Does Asking for Signs Evidence a Lack of Faith?

What is your motive when you ask God for a sign?

For some people, they're facing the decision of possibly having to do something that they really do not want to do.

• Sometimes, this can result in a person asking God for an enormous sign they really don't believe has any chance of happening, because that way they can trick themselves into thinking that God really didn't want them to do it.  But God can perform even the most impossible signs if He wants to, so I believe that in these cases, He doesn't provide the sign because He knows that person is in rebellion against Him, not truly seeking His will.
• But other times, people facing a decision they emphatically do not want to do ask for a sign because they are seeking God's will deep down, but there is a massive struggle inside of them because of how much they don't want to do it.  They feel God directing them toward a decision, and already know what His answer will be in the sign, but they need that extra push to force them over the edge into saying "Yes" to God.  In a way, their asking for a sign is a great act of faith and sacrifice, because they are asking for something their minds cannot write off as coincidence or misunderstanding - they are asking for a definitive command.

In other cases, asking for a sign is the responsible thing to do!  If we feel that God is pushing us towards a decision, but there is a lot at stake, it can definitely be responsible to ask for a sign so we don't make a mistake by our own emotions and inclinations getting in the way of us truly hearing the Holy Spirit's leading in our souls.  What's at stake may be human lives, a very large amount of money, or a life path (career, marriage, etc.) - and since these "assets" all belong to God, asking for a sign can be just making sure we're not mishandling His possessions!

• Look at Gideon in Judges 6-7.  He asked for a sign more than once about the same decision because he had 32,000 lives depending on him making the correct choice!  Of course he wanted to make absolutely, positively sure that He was hearing God right!
• I think the same situation might be what's going on in Isaiah 7 .  Isaiah instructs King Ahaz to ask for a sign so he will know he can trust the important prophecy about war he has just heard - but Ahaz refuses (under the guise of having faith), and is rebuked and cursed for it.  A prophet ordained by God told him to ask for a sign because the prophecy was a really big deal, and it seems to me that the idolatrous king's refusal to ask for one shows that he didn't take God's plan for the war seriously.

Do you have thoughts you'd like to share about any of the circumstances described above, or can you think of another important type of situation involving asking for a sign?  Leave a comment below. :-)

Striking as Odd - Matthew 21:1-11

The Passage

 

1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

 

2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

 

3 "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'he Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."

 

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

 

5 "SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,

'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU,

GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY,

EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"

 

6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,

 

7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them, and He sat on the coats.

 

8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

 

9 The crowds were going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

"Hosanna to the Son of David;

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;

Hosanna in the highest!"

 

10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"

 

11 And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee."

 

Did Jesus Tell Them to Steal?

 

There are two issues we must address here: (1) What if Jesus were telling the disciples to steal the donkeys? and (2) Why He actually didn't tell them to do this.  Let's start with the former.

 

In Acts 5, Peter and the other apostles are ordered by the Jewish leaders (who held religious and also some political power, including the authority to arrest people) to stop preaching the Gospel.  The apostles famously answered (in verse 29), "We must obey God rather than men."  The idea here is that, while God has indeed put these authorities in place and we are to obey them (Romans 13:1), that does not apply if what these authorities tell you to do violates what God has told you to do.  I.e., if a parent or a teacher or the government where you live (if you live in an oppressive country) tells you to do something that contradicts either Scripture or what you absolutely know in your heart that God is telling you, obey God.

 

So, if Jesus were telling the disciples to steal the donkeys (an act which was illegal), it would be okay...  But this is not what He was telling them, because stealing goes against God's own Law (Leviticus 19:11).

 

You see, we must remember that God is omniscient, and this passage reveals that Christ clearly knew exactly what would happen.  He told the disciples to take the donkeys because He knew that the owners would willingly give them up the instant they knew that God wanted them.  He didn't even invoke the fact that "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains" (Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26)..He only accepted what He knew would be freely given.

 

Also notice the incredible faithfulness of the people who gave up their donkeys!  I'm sure they knew it was a request legitimately from God and not just a scam.  So, they gave up two animals that must have been incredibly expensive and that they probably used a lot, not sure if they would get them back - all because Christ asked for them, and not even in person.  Let us also strive to have such willing hearts that God need only ask for our service once, and we obey immediately.

 

The Prophetic Realm

 

The capitalized section in verse 5 is an Old Testament reference to Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9.  Wording differs because (1) They're splicing two verses together, and (2) those New Testament writers referenced out of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament, in common use in Jesus's day), so the New Testament rendering we see is a translation of a translation, whereas the Old Testament renderings are simply a direct translation.

 

I'd like to share the entirety of Zechariah 9:9 with you, because I love the wording:

 

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

He is just and endowed with salvation,

Humble, and mounted on a donkey,

Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

 

So that just points out a prophetic fulfillment, serving as evidence that Jesus truly is the Messiah.

 

But what's going on in Matthew 21:9 when the crowds start shouting similar language?  Well, they are referencing Psalm 118:26.  But what's particularly significant about this phrase is that only some of the Jews in Jerusalem were hailing Him as Messiah with these words - others were among those asking, "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10), the Jewish leaders (Matthew 26:3-4), and the civilian Jews who demanded His execution (Matthew 27:11-26).  You see, Jesus declared that He would not return at the End of the Age until the larger block of the Jewish people recognize Him as their Messiah with this same phrase:

 

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.  Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!  For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

 

One final note on this topic - do you know what the word Hosanna means?  It's literally, "Save, we pray," or put a little more commonly, "Save us, this we pray!"

