The
pews across America are filled every Sunday with people who
autonomically go to church. They do it like breathing or going to the
bathroom. They do it without thought. They do it in the same way at the
same time with the same mind set. It is a routine function of their
life, just like eating and sleeping. These are the sort of people
depicted in our reference scripture. These friends of the lame man who
bring him to the same Temple gate at the same hour of every Sabbath.
They do it autonomically without any conviction or faith. It is just
something they have gotten used to doing. Just like so many
church-goers of today.
Who were these men who brought this lame
man to the Temple and just left him outside the gate every week? Why
did they do this? Why did they not take the man into the Temple? What,
if anything, were they expecting to result from this activity? These
are the same questions we could ask of people who just go to church on
a regular basis, not out of faith or hope (confident expectancy), but
just because it has become a regular routine of life.
Let's
begin with why the lame man was left outside the gate to the Temple,
rather than being taken inside. That has to do with strict Pharisee
enforced Jewish law. You see, a lame man was an unclean person; and the
unclean were not allowed into the Temple. He was considered unclean
because it was believed that either he or his parents must have
offended God is some great way through some terrible sin for God to
have punished him with his lameness. This common belief promulgated by
the Pharisees is made event in John 9:2 when Jesus' disciples ask of a
blind man, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents?" It was
believed that any ailment was the result of sin. And a sinful person
was considered unclean, and to be avoided, lest you become contaminated
with their uncleanness. And nothing unclean could be allowed to defile
the sanctity of the Temple. For that reason, the lame man had to be
left outside.
This belief is not uncommon among today's churches
and church-goers. Many good, regular church people do not want the
unclean among them in the sanctuary. They do not want the drunkard, the
prostitute, the drug addict, the gambler, or the tattooed motorcycle
rider in their midst. For are not such persons unclean and therefore
unfit to be in the church? Many of today's church-goers would answer,
"yes." For that reason, many regular members of America's congregation
would leave these people outside the church. Let them listen on the
radio or watch on TV. But they are not warmly invited into the
sanctuary to share the fellowship of Christ.
Accepting the
belief that the unclean should not be taken into the fellowship, but
believing that the unclean should go to church, the unclean are invited
to the building, but not taken into the inner circle of the "good
church-goers." We may bring the drunkard to church, but not invite him
to the church social. He can come to the church, but is left outside
the actual "church," the fellowship of members. In this way the
church-goers of today behave exactly as the men of two-thousand years
ago.
So who invites or takes the physically or psychologically
lame to church, but does not take them into the fellowship of the
church? Why do they do this? What are they expecting? Is there behavior
motivated by faith and hope in God, or by there desire to appear to be
doing "the right thing?"
Perhaps today's church-goers are, like
their counterparts of two-thousand years ago, seeking the approval of
men. They want to be able to claim piety and holiness by their actions.
Unfortunately for them and the ones they invite to church, pleasing men
does not provide any one with the blessings of God. Therefore, neither
the regular faithless church-goer or his unwanted invited guest
benefits from the action. Just as the lame man in the scripture was
never healed by the actions of his friends.
The story told in
this passage of scripture can be contrasted against the story told in
Mark 2:1-12. In the passage in Mark we are told of four men who had
faith in Jesus, believing completely that he could heal their friend.
When Jesus looked into their faces and saw their faith, he healed the
man straight away. It is that faith which is the missing element in the
story of those who take the lame man to the temple. Because there was
no faith in them, the man was not healed. It was only when two men of
faith, Peter and John, came along that the man received healing.
The
message for us from these two stories put together is clear. If the
psychologically and spiritually lame among us are to receive healing,
then we must have the faith that they will be healed. When we invite
them or take them to church, it must be with complete confidence that
they will be touched by the Spirit and have a life changing experience.
And our action needs to be motivated by true compassion for the sick
soul we carry to the temple, not for how holy we look in the eyes of
others. If our action is a direct result of our faith in and love for
Christ Jesus, and our belief that the grace of God is extended to all,
then both we and our guest will be blessed. Otherwise, it will be a
complete waist of time for all.
May the Lord bless you and grant you his peace. Amen.
"There is no way we can ask him to come way the heck out here into the middle of nowhere. We simply must take Jesse to him."
Jacob
spoke to his brothers Jason and Saul, and their cousin Matthew, as he
stitched up the leather sleeve a wooden pole would go through. This
would complete one side of the stretcher he was making which he, his
brothers, and thier cousin would use to carry their neighbor, Jesse, to
the Rabbi they had heard of living in Capernaum. Word had come to even
their remote location that this man, named Jesus, can heal all
ailments. Without doubt or question, as soon as Jacob and his brothers
had heard this news, they made the decision to take their friend,
Jesse, to him.
