Apicontent

“After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town. Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.’ Then some of the experts in the law said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming!’ When Jesus perceived their thoughts he said, ‘Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—then he said to the paralytic—‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.’ So he stood up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were afraid and honored God who had given such authority to men.” —Matthew 9:1–8

The power and compassion of the Lord Jesus is demonstrated in this passage as He again proves himself to be the skillful and faithful physician of both body and soul. Jesus has sufficient remedies for all maladies affecting and afflicting mankind. Remember what the prophet Isaiah said?

“He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.” —Isaiah 53:3–4

Mark tells us in his gospel that four men with humble faith brought a paralytic to the Master for healing. Lying on a mat, carried by caring companions, this paralyzed man was both helpless and hopeless. Fortunately for him, his friends carried him to the God of the helpless and hopeless. The crowds had become so great that the paralytic’s buddies ingeniously made a plan of digging through the roof above Jesus and lowering their paralyzed friend—while still on this mat—straight down through the opening before the feet of the Healer. I think it interesting that these friends did not ask Jesus to come to them—which would have been far easier. Rather, they humbly and boldly brought their friend to the Master. A strong faith does not regard obstacles in pressing after Jesus. We discover again, the Lord ever honors true faith:

“Now after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home. So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and he preached the word to them. Some people came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” —Mark 2:1–5

Instead of being in awe over having been eyewitnesses to the miraculous fingermarks of God, some of the teachers of the law complained that Jesus was a blasphemer because no one could forgive sins but God. It is here that we see the grace of God met with hell’s enmity. Never mind the miracle they had just experienced. Jesus just did not fit into their neat mold of religiosity. He made them uncomfortable … and He made them angry. I am reminded of King David’s prayer for his son Solomon regarding God’s full knowledge of our thoughts and the motives of our hearts:

“And you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with a submissive attitude and a willing spirit, for the LORD examines all minds and understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.” —1 Chronicles 28:9

There are no obstacles to the work of Jesus! He cares not about circumstances or reactions to His work. Jesus loves each one of us and will accomplish all that He has planned.

Become More

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.” —Hebrews 11:1

“Certainly the LORD watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.” —2 Chronicles 16:9

What obstacles are you facing today? Bring them to Jesus!

Further Reflections

“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” —George Mueller

“Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee … Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify His might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye.” —Charles H. Spurgeon

“As Jesus was on his way, the crowds pressed around him. Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the bleeding stopped. Then Jesus asked, ‘Who was it who touched me?’ When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you!’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.’ When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.’” —Luke 8:43–48

Crowds follow healers. Need has been rampant since Eve took her first bite of the forbidden fruit. The thing is, our Healer has a 100 percent success rate. You can only imagine the throngs crushing in on Him. Jesus was on His way to yet another healing when this sweet infirmed woman comes up behind Him just to touch the edge of His cloak. No one had had the ability or power to heal her. For twelve long years she had been subject to an issue of blood, making her ceremonially unclean and anything she touched ceremonially unclean (see Leviticus 15:25–30). This was a huge burden! Think about that for a minute. For twelve years no one had desired to touch her. No hugs, no pats on the hands, no kisses on the forehead, no normal human interaction. Weary from battle, she pushes forward to grab the edge of Jesus’ cloak thinking, “If I can just touch Him!”

Immediately (don’t you love that word—it is so Jesus), the bleeding stops. Many Scriptures are flooding my mind right now on how quickly Jesus comes to our aid. While physical healing is not always what we need from Him, His presence, comfort, grace, and peace are always provided as we walk through our valleys. One such verse comes from the book of Psalms:

“The LORD is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does. The LORD is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely. He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help and delivers them. The LORDprotects all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.” —Psalm 145:17–20

Jesus is in the business of making us whole. His longing is for us to reach His intended purposes and goals for our lives so that we may be complete, perfect, proficient, full-grown, and mature—not lacking anything. He desires for us to bring glory to God through our lives by equipping us with the power of the Holy Spirit. He may accomplish this through physical healing, or through death, through changing our circumstances, or through giving us the grace to persevere in them.

One purpose of our valleys is to grow us up in Him. Remember that it is Jesus who is the perfecter of our faith. He does not want us to grow weary and lose heart. In Jim Cymbala’s book, Break Through Prayer, he tells the story of a near death heroin addict and Jesus’ subsequent rescue. This is a modern-day story of a rescue by our Lord:

“Then, in the midst of all my pain, something or someone whispered words I had heard before: The day you call on the Lord, He will set you free. All the other voices tried to drown it out, but they couldn’t! I don’t know if it was an angel or the Holy Spirit, but the words came through clearly: ‘The day you call on the Lord, He will set you free.’ In absolute desperation I screamed from my bed, ‘Jesus, help me! O God, help me with everything! You’re my only hope, so please help, Jesus!’ I didn’t understand anything about prayer, so I even used ‘personal references’ as I cried out: ‘Jesus, Wanda said that when I called on your name, you would deliver me. So help me now, O God.’