 

Riding on a ... Colt?

 

I'd like you to imagine a couple of scenes for a moment.

 

First, the Messiah, God Himself, has come to Earth as a man.  He enters His city, where He is promised to reign forever.  He is worshipped by crowds...but these crowds are only a fraction of the entire city.  And He is riding on a baby donkey, its goofy ears twitching and its gait wobbly.  This is the story told in Matthew 21.

 

Second, the Messiah, God Himself, has come to Earth at the very end of the world.  He comes to Earth from the sky itself, riding a majestic white horse.  He is crowned a robed, and in His Glory.  He conquers the nations, and is followed by all His saints, also astride white horses.  This is the story told in Revelation 19.

 

The point of this contrast is to establish exactly that Christ came to do when He entered Jerusalem that first time.  He came to die.  He humbled Himself to the greatest extreme possible - from being God Almighty to being tortured and executed naked.  And He set the example that we are to follow, as well - humble, giving our lives up for Him if necessary.  Because the End's not here yet - there's still work to do.  So of course His "Triumphal Entry" looked a bit different that we might expect of the King of Kings - He was beginning a mission that we are still called to carry on.

 

Will you join Him - riding on ultimate humility, whatever the cost?

 

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a little donkey, so I pray that He may be willing to ride out before the people on such an unworthy instrument as I.

- A.W. Tozer

 

Do you know this amazing Messiah for yourself?  If not, click here to meet Him.



Distraction and Precision - Matthew 16:1-19

Quest for Signs

 

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

 

2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'

 

3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

 

4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah."

 

The absurdity of the Pharisees and Sadducees asking for a sign is apparent when we consider all that Jesus had done - healing tons of people from all sorts of serious ailments, casting out demons, then miraculously feeding somewhere around 10,000-20,000 people (once you count in women and children).  These stories were obviously circulating throghout Israel (given the large crowds that sought out Jesus), so the Pharisees and Sadducees had surely heard of them - and some of them had certainly witnessed these miracles themselves!  But the fact of the matter is, they were ignoring the proof right before our eyes.  If we refuse to believe something, we can trick ourselves into thinking the most convincing of evidence doesn't exist.

 

Jesus's example of how they're blatantly ignoring what's right before their eyes is an old nautical trick you might have heard of before - "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailor's warning."  These Pharisees and Sadducees not had heard testimonies of (and likely witnessed themselves) Jesus's miracles, but they were the Scripture scholars of their day - of all people in Israel, they were the experts on God's Law, which meant they were familiar with all of the Messianic prophecies.  They should have been able to immediately recognize the Messiah, yet they refused to, essentially blinding their own eyes.

 

The problem wasn't that they wanted a sign; it's that they ignored all the obvious signs they'd already seen, always asking for one more, one more, one more.  Even though it had already been proven, they wanted more proof.  They had absolutely no faith!  1 Corinthians 14:22 states that some types of signs (tongues, in that verse) are to open unbelievers' eyes, but others types of signs (prophecy, in that verse) are for believers - basically a reward for the faith of those who already believe.  God's not out to convince us of anything - He will persuade, but we have to have faith and believe.

 

Let us ask ourselves:  What is God trying to tell me right now that I'm ignoring?  And what amazing revelations or experiences am I missing out on because I refuse to "step out" in faith?

 

Okay, so what's with the sign of Jonah?  Well, Jonah was an Old Testament prophet who, while running from God's plan for him, was swallowed by a large fish and stayed in its belly for three days.  Just the same, when Jesus was killed, He stayed in the tomb for three days before rising from the dead.  His resurrection was His ultimate sign to unbelievers - something so huge, it's nearly impossible to turn a blind eye to it...but it's up to each individual to decide whether to believe it or not.

 

A Dozen Distracted Disciples

 

5 And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.

 

6 And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

 

7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, "He said that because we did not bring any bread."

 

8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?

 

9 "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?

 

10 "Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?

 

11 "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

 

12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

Here, we find the disciples quite distracted by their hunger, causing them to completely misunderstand what Jesus is trying to tell them.  When we get focused in on and obsessed with this world, whether that be genuine needs or worldy pleasures, we can become oblivious to the eternal truths God is communicating - we can even twist what He says!

 

I think Jesus was quite angry at the disciples in this passage, and (obviously) rightfully so.  They had so little faith - they become obsessed with the very thing He had told them and shown them they didn't need to waste time worrying about.  It was essentially a god to them - because I hold that any obsession or addiction is an idol.  They had allowed their hearts to ignore and "forget" all that Jesus had taught and demonstratred to them - in this, they were doing exactly what the Pharisees were doing.

 

Their "Ah-ha!" or "Ohhhhh" moment is when they realized He was warning them against the religious leaders' false teaching (because, remember - it's possible they still saw them as genuine leaders appointed by God), but it's possible that what He demonstrated to them by their own response (what we just saw above) was another, potentially greater lesson.

