forgiven.
When I go to the doctor for health he never mentions my sins or pronounces forgiveness. Why would he? But in Jesus' day the poor had little or no access to physicians. Faith healers, priests and such were involved in health matters. In the Jewish mind, when you faithfully keep the law of Moses, then health, prosperity, and security would be yours by the blessing of God. If you fell ill, then it must mean that you offended God in some way. If you break a law, fail to observe an ordinance, or shirk on your offerings to God, then illness may befall you, for God will remove His blessing from the disobedient.
Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22 NIV
However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation....
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates that sin separates us from the Lord. We become estranged from the fountain of life, our creator. This separation is painful to us for we were made to be in relationship with God.
Hear the psalmist cry for healing.
Psalm 6:1-4 NIV
Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
Jesus is reconciling the paralytic to his God by pronouncing forgiveness. Forgiveness was pronounced by priests after a sacrifice of atonement. So it's very understandable why the teachers of the law are offended by Jesus' words. In their eyes He's just a carpenter who thinks Himself a prophet. Who was He to pronounce forgiveness? Only God can do that, and that was achieved through following the prescribed sacrifices for atonement as recorded by Moses. The irony, of course, cannot be missed. God is standing right before their eyes, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, but they do not see it.
In an attempt to open their eyes Jesus heals the paralytic, a gracious miracle no one can denounce. It's one thing to pronounce forgiveness and restoration to God, but quite another to show the immediate benefit... health. The people praised God for the authority given to Jesus, a mere mortal, or so they thought.
This story is about a lot of things. It's about the mystery of the incarnate God. It is about our faith in Jesus and His authority to heal and to reconcile us to God. It's about our sin and our need for forgiveness. It's about our need to have our eyes opened that we might comprehend the mystery that Jesus, a son of a carpenter, is God in the flesh. And finally its about hope in the new creation. For when Jesus told the paralytic to "get up", it's the same Greek word used for resurrection. The powers wielded by Jesus are pointing to our future when, in the new heaven and earth, there will be no more diseases, no more sin separating us from God or one another, and no more tears over suffering and death. The old order of things is passing away and giving way to the new order in Christ.
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Matthew 8:28-34
Matthew 8:28-34 NIV
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.
Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon possessed men in the tombs of Gadarenes is a creepy story. There's not enough detail for it to be horrifying, but there's enough to let my imagination fill in the blanks. These men were living among the dead. That's creepy. Cemeteries and graveyards are often used to frighten us in ghost and zombie movies, but imagine caves carved out of the hillsides outside of your town, as places to lay your dead. Apparently these tombs were on the way to the village, but it became a route that no one could pass through because of these demon possessed men. They were much too violent. Imagine Jesus and His disciples, having just crossed the Sea of Galilee, weary from healing all those sick and demon possessed in Capernaum, looking for a bit of time away by themselves to rest, suddenly confronted by shrieking, growling, violent men rushing up to attack them from these holes in the hillsides! Goosebumps!
I imagine they had attacked many others, so for the locals this had become a well known dangerous place to avoid. It had to be situated on a road between the seashore and the village, rural enough for farming, for there was a herd of pigs nearby. The presence of pigs ought to give us a clue as to the kind of place Jesus was visiting. This was Gentile country. No Jew kept filthy pigs. Pork is restricted from the Jewish diet. The other side of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum was not Jewish settled, but Gentile infiltrated.
Why do you suppose Jesus decided to go there? I think it was because He wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who He was, that He might relax and be alone with His disciples for some quality time. He was after all coaching them, developing leadership for His church.
Matthew 8:18 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
Jesus and His disciples had just spent hours healing the sick and demon possessed in Capernaum. Their lives were threatened by a sudden storm on the sea as they attempted a crossing. They had to be exhausted. And now they are confronted by these frightening men.
They wanted to go where no one knew Jesus, so there would be no crowds clamoring for His attention, but the plan was interrupted by entities who did know Him. In fact the demons knew who He was better than Jesus' own disciples. You may remember what the disciples said to one another after Jesus commanded the storm to silence.