Capernaum is a good half day journey under normal
conditions. Four men carry the weight of another between them would add
difficulty and time to the journey. For that reason they had decided to
set out before dawn of the next day. So Jacob worked quickly at his
task of making the stretcher. Then they would have a meal together
before going to bed to get enough rest for the day ahead.
The
stretcher complete and their bags packed, the four men sat down for the
evening meal. Jacob, the oldest, led them in prayer.
"Heavenly
Father, we thank you for this food, this land, and this home; all of
which we acknowledge are gifts from you. We also thank you for sending
your servant, this Jesus of Caprernaum, to our people. We know by the
things reported of him that he must be from you as another gift to your
children. And for that we are deeply grateful. May we prove ourselves
worthy of the blessing we know you will give to our friend, Jesse. By
your holy name we pray; Amen."
The morning star shown brightly
just above the Western horizon as the men set out on their mission.
Jacob and Jason took the forward positions, while Saul and Matthew held
the rear end of the poles. Their friend, Matthew, lay on his stretcher
softly speaking his morning prayers. Joy and excited filled all of
their hearts. For deep within themselves they knew that today was a
very special day. A day proclaimed by God himself. Today their friend
would be healed of his lameness, and be able to walk. None of them
could explain how or why they knew this with such strong conviction.
They simply knew in their heart's that God would make it so.
Joy
and hope (confident expectation) dominated the minds of the brothers
and cousin as they transported their friend toward Capernaum. They
recited psalms and sang hymns of praise to God as they traveled. The
very Spirit of God gave them strength and made their feet sure so that
they did not stumble. In this manner they happy group made good time,
and arrived at Capernaum at mid-morning. With a few inquires and little
difficulty, the four friends found the house where the Rabbi was
already teaching.
"Oh, man!," explaimed Jacob. "Look at that
crowd! There isn't enough space between those people for a fly to pass.
I see no way we can get through such a great crowd so tightly packed
together. How are we going to get Jesse in there?"
"Look over
there," Jason said as he pointed toward a chicken coop attached to the
South side of the house. "We could climb up onto the roof of that, and
then onto the roof of the house. Then we could tare off some of the
roof tiles, and lower Jesse through the hole. The rabbi would have to
take notice of him. Then, if he is as great as we have heard, surely he
will touch Jesse and make him well."
There was some discussion
of this rather odd idea, but the determination to see their friend
healed decided the matter. And the attention of the crowd was so
captivated by the words they were hearing that no one noticed the men
slowly climbing and pulling their load to the roof of the small house.
Neither did anyone seem to be aware that four men were tarring a hole
in the roof. So it was just a matter of about half an hour before the
friends of Jesse began to lower him down into the house. As it was, he
was descending from the roof right in front of Jesus.
Jesus
became silent, and the crowd began to murmur, as all eyes took notice
of the pallet being slowly lowered from the hole in the roof. Jesus was
not looking at the silent Jesse lying on the bed, but up into the faces
of his four friends. As the eyes are the window to the soul, Jesus saw
the faith in each man; the conviction that what they were doing would
not go unrewarded. And he knew they were not seeking reward for
themselves, but a blessing for their friend. Jesus was touched both by
their faith and their compassion.
Jesus then looked into the face of Jesse and said, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
Now
there were some teachers of the law sitting in the front row, and they
were shocked to hear Jesus tell the man that his sins are forgive. They
were thinking, "Who does this character think he is?! Only God can
forgive sins. He commits blasphemy!"
Jesus knew what the haughty
Pharisees were thinking, so he spoke directly to them saying, "Why are
you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take up your mat and
walk?' But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth
to forgive sins..."
Then Jesus once again looked Jesse right in the eyes and said, "I tell you, get up, take up your mat and go home."
And
with that, Jesse stood up, rolled up his pallet, held it in his right
hand lying on his right shoulder, and walked toward the door. The
crowd, like the Red Sea before Moses, parted and allowed him to pass.
His faced beamed with the happiness filling his heart as tears of joy
streamed down his face. The eyes of the room followed him while the
voices whispered to each other, "Praise the God of wonders. This is
amazing! We have never seen anything like this!"
Jesse emerged
from the house to the sound of joyful cheers from the crowd and his
friends who had jumped off the roof and were running toward him. They
hugged and kissed and laughed and cried. And then, singing hymns of
praise to God, they set off for home.
May the God of wonders give some amazing blessings and miracles. Praise God! Amen.
It
seems that asking for a blessing is something we can find time for. We
will actually plan and set aside a specific time and place to make a
request of the Lord. And receiving an unexpected blessing that was not
requested is even easier. What seems to require thought and effort is
remembering to give thanks and praise to God for every blessing. Even
the ones we do not recognize when they occur.