 

Peter Totally Redeems Himself

 

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

 

14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

 

15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

 

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

 

17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

 

18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

 

 

When Jesus asks the disciples to list off different peoples' views as to His identity, it becomes clear to us that many Jews of that day thought He was a prophet back from the dead (or back from the non-dead, in Elijah's case) - that would certainly explain His miraculous powers.  But while they're all quite responsive to His first question, only one man is bold enough to say who he thinks Jesus is, the Messiah.  And he says it bluntly and unabashedly - he doesn't qualify it with "maybe" or "perhaps," he confesses it out of faith.

 

The Gospels' recordings of Jesus's interaction with His disciples are so comforting for us, because they demonstrate how, no matter how rocky our own walks with Christ our, He still loves us.  In our last record, Simon Peter was among those scolded for being so obsessed with getting supper he wasn't even listening to Jesus speak, and as we read through the Gospels, we see that Simon Peter messes up prettymuch the most of any disciple.  And yet, despite his many failings, he also has many successes - just because he's trying to follow Jesus.  One such example when he is honored is here in this passage.  Even when we fall into sin or fall away from the faith for a time, God still loves us and is willing to use us for great things the moment we return to Him.  The fact that his willingness and faith were rewarded with God revealing Jesus's identity to him and using him in such great ways harkens back to what we discussed above.

 

Let's talk about names really quickly.  Jesus calls him "Simon Barjona" - Simon was the name his parents gave him, and Barjona just means "son of Jonah" (one way the Jews referred to each other).  But Jesus renames him Peter, which is a name meaning "rock."  It's sturdy, stable, a foundation - as in, something you could build on.  The point is that Peter represented genuine faith, even though he was in the minority - one of the basics of Christianity, as Matthew 7:13-14 tells us.  So, it's not exactly that Jesus is building His Church on Peter himself (although Peter on of the very top church leaders after the resurrection), it's that He's building the Church on the principle that Peter had just expressed in that moment.

 

Wondering about the Gates of Hades thing?  We'll get to that in our next study post, when we address the convoluted of Binding and Loosing. :-)

 

Questions for You

 

Has there been a time when you've blinded yourself to a truth God was trying to teach you?

 

Has there been a time when you've been the only one in a crowd to unabashedly proclaim God's truth?

 

Any other insights to this passage you'd like to share, or questions you'd like to ask?

 

Giving Credit Where It's Due

 

Image Number One: Sunrise on Sea, by Stig Nygaard.  Wikipedia. Used by permission.

 

Image Number Two: Brot und Backwaren, by Klaus Hopfner.  Wikipedia. Used by permission.

 

Image Number Three courtesy of Sweet Publishing.

Racism and Deja Vu? - Matthew 15:21-39

The Syrophonecian Woman

 

21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.

 

22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."

 

23 But He did not answer her a waord.  And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us."

 

24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

 

25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

 

26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

 

27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

 

28 The Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish."  And her daughter was healed at once."

 

I don't usually spend time on the locations these events occurred in, but I think this story is a useful opportunity to discuss it a bit.  Jesus was in Gennesaret before, which was a town next to Capernaum on the coast of the sea of Galilee (an inland sea).  In this story, he travels to the region of Tyre and Sidon (two "heathen" cities famous in the Old Testament), which are about 40 miles to the North-West of Gennesaret, and are coastal cities on the Mediterranian Sea.  They were in non-Jewish territory, and were even outside Herod's jurisdiction.  Which brings us to the important question here: Why on earth would Jesus travel there? 

 

One possibility is that the Pharisees started plotting to kill Him after their encounter with Him that occurred immediatly before these verses (although that is not mentioned in this passage, as it is elsewhere), and He departed to elude their grasp.  Another possibility is hinted at at the parallel verse in Mark 7:24 - that He needed a break from the crowds, so He went far away into non-Jewish territory where perhaps He would not be recognized.  If this is the case, perhaps He did so in order that He could focus on teaching His disciples (which is more important, from an eternal perspective) instead of all his time being consumed with physical healings.  But, in the end, we don't know for sure why He ever travelled where He did.  Indeed, there are numerous instances in the Gospels where locations are mentioned for no apparent reason.  Perahps the authors of the Gospels mentioned the locations to add validity to their accounts of Jesus's life.

 

We get to witness here another case of the disciples not exactly being at their best.  Before judging them too harshly, we should remember that in thier culture, women were of extremely low caste, and Gentiles were looked on with derision, so the disciples' reaction to this Gentile woman "pestering" them and their Teacher was normal for their culture.  But, normal does not mean right.  Just because something is accepted in our culture does not mean it meets God's standards of correct behavior (in this case, love).

 

But then, what are we to make of Jesus's response?  Did he really coldly call her a dog?  Not at all!  You see, in His day, "dog" was a common slur that Jews used to refer to Gentiles.  But the word that Jesus used meant "puppy."  He made sure that the true, loving intent of His analogy was not misunderstood by doing a play on the word "dog" that actually made it...nice - a compliment of sorts.  From the context, it seems that this entire conversation is His usual playful way of engaging someone as a test of their faith.

