One of the things I have already done this morning is read. I do my best to read every day. Some days I do great at it. Some days I completely fail. In the last few months, its really been a struggle for me to make time. This is the story of my life. I've wanted to figure out how to make time for it again in my day and have discipline to actually do it. Motivated by my friend's goal this month to read through the New Testament, I decided to take on the same challenge.
I've run into a problem, though. Well. Lets be honest, I've run into two problems. The first problem is my lack of discipline. Today, being August 10th, I'm supposed to be reading Luke 19-24. I'm still in Matthew 9. I think I might have read three times since the start of the month. Yeah, I know. That's 30%. Too bad bible reading isn't baseball. I'd be stellar!
The second problem is that when I actually make time to read, I get bogged down in the text. I guess this is an ok problem to have because what I'm reading sucks me in. But, for speeding through the NT, it hinders the journey. Today is a prime example.
In Matthew 9 there are three healings strung in a row. The first happens when the leader of a synagogue comes to Jesus and asks him to raise his daughter from the dead. Wrap your mind around that for a moment. A synagogue leader asks Jesus to raise his daughter from the dead. The Pharisees and the Jews are continually questioning Jesus' ability to do such things, calling him more often than not, a spawn of Satan. Yet, here is a leader in the church, coming to Jesus with the faith that he can raise his daughter. Somehow, some way, Jesus has caught his attention and he's willing to take the risk of asking Jesus to heal her, which means he is standing against everything the Pharisees think and say of Jesus.
As Jesus is on his way to encounter her, he is interrupted by a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years. She wants to sneak close to Jesus, touch the hem of his cloak, and make an unnoticed getaway. That doesn't happen. Jesus acknowledges her faith. In other gospels, it seems that he makes a scene about it by calling her out of her anonymity. Even more, she's been bleeding for 12 years. She's been unclean for 12 years. In her touching Jesus, she risks making him unclean by "Law" standards. I would guess that's why she's willing to do the covert touching to get healed. In the end, she gets what she needs.
The final part of the story is Jesus healing some blind guys and a demon possessed man who really had nothing to lose. The blind guys called out for healing using the phrase, "son of David". In doing so, they acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. And, the demon possessed guy probably doesn't have a clue of what is going on till after he is healed. But, the people who bring him to Jesus believe and have faith . . . and trust that Jesus will be able to drive out the demon.
What amazes me is the fact that each person in need of something they couldn't go and buy or get on their own were willing to take the risk and ask for help, no matter what the cost. Their faith in Jesus overcame the risks. Even more, it wasn't like they were asking for money or something physical that Jesus had. They were asking for things that were extra ordinary--supernatural.
As I read this passage this morning, I wondered what Matthew is doing stringing them together like he did. Is there something between the lines in the order from the man with the most risk asking and leading all the way to the man who probably didn't know what was going on or the place he was in till Jesus healed him? Is there more between the lines as each of the people asking for healing are outwardly acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah and that he is bearing the power of the kingdom of God?
Even more, I think of the studies some of the people here at South and I have been doing on the Holy Spirit and its roll in helping God's kingdom break forth here on the earth. Our conversations have centered around the fact that maybe we have diminished our view of the Holy Spirit and the role of the supernatural in and around our lives.
People in the Bible aren't afraid to take risks. They aren't afraid to argue with God. They are not afraid to come face to face with Jesus and say, "come and raise my daughter back to life!" I don't think we are that way. I think we have incapacitated ourselves. We only think we can do what physically control. We can only give so much. We can only do these things because that is what we are gifted at. We cannot do those things because we don't have the money to do it.
Now, hear what I'm not saying. I'm not saying we could/should be walking through the hospital healing people or we should be going to wherever the demon possessed people are and casting out their demons. Nor am I saying that I don't think God could move around or through us in that way.
What I am saying is that if we don't think we can control it, if we don't have the money for it, or, if its out of our comfort zone, we won't do it. We've lived this way for so long that we ourselves have become blind to what we could/can do. To me and for me, it seems as though we are sitting at the feet of Jesus saying, "But we only have a little bread and a few fish. We can't do that!"
We need to get over our control issues. We need to get over our trust issues. We need to know/grasp/understand/get through our thick skulls that if and when we put stretch ourselves and take risks for God, he's going to show up and do great things.
God, open our eyes and ears. Take away the fear. Help us to be Your kingdom here on earth.
