Roof Rippin' kind of Friends
This is an awesome story. I am glad this one--out of the countless number of healings Jesus did--was selected to be recorded. For this entry we’re going to refer to Mark’s record.
Mark 2:3-12 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11 "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
The reason I went with Mark’s record for this entry is because he gives us an idea of how many men were this guy’s friends. Both Matt and Luke tell us that “some men” brought the paralytic, but only Mark tells us that it was four of them that carried him. I never really thought that it could have been more than four guys that accompanied this dude to Jesus’ meeting. But now that I really, really look at this story I see that it must have been more than four guys that were there for their buddy. Look at Mark 2:3 again: “Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.” Interesting! At least it’s interesting to me. I went to the Greek so I could get a better understanding of how many men there were. I looked up what “Some men came” was in the original text. It did not give me a number but rather something different, something that is already found on the surface of this story. Now the Greek word for “some men” in Mark 2:3 was not a particularly moving word. What Mark originally wrote was the Greek word “erchomai” and its meaning is exactly what was translated. But what was used in Matt 9:2 is awesome. Matt used the word “prospherÅ” and it means “to bring to, lead one to a person who can heal him or is ready to show him some kindness, one to a person who is to judge him.” Maybe I should have gone with Matt’s story. Nonetheless, that brings me to my next point. As I meditate about the paralytic’s friends it reminds me of what James said in his epistle. In James 5:19-20 it states: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” Sorry sisters, you are left out; kidding, it’s just the translation. Here is the Message version of James 5:19-20: “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” This Gospel story of the Paralytic and his boys is a perfect example of what James is talking about. They, the 4+ or however many, brought the paralytic to Jesus’ feet; Jesus forgave him and then healed him. This dude must have had some sins in his life that needed to be dealt with. Notice that Jesus did not say sin, singular which in the New Testament represents the flesh nature; Jesus said sins. I wondered if the sins may have caused him to be paralyzed. Maybe that is why Jesus forgave him of the sins first. I went digging into the Greek to see if there might be some kind of indication of what made this guy sick. I really didn’t find anything. I went to one of my favorite commentators and his note really didn’t give more on what sins may have caused this sickness. I went to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and found this: “being enfeebled by a paralytic stroke, palsied.” So it seems to be this guy could be paralyzed because of a stroke. Well there are all sorts of things that can cause a stroke. Strokes usually seem to be less common in younger people and I don’t know why but I always imagined this guy to be young. . .
Going back to what one of my favorite commentators stated--that commentator is Andrew Wommack by the way. In his note for Matt 9:2 Andrew stated the following: “Why did Jesus minister forgiveness of sins to this man instead of to the obvious need he had of healing? Probable reasons for this would include: (1) God is more concerned with the spiritual health of a man than his physical health (1 Sam. 16:7; Mt. 5:29-30). (2) Jesus, through a word of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8), may have perceived that the real heart-cry of this man was to be reconciled to God.” That really hit home with me. In my entry “Peter’s Ma-in-law pt.1” I talked about pulling back and looking at the whole picture. I like details but, at times, I get lost in them and I forget the big picture. So I’m going to pull back in this entry and look at the whole picture. It was pretty obvious that this guy was sick but Jesus first words to him were "Son, your sins are forgiven." By saying this Jesus did heal this dude, but Jesus healed his inside first. Before this guy received his physical healing Jesus dealt with his spiritual sickness. This caused the Pharisees to go into a holy uproar, but Jesus didn’t care about the religious crowd. What was more important to Jesus was guy’s spiritual condition instead of putting on a show for the crowd. Jesus cares more about our spiritual health than about our physical health. Really what good is it to go to hell healthy? If you need scripture to back that up then look at Jesus’ teaching on “causing to sin.” It’s found in Mark 9:42-50. Also you can reference Jesus teaching on adultery found in Matt 5:27-30. The end of Matt 5:30 states “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” It’s not that Jesus doesn’t care about our health, if He didn’t care then His body would never had been broken at the crucifixion. The bigger picture is that He wants us healthy on our insides first, then he’ll work on the outside. Earlier I talked about James 5:19-20. I'll quote it again for you to see: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” The 4+ friends are a perfect example of what James 5:19-20 is talking about. Notice in the story Jesus never says what this guy’s sins were. He didn’t openly judge this guy by listing the sins out, He just forgave the paralytic. I imagine the 4+ friends may have had an idea of the sins this dude committed, but they didn’t yell from the roof what the sins were. Instead what those 4+ friends and Jesus did was “save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
Whenever I read/hear this story I think to myself that I want to be a friend like that. I want to do whatever it takes to get my friends to Jesus feet for that forgiving/healing touch.