 

It is also important to understand that when Jesus was on Earth, His intended ministry really was to reach out first to Israel.  After all, the Messiah was the promised one to Israel.  After His resurrection was when the faith was going to expand among the Gentiles.  The reason for this is that, in the interest of fairness, God gave Israel a "fair shake" at accepting the Messiah first - so that when they rejected Him, it was completely on their heads, because they had every chance to accept Him.  And remember, God still had a covenant to fulfill with the Jews when He sent the Messiah.  If you take a look at Romans 2:9-11, you'll find that God acting chronologically (Jews, then Gentiles) does not indicate any inequality between Jews and Gentiles (see Galatians 3:28).  Romans 11 discusses this issue a bit more.  But the point I'm trying to get to is this: Even though Jesus had a specific purpose in focusing His ministry on Israel for a few years (2-3) before His Church expanded to actively reach out to the Gentiles, He didn't let that stop Him from having compassion on this Gentile woman and helping her.

 

Let's briefly look at the woman's faith, too.  (1) She recognized Him as the true God, even though her pagan culture surely lauded other (false) gods.  That means she was so sure in her belief that she was willing to risk that.  (2) She was willing to endure the disciples' ridicule and scorn (which she probably expected before she even came to them) to get to Jesus.  (3) She surely would have believed that, based on other world religions at the time, the Jewish God was not obligated to help someone not of those people - yet she trusted in His love enough that she came to Him and pressed Him.  Her faith was great, indeed.

 

Healing the Multitudes

 

29 Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there.

 

30 And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.

 

31 So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

 

It's easy to lose sight of how amazing these mass healings really are after we've heard the stories a number of times.  So, it's a good idea to take some time to meditate on what it would have been like to actually experience this.

 

This account reminds me of a few lyrics I love from the song "Mary, Did You Know?"  They say, "The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again!  The lame will leap, the dumb with speak - the praises of the Lamb!"

 

Consider for a moment that, before John the Baptist, the Jews had not had a Prophet of Old in centuries, and were under foreign captivity - they felt as if God had completely rejected them.  So, the presence of a Prophet at all - and the ultimate Prophet, Jesus, who was performing so many miracles for them - was a shocking testament of God's love for them.  The fact that they had gone three full days without eating just to remain with Him (as we'll see in a moment) is proof of how deeply this affected them.

 

Four Thousand Fed

 

32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."

 

33 The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?"

 

34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

 

35 And He directed the people to sit down on the ground;

 

36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

 

37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full.

 

38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

 

39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

 

If this story sounds extremely familiar, it's because we very recently covered the feeding of the five thousand (you can read that post here).  Why would Matthew write such similar accounts almost back-to-back?  I have a couple of theories... :-)  Even though it's the exact same scenario, there are some new lessons here that we shouldn't overlook.

 

First off, this is perhaps the most shocking picture in all of the Gospels of how Jesus's disciples simply did not learn and lacked faith to an astounding degree.  But, how often are we just like them?  It seems like God has to teach us the same lessons over and over - that's no different, no less terrible, than what's going on in this passage.

 

Second, the fact that Jesus fed 5,000+ the first time, and 4,000+ the second time demonstrates that He's not interested in one-upping Himself.  God provides in whatever way He thinks is appropriate for the situation - so we shouldn't be disappointed if God seems to do "less" for us than He does for someone else.

 

Third, the number of baskets left over before (12) was symbolic, and it is here, as well.  Seven is the number of completion or perfection.  This backs up the above point that God's will is to do whatever is perfect for that situation.  It also demonstrates that God will take care of us completely.

 

Questions for You

 

When have you been treated poorly by people who claimed to represent God (like happened to the Syrophonecian woman)?

 

Have you ever had an experience where God did less than you expected, but it still was enough provision?

 

Anything else you'd like to comment on - or add to the discussion?

 

Any questions?

 

Giving Credit Where It's Due

 

All images courtesy of Sweet Publishing.  Used by permission.

Intellectual Converts and Thinking It's Too Hard Even for God - Matthew 13:51-58

Understanding

 

51 "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes."

 

52 And Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

The "these things" Jesus is referring to are the parables we've studied recently.  Do you remember how we talked about how, if we truly seek (and by that I mean diligently pursue) understanding of God's Word, He will reveal insights to us?  The disciples have been thinking about Jesus's teaching and asking Him questions, and He's been giving them answers, so it would seem to follow that their "yes" is genuine - they *finally* get it! :-)  But the suspicious side of me wonders if they lied when they said they understood to avoid embarrassment.  At least that pessimism on my part brings us to a good life lesson we can glean from here: We can't fake anything with God!  He understands us better than we understand ourselves, so He knows when our motives, our love for Him, and our dedication are pure - or lacking.  Obviously this is enormously challenging to live a more genuine life and be honest with ourselves, but it's also freeing - because there is no pressure to be fake.  God loves us anyway.

 

So how does the bit about the scribe fit in with that?  Well, remember, the Jewish scribes were the absolute experts on God's (Old Testament) Law, so they had very, very deep understanding of spiritual matters.  When a scribe came to Christ, he would be like the head of the household in the sense that he was influential (could lead many to faith in Christ), and would be able to serve as a leader to these people because of the extent of his spiritual understanding.  So, you see, Jesus's point is that putting deep thought, time, and study into Scripture is critical not only to our own walks, but in leading others to Christ, as well!  He uses the example of the scribe, but His point to the disciples is that all the work they've put into understanding His teachings will definitely yield fruit.  Likewise, it's not like you ever reach the point of knowing all there is to know about Scripture...the scribe keeps bringing out things old and new.  God is infinitely beyond the grasp of the human mind, so the more we seek Him, the more of Himself He will reveal - it's not like He'll ever run out of insights to share.

