Do not be afraid, only believe

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler, ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’  Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid, just believe.’ Mark 5: 35 – 36

Jairus, the local synagogue ruler, came to Jesus to plead earnestly with him to come and heal his daughter who was dying. A large crowd had gathered around Jesus, many of them hoping for a miracle no doubt, but Jairus was the one who got Jesus’ attention and he agreed to go and heal his daughter.

However on the way, Jesus encountered another person desperate for a miracle; the woman with the issue of blood. She had been sick for 12 years and ‘suffered much under the care of many doctors’ and ‘had spent all she had’. She had only got worse not better and with faith similar to Jairus she too stretched forth her hand to touch Jesus’ clothes believing that if she did so she would be healed – and she was healed. However Jesus knew that faith had drawn the power for a miracle from him and was not going to let the moment pass until he knew who had touched him. The disciples were amazed as there were crowds all around Jesus touching him but no one except the woman had drawn the ‘healing virtue’ from him. Once the woman was identified, Jesus confirmed the miracle and commended her faith and sent her away in peace.

We can imagine Jairus may have been fretting about this delay and imagine his disappointment and dismay when some men came and told him to stop bothering the teacher as his daughter had died.  Their lack of faith contrasted sharply with Jairus’ faith and immediately Jesus said to him, ‘Don’t be afraid. Only believe,’ or in the Amplified, ‘Do not be seized with fear and struck with alarm; only keep on believing.’ Jesus did not want him to lose faith and lose the miracle but to keep on believing which he obviously did as Jesus raised his daughter from the dead after clearing the house of the unbelieving professional mourners.

The interesting thing is that both Jairus and the woman pressed through the crowd to get their miracle. I don’t know about you but I think too often diffidence holds us back or false modesty that says I am no more worthy than anyone else so why should I have a miracle when they may not. Jesus however commends bold faith because his resources are not short and everyone with bold faith can have a miracle. There is no rationing on miracles!

Secondly I believe Jesus would encourage us not to give up when difficult circumstances that fly in the face of our miracle occur but to fear not and keep on believing.  Today if you are trusting God for healing for yourself or a friend, or for the salvation of a family member or friend or a breakthrough in a circumstance at home or work, press through the crowd with a faith-filled heart and plead with Jesus. If difficult circumstances arise, do not give in to fear but with renewed faith declare that God is my healer (Exodus 15:26), God wants all to be saved (II Peter 3:9) and God is the God of the impossible (Matthew 19:26). Our faith will be rewarded if we do not give up.

The downside of healing the leper

Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:  “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. Mark 1: 42 – 45

This is the story of a leper who came to Jesus and asked him to heal him. He had such faith that if Jesus was willing, he would be healed and his faith was rewarded. Jesus was willing and he stretched out his hand and the leper was immediately healed.

However Jesus told him with a strong warning not to tell this to anyone. In the Amplified it says Jesus charged him sternly (sharply and threateningly, and with earnest admonition) and [acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and] sent him away at once. Jesus had good reasons for doing this. As a result of the leper’s talking freely, it caused Jesus to be seriously inconvenienced and it certainly severely hampered his ministry. Jesus ended up having to live away from society.

 We can understand why the man wanted to tell everyone and his reasons may have been good in that he wanted God to be glorified for his miracle or it may just be that he wanted to be openly welcomed back into society. Leprosy was a terrible cause of social exclusion and normally lepers would live and die away from family and friends, so to be healed was a memorable miracle.  However Jesus warned him strongly and sternly not to tell anyone and yet he ignored Jesus and went and told everyone.

 I doubt if the leper realised what a problem he was causing Jesus. He just did what he thought was best but it is obedience that God values.  God has the bigger picture and can see things from all angles for all people. When God asks us to do things his way it is because he really does know best.

Perhaps next time God asks us to do something his way, the first thing is to obey. Then we can take it up with God and ask him why it had to be this way and he may well tell us or let events unfold that show that he knew something we didn’t. That has happened to me on several occasions and I know now to go with not against the check in the Spirit because inevitably later on, all will become clear.

God wants our obedience not because he wants slavish robots who cannot think for themselves but because he wants us to walk freely in the joy of knowing that God’s ways are best for everybody and will bring the greatest blessing to both ourselves and those around us.

 

Whatever you did for one of the least ...