I was originally going to do 2 entries on this subject but I can’t skip mentioning the faith that caught Jesus' attention. Part 3 of the Roof Rippers will be here in a week.
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
The Roof Rippers!! Pt. 1 of 3
Always Present.
Crazy title, right? I’m pretty proud of it. It makes me think of an old party anthem. “The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on fire…” I won’t go on with that because this entry may become un-redeemed. The fifth chronological healing in the Gospels is about 4 (or more) friends who ripped a roof open to get their buddy access to Jesus’ healing touch. You may remember the story from children’s church - if you went to CC. This story is found in Matt 9:2-8, Mark 2:3-12, and Luke 5:17-26. All three do a great job covering the story, but Dr. Luke gave a little extra info in his record; that’s why we’re covering his first.
Luke 5:17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
Amazing story! Talk about true friends with some crazy faith. I want to be a friend like that. Oops, let me back up; that subject is for “The Roof Rippers!! Pt. 2 of 3” What I want to cover in this entry has to do with something else. It’s something that I talked about in “The Leper Pt. 1 of 2.” It is the subject of “is it God’s will to heal?”. I said earlier in this entry that Dr. Luke gave a little extra info in his record; that is found in Luke 5:17. Here’s what it says: “And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” But who were the sick that were there to be healed? Let’s look back at the beginning part of verse 17: “Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there.” Looks to me that Jesus’ healing touch was there for those in attendance, and those who were in attendance were the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Check out how the Amplified Bible puts verse 17 “One of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting by, who had come from every village and town of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was [present] with Him to heal them.” I am no English Major but I believe it would be safe to assume that “them” is speaking of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The very ones who would in just a few years later stir up a crowd to yell “Crucify Him” (Matt 27:20). Those in the crowd that day must have needed healing because verse 17 says that the Jesus healing power was there to heal them. “Them” represents multiple people but in this story we have on record only one being healed - just one. The person that was healed doesn’t appear to be a Pharisees or a teacher of the law. As matter of fact he seems to be just a run-of-the-mill sinner. I come to that conclusion because Jesus forgave him first before healing him. This dude must have needed his life straightened out before his body was straightened out. But what about the Pharisees and teachers, did any of them get healed? I don’t believe so because the only recorded healing in this story is the sinner lowered to Jesus feet. Instead of receiving the healing they needed, the Pharisees and teachers of the law only got doubt and unbelief. Look at verse 21: “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” “Them” missed out on what they needed because of their own unbelief. We have another example of doubt and unbelief blocking the power to heal; it’s found in Mark 6:5 & 6. It states “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.”
So is it God’s will to heal or is it our will to not be healed? We see here in Luke 5:17-26 that Jesus was willing and able to heal the very ones who would soon crucify him, but only one person was on record of being set free. We also see in Mark 6 that it was a lack of faith that hindered Jesus from doing miracles in His own hometown. Is our faith, or lack of faith hindering us from Jesus’ healing touch?
You know what I notice Luke never said in his story? Luke never states that the power to heal left that meeting even after the Pharisees and teachers started questioning Jesus authority. It was still present for them to be healed. A matter of fact, in the whole New Testament it never says that that His healing power has ever left us either. In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus states “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name…they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." That means, since I believe, the same power that was present to heal the Pharisees and teachers of the law is right here in my living room as I work on this blog. That also means, if you believe, the same power that was present to heal the Pharisees and teachers of the law is right there with you as you read this blog. That’s some seriously good news.
Stay blessed y’all, it your choice.
Jimmy.
Crazy title, right? I’m pretty proud of it. It makes me think of an old party anthem. “The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on fire…” I won’t go on with that because this entry may become un-redeemed. The fifth chronological healing in the Gospels is about 4 (or more) friends who ripped a roof open to get their buddy access to Jesus’ healing touch. You may remember the story from children’s church - if you went to CC. This story is found in Matt 9:2-8, Mark 2:3-12, and Luke 5:17-26. All three do a great job covering the story, but Dr. Luke gave a little extra info in his record; that’s why we’re covering his first.