 

"Welcome Home!"... Not

 

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there.

 

54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

 

55 "Is not this the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

 

56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this man get all these things?"

 

57 And they took offense at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."

 

58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

 

Let's clear up the minor questions before diving in.  First, which "hometown" is this?  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and his "base of operations" for His ministry was Capernaum, but since these people had clearly seen Him grow up, it is clear He is in Nazareth.  Second, note that even though some of Jesus's brothers listed off (actually His half-brothers; they were Joseph and Mary's children born through natural means) share names with some of His disciples (Simon and Judas), they are not the same men.  It's just that these names were common at the time.

 

This story demonstrates how it is human nature to assume that God won't (or perhaps can't) work in certain people's lives and do amazing things through them.  Whether it's because they're people we know well, or people of a lower social station, or people who were particularly "rough" before getting saved, this is our first reaction.  But we shouldn't think like that!  Many times, God will chose the young, or the dumb, or whatever other weakness because that conclusively demonstrates that He is the source, not the person's own effort.  So let's not be flabbergasted and offended when we witness this, but rather glorify God.

 

In this specific case, why were the Jews offended?  Because Jesus was both young, and (especially!) poor.  In their society, they thought that being rich meant you were a better person, so they were offended that a man who they thought of as less holy would dare to tell them what to do.  But we know that God can speak through any of His followers, even the struggling ones.  Just because a rebuke/suggestion/etc. comes from a "less mature" or struggling believer, doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to it.

 

In this case, we know that it wasn't just Jesus's townsfolk, but even His own family who refused to listen to Him.  Unfortunately, Satan will use those closest to us to discourage us and tempt us to fall.  If Satan is using your friends and/or family as a stumbling block in your faith or ministry, be encouraged that is evidence that God is really working through you and getting ready to do something amazing.  If He weren't, Satan wouldn't waste his time attacking you so.

 

Finally, we get to verse 58, which I've seen spark a ton of debates.  The question at hand is whether Jesus could not perform miracles there, or did not choose to perform miracles there.  We know for a fact that God is not actually limited by us, so it's not like He needed a certain amount of faith to "power Him up" to perform the miracles.  But, while in the form of a human, Jesus was subject to the Father, so it's possible that Jesus could not because the Father did not.  So, I see this situation as simply: God (in whatever form of the Trinity you think) chose not to perform the miracles because of their unbelief.  Why would He choose that?  We see in 1 Corinthians 14:22 that some supernatural happenings are a sign to prompt faith in unbelievers, and others are a sort of reward to affirm the faith of those who already believe.  But the Jews in Nazareth had just as much reason to believe in Jesus as everyone else in all the other cities He'd visited did, yet they refused to beleive the evidence.  They were just like the Pharisees - they wanted to see more and more proof, and refused to accept on faith the proof they'd already seen.  Why would Jesus waste time by rewarding them with more proof, then?  It's a sobering reminder that perhaps if we're asking God for signs and not getting any, maybe we're ignoring the signs He's already given us.

 

Questions for You

 

I think there's a lot more in Jesus's analogy about the scribe than we covered here.  Do you see anything else in it?

 

We know that God will reward our efforts to understand His Word with understanding.  How much time and effort do you devote to studying God's Word?  Does that reflect belief in this promise of God's?

 

Anything else you'd like to ask or comment? :-)

 

Giving Credit Where It's Due

 

Image Number One: A Sofer finishing the final letters of a Torah scroll, by DancingMan.  Wikipedia.  Public domain.  Used by permission.

 

Image Number Two: Nazarene fountain reputed to be Mary and Jesus's.  Wikipedia.  {{PD-1923}}  Public domain in the United States.

Presumption, and Refusing to Believe the Evidence - Matthew 12:38-50

What Are Signs For?

 

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

 

39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

 

40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

 

41 "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

 

42 "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."

 

Let's start with the simplest thing, shall we? :-)  The "sign of Jonah" that Jesus is referring to here is His resurrection.  If you're not familiar with the story of Jonah, you can read it here (it's a really short book - only 4 chapters long), and if you'd like to read an account of Jesus' resurrection, check out Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, or John 20-21. 

 

Now, what is the purpose of signs?  1 Corinthians 12:12 shows us that miraculous signs and wonders are one piece of evidence that someone who claims to be ministering for God really is...but, at the same time, demons can also fake these powers.  The *big* (and double!) purpose of signs is explained in 1 Corinthians 14:22: "So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign but to those who believe."  So, some signs are to give unbelievers reason to believe (we see this play out in Acts 2 and implied in Mark 16:17-18), and others are a reward for those who already have faith - a confirmation of their faith, if you will (think about John 20:29b,"Blessed are they that did not see, and yet believed").  Some signs to unbelievers are BIG signs, like the resurrection mentioned here and creation (see Romans 1:20). 