In our reference
passage there is a clear point being made by the fact that the only one
of the ten lepers who gave thanks to Jesus for being healed was a
Samaritan. It tells us that those who believe in the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob tend to take him for granted. While those who are not
inclined to think of God as their friend are greatly moved by his
grace. The problem lies in the fact that we think we are worthy of
God's blessings because we are Christians. When the truth is that none
are worthy, "for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
(Romans 3:23 KJV)
We should also not overlook the importance of
the manner in which the Samaritan offers his thanks. We are told that
the man "fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks." The man
did not just say, "Hey, thanks, dude," and go his merry way. The
Samaritan, one from outside the designated kingdom of God, got down on
his knees and then went down on his face at the feet of Jesus. This
gives us clear instruction on how we should offer our thanks to God for
the blessings he bestows on us. Simply sitting with our heads bowed and
our hands folded is really not enough, if one truly intends to live
according to the teachings of the Bible. We should at lest be willing
to kneel down in the presence of our Lord and Savior. For such was the
behavior of a Samaritan.
Recognizing that we are greatly
blessed, taking time to give thanks for all our blessings, and being
humble enough to kneel down to give thanks and praise to God through
Christ Jesus should be common behavior among all Christians. For the
last thing we should discern from this passage is that receiving thanks
from us really matters to Jesus. He asked, "Where there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine?" He was probably hurt by the fact
that those who should have automatically given thanks to their God just
went on their way. The simply thought of their joy and their pleasures,
and did not give even a brief moment of thought to thanking God for
what He had just done for them. This is the kind of behavior we must
work to avoid. For in the fast paced, drive-through life we live, it is
far too easy to receive a blessing, offer a quick "Praise God!", and go
on our way. We really should take time at some point during the day to
actually kneel down before our great gracious God, and properly give
him the thanks and praise He deserves in the fashion depicted in the
Bible. Remembering to give God thanks in the manner that matters to Him
will ensure that the wonderful blessing and bounty of His grace
continues to flow to us.
May the grace of God, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
My
name is Marcus Giaus Marcellus. I was born in the city of Tyre, and was
raised in the city of Ceasarea. I am the only son of a guard of the
Summer Palace of King Herod. My mother is a weaver of fine linen used
in the king's palace. My father died of a fever when I was twelve years
old. At that time my mother turned me over to the captain of the palace
guard to train me in the ways of a man and a soldier. I lived with him
for the next four years.
I enjoyed my life among the men of the
guard. I got pleasure from the games and activities we participated in.
My master had one of the men under him teach me to read and write
Greek. I also received instruction in math, science, growing crops, the
names and cycles of the stars and planets, riding a horse, and sailing
a boat. I grew strong in body and mind, and brought honor to my
guardian and his company.
My experiences with the guard unit taught me about authority and
discipline. The ways of a group with a common cause are guided by
respect and concern for for one another, as well as respect for the
leader of the group. It became clear to me that having authority
involves respect, responsibility, and humility. These characteristics
are important in the leader as well as those who are led.
When
I turned sixteen, the age of majority, I became a member of the guard.
I worked hard and proved myself in every task I was given. As a result
I was promoted, and finally became a centurion. That means I was put in
charge of my own company of one hundred men. I was assigned to the city
of Capernaum as a base from which to patrol the roads and villages. My
duty was to protect the citizens from the bandits and rebels which
greatly troubled the region.
Shortly after arriving in
Capernaum, a woman came to see me. She was recently widowed with a
twelve year old son. She asked me to take the boy into my household as
my servant so that he would have the company and training of men. I
could not help but remember how I had felt when I was in his situation.
As I found the boy pleasing and healthy, I took him as my personal
servant. I planned to give him the same opportunities I had been given,
and help him to become the man I had become.
As the months past,
I became very fond of the boy, and found him to be not only of great
service, but a joy to have in my house. Therefore I was filled with
great sorrow and fear for the boy's life when he developed a fever
which caused great suffering to the point he could not even stand. He
was so important to my life that I was willing to do whatever would be
required of me to save his life.
Having heard from the local
residents of Capernaum of a man who could heal the sick, I made up mind
to go to see him to implore him to command that my servant be healed. I
cannot clearly explain why, but I was completely certain that this man
some where calling the Christ could heal my beloved servant. Therefore
it was with complete confidence that I set out early in the morning to
find the man Jesus.
When I came upon Jesus as he entered the
city, I went down on one knee before him and said, "My Lord, my beloved
servant lies at home paralysed with a fever and in great suffering."
Jesus
said he would go with me to my home immediately. But I said unto him,
"My Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say
the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under
authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and that one, 'Come,' and the comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,'
and he soes it."
Jesus then spoke to the crowd around him and
said, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with
such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and
the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob in the kingdome of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom
will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to me, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would."
As
I rose to thank him and take my leave, I noted the hour of the sun.