Luke 5:17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
Amazing story! Talk about true friends with some crazy faith. I want to be a friend like that. Oops, let me back up; that subject is for “The Roof Rippers!! Pt. 2 of 3” What I want to cover in this entry has to do with something else. It’s something that I talked about in “The Leper Pt. 1 of 2.” It is the subject of “is it God’s will to heal?”. I said earlier in this entry that Dr. Luke gave a little extra info in his record; that is found in Luke 5:17. Here’s what it says: “And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.” But who were the sick that were there to be healed? Let’s look back at the beginning part of verse 17: “Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there.” Looks to me that Jesus’ healing touch was there for those in attendance, and those who were in attendance were the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Check out how the Amplified Bible puts verse 17 “One of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting by, who had come from every village and town of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was [present] with Him to heal them.” I am no English Major but I believe it would be safe to assume that “them” is speaking of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The very ones who would in just a few years later stir up a crowd to yell “Crucify Him” (Matt 27:20). Those in the crowd that day must have needed healing because verse 17 says that the Jesus healing power was there to heal them. “Them” represents multiple people but in this story we have on record only one being healed - just one. The person that was healed doesn’t appear to be a Pharisees or a teacher of the law. As matter of fact he seems to be just a run-of-the-mill sinner. I come to that conclusion because Jesus forgave him first before healing him. This dude must have needed his life straightened out before his body was straightened out. But what about the Pharisees and teachers, did any of them get healed? I don’t believe so because the only recorded healing in this story is the sinner lowered to Jesus feet. Instead of receiving the healing they needed, the Pharisees and teachers of the law only got doubt and unbelief. Look at verse 21: “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” “Them” missed out on what they needed because of their own unbelief. We have another example of doubt and unbelief blocking the power to heal; it’s found in Mark 6:5 & 6. It states “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.”
So is it God’s will to heal or is it our will to not be healed? We see here in Luke 5:17-26 that Jesus was willing and able to heal the very ones who would soon crucify him, but only one person was on record of being set free. We also see in Mark 6 that it was a lack of faith that hindered Jesus from doing miracles in His own hometown. Is our faith, or lack of faith hindering us from Jesus’ healing touch?
You know what I notice Luke never said in his story? Luke never states that the power to heal left that meeting even after the Pharisees and teachers started questioning Jesus authority. It was still present for them to be healed. A matter of fact, in the whole New Testament it never says that that His healing power has ever left us either. In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus states “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name…they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." That means, since I believe, the same power that was present to heal the Pharisees and teachers of the law is right here in my living room as I work on this blog. That also means, if you believe, the same power that was present to heal the Pharisees and teachers of the law is right there with you as you read this blog. That’s some seriously good news.
Stay blessed y’all, it your choice.
Jimmy.
Amazed!
Amazed!
As I was prepping for the next chronological healing I ran across this AMAZING scripture. The scripture is Mark 6:6; it has the word “amazed” in it. Well that’s the way the NIV translated that word. The KJV uses the word “marveled” instead of “amazed.” I like “amazed” but that may be because that’s what I titled this entry. The original Greek word written by Mark is “thaumazo.” The same word is found in Matt 8:10 describing Jesus reaction to the Centurion’s faith. Matt 8:10 states: “When Jesus heard this, he was astonished (thaumazo) and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith’.” “Amazed” used in Mark 6:6 is also describing Jesus reaction. I should show you more of Mark 6:6 than just one word. Here it is: “And he was amazed at their…” So in this scripture it appears that a group of people have amazed Jesus. That’s awesome, right? Don’t you want to amaze Jesus? I’m still not giving the full scripture. Here is a little more: “And he was amazed at their lack of…” So somebody has blown Jesus mind with their lack of something. Maybe it’s lack of doubt; maybe it’s a lack of sin? Maybe he has come across some Super Holy people. Wouldn’t that be neat to “amaze” Jesus with our lack of doubt or sin? Wait a minute, I don’t use the word “neat;” let me restate that. Wouldn’t that be awesome to “amaze” Jesus with our lack of doubt and sin? I better give the rest of verse 6: “And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” Wow! Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. I think it’s safe to assume that this was not a good amazement. I guess there is more then one way to amaze Jesus. Just look at the way the Centurion blew Jesus’ mind, it “amazed” him that a Centurion (not a local Jewish resident) had such amazing faith; but here in Mark 6:6 we find Jesus’ mind blown for a totally different reason. Apparently there are 2 completely different ways to amaze God and they both have to deal with Faith. The 1st way to “amaze” Him is to grab ahold of His truth and run with it; after all that is what the Centurion did. The Cent took Jesus’ word and ran back to his servant. The 2nd way to “amaze” Jesus is to totally ignore His truth even chase Him out of town. Mark 6:6 is in a group of scriptures that tell the story of Jesus returning to His hometown to minister. He was not warmly welcomed. The whole story is found in Mark 6:1-6; but it is also recorded in 2 other Gospels: Matt 13:53-58 and Luke 4:14-30. Both Matt and Luke recorded this story but Luke (of course, the detailed Doctor dude) gives the most details. Luke tells us in Luke 4:29 that not only did the crowd hate their hometown hero but that they tried to throw Him off a cliff. That is some serious unbelief! No wonder Jesus was Amazed. But now the question comes: have I ever amazed Jesus with my lack of Faith? I would love to say that I, like the Centurion, amazed Jesus with my great faith. I can say that I have never tried to throw Jesus off a cliff, but I can also say that I have ignored His word. That’s not a great testimony, right? But I think that is more common with today’s church. We ignore His word; we don’t take Him at His word. If we did then we would not hear in our worship songs lines about “pouring down rain/pain to make me closer” or in major ministers’ sermons stating that somehow tragedy is His will so He can teach us something. But the Word of God is so clear about His will. Why, even in the way that Jesus taught us to pray He said “Thy will be done here on Earth as it is done in Heaven”(Matt 6:9-13). If things like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, death, sickness, and the like are God’s will being done here on earth then when we get to Heaven we should expect to see the same, right? Wrong! So you say “what about God testing us?” We all want to quote James 1:2 (throw a party when going through a trial) when things get rough but then we forget to move forward in same chapter: James 1:13-17 is such a clear picture demonstrating that God does not test us with bad things. Read it for yourselves:
James 1: 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
If we want to amaze Jesus with our faith then there is one simple way to do it; take His word and run with it. If we want to amaze Jesus with our lack of faith; then I guess we reject His word and push Him towards a cliff. I’m tired of pushing; how about you?
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice
jimmy
p.s. Caution! SoapBox yellin’ is about to start! Personnel story: Back in 2004 we (Kesha and I) lost some very dear friends to a very tragic car accident. They were our first friends when we moved up to Iowa. She was a teacher and he was a doctor. In ’04 they had just moved to Louisiana so he could fulfill his ortho-surgery residency. They were on thier way back to Iowa for the Thanksgiving Holiday when a truck hit them head on. All involved in the accident were killed. To say the least that was not a delightful Thanksgiving holiday. I was asked by the family to be one of the pallbearers. I was honored to do so. But I had to endure statements like “God needed 2 more flowers for His garden” and the worship song with the phrase “He Gives and takes away.” I was silently furious. Here’s why. I love my friends but I love God more and how dare they blame something so tragic on my God. The other vehicle involved in the accident was driven by a 16 year old kid who stole his grandfather’s pick-up. He lost control and hit our friends head on. How was that God’s will? Explain to me how that is our Heavenly Father’s way of treating His precious kids. Better yet, please show me in the New Testament an example of God doing that to one the first century saints. Well you might say there’s Lazarus, but go back and read the text. Plus if you remember Laz happened before the cross. How do we ever expect to win the world to an abusive Heavenly Father? If I did to my girls even a forth of what we blame God for doing to us then DHS would be knocking down my front door. Haiti, Katrina, Tornadoes, etc are not God’s will. The only ones we can truly blame for this mess is us/humans; for it was Adam that ate the forbidden fruit causing the fall of man and giving Satan free run on destruction. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” It’s time for the Church to stop blaming God for theft, death, and destruction; it’s time to start giving God the glory for the life He gave us through His Son Jesus Christ.