 

The problem here is that these scribes and Pharisees had already seen, and heard testimonies of, plenty of signs.  They're not actually wanting to see a sign to confirm a suspicion that He is the Son of God; they're trying to test Him.  Another problem is that many of the Jews as a whole at this time demanded sign after sign after sign to be convinced - they had absolutely no faith.  1 Corinthians 1:22 speaks to this when it says, "For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness."  It makes me think - how many times do we test God by ignoring what He's telling us, knowing it is true but demanding He "prove" it time and time again?

 

That brings us to the people of Nineveh and the Queen of the South.  These people from the Old Testament chose to follow God merely after hearing about Him; they didn't even need signs.  Now that is faith!

 

Umm...What's that Got to Do with Demons?

 

43 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

 

44 "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

 

45 "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.  That is the way it will also be with this generation."

 

This seems like quite a bit of a topic shift, doesn't it?  Well, the other place this discussion appears is in Luke 11, part of a larger chunk about demons but still coupled with the "Sign of Jonah" passage.  What does it mean?  A lot of people follow this interpretation: If your "house" is you, and a demon is cast out but finds you unoccupied later (i.e. by the Holy Spirit), then it can enter again --- so, the interpretation is that Christians cannot be possessed by demons.  Is this accurate?  Well...maybe.  Having had almost no experience with possessed people, I would tentatively venture that I don't think Christians who are walking closely with the Lord and being careful to stay away from demonic influences (like fortune tellers, ouija boards, music with Satanic lyrics, etc.) can be possessed.  But, while I think the principle of that interpretation is probably valid, I don't know if that's necessarily the meaning of this passage here.  Especially because that interpretation makes absolutely no sense in the context in Matthew here.

 

So, what is its purpose here in Matthew?  I *think* Jesus is comparing their hardness of heart - their absolute refusal to believe in Him despite all the evidence that He is the Messiah - to a demon.  So, it would follow that if they harden their hearts a little, and don't do anything to change that state, their heart will be hardened even more (the seven more demons thing).  Fitting with this, I think the demon wandering without finding rest part is saying that if you don't specifically deal with your hardness of heart, but just let it fester, you'll never get rid of it, and it will return.

 

That's far from a flawless interpretation, but I think it makes more sense than the whole Christians-can't-be-possessed thing. :-)

 

God's Family

 

46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

 

47 Someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You."

 

48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?

 

49 And stretching out His hand toward the disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!

 

50 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

 





Let's clear up a couple minor questions before diving in to the deeper meaning.  First, why was his family waiting outside?  Because so many people had come to hear Jesus speak that the house was packed to its limit, so there was no way more people (His family) could squeeze inside.  Second, why did His family come for Him?  Because they thought that, since He was claiming to be the Messiah, He must be crazy, and they wanted to force Him to come home. 

 

Jesus, in typical Jesus fashion, turns random occurences into deep lessons.  Here, He is saying that just because they had a physical claim to Him as family, that didn't mean they were truly His family - that is, they didn't have the power to demand things of Him just because of that relationship.  This is the same principle Jesus speaks of in Matthew 3:8-9, when He says, "Therefore bear fruit in keeping withe repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham."  The exact same thing applies to us today - just because we were raised in a Christian home, or used to be on fire for God, or whatever, we dare not presume that He somehow *has* to treat us as His children.  God cannot be trapped by our past relationship with Him; He is concerned with our relationship with Him now.

 

But, this serves as not only a warning, but also an expression of intense love.  Jesus welcomes all of us, no matter how unimportant we feel or how badly we've screwed up in life, into His very own family.  We are not just His followers or His worshipers; He has adopted us!

 

Let's Make It a Conversation! :-)

 

What brought you to Christ?  Was it a miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit?  Intellectual convincing?  Share your story. :-)

 

Do you have any insight on those three verses about demons?  (I'm serious - I'd love to hear your views!)

 

Any other comments or questions?  No question is too small or too big - I'll help in any way I can.  Don't feel restricted to this passage, either; do you have any other Bible questions?

 

Giving Credit Where It's Due

 

Image Number One:  "Biblical Illustration of Book of Jonah Chapter 1" by Jim Padgett.  Attribution:  Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing.  Used by permission.

 

Image Number Two:  "Teremok in Talashkino" by Julmin.  Wikipedia.  Used by permission.

 

Image Number Three:  "Valentinian III Family" by Michael Sanders.  Wikipedia.  {{PD-1923}}  Public domain in the United States.

Miracles That Don't Fit a Mold - Matthew 9:18-31

Double Duty

18 While Jesus was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live."

19 Jesus got upand began to follow him, and so did His disciples.

20 And a woman who had been suffering a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak;

21 for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well."

22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well.

23 When Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder,

24 He said, "Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him.

25 But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her hand, and the girl got up.

26 This news spread throughout all the land.

The synagogue offical mentioned in this passage is a beautiful example that not all of the Jewish officals hated Jesus. Some, like this man, saw God working and were willing to follow Him even if that meant going against their culture and being ostracized by their peers - perhaps even losing their jobs. Are we willing to do the same? 

He is also an exampe of astounding faith! Jesus had healed many people by this point, but by going off of the Gospel of Luke (the chronological Gospel), we only know of one other person whom Jesus raised from the dead before this incedent (see Luke 7:11-15). Furthermore, it wasn't even a common miracle performed by prophets - there are only three accounts of this happening in the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:17-22, 2 Kings 4:32-35, and 2 Kings 13:20-21). In this, the offical had so much faith that he didn't hesitate to ask Jesus to perform the impossible - something only known of in legend. Again, I ask: Do we have the same faith in God?