Matthew 8:27 NIV
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Compare that to what the demons within the men from the tombs said when they confronted Jesus.
Matthew 8:29 NIV
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
The demons know the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God. The disciples and much of Israel do not know this about Jesus. It's ironic that forces that oppose God and life are so quick to witness to Jesus' identity and His power, when Jesus' closest companions do not. Perhaps that is part of the reason this story follows the story of the storm on the sea. It prefigures what happens in church history. The Jews remain blind to who Jesus is. They do not recognize the coming of their own God and messiah. Some do and become His church. But it is the Gentile world, beset with demonic influence, that eventually embraces the gospel and grows the church.
The demons want to knew if Jesus intends to torture them before the appointed time. What appointed time? We can only guess. I assume the demons mean the end of days, the final judgement, what we've come to call The Apocalypse. The biblical worldview states that this world we now live in is coming to nothing. It will be replaced with a new creation without demons, disease, discord or death. The end of this current order means the end of these demons. They know what's coming and they fear the power of the Son of God. They beg Him to send to them away into the pigs, rather that torture them. What sort of torture did they fear? Again I can only guess. In Luke's version the demons beg not to be cast into the Abyss, which is the deep or the bottomless boundless pit from which the demons came to the earth. In Greek mythology the Abyss was where the dead lie and the place where demons live. Basically the demons did not wish to be banished from their earthly dwelling, wreaking havoc on these poor gentiles. Jesus gave them what they asked for. Shocking! Why did Jesus give them what the demons wanted, a furlough from their appointed destiny in the burning lake of sulfur?
Revelation 20:10, 15 NIV
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The reason that Jesus does not cast the demons into the Abyss is that it's not the appointed time. Jesus doesn't know the appointed time, nor do the demons. They only know it's coming in the Father's time of choosing. But when the demons possess the herd of pigs the pigs run to their deaths into the sea. In essence we witness a mini apocalypse. The Sea of Galilee represents an abyss of sorts, the watery depths of primordial chaos from which the earth was formed.
Genesis 1:2 NIV
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Greek translation of "the deep" in Genesis 1:2 is the same word used in Luke 8:31 to describe the Abyss.
The pigs represent those who do not adhere to the holy commands of God. Thus in the end of all things the devil and those who follow him will be cast into the Abyss where they will no longer torment the children of God.
Let's return to the story. The people of the village learn of the exorcism of the two men and they come from the village and ask Jesus to leave the area. Why would they do that? Didn't Jesus rid them of a terrible hazard? The demon possessed men were extremely violent and made passage by that route impossible, not to mention rendering the tombs out of commission for any further use. Wouldn't they be grateful? Instead they plead with Jesus just like the demons. What does this say about the Gentiles? They are frightened of Jesus just like the demons were. It says to me that the Gentile population had become so accustomed to living with demonic influence that they are afraid of experiencing life free of them. It's sort of like a battered woman who chooses her abuser instead of freedom. She's afraid to live on her own. Her self esteem is so low she doesn't believe that she can. Better to be a captive in a bad relationship than to be alone and homeless, she may think. I know I felt that way about sobriety. I was afraid to think of living without alcohol. I had become so accustomed to numbing my senses I didn't want to think of life without it.
The New Testament refers to idol worshippers as worshipping demons.
1 Corinthians 10:20 NIV
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Gentiles worshipped idols which represented their gods. But there is only one God therefore who or what entities were responding to their prayers and sacrifices. In the Jewish mind it is demons who manifest their power in response to pagan idolatry. Can you imagine growing up an idol worshipper and suddenly find yourself confronted with the fact that your gods are no gods at all? Wouldn't it be frightening and perhaps even too difficult to comprehend? The gentiles when confronted with the greater power of the Son of God do not know how to handle it. In fear and disbelief they ask Jesus to leave so that they can go on with life as it is.