When I returned to my house, I found my servant out of bed, and at his
regular household tasks. He was completely healed. When I asked my
house manager when the boy had gotten up, the time he told me was
exactly the same as when Jesus had granted my request.
From that
day forward I and my entire household worshiped the God of Jesus the
Christ. And I used my own monies to build a place of worship in
Capernaum where I and others who believe in Jesus gather to praise his
name, and study his teachings. And I am very proud to say that my boy
has become of leader of our group, and is no longer my servant, but a
servant of our Lord Jesus.
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
The
Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to share my faith with teenage
boys from time to time. I always enjoy the excitement and imagination
of those in early puberty. Their mind and emotions, being tossed in a
wild sea of sudden growth and change, always present challenging ideas
and questions. One troubling questions that arises as a result of the
evil age we live in is this. Why should I honor and respect my father
or my mother when he/she is an alcoholic, a drug addict, adulterous,
abusive, or in prison? Am I really commanded by God to respect and
honor someone sitting in prison for the crime of raping a child or
killing a man in a bar fight? Surely the behavior of my parent exempts
me from this command.
The answer to this question, as with all
difficult questions of real life, can be found in the scriptures. If we
read and study the Bible carefully we can find instructions for every
situation we face in life today. And this one is no different. What we
need to do is break it down to its basic spiritual elements. Those are:
faithful obedience in God, trusting in His wisdom; receiving the power
of His unconditional love and grace by allowing it to flow through us
to others; forgiving others as He forgives us; leading others to
repentance with exhortations and teachings as God leads us. Once we
examine this question in the light of these basic principles of
Christianity, the answer becomes clear.
In 1 Samuel 15:9-23 the
Lord instructs us on just how strongly He values obedience to Him above
all else, especially our ideas of what is proper. God does not accept
our reasons for behaving in a manner which is not in compliance with
his commands. He sees failure to obey Him as rebellion against His
will. And in 1 Samuel 15:23 we are told by God through His prophet,
Samuel, that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry." (KJV) Therefore, to disobey the Lord's
command to honor your father and your mother, regardless of what you
may think are acceptable reasons, is seen by God as rebellion against
Him, and is the same as the sin of idolatry. Why is it idolatry?
Because you are putting man's ideas and values before God. You are
saying that you will follow man's ways rather than God's. And to put
anything before God is idolatry. For you truly worship that which is
most important to you. And if you say that man's ideas in the matter of
a sinful parent are more important to you than God's commandment, then
you are committing idolatry.
Jesus gives us instructions on
forgiveness in his example of how we should pray. We are told in
Matthew 6:12 that we should ask God to "forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors." This is Jesus' way of telling us that if we
expect God to forgive us the debt we owe Him in payment for our sins,
we must, likewise, forgive the debt owed by others who have harmed us.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15 KJV) Jesus
makes it clear that their is a direct connection between our
willingness not to consider the offenses of others, and God's
willingness to forget our offenses.
We are also instructed that
we should "judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1 KJV) This is
reflected in the statement made by Paul when he said, "For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 KJV) None of
us is pure and without blemish. We are all equally stained with sin the
eyes of God. Therefore, failure to obey God's commandment to "honor thy
father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee," (Genesis 20:12 KJV) is a sin no
different from any other sin in the eyes of God. In this we must
remember what God has told us by saying, "For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8
KJV)
Something that is necessary for all of us to remember is
what Jesus told his disciples when he sent them out on their own.
"Freely ye have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8 KJV) In this way
Jesus implores us to freely give to others the same grace and love we
have freely received from God. And it is important to notice that Jesus
does not put any conditions on this instruction. We are to freely give
grace to all without exception. For this is precisely what God does. He
gives His grace to all without regard for how stained with stain any
might be. And we are to follow His example, if we truly live in Christ.
Finally,
we need to remember that we instruct others about the teachings of
Jesus and the grace of God by how we live. When we obey God's commands,
and show to others the same love He shows us, we proclaim boldly that
Jesus is real, and God is faithful and true. Your public life and the
way you treat others could be the only Bible a lost father or mother
will read. By trusting God's wisdom rather than man's, you become the
conduit through which the Holy Spirit can reach out to the lost sheep
your Father wants to find. Through your obedience, even when it is hard
and does not make sense to men, you receive the power of God to change
men's hearts. In this way, we can change the world; just as Paul
changed the world with his witness.
The command to honor your
mother and father really has nothing to do with them and their
behavior. It is a matter of your relationship with God. The question is
not about the worthiness of your father and mother, but of your
willingness to obey your heavenly Father. Ultimately it is He who you
honor with the honor and respect you give to whom men consider the
least worthy of honor and respect. By doing that you will be greatly
blessed by God for the honor and glory you give to Him.
May the grace of God, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