Let's look at the woman next. Under the Mosaic Law, she was not allowed to be out among the people because of her bleeding, and she was "unclean" - completely ostracized by the community. In a way, she had to break the Law to come to Jesus. I think this is wonderful picture of the purpose of the Law - to demonstrate to us conclusively that we can't do it on our own, and need God's help. This woman also shows us the only way we can to come to Jesus: *unclean* and humble - and when we do this, He will not avoid our gaze, but turn to us, smile at us, speak to us, and hold out His hand to us. 

Now, here's also a warning: throughout history, some have completely twisted this story to come up with the idea that Jesus's clothes and other objects He touched somehow have magical powers. That is an anti-Biblical idea, borders on the occultic, and has led to people making idols out of "sacred" objects. The woman was healed not because his garment had magical healing powers, but because of her faith - she touched the garment only because she knew she was not worthy to speak to Him (just as none of us are worthy).

We've already seen that Jesus responded to her with amazing love, but here's more: By putting off the synangogue official for a moment to help this woman, He put off the esteemed, powerful local celebrity to help a social outcast. Wow, huh? Let's also be sure not to play favorites with regards to who we minister to! We've studied this topic before when going over James 2:1-13. Also notice that Jesus had His eyes open - He didn't get so focused on one task that the Father had given Him that He ignored other opportunities to minister to others. Let us follow His example and always keep our eyes open for work God has for us, even while working for Him!

Moving on, what's with the flute-players and crowd mentioned in verse 23? They were mourners. I find it very interesting that those who doubted His power were ushered from the room, but He invited those of faith to watch the miracle first-hand (see Luke 8:51). They believed before they saw the miracle. In John 20:29, after "Doubting" Thomas has seen proof that the risen Christ is not just a ghost, Jesus tells him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet beleived." Let us follow this example, too.

We've talked a lot so far about following thes people's example of faith...but how does one go about it? Two ways: We need to both pray for more faith, and act in faith in the situations God's given us so far to build our faith muscles.

Prophecy Scholars You Don't Expect

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

28 When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "It shall be done to you according to your faith."

30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: "See that no one knows about this!"

31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.

32 As they were going out, a mute, demon-possessed man was brought to Him.

33 After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."

34 But the Pharisees were saying, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

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Jesus just performed two interwoven miracles, and as soon as He's done there, two more men cry out to Him. Serving God is a full-time job - it's not just Sundays, not just certain designated times, not just if you're employed in the ministry. We are all called to be open to whatever God wants us to do, every hour of every day, in every place.

Now, there's something really interesting about the blind men calling Jesus the "Son of David" - that was a name for the Messiah! It's pulled from 2 Samuel 7:14-16. Jesus actually discusses this with the Pharisees in Matthew 22:41-45, which shows it was in somewhat common usage - so the blind men knew what they were doing when the called Him that! Consider what Jesus asks His disciples when they're lacking faith in Mark 8:18a: "HAVING [physical] EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE [the spiritual truth]...?" The blind men saw the truth, but the Pharisees (the ones who had more opportunity to study the Scriptures than anyone else, and were therefore far more accquainted with Messainic prophecy) were the ones who were truly blind.

As for verses 30-31, let's just do a quick review. Why did Jesus tell them to not tell people what had happened to them? Because it was not yet His time to die, and them telling people would create danger. We see a similar thing in Acts 16:6, where God tells Paul and other apostles to hold off spreading the Gospel in a certian region for a while. We should never use danger as an excuse not to witness, because indeed, God calls some of us to even die for Him, but it still remains that in a few rare cases, God wants His people to avoid a certain dangerous situation. Now, I imagine these blind men were just so thrilled that they couldn't contain their excitement, but we should be careful to never think we know better than God! If something seems more "Christian," but God says not to do it, don't!

Questions for You

Have you ever had a time when it seemed like God's tasks for you came back to back? Have you ever wanted to do something for God, but He said to hold off on it? Anything else you'd like to ask or comment on?

Giving Credit Where It's Due

Picture Number One: Christ Healing a Bleeding Woman from Roman Catacombs. Wikimedia Commons. {{PD-1923}} Public Domain in the United States. {{PD-old-70}} Public Domain in the European Union.

Picture Number Two: Christ Healing the Blind Man by Eustache Le Sueur. Wikimedia Commons. {{PD-old-100}} Public Domain in the United States and European Union.

Our Mighty Healer - Matthew 8:1-17

The Leper

1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."

3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing, be cleansed."  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Let's start by looking at what the leper had to go through to get to Jesus in the first place.  Lepers were supposed to live outside of the cities, and only have contact with other lepers - when travelling near to non-lepers, they had to cover their faces and shout, "Unclean!" to warn them to stay away (Leviticus 13:45-46).  People would shriek in horror and scatter from their presence - lepers were completely ostracized.  So think of the courage it took for this man to brave the scorn of the crowd to approach Jesus.  He had radical faith.  He ignored everything going on around him and focused on Jesus alone.  And he trusted in God's love.