Again, stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
As I was prepping for the next chronological healing I ran across this AMAZING scripture. The scripture is Mark 6:6; it has the word “amazed” in it. Well that’s the way the NIV translated that word. The KJV uses the word “marveled” instead of “amazed.” I like “amazed” but that may be because that’s what I titled this entry. The original Greek word written by Mark is “thaumazo.” The same word is found in Matt 8:10 describing Jesus reaction to the Centurion’s faith. Matt 8:10 states: “When Jesus heard this, he was astonished (thaumazo) and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith’.” “Amazed” used in Mark 6:6 is also describing Jesus reaction. I should show you more of Mark 6:6 than just one word. Here it is: “And he was amazed at their…” So in this scripture it appears that a group of people have amazed Jesus. That’s awesome, right? Don’t you want to amaze Jesus? I’m still not giving the full scripture. Here is a little more: “And he was amazed at their lack of…” So somebody has blown Jesus mind with their lack of something. Maybe it’s lack of doubt; maybe it’s a lack of sin? Maybe he has come across some Super Holy people. Wouldn’t that be neat to “amaze” Jesus with our lack of doubt or sin? Wait a minute, I don’t use the word “neat;” let me restate that. Wouldn’t that be awesome to “amaze” Jesus with our lack of doubt and sin? I better give the rest of verse 6: “And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” Wow! Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. I think it’s safe to assume that this was not a good amazement. I guess there is more then one way to amaze Jesus. Just look at the way the Centurion blew Jesus’ mind, it “amazed” him that a Centurion (not a local Jewish resident) had such amazing faith; but here in Mark 6:6 we find Jesus’ mind blown for a totally different reason. Apparently there are 2 completely different ways to amaze God and they both have to deal with Faith. The 1st way to “amaze” Him is to grab ahold of His truth and run with it; after all that is what the Centurion did. The Cent took Jesus’ word and ran back to his servant. The 2nd way to “amaze” Jesus is to totally ignore His truth even chase Him out of town. Mark 6:6 is in a group of scriptures that tell the story of Jesus returning to His hometown to minister. He was not warmly welcomed. The whole story is found in Mark 6:1-6; but it is also recorded in 2 other Gospels: Matt 13:53-58 and Luke 4:14-30. Both Matt and Luke recorded this story but Luke (of course, the detailed Doctor dude) gives the most details. Luke tells us in Luke 4:29 that not only did the crowd hate their hometown hero but that they tried to throw Him off a cliff. That is some serious unbelief! No wonder Jesus was Amazed. But now the question comes: have I ever amazed Jesus with my lack of Faith? I would love to say that I, like the Centurion, amazed Jesus with my great faith. I can say that I have never tried to throw Jesus off a cliff, but I can also say that I have ignored His word. That’s not a great testimony, right? But I think that is more common with today’s church. We ignore His word; we don’t take Him at His word. If we did then we would not hear in our worship songs lines about “pouring down rain/pain to make me closer” or in major ministers’ sermons stating that somehow tragedy is His will so He can teach us something. But the Word of God is so clear about His will. Why, even in the way that Jesus taught us to pray He said “Thy will be done here on Earth as it is done in Heaven”(Matt 6:9-13). If things like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, death, sickness, and the like are God’s will being done here on earth then when we get to Heaven we should expect to see the same, right? Wrong! So you say “what about God testing us?” We all want to quote James 1:2 (throw a party when going through a trial) when things get rough but then we forget to move forward in same chapter: James 1:13-17 is such a clear picture demonstrating that God does not test us with bad things. Read it for yourselves:
James 1: 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
If we want to amaze Jesus with our faith then there is one simple way to do it; take His word and run with it. If we want to amaze Jesus with our lack of faith; then I guess we reject His word and push Him towards a cliff. I’m tired of pushing; how about you?
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice
jimmy
p.s. Caution! SoapBox yellin’ is about to start! Personnel story: Back in 2004 we (Kesha and I) lost some very dear friends to a very tragic car accident. They were our first friends when we moved up to Iowa. She was a teacher and he was a doctor. In ’04 they had just moved to Louisiana so he could fulfill his ortho-surgery residency. They were on thier way back to Iowa for the Thanksgiving Holiday when a truck hit them head on. All involved in the accident were killed. To say the least that was not a delightful Thanksgiving holiday. I was asked by the family to be one of the pallbearers. I was honored to do so. But I had to endure statements like “God needed 2 more flowers for His garden” and the worship song with the phrase “He Gives and takes away.” I was silently furious. Here’s why. I love my friends but I love God more and how dare they blame something so tragic on my God. The other vehicle involved in the accident was driven by a 16 year old kid who stole his grandfather’s pick-up. He lost control and hit our friends head on. How was that God’s will? Explain to me how that is our Heavenly Father’s way of treating His precious kids. Better yet, please show me in the New Testament an example of God doing that to one the first century saints. Well you might say there’s Lazarus, but go back and read the text. Plus if you remember Laz happened before the cross. How do we ever expect to win the world to an abusive Heavenly Father? If I did to my girls even a forth of what we blame God for doing to us then DHS would be knocking down my front door. Haiti, Katrina, Tornadoes, etc are not God’s will. The only ones we can truly blame for this mess is us/humans; for it was Adam that ate the forbidden fruit causing the fall of man and giving Satan free run on destruction. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” It’s time for the Church to stop blaming God for theft, death, and destruction; it’s time to start giving God the glory for the life He gave us through His Son Jesus Christ.