“At that moment Almighty God swept over me and around me. I knew He was real because all the voices in my head suddenly stopped their hellish screaming and the ball of fear that had been weighing on me lifted. I knew everything had changed even though nothing outwardly had—I was still lying in my vomit in a hospital bed in the Bronx. But I was a million miles from where I had been before I said that prayer. The day I called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, He did set me free!”

Become More

Take a few moments to praise Jesus for His healing touch. Thank God for people who are faithful to witness for our Lord to those who are hurting.

Further Reflections

“I, the LORD, do these things. I, the LORD, form the plan to bring them about. I am known as the LORD. I say to you, ‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.’” —Jeremiah 33:2–3

“My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” —James 1:2–4

“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” —Romans 10:11–13

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at the tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, followed him, leaving everything behind.” —Luke 5:27–28

Jesus’ encounter with Levi occurs soon after Jesus healed a paralytic. Everyone was in awe. Overwhelmed by what they had just witnessed, the crowds were at a fevered pitch. Jesus, on the other hand, looks forward and sets His sights on His next miracle. This miracle will culminate in the confirmation of His authority to cleanse and forgive sins as He selects an unlikely candidate to be His disciple. Jesus was always about His Father’s business—never leaning on His own reputation or his past encounters and interactions.

“We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” —John 9:4–5

“So he told them, ’My Father is working until now, and I too am working.’” —John 5:17

Scripture tells us that Jesus “saw” a tax collector. This is an interesting word in the Greek—theaomai—meaning “to wonder; to behold, view attentively; to contemplate.” It is regard for something marked by a sense of wonderment; a contemplative and ponderous gaze which carefully and deliberately observes an object in order to perceive it correctly and in detail. It involves more than merely seeing, it is noticing, recognizing, and taking note of something with reflection and acute interest.

Tax collectors were not held in very high regard within the Jewish community, to say the least. Often times they were alienated from the religious community. They gathered money from their brothers, the Jews, to give to the Romans, who were, of course, Gentiles. They were seen as those who betrayed their nation for material gain, often collecting more than necessary to go into their own pockets. In the book of Luke we are told:

“Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He told them, ‘Collect no more than you are required to.’” —Luke 3:12–13

Seeing Matthew (Levi), Jesus beckons him to come, “Follow me,” he says. This call was different from the occasional and temporary following of Jesus by the crowds. The individual calling to follow Jesus involves abiding fellowship with Him, not only for the sake of learning as a student from his teacher, but also for the sake of the salvation known or looked for, which presented itself in this fellowship.

The first step involved in following Jesus is a trusting in Him. This trust results in following His leading, and living life according to His example. Jesus stressed self-denial and fellowship with himself in the cross. Following Jesus denotes a fellowship of faith as well as a fellowship of life, sharing in His sufferings not only inwardly, but outwardly if necessary (The Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible–Lexical Aids).

Responding to Jesus’ call, Levi gets up, leaves everything, and follows Him. This sounds so short and sweet, but it was no small matter. This was repentance lived out. Levi does a complete 180, leaving behind his old ways and trusting in the One who makes all things new.

Become More

“He is made supreme when we are so satisfied in Him that we can ‘let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also’ and suffer for the sake of love. His beauty shines most brightly when treasured above health and wealth and life itself.” —John Piper

Further Reflections

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” —2 Corinthians 5:17

“Follow me.” —Jesus (Luke 5:27)

“Now people were even bringing their babies to him for him to touch. But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. But Jesus called for the children, saying, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’” —Luke 18:15–17

I love the receptivity of Jesus—none are too young to be brought to the lap of our Savior! When I read this passage, I am reminded of the words of Moses:

“Of Benjamin he said: ‘The beloved of the LORD will live safely by him; he protects him all the time, and the Lord places him on his chest.’” —Deuteronomy 33:12

One gracious touch from Jesus will make us joyful and whole as He graciously opens His arms and bids us to come and rest between His shoulders. I am reminded of the apostles after Jesus’ death. Filled with the Holy Spirit, people were clamoring to be even in their shadows …how much more so the lap of our Lord Jesus! When we seek the Master, we find security and comfort.

“Now many miraculous signs and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honor. More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of both men and women. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed.” —Acts 5:12–16

It is no strange thing to meet with discouragement and hindrance. However, when we seek the Master, we find security and comfort. In our verses for today, the disciples were rebuking those who were bringing their babies to Jesus. Interestingly, many of those Jesus interacted with were shunned by the disciples. He wanted his disciples to understand that the little children were as welcome as anybody. How precious of Him to be so encouraging to those bringing these young ones. I think his behavior serves as a mandate for us as parents to disciple and bring up our children in the way of the Lord.