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.  “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.  Matthew 26: 6 – 11

This story sits in an interesting place in the Gospel narrative and explains why the disciples had suddenly got so interested in the poor and were indignant to the woman’s act of devotion. Immediately preceding this event, Jesus had taught two very important and well known principles. The first was the using of talents (Matthew 25: 14 – 30). Those who used what God had given them were commended for their diligence and the one who through fear had done nothing with his talent, was sent out from the Master’s presence. The second story was the separating of the sheep and goats based on their attitude to the hungry and thirsty, to strangers, to the naked and those who were sick or in prison. Neither the sheep nor the goats realised that by helping the weakest and least in society meant you were doing it to Jesus (Matthew 25: 31 – 46).

So with these stories fresh in the disciples’ minds, a woman came to anoint Jesus’ head with extremely expensive perfume at the home of Simon the Leper. The disciples had picked up that they needed to look after the least and poorest in society because this was the same as doing it to Jesus. So why waste an expensive perfume on Jesus? Wasn’t it better to sell it to look after the poor? You could help a lot of poor with the sale of the perfume. What they had forgotten was the most important thing was to actually minister unto Jesus himself. There would always be opportunities to show kindness and mercy to the poor but Jesus was only going to be with them a little longer and this lady showered Jesus with her love and wealth in a reckless, extravagant act of worship for which Jesus greatly commended her.

I grew up in a church that had a strong emphasis on a social Gospel. This story of showing kindness to the weakest in society was mentioned quite often. The church was always pursuing good causes and showing great kindness to the least members of society. The downside was that the Gospel was not preached so I grew up in church with a strong sense of Christian duty but not realising I needed to be saved. 

It is vital that we use our God given talents to the best of our ability whether money or abilities and that we show great kindness to all those struggling with life but our first and greatest joy is to show our extravagant love and worship to our Saviour and let every other act of our Christian life flow out of that.

 

Opening blind eyes

Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:

 “Say to the Daughter of Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”                      Matthew 21: 1 – 5

The book of Matthew was written mostly to Greek speaking Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and so there are frequent references to Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.

In this instance, as we know, Jesus was about to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. A donkey is a sign of humility and peace and on which David’s sons rode (II Samuel 13: 29). Jesus as the Son of David would also ride a donkey in his triumphant entry when the crowd recognised him as king.

This was a wonderful prophetic sign to the people and those who had eyes to see would have recognised its significance. The crowd also played their part in fulfilling prophecy. They spontaneously welcomed Jesus, casting their cloaks and branches on the road and crying out ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord’ from Psalm 118: 25 – 26. It was a royal welcome by the people to the Son of David into the city of David.

What is also very interesting is that in three of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) one of the events preceding the triumphal entry is the healing of a blind man or Bartimaus, or two blind men all of whom called out to Jesus as the ‘Son of David.’ When asked by Jesus what they wanted, they all replied that they wanted to see and Jesus opened their eyes.  For those who recognise their need for Jesus, the Messiah, Son of David, he will open their eyes so they can see; not just naturally but supernaturally. They believed and then they saw. The spiritually blind will never recognise Jesus or what he is doing.

Today God is continuing to fulfil prophecy as the end of the age draws nearer and he will open our eyes to see and understand what is happening if we ask him. Again and again Jesus fulfilled prophecy and through miraculous events revealed that he was the Messiah to anyone who had eyes to see or to those who would ask him to open their eyes.  We too need to be like the men of Issachar who understood the times (I Chronicles 12: 32) when they came to make David king at Hebron. We also must keep asking God to open our eyes to see what he is doing and understand these times so we too can be ready to welcome Jesus, the King of kings, the Son of David, when he returns.

 

Love your neighbour as yourself

Love your neighbour as yourself Leviticus 19: 18

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19: 26

Joyce Meyer says she found it impossible to love other people when she didn’t love or like herself.  I can agree with that!  I was at my most prickly, awkward and downright difficult when I didn’t love, let alone like myself.  I constantly compared myself to others and came up short every time. In order to try and make myself feel better, I would criticise others. I covered it all over with a veneer of jollity but there was a harsh, unkind edge to it. There was not a lot I could do about it because I needed a God who loves me more than I will never understand to come and set me free from all that criticism and unkindness.

This is the greatest miracle of all; that God, who created the universe with his word, would come down to earth to love and die for me.  He took a hurt, bitter, rejected and under it all dissatisfied person, cross with herself and everyone else, and with love draw her to himself. He took all my sin, shame and guilt and nailed it to the cross and then loved me till all that angry bitterness was soaked away in his love.

I am not perfect but I am forgiven and when I do sin, God in love points it out, not to make me feel bad but to set me free. It truly is incredible – beyond belief but that is the amazing God who loves us. He made each of us to be unique, completely different to everyone else so comparisons are useless. There is no way we can compare ourselves other than we are all humans and some are saved and some are not. God’s command to us is to love them; the saved and the unsaved, the lovely and the unlovely, the disagreeable and agreeable, the friend or enemy.