This mini apocalypse presents us with a personal question. Are you ready to be set free from bondage by the Son of God or are you so comfortable with your captors you're to afraid to live anyway else? Think of those habits that keep you from the fullest life. Jesus can and will set you free if you seek His help. But are you too afraid to change? Would you rather Jesus left you alone and take your chances on judgement day?
Matthew's telling of this story is remarkably different from Mark and Luke's versions. There are two men rather than one. The focus is on the townsfolk and their response to Jesus and not so much what happens to the formerly possessed men. I think this is by design. Matthew wants his readers to choose Jesus and avoid the fate of the demons or the idol worshippers. In Matthew's world there are three types. The church who follows Jesus, the Jews who reject Jesus, and the gentiles who are afraid of Jesus. I think the two demon possessed men represent the Jews and gentiles who refuse Christ. To which of the three group do you think you belong? What will you decide when your life is confronted with the presence of the Son of God? You can be free, but that means coming to serve a new master, the Lord of heaven and earth. Are you ready to be free or does that frighten you? Will you come to Jesus or ask Him to leave you alone?
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.
Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon possessed men in the tombs of Gadarenes is a creepy story. There's not enough detail for it to be horrifying, but there's enough to let my imagination fill in the blanks. These men were living among the dead. That's creepy. Cemeteries and graveyards are often used to frighten us in ghost and zombie movies, but imagine caves carved out of the hillsides outside of your town, as places to lay your dead. Apparently these tombs were on the way to the village, but it became a route that no one could pass through because of these demon possessed men. They were much too violent. Imagine Jesus and His disciples, having just crossed the Sea of Galilee, weary from healing all those sick and demon possessed in Capernaum, looking for a bit of time away by themselves to rest, suddenly confronted by shrieking, growling, violent men rushing up to attack them from these holes in the hillsides! Goosebumps!
I imagine they had attacked many others, so for the locals this had become a well known dangerous place to avoid. It had to be situated on a road between the seashore and the village, rural enough for farming, for there was a herd of pigs nearby. The presence of pigs ought to give us a clue as to the kind of place Jesus was visiting. This was Gentile country. No Jew kept filthy pigs. Pork is restricted from the Jewish diet. The other side of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum was not Jewish settled, but Gentile infiltrated.
Why do you suppose Jesus decided to go there? I think it was because He wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who He was, that He might relax and be alone with His disciples for some quality time. He was after all coaching them, developing leadership for His church.
Matthew 8:18 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
Jesus and His disciples had just spent hours healing the sick and demon possessed in Capernaum. Their lives were threatened by a sudden storm on the sea as they attempted a crossing. They had to be exhausted. And now they are confronted by these frightening men.
They wanted to go where no one knew Jesus, so there would be no crowds clamoring for His attention, but the plan was interrupted by entities who did know Him. In fact the demons knew who He was better than Jesus' own disciples. You may remember what the disciples said to one another after Jesus commanded the storm to silence.
Matthew 8:27 NIV
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Compare that to what the demons within the men from the tombs said when they confronted Jesus.
Matthew 8:29 NIV
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
The demons know the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God. The disciples and much of Israel do not know this about Jesus. It's ironic that forces that oppose God and life are so quick to witness to Jesus' identity and His power, when Jesus' closest companions do not. Perhaps that is part of the reason this story follows the story of the storm on the sea. It prefigures what happens in church history. The Jews remain blind to who Jesus is. They do not recognize the coming of their own God and messiah. Some do and become His church. But it is the Gentile world, beset with demonic influence, that eventually embraces the gospel and grows the church.