In Proverbs we read:

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” —Proverbs 22:6

“Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” —Proverbs 16:3

The word “train” used in Proverbs 22 is the Hebrew word hanak meaning “to teach, dedicate, consecrate, and inaugurate” (Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible Old Testament Lexical Aids). It is used only five times in the Old Testament. The four other times refer to dedicating something to God. The point is very clear; we are to be dedicating our children to the Lord. I do not mean just in a church dedication service, but in a day-by-day dedication to training them in the way of the Lord. We do such a great job in training them in all sorts of extracurricular activities yet often drop the ball regarding their training in way of the Lord. We are to commit the raising of our children to the Lord so that our plans will succeed.

The word “succeed” in Proverbs 16 means “to be firm, be established, be steadfast, be faithful, be sure, be reliable, be fixed, be certain; to be ready, be prepared; to be determined; signifies the deep satisfaction and sense of well-being which comes from the certainty that one’s heart steadfastly trusts in the Lord, who directs man’s paths” (Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible Old Testament Lexical Aids). I certainly want that said of my children and grandchildren! This is something that is in line with God’s will and that we should certainly put forth our efforts both in prayer and in work to attain. It will not just happen—raising children in the way of the Lord requires a disciplined process, an intentional plan of teaching God’s way through living. Our life experiences are great classrooms for passing on God’s truth through our application of it. One gracious touch from Jesus will make us joyful and whole.

Jesus tells us that each one of us must receive the kingdom of God as a little child if we desire entrance into it. What does that look like? It is faith that totally trusts in God and His love for us, even though we may see only dimly the movement of His hand. It is approaching God with humility and sincerity; with expectation and excitement.

Become More

Each one of us must come to Jesus as a child, realizing that we are not sufficient in and of ourselves, but are totally dependent upon the One who loves us and gave himself up for us.

Further Reflections

“God’s kingdom is not gained by human achievement or merit; it must be received as God’s gift through simple trust by those who acknowledge their inability to gain it any other way.” —Bible Knowledge Commentary

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. But John tried to prevent him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?’ So Jesus replied to him, ‘Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John yielded to him. After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my one dear Son; in him I take great delight.’” —Matthew 3:13–17

The time had arrived for the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and as our example he does it with humility. He begins by being baptized. John the Baptist—being filled with the Spirit—protests, knowing that the Messiah is the flawless One and Only. John knows there is no need for Jesus’ repentance. He has nothing to repent from. Yet Jesus abases himself as an act of association with all of the sinful people whom He came to save, setting an example of humility. Surely He knew that he deserved highest honors.

Jesus’ actions and John’s protest are much like a time later in His ministry when He wraps a towel around himself and washes His disciple’s feet, this time to the protest of Peter:

“Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not understand what I am doing now, but you will understand after these things.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet!’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!’” —John 13:3–9

Jesus’ gracious lowering of himself in these two situations is so surprising, so deep, and so mysterious, it takes both John the Baptist and Peter totally off guard. At the time of Jesus’ baptism, John’s ministry was at its height. He had obtained a great name and was respected, yet he remained humble in the presence of the Master. It is always important for us to remember that if God chooses to use us and others begin to take note and applaud—it is Jesus in us that they are applauding, not us. We often take ourselves much too seriously, improperly elevating ourselves. It is easier to be humble when we remember that we are saved by grace alone, that we are dearly loved and belong to God, that we have life only to please Him. Jesus surely did not give much weight to man’s opinion. He was fully aware of what was in a man.

As Jesus begins his earthly ministry, we see the presence of the Trinity in a special display of glory. Heaven applauded and affirmed the work that was about to begin and to which Jesus enters into with firm resolution. Sin had shut up heaven and Christ’s work would now open it to all who would believe. The Holy Spirit had been present in the beginning of Creation and now we see here His presence at the beginning of this new world which Jesus has come to offer. Isaiah had prophesized:

“A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots. The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him—a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.” —Isaiah 11:1–2

“He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” —Colossians 1:13–14

God speaks His Words of confirmation and pleasure of His Son. Jesus reconciling the world to God is a joyful message indeed. The Spirit manifested itself in the likeness of a dove, but God the Father is manifested by a voice. How endearing and comforting that must have been to our Lord’s ears. God appeared to Jesus by reiterating His relationship, “This is my one dear Son”, and by affirming His mission, “in him I take great delight.”

Become More

“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you. The great promise of God in prayer is this: We ask God for the gift—He gives us the Giver. We ask God for the supply and He gives us the Source. We ask God for the money and He doesn’t give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank … He delights in giving us himself. The resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.” —David Platt

Go out in to the world today with the humility and purpose of Jesus Christ.

Further Reflections

“He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” —Colossians 1:13–14

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” —1 Peter 5:6

“It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.” —John Witherspoon