Again, stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
The Leper Pt. 2 of 2
Why do you suppose he said that?
In the last entry we covered Matt’s account of the healing but this time we’re going to cover Mark’s account.
Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Mark 1:40-42 covers the healing but in verses 43 Jesus gives a “strong warning” to the leper not tell anyone else of the healing but to go to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for his cleansing. The Amplified Bible translated verse 43 this way: “And Jesus charged him sternly (sharply and threateningly, and with earnest admonition) and [acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and] sent him away at once.” There is no need to break down vrs 43 in the Greek; the Amplified amped it up enough. But why did Jesus do this - why this stern of a warning? It’s not like Jesus cared about traditions. Just a few verses before we see him ignoring the “No touching dirty stuff” rule found in Numbers 19:22. So why was he so emphatic about this guy followings Moses’ law now? By the way, that part of Moses’ law that deals with Leprosy cleansing is found in Lev 14:2-6, I’ll post those scripts at the end of this entry. We can see in Mark 1:45 that the guy ignored Jesus’ command and “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” So by the blabbing mouth Jesus was uncomfortable, but still I don’t think that was the bottom line reason why Jesus was so strict about the guy going to the priest. Besides, Jesus didn’t care so much his own comfort; if He did then the cross would not have happened. Hebrews 12:2 says “for the joy set before him he endured the cross.” I think we can find the answer in what Jesus said at the end of Mark 1:44. Here is all of Mark 1:44 “"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Who are “them” that the testimony was to be told to? “Them” would have been the priest and those at the temple. Here is what I think is the reason Jesus wanted this guy to go show the priest the healing/cleansing. Jesus was extending an “olive branch” out to the priest and those on the religious side. He was trying to squash the jealousy that would/did rise up in those on the religious side. They (the religious) didn’t start to really challenge Jesus till after this leper was healed. As a matter of fact, the next healing Luke records in 5:21 “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’" We could only imagine things would have been different if the leper actually followed Jesus’ instructions. Maybe they, the religious, would have followed Jesus as disciples and not as accusers. Maybe the Priest would have helped usher in the “Kingdom of God” and on the day of Pentecost the number could have been around 30,000 and not just the 3,000. None the less, that didn’t happen; the man ran his mouth to the wrong people. I can’t really blame him; I might have done the same thing if I was in his position. But no matter what God’s ultimate will was still done; despite man trying his best to mess things up God’s ultimate will is always done. Even in my own life, when I run my mouth at the wrong time to the wrong people God some how still gets His will done. How about in your life?
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice
jimmy
Leviticus 14:2 "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.”
In the last entry we covered Matt’s account of the healing but this time we’re going to cover Mark’s account.
Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Mark 1:40-42 covers the healing but in verses 43 Jesus gives a “strong warning” to the leper not tell anyone else of the healing but to go to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for his cleansing. The Amplified Bible translated verse 43 this way: “And Jesus charged him sternly (sharply and threateningly, and with earnest admonition) and [acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and] sent him away at once.” There is no need to break down vrs 43 in the Greek; the Amplified amped it up enough. But why did Jesus do this - why this stern of a warning? It’s not like Jesus cared about traditions. Just a few verses before we see him ignoring the “No touching dirty stuff” rule found in Numbers 19:22. So why was he so emphatic about this guy followings Moses’ law now? By the way, that part of Moses’ law that deals with Leprosy cleansing is found in Lev 14:2-6, I’ll post those scripts at the end of this entry. We can see in Mark 1:45 that the guy ignored Jesus’ command and “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” So by the blabbing mouth Jesus was uncomfortable, but still I don’t think that was the bottom line reason why Jesus was so strict about the guy going to the priest. Besides, Jesus didn’t care so much his own comfort; if He did then the cross would not have happened. Hebrews 12:2 says “for the joy set before him he endured the cross.” I think we can find the answer in what Jesus said at the end of Mark 1:44. Here is all of Mark 1:44 “"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Who are “them” that the testimony was to be told to? “Them” would have been the priest and those at the temple. Here is what I think is the reason Jesus wanted this guy to go show the priest the healing/cleansing. Jesus was extending an “olive branch” out to the priest and those on the religious side. He was trying to squash the jealousy that would/did rise up in those on the religious side. They (the religious) didn’t start to really challenge Jesus till after this leper was healed. As a matter of fact, the next healing Luke records in 5:21 “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’" We could only imagine things would have been different if the leper actually followed Jesus’ instructions. Maybe they, the religious, would have followed Jesus as disciples and not as accusers. Maybe the Priest would have helped usher in the “Kingdom of God” and on the day of Pentecost the number could have been around 30,000 and not just the 3,000. None the less, that didn’t happen; the man ran his mouth to the wrong people. I can’t really blame him; I might have done the same thing if I was in his position. But no matter what God’s ultimate will was still done; despite man trying his best to mess things up God’s ultimate will is always done. Even in my own life, when I run my mouth at the wrong time to the wrong people God some how still gets His will done. How about in your life?