I've run into a problem, though. Well. Lets be honest, I've run into two problems. The first problem is my lack of discipline. Today, being August 10th, I'm supposed to be reading Luke 19-24. I'm still in Matthew 9. I think I might have read three times since the start of the month. Yeah, I know. That's 30%. Too bad bible reading isn't baseball. I'd be stellar!
The second problem is that when I actually make time to read, I get bogged down in the text. I guess this is an ok problem to have because what I'm reading sucks me in. But, for speeding through the NT, it hinders the journey. Today is a prime example.
In Matthew 9 there are three healings strung in a row. The first happens when the leader of a synagogue comes to Jesus and asks him to raise his daughter from the dead. Wrap your mind around that for a moment. A synagogue leader asks Jesus to raise his daughter from the dead. The Pharisees and the Jews are continually questioning Jesus' ability to do such things, calling him more often than not, a spawn of Satan. Yet, here is a leader in the church, coming to Jesus with the faith that he can raise his daughter. Somehow, some way, Jesus has caught his attention and he's willing to take the risk of asking Jesus to heal her, which means he is standing against everything the Pharisees think and say of Jesus.
As Jesus is on his way to encounter her, he is interrupted by a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years. She wants to sneak close to Jesus, touch the hem of his cloak, and make an unnoticed getaway. That doesn't happen. Jesus acknowledges her faith. In other gospels, it seems that he makes a scene about it by calling her out of her anonymity. Even more, she's been bleeding for 12 years. She's been unclean for 12 years. In her touching Jesus, she risks making him unclean by "Law" standards. I would guess that's why she's willing to do the covert touching to get healed. In the end, she gets what she needs.
The final part of the story is Jesus healing some blind guys and a demon possessed man who really had nothing to lose. The blind guys called out for healing using the phrase, "son of David". In doing so, they acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. And, the demon possessed guy probably doesn't have a clue of what is going on till after he is healed. But, the people who bring him to Jesus believe and have faith . . . and trust that Jesus will be able to drive out the demon.
What amazes me is the fact that each person in need of something they couldn't go and buy or get on their own were willing to take the risk and ask for help, no matter what the cost. Their faith in Jesus overcame the risks. Even more, it wasn't like they were asking for money or something physical that Jesus had. They were asking for things that were extra ordinary--supernatural.
As I read this passage this morning, I wondered what Matthew is doing stringing them together like he did. Is there something between the lines in the order from the man with the most risk asking and leading all the way to the man who probably didn't know what was going on or the place he was in till Jesus healed him? Is there more between the lines as each of the people asking for healing are outwardly acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah and that he is bearing the power of the kingdom of God?
Even more, I think of the studies some of the people here at South and I have been doing on the Holy Spirit and its roll in helping God's kingdom break forth here on the earth. Our conversations have centered around the fact that maybe we have diminished our view of the Holy Spirit and the role of the supernatural in and around our lives.People in the Bible aren't afraid to take risks. They aren't afraid to argue with God. They are not afraid to come face to face with Jesus and say, "come and raise my daughter back to life!" I don't think we are that way. I think we have incapacitated ourselves. We only think we can do what physically control. We can only give so much. We can only do these things because that is what we are gifted at. We cannot do those things because we don't have the money to do it.
Now, hear what I'm not saying. I'm not saying we could/should be walking through the hospital healing people or we should be going to wherever the demon possessed people are and casting out their demons. Nor am I saying that I don't think God could move around or through us in that way.
What I am saying is that if we don't think we can control it, if we don't have the money for it, or, if its out of our comfort zone, we won't do it. We've lived this way for so long that we ourselves have become blind to what we could/can do. To me and for me, it seems as though we are sitting at the feet of Jesus saying, "But we only have a little bread and a few fish. We can't do that!"
We need to get over our control issues. We need to get over our trust issues. We need to know/grasp/understand/get through our thick skulls that if and when we put stretch ourselves and take risks for God, he's going to show up and do great things.
God, open our eyes and ears. Take away the fear. Help us to be Your kingdom here on earth.
2 comments:
That hit the spot! Thanks.
Paul
Control issues? Who has control issues?
Trust issues? Who has trust issues?
Guilty. I've learned the more you step out and take those risks and allow God to work in your life, the easier the next risk is to take.
So excited I get to see you tomorrow!!!
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