I used never to be able to say anything nice about anyone including myself but other Christians by being kind to me showed me the way of kindness; others being gracious to me to showed me grace. I marvel now at the longsuffering patience of people and when I get irritated with other people’s lack of grace or kindness, I remember how I used to be.

Underneath every angry, prickly, difficult person is a hurt, rejected human being who needs the love of God shown to them by those who have already received his love, mercy and grace.  I am so thankful to those people who put up with me long enough to show me the Father’s love and tell me about his forgiveness freely given to everyone who asks. That was the start of the Great Adventure.  It is a process that will continue to the day I die but as I receive more and more of the Father’s love, I am able to love myself and therefore to love other people.

 

Peter - an inspiration

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”  ²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16: 21 – 23

I love the fact that over the next week after Peter’s well-meant but ill-judged rebuke of Jesus which showed a lot of pride and earned him a rather shocking rebuke in turn, Jesus showed Peter such grace. Within a week Jesus chose Peter, James and John to go up the mountain where he was transfigured.

Jesus didn’t hold Peter’s foolishness and pride against him but continued in his plan and purpose to bring the best out of him and use him for his glory. We all know Peter’s mouth constantly let him down but it was this impetuousness that Jesus turned around.  Even at the very moment of Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter was still coming up with his own ideas of building three booths or shelters so everyone could stay on the mountain. However Jesus never gave up on him.

After they came down from the mountain and Jesus healed the epileptic boy, some collectors of the temple tax approached Peter to ask if Jesus paid the tax. Peter confirmed that he did and Jesus sent him to the sea to catch a fish which would have a coin in its mouth to pay the tax for both Jesus and Peter (Matthew 17: 24 – 27).   Peter did not hesitate to obey, he just did it. Time and again Jesus did not hold Peter’s zeal against him, even when it was misplaced but used it to bring out the best in Peter.

After Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus restored him and following the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost that impetuous yet bold voice spoke to the crowd and 3000 got saved.

Jesus does not give up on us - ever - no matter our sins and weaknesses. So often the worse things in our character are also the strongest when in Jesus’ hands. Peter’s rashness turned into faith-filled bravery when anointed by the Holy Spirit. Peter’s weakness in speaking before he thought was also turned into the courage to step out of the boat when Jesus walked on the water.

Jesus takes our weaknesses and turns them into his strengths. His grace towards is endless and his patience with us infinite. Jesus will never give up on us so we must never give up on ourselves. We must never disqualify ourselves through our failings, perceived or real. We must give them into Jesus’ hands and let him with limitless grace turn them into great strengths which he will use to bring glory to himself.

Honour your father and mother

³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honour your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’  ⁵ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ⁶ he is not to ‘honour his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Matthew 15: 3 – 6

The Pharisees came to Jesus to complain about why his disciples were not keeping the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before they ate.  I find it interesting that of all the examples Jesus could have used to show their hypocrisy, he used God’s command to honour your father and mother.  The Jewish leaders had introduced a huge number of  ‘traditions’ for the people to follow which were weighing them down with their demands and they were even being used to circumvent God’s laws.  Jesus took them back to God’s law and reminded them that not keeping it, even for what sounds like a very good reason, was not right and his commands were far more important that the traditions of the elders.

In the Ten Commandments it actually says ‘Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you’ Exodus 20:12. It was not just a social nicety to honour your parents but had a condition attached to it of living long in the land.

In this day and age it is vital that Christians promote a positive attitude to parenting by both helping our children honour us and not let them be disrespectful and by being gracious and appreciative of our parents.  Most parents need all the help they can get – it has to be one of the most difficult jobs to do well – and God regards it as vital. Bringing up children in his ways with a proper respect for others is essential.

For some it is an easy thing to honour parents but for others whose parents may have been abusive or have deserted them, it can be very hard. Honouring them can feel like eating sawdust – it chokes them. However God did not say honour your parents when they make a good job of it or are nice to you.  Honouring is unconditional. So how can we do this for parents who have not been good to us? I believe the way we talk about our parents is vital. If we have or had good parents let’s be thankful and appreciative even if they have become difficult in old age and even if they were the most dreadful people let us honour God by being gracious and forgiving to them. Letting go of the past brings release to our lives and not speaking ill of bad parents honours us. 

Even the best parents make mistakes but it is always a shame when we only fully appreciate them after they have gone. So whether dead or alive, good or bad let’s talk positively to and about our parents and honour God as we honour them.