The demons want to knew if Jesus intends to torture them before the appointed time. What appointed time? We can only guess. I assume the demons mean the end of days, the final judgement, what we've come to call The Apocalypse. The biblical worldview states that this world we now live in is coming to nothing. It will be replaced with a new creation without demons, disease, discord or death. The end of this current order means the end of these demons. They know what's coming and they fear the power of the Son of God. They beg Him to send to them away into the pigs, rather that torture them. What sort of torture did they fear? Again I can only guess. In Luke's version the demons beg not to be cast into the Abyss, which is the deep or the bottomless boundless pit from which the demons came to the earth. In Greek mythology the Abyss was where the dead lie and the place where demons live. Basically the demons did not wish to be banished from their earthly dwelling, wreaking havoc on these poor gentiles. Jesus gave them what they asked for. Shocking! Why did Jesus give them what the demons wanted, a furlough from their appointed destiny in the burning lake of sulfur?
Revelation 20:10, 15 NIV
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The reason that Jesus does not cast the demons into the Abyss is that it's not the appointed time. Jesus doesn't know the appointed time, nor do the demons. They only know it's coming in the Father's time of choosing. But when the demons possess the herd of pigs the pigs run to their deaths into the sea. In essence we witness a mini apocalypse. The Sea of Galilee represents an abyss of sorts, the watery depths of primordial chaos from which the earth was formed.
Genesis 1:2 NIV
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Greek translation of "the deep" in Genesis 1:2 is the same word used in Luke 8:31 to describe the Abyss.
The pigs represent those who do not adhere to the holy commands of God. Thus in the end of all things the devil and those who follow him will be cast into the Abyss where they will no longer torment the children of God.
Let's return to the story. The people of the village learn of the exorcism of the two men and they come from the village and ask Jesus to leave the area. Why would they do that? Didn't Jesus rid them of a terrible hazard? The demon possessed men were extremely violent and made passage by that route impossible, not to mention rendering the tombs out of commission for any further use. Wouldn't they be grateful? Instead they plead with Jesus just like the demons. What does this say about the Gentiles? They are frightened of Jesus just like the demons were. It says to me that the Gentile population had become so accustomed to living with demonic influence that they are afraid of experiencing life free of them. It's sort of like a battered woman who chooses her abuser instead of freedom. She's afraid to live on her own. Her self esteem is so low she doesn't believe that she can. Better to be a captive in a bad relationship than to be alone and homeless, she may think. I know I felt that way about sobriety. I was afraid to think of living without alcohol. I had become so accustomed to numbing my senses I didn't want to think of life without it.
The New Testament refers to idol worshippers as worshipping demons.
1 Corinthians 10:20 NIV
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Gentiles worshipped idols which represented their gods. But there is only one God therefore who or what entities were responding to their prayers and sacrifices. In the Jewish mind it is demons who manifest their power in response to pagan idolatry. Can you imagine growing up an idol worshipper and suddenly find yourself confronted with the fact that your gods are no gods at all? Wouldn't it be frightening and perhaps even too difficult to comprehend? The gentiles when confronted with the greater power of the Son of God do not know how to handle it. In fear and disbelief they ask Jesus to leave so that they can go on with life as it is.
This mini apocalypse presents us with a personal question. Are you ready to be set free from bondage by the Son of God or are you so comfortable with your captors you're to afraid to live anyway else? Think of those habits that keep you from the fullest life. Jesus can and will set you free if you seek His help. But are you too afraid to change? Would you rather Jesus left you alone and take your chances on judgement day?
Matthew's telling of this story is remarkably different from Mark and Luke's versions. There are two men rather than one. The focus is on the townsfolk and their response to Jesus and not so much what happens to the formerly possessed men. I think this is by design. Matthew wants his readers to choose Jesus and avoid the fate of the demons or the idol worshippers. In Matthew's world there are three types. The church who follows Jesus, the Jews who reject Jesus, and the gentiles who are afraid of Jesus. I think the two demon possessed men represent the Jews and gentiles who refuse Christ. To which of the three group do you think you belong? What will you decide when your life is confronted with the presence of the Son of God? You can be free, but that means coming to serve a new master, the Lord of heaven and earth. Are you ready to be free or does that frighten you? Will you come to Jesus or ask Him to leave you alone?