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice
jimmy
Leviticus 14:2 "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.”
The Leper Pt. 1 of 2
Is it God’s will to heal?
I’ve been chomping at the bit to get to this healing. This story is the reason why I wanted to start the study of the chronological healings of Jesus. It is number 4 chronologically but Matthew chose to record this one first. In my blog entry “Peter’s Ma-in-Law Pt. 1 of 2” I discussed a little about Matt recording this one first and Pete’s Ma-in-Law third. At first I was a little perplexed on the reason why Matt mixed up the order (or really the Holy Spirit mixed up the order) but now that I’ve taken time to meditate on it I think I understand better. If you were to read the New Testament in regular order, instead of chronological order, then you would run across this healing first. This story answers a very important question - a question still being asked today. And this question is not just being asked by new Christian and non-believers but also by “Seasoned Saints.” The question is: “Is it God’s will to heal?” Well, is it? Let’s read Matt’s account.
Matt 8:2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
So is it God’s will to heal? Jesus answers that question plainly.
If you were reading this account in a regular Bible then you would see in bright red ink three great words used by the creator Himself. Those three powerful words are “I am willing.” So if “I am willing” is found plainly in Matt 8:3 than why is it still a question if it is God’s will to heal us? Is it because we don’t know our Bible? Is it because we have forgotten this story even though we heard it over and over again in Sunday school? Or is it because we don’t really trust Jesus with our health? You read that right, I used the word trust. Trust is a synonym for Faith and when we don’t have faith in God then really we don’t have trust in God. Talk about going for the jugular; I reached out with a writer’s hand and squeezed my reader’s necks. I would like to take it easier writing this but “is it God’s will to heal?” should never be a question verbalized by any seasoned believer. We don’t know if the leper in this story was a believer before approaching Jesus but I can bet that he never questioned again if it was Jesus will to heal. But you may say that “so-n-so” prayed and believed and never received their healing. Sure, I know plenty of “so-n-so’s” who have not yet, or never received their healings but their situations do not supersede the Word of God. Myself for instance, I still wear glasses, but my situation does not supersede the Word of God (besides, I make these glasses look good). Here is another strong statement: to say “it is not God’s will to heal” is just the same as saying “it is not God’s will to save”. Why would I say that? I say that because both salvation and healing were taken care of at the Cross. Every time we take communion we are recognizing two things: “body broken” = healing and “the blood” = salvation/redemption. I like how Mark Brazee covered “God’s will to heal” in his devotional*. He said “Follow Jesus’ earthly ministry to see God’s will in action. You see, everything Jesus did (or didn’t do) represented God’s will.” Later on in the same devotion he said “He {Jesus} never left anyone sick who wanted and believed Him to be healed. He never said, ‘This sickness is here to teach you something, to perfect you, to correct you or to make you more pious.’” I think that pretty much sums it up.
Going back to the Leper’s story, it shows us that not only is it God’s will to heal but also no circumstance will stop Him from touching our lives. The dude had leprosy but all three gospels that recorded this healing (Matt 8:2-3, Mark 1:40-45, & Luke 5:12-14) tell of Jesus reached out and touched this guy. That is a “no-no”. According to the law if you touched a leper you became unclean for a day. Numbers 19:22 states “Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening"; but Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out and answers a 2000 year old question. I am so glad He reached out and said He was/is willing. I am so glad Jesus didn’t care whether He got dirty just so this leper could/would become clean. This was just a little glimpse of what Jesus would do on the cross for you and for me. Isaiah 53: 5 prophesied that He would (and He did) be “pierced for our transgressions,” he would be “crushed for our iniquities,” and “by his wounds we are healed.” He took on our sin, He took our sickness; He became unclean so, just like this former leper, we all could become clean.