Also notice the line about "Lord, if you are willing..."  This is truly incredible!  He never doubted for a moment that God could not perform the miracle, but he was also completely willing to accept it if God said "no."  If the answer had been no, the leper would have continued to die a slow, painful death in solitude - yet He submitted to God's sovereignty so much that he was willing to accept even that.

Also consider that the leper came to Jesus, and Jesus did the rest.  I see two meanings here for us: (1) All we have to do is trust God, and He will take care of us; and (2) we still do have to come to Him first - so many people today think that if God existed, there wouldn't be so many horrible things happening in the world, but the fact of the matter is, God will not force Himself on us...He allows us to screw up if that's what we choose, but He is also willing to fix things if we just ask Him.

Furthermore, Jesus touched the man.  It is correct theology to say that God cannot allow sin in His perfect presence, so He has to cleanse us of it first.  BUT, that is only half of the picture.  The other half is that in order to bring this about, God took that sin upon Himself on the cross.  Jesus wasn't afraid to touch the leper, and neither is He unwilling to touch you while you feel sinful and "unclean."  When you are at your worst, that is when you most need Him - and that is when is yearns the most for you to come to Him and ask Him to touch you.  He seeks to change you, yes, but He accepts you just as you are, right now.

Also, recall that under the Mosaic Law, a leper was cut off from all contact with God until he was healed (Leviticus 14:1-32).  Bear that in mind and take another look at the above passage...  Now, in the big picture, under the Law, you would never have continual access to God because you'd constantly keep getting unclean over and over, but through Jesus, we are clean permanently.  We can now approach God's throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).

One final note of clarification: Why did Jesus instruct the healed leper to not tell anyone about his miraculous encounter?  Because Jesus was still trying to lay low as much as possible while still minstering, because the time for Him to give up His life had not yet come.

The Centurion

5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him,

6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearully tormented."

7 Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8 But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."

10 "Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.

11 "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Issac and Jacob in the kindom of heaven;

12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed."  And the servant was healed that very moment.

Let's examine the centurion's astounding humility first.  (1) In Roman society, the true Roman citizens were the elite, and the Jews were the scum non-citizens to be oppressed.  The centurion was a very high-ranking Roman with great power, yet he came to not just any Jew, but a poor one, and a Nazarene (the people even the Jews looked down on) at that!  (2) He did not even consider himself worthy to have Jesus enter his house.  I am reminded of when Peter cried out, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8 NKJV), and Isaiah's lament, "Woe is me, for I am ruined!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5).  He needed Jesus desperately, but openly acknowledged that he did not deserve Jesus' help...he still humbly asked for it, but only the bare minimum - he knew he was unworthy, as we all are.  (3) Also, notice that Jesus uses the opportunity to point out that the Gentiles would enter heaven, but the Jews who rejected Him would not.  We can never presume to just *expect* our salvation like these Jews did - He offers it to us freely, but we are still so utterly unworthy.  The centurion came in great humility, and he was honored for it.  "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." (Matthew 19:30).

So, what is so singular about this man's faith?  He didn't put God in a box.  He believed that Jesus had power in the spiritual realm from across town - he didn't think that He had to come into physical contact with his servant like the magicians.  He knew that Jesus's power was not limited by anything.  This demonstrates that he acknowledged Yahweh as the true God, rejecting the Roman pantheon.  For this, Jesus marvelled.  The Greek word here is thumazo, and it means complete astonishment and wonder.  Jesus is only recorded as having such a reaction one other time, and that is to a great lack of faith (Mark 6:1-6).  For an idea of how big of a deal this reaction is, consider Matthew 15:31 "So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel" and 2 Thessalonians 1:10 "when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed - for our testimony to you was believed."

Two more quick things about this situation.  First, the centurion was also willing to go through all this for his servant.  Some may label this an economic concern, but considering what we've learned about his character so far, I would wager that he did it out of great love for another human being.  Second, his explanation to Jesus in verses 8-9 is, in all honestly, kind of rambling.  But it wasn't rambling to God, even when he was on earth and *did* have a time constraint.  He loves us that much.

Comparing the Two Men

Let's review a few quick similarities between the leper and the centurion before moving on.

1 - The both had shocking humility and were focused only on Him and not on the crowds around Him.

2 - They had complete faith in God's power and love.

3 - They were the worst of the worst - one an ostracized sinner, the other a feared foreigner - yet God accepted them both without a moment's hesitation.

Peter's Mother-in-Law and Us

14 When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.

15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him.

16 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES."



This isn't some case of, "You're better?  Good.  Go make me a sandwich."  Jesus did not heal her just so she could wait on him.  Rather, this is a beautiful picture of how to respond to God's grace.  Whatever He blesses us with, let's turn that gift back into service for Him.

This passage doesn't really talk about Peter mcuh, but it actually reveals a lot about his character.  First off, it wasn't standard for a widow to move in with her son-in-law; she usually had to depend on actual sons or beg.  The fact that he, a mere fisherman, welcomed this added financial burden demonstrates that he had great love and compassion.  Second, he was now responsible for her, but he could not help her with this particular problem - only God could.  "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).

In verses 16-17, all the crowds are doing just that.  He still works today.  Do you trust Him?

Discussion Starters

What has God done for you?  Have you ever witnessed a miraculous healing?  Did you notice anything else about the leper, centurion, Peter, or his mother-in-law that I missed?  Anything else you'd like to ask or mention?