Friday, September 2, 2016
Matthew 8:23-27
Matthew 8:23-27 NIV
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The answer to the disciples' question, "What kind of Man is this?" is obvious to the reader who is familiar with the whole story. We know who Jesus is, even if the disciples do not. We know that Jesus was born King of the Jews to a virgin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and His earthly father Joseph accepted Jesus with the help of angels. We know that the power of God is upon Him, for the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at the Jordon River during His baptism. We know Jesus is the beloved Son of God. We've seen Him heal and drive out demons. Other prophets have healed and provided food under miraculous circumstances, but there's no Old Testament prophets battling demons that I can remember. Christ is wielding a power not yet seen in Israel. Now He is commanding the wind to silence itself. He calmed the storm with a simple word and the storm obeyed. No other character in scripture has performed such a feat except God, our creator. Elijah stopped the rain to punish King Ahab, but it was through prayer. God sent the drought.
In the Old Testament there are several examples of God commanding the weather to save Israel from their enemies. He stopped the sun from moving so that Joshua had sunlight to completely destroy Amorite kings. (Joshua 10:12-14)
Of course we remember God serving a heavy wind to spilt the Red Sea, so that the Israelites crossed in safety as the fled Egypt. (Ex 14)
God sent hail to punish the Egyptians and destroy their crops. The ten plagues of Egypt are an epic example of the creator's command over creation.
You might wonder if there are contemporary examples. Rent the movie "Faith Like Potatoes". It's a story of faith about a South African farmer who prayed during a severe drought and He bet the farm that God would hear and end the drought if enough people repented and turned to God in humility. He led a revival and 20,000 plus souls joined in prayer in a rugby stadium. The drought ended in God's time and, against all odds, the farm was saved. You could argue coincidence, but the weather man did not see the end of the drought coming.
This story of Jesus calming the storm ups His credentials. He isn't simply a king or son. Jesus is God in the flesh right in the boat with us. He is Lord of heaven and earth. With a word, God brought forth life and light. With a word, Jesus commands creation and creation obeys.
I've often thought of the boat as symbolizing the church. The boat is filled with Jesus' disciples. When chaos comes crashing in, the church cries out to Christ who appears to be sleeping on the job, so to speak. Why else should the waves hammer against us? If God were paying attention shouldn't we be spared such peril? A childish faith thinks that way. But a mature believer understands we live in a world gone wrong. It's a good creation, but broken by sin and the curse that comes with it. God is redeeming the earth, but He has not completed His work. We live in the time between times. We live between the appearance of Jesus, and the ushering in of the new creation, and the completion of all things. Suffering and trial comes with this mortal life. There's no escaping it.
But Jesus is with us in the boat! Let that sink in! (Pun intended) Yes, Jesus is with us in every trial. We are those who follow Christ. We aren't members of the crowd with excuses as to why we can't follow Him now. The crowd wants to see the miracles, but they don't want to follow Jesus into ministry as His servants. Disciples step out of the crowd, onto the boat, and into the storming chaos of this world with Jesus at the helm. As we do battle with the forces that oppose God and life, we do so with the creator's power in our midst.
The next time the waves batter against your life and you feel frightened, insecure and uncertain, cry out to Christ who is with you. He is not sleeping. He has not abandoned you. He is right there battling with you and giving you new strengths, wisdom and faith.
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The answer to the disciples' question, "What kind of Man is this?" is obvious to the reader who is familiar with the whole story. We know who Jesus is, even if the disciples do not. We know that Jesus was born King of the Jews to a virgin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and His earthly father Joseph accepted Jesus with the help of angels. We know that the power of God is upon Him, for the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at the Jordon River during His baptism. We know Jesus is the beloved Son of God. We've seen Him heal and drive out demons. Other prophets have healed and provided food under miraculous circumstances, but there's no Old Testament prophets battling demons that I can remember. Christ is wielding a power not yet seen in Israel. Now He is commanding the wind to silence itself. He calmed the storm with a simple word and the storm obeyed. No other character in scripture has performed such a feat except God, our creator. Elijah stopped the rain to punish King Ahab, but it was through prayer. God sent the drought.