Now to Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our trust, oops, I meant faith. (Heb 12:2)
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
*Prescription for a Miracle by Mark Brazee. Quotes used in this entry are found in January 27th devotion labeled “Jesus: The Image of the Father”.
I’ve been chomping at the bit to get to this healing. This story is the reason why I wanted to start the study of the chronological healings of Jesus. It is number 4 chronologically but Matthew chose to record this one first. In my blog entry “Peter’s Ma-in-Law Pt. 1 of 2” I discussed a little about Matt recording this one first and Pete’s Ma-in-Law third. At first I was a little perplexed on the reason why Matt mixed up the order (or really the Holy Spirit mixed up the order) but now that I’ve taken time to meditate on it I think I understand better. If you were to read the New Testament in regular order, instead of chronological order, then you would run across this healing first. This story answers a very important question - a question still being asked today. And this question is not just being asked by new Christian and non-believers but also by “Seasoned Saints.” The question is: “Is it God’s will to heal?” Well, is it? Let’s read Matt’s account.
Matt 8:2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
So is it God’s will to heal? Jesus answers that question plainly.
If you were reading this account in a regular Bible then you would see in bright red ink three great words used by the creator Himself. Those three powerful words are “I am willing.” So if “I am willing” is found plainly in Matt 8:3 than why is it still a question if it is God’s will to heal us? Is it because we don’t know our Bible? Is it because we have forgotten this story even though we heard it over and over again in Sunday school? Or is it because we don’t really trust Jesus with our health? You read that right, I used the word trust. Trust is a synonym for Faith and when we don’t have faith in God then really we don’t have trust in God. Talk about going for the jugular; I reached out with a writer’s hand and squeezed my reader’s necks. I would like to take it easier writing this but “is it God’s will to heal?” should never be a question verbalized by any seasoned believer. We don’t know if the leper in this story was a believer before approaching Jesus but I can bet that he never questioned again if it was Jesus will to heal. But you may say that “so-n-so” prayed and believed and never received their healing. Sure, I know plenty of “so-n-so’s” who have not yet, or never received their healings but their situations do not supersede the Word of God. Myself for instance, I still wear glasses, but my situation does not supersede the Word of God (besides, I make these glasses look good). Here is another strong statement: to say “it is not God’s will to heal” is just the same as saying “it is not God’s will to save”. Why would I say that? I say that because both salvation and healing were taken care of at the Cross. Every time we take communion we are recognizing two things: “body broken” = healing and “the blood” = salvation/redemption. I like how Mark Brazee covered “God’s will to heal” in his devotional*. He said “Follow Jesus’ earthly ministry to see God’s will in action. You see, everything Jesus did (or didn’t do) represented God’s will.” Later on in the same devotion he said “He {Jesus} never left anyone sick who wanted and believed Him to be healed. He never said, ‘This sickness is here to teach you something, to perfect you, to correct you or to make you more pious.’” I think that pretty much sums it up.
Going back to the Leper’s story, it shows us that not only is it God’s will to heal but also no circumstance will stop Him from touching our lives. The dude had leprosy but all three gospels that recorded this healing (Matt 8:2-3, Mark 1:40-45, & Luke 5:12-14) tell of Jesus reached out and touched this guy. That is a “no-no”. According to the law if you touched a leper you became unclean for a day. Numbers 19:22 states “Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening"; but Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out and answers a 2000 year old question. I am so glad He reached out and said He was/is willing. I am so glad Jesus didn’t care whether He got dirty just so this leper could/would become clean. This was just a little glimpse of what Jesus would do on the cross for you and for me. Isaiah 53: 5 prophesied that He would (and He did) be “pierced for our transgressions,” he would be “crushed for our iniquities,” and “by his wounds we are healed.” He took on our sin, He took our sickness; He became unclean so, just like this former leper, we all could become clean.
Now to Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our trust, oops, I meant faith. (Heb 12:2)
Stay blessed y’all, it’s your choice.
jimmy
*Prescription for a Miracle by Mark Brazee. Quotes used in this entry are found in January 27th devotion labeled “Jesus: The Image of the Father”.
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