In the Old Testament there are several examples of God commanding the weather to save Israel from their enemies. He stopped the sun from moving so that Joshua had sunlight to completely destroy Amorite kings. (Joshua 10:12-14)
Of course we remember God serving a heavy wind to spilt the Red Sea, so that the Israelites crossed in safety as the fled Egypt. (Ex 14)
God sent hail to punish the Egyptians and destroy their crops. The ten plagues of Egypt are an epic example of the creator's command over creation.
You might wonder if there are contemporary examples. Rent the movie "Faith Like Potatoes". It's a story of faith about a South African farmer who prayed during a severe drought and He bet the farm that God would hear and end the drought if enough people repented and turned to God in humility. He led a revival and 20,000 plus souls joined in prayer in a rugby stadium. The drought ended in God's time and, against all odds, the farm was saved. You could argue coincidence, but the weather man did not see the end of the drought coming.
This story of Jesus calming the storm ups His credentials. He isn't simply a king or son. Jesus is God in the flesh right in the boat with us. He is Lord of heaven and earth. With a word, God brought forth life and light. With a word, Jesus commands creation and creation obeys.
I've often thought of the boat as symbolizing the church. The boat is filled with Jesus' disciples. When chaos comes crashing in, the church cries out to Christ who appears to be sleeping on the job, so to speak. Why else should the waves hammer against us? If God were paying attention shouldn't we be spared such peril? A childish faith thinks that way. But a mature believer understands we live in a world gone wrong. It's a good creation, but broken by sin and the curse that comes with it. God is redeeming the earth, but He has not completed His work. We live in the time between times. We live between the appearance of Jesus, and the ushering in of the new creation, and the completion of all things. Suffering and trial comes with this mortal life. There's no escaping it.
But Jesus is with us in the boat! Let that sink in! (Pun intended) Yes, Jesus is with us in every trial. We are those who follow Christ. We aren't members of the crowd with excuses as to why we can't follow Him now. The crowd wants to see the miracles, but they don't want to follow Jesus into ministry as His servants. Disciples step out of the crowd, onto the boat, and into the storming chaos of this world with Jesus at the helm. As we do battle with the forces that oppose God and life, we do so with the creator's power in our midst.
The next time the waves batter against your life and you feel frightened, insecure and uncertain, cry out to Christ who is with you. He is not sleeping. He has not abandoned you. He is right there battling with you and giving you new strengths, wisdom and faith.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Matthew 8:18-22
Matthew 8:18-22 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What does it mean to be alive? The medical definition would be that I have brain function, I'm breathing, and my heart is pumping blood. I could be in a coma and on a respirator, but I'd be technically alive. When people fall in love they speak of being so alive! There's an energy and zest that fills the soul when love is new. Of course that wears off over time. If life and the energy of life is fleeting, then what does being alive really mean in the long scheme of things?
Jesus was swarmed by a crowd of sick and demon possessed people when he'd retired for the night at Capernaum. After healing all their sick and driving or their demons, He decided to go across the lake to another place to rest, but the crowd followed.
Two of the crowd spoke to Jesus as they made their way to the boats. The first said he'd follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus warned him that following Christ is tireless work.
The second said he'd follow too but He needed to bury his father first. It's not that his father lay dead, otherwise why would he be in the crowd hanging out with Jesus? Why would he not be at home attending to funeral arrangements and consoling his family? It's more likely there is an unwillingness to follow Jesus, until the would-be disciple decides the time is right.
Jesus' response is jolting. He tells him to let the dead bury their dead, but you follow- me. It's like He's saying those who don't follow Jesus are dead. In other words those who are not in the crowd listening to Jesus' teaching are dead. If this loyal son wishes to stay with his father until he passes, he is dead too. To my sensibilities that's a pretty harsh thing to say.
I refer to my initial question. What does it mean to be alive? Jesus had the authority to grant life, even to the dead, and to repel those enemies of life like disease and demons. When Lazarus died, his sister's ran to Jesus and said if He'd only been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life." (Jn 11:25) Jesus is life. So to be alive, truly alive, is to be in communion with Jesus. To be alive is to abide in Him and He in you. (Jn 15:1-10) Jesus said that He came into this world that we might have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) Abundant life, everlasting life, eternal life; these are all pointing to the same thing, that is the life lived with God through Christ Jesus.
When you first believed you were marked as His with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Something changed inside your heart. That was the beginning of your transformation and salvation when you invited Christ Jesus to save you from sin. The wonderful thing about the Christian walk is that it just keeps getting better. The further you keep in pace with your Lord's lead, the deeper your connection to the Lifegiver. A zest for living is there within. There's a divine energy in your heart that cannot be defeated, unless we choose to surrender it. Jesus called the Holy Spirit living water. Through your faith in Christ living water is inside your heart welling up to eternal life!
Why delay? Stop with the excuses or waiting until the time is right. the longer you procrastinate, the longer you remain dead in your trespasses, for sin separates us from God. Estrangement from God means death, perhaps a long slow death, like a flower hidden from the sun. But return to the source of life and watch your revival!
So let the proverbial dead remain with their dead things and dead activities and dead infatuations. You go and follow Jesus into life!
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What does it mean to be alive? The medical definition would be that I have brain function, I'm breathing, and my heart is pumping blood. I could be in a coma and on a respirator, but I'd be technically alive. When people fall in love they speak of being so alive! There's an energy and zest that fills the soul when love is new. Of course that wears off over time. If life and the energy of life is fleeting, then what does being alive really mean in the long scheme of things?
Jesus was swarmed by a crowd of sick and demon possessed people when he'd retired for the night at Capernaum. After healing all their sick and driving or their demons, He decided to go across the lake to another place to rest, but the crowd followed.
Two of the crowd spoke to Jesus as they made their way to the boats. The first said he'd follow Jesus anywhere, but Jesus warned him that following Christ is tireless work.
The second said he'd follow too but He needed to bury his father first. It's not that his father lay dead, otherwise why would he be in the crowd hanging out with Jesus? Why would he not be at home attending to funeral arrangements and consoling his family? It's more likely there is an unwillingness to follow Jesus, until the would-be disciple decides the time is right.
Jesus' response is jolting. He tells him to let the dead bury their dead, but you follow- me. It's like He's saying those who don't follow Jesus are dead. In other words those who are not in the crowd listening to Jesus' teaching are dead. If this loyal son wishes to stay with his father until he passes, he is dead too. To my sensibilities that's a pretty harsh thing to say.
I refer to my initial question. What does it mean to be alive? Jesus had the authority to grant life, even to the dead, and to repel those enemies of life like disease and demons. When Lazarus died, his sister's ran to Jesus and said if He'd only been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life." (Jn 11:25) Jesus is life. So to be alive, truly alive, is to be in communion with Jesus. To be alive is to abide in Him and He in you. (Jn 15:1-10) Jesus said that He came into this world that we might have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) Abundant life, everlasting life, eternal life; these are all pointing to the same thing, that is the life lived with God through Christ Jesus.
When you first believed you were marked as His with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Something changed inside your heart. That was the beginning of your transformation and salvation when you invited Christ Jesus to save you from sin. The wonderful thing about the Christian walk is that it just keeps getting better. The further you keep in pace with your Lord's lead, the deeper your connection to the Lifegiver. A zest for living is there within. There's a divine energy in your heart that cannot be defeated, unless we choose to surrender it. Jesus called the Holy Spirit living water. Through your faith in Christ living water is inside your heart welling up to eternal life!
Why delay? Stop with the excuses or waiting until the time is right. the longer you procrastinate, the longer you remain dead in your trespasses, for sin separates us from God. Estrangement from God means death, perhaps a long slow death, like a flower hidden from the sun. But return to the source of life and watch your revival!
So let the proverbial dead remain with their dead things and dead activities and dead infatuations. You go and follow Jesus into life!
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