Jesus' Healing Powers Reveal - ?

From out of obscurity into being a celebrity is the story of Jesus. In Matthew 4:17 it is written ‘Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”’ Why would anybody listen to Him? That is answered in verses 23-25. it is recorded that He cured every disease and every sickness. Later, when John the baptiser asked a question from his prison cell Jesus’ answer pointed him back to the prophets.

What is the significance behind the words of Jesus about the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear and the dead are raised to life? Apart from reassuring John that his role as ‘forerunner’ wasn’t in vain, Jesus was making a statement about Himself. This wasn't about ego, it was about the prophetic word. In them there are specific statements linking Yahweh to certain acts of healing. Isaiah 35 points to the time when God will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap and the tongue of the speechless will sing for joy. Compare also Psalms 146:8, 103:3.

What Jesus was unfolding, to John and all others was the wonder of Jesus being Emmanuel, the God who is with us. He was declaring for all who can grasp it, He is the Lord God come to the people as the promised Servant of Isaiah 42.1-9. One of the signs by which He will verify His mission was ‘to open the eyes that are blind.’ The very moving account of just such a healing is found in John 5.1-18. In that final verse is the punch line pointing to Jesus. The Jews wanted to kill Jesus because He was making Himself equal with God (compare John 10:28-33).

The healing miracles of Jesus astounded the people and annoyed the Nation’s leaders. The Lord healed individuals and each one was a declaration that the Kingdom of God was impressing itself upon the Nation. If Jesus could do this to an individual then there was National implications. Unfortunately, the leaders of the country had eyes which wouldn’t see and hearts as cold and hard as granite.  Instead of assessing Him in the light of their Scriptures they judged Him by their prejudices and preconceived ideas. To them He was, and remained ‘Belzeebub’ and His power source was the Devil. When they had the opportunity to remove Jesus from the earth they took it. That happened when Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, an amount the Sanhedrin was more than willing to pay.

Knowing the story as we do what eventuated still moves us with wonder and gratitude. Their betrayal and unjust condemnation of the Man from Nazareth became the most attractive power in the universe. Jesus foretold that when He said if He was lifted up, He would draw all peoples unto Himself (John 12:32). The healer of the physical, emotional and mental condition of people now became the One who would make believers morally and spiritual whole. The cross offered redemption. This paved the way for forgiveness. Personal repentance and faith would transform the lost believer into the found, the cursed into favoured ones and the rejected and despised into the accepted and loved.

The cross of Christ Jesus also transformed Him. He who was the healing servant of Isaiah 42 now became the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. In that glorious passage what do we read? ‘By his bruises we are healed!’ (NRSV) What is that healing? The Nation which was under the curse of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 was set free. The dire picture of Isaiah 1 was blotted out. Jesus became Sin so as to take it out of God’s sight when dealing with the Nation and with us. How sad it must have been for Peter and John according to Acts 3:17-26. They offered the Nation God’s promise of ‘times of refreshing’ and the return of the Messiah and the universal restoration long promised. It was rejected. Such a state exists still. For them and Gentiles the issue isn’t sin, it is what will they do with Jesus? The Bible points to future events for Israel and Gentiles and it all hinges on the relationship which they have, by faith, with Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. The same applies to us, personally.

copyright Ray Hawkins Sept 2015.

Next week: Healing limitations highlighted in N.T. letters.

Wolves versus the Good Shepherd

Animals are used to depict certain aspects of human behaviour or characteristics. Such metaphors are easily understood. Psalm 22 is a brilliant illustration of this. It is a prophetic insight written a thousand years before the crucifixion of Christ. The psalmist used such animals as, bulls, lion, dogs and wild oxen. You can see their human counterparts around the cross in the Gospels.

Jesus used animal terms on a number of occasions. Two of them I want to emphasise , they are Wolves and Sheep. We understand that because Jesus is the Good Shepherd the sheep are His people. Matthew 7:15 ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.’ Jesus, in His great message about the events preceding His return, highlighted the fact of false prophets proliferating. Matthew 24:24.

It seems to me that we are living in their ‘breeding and marauding season.’ The Church is being mauled by the Devil’s brood. Sadly, the non-churched community think these ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ are part of the ‘sheep’ community. This results in people cursing the Church and rejecting Christ because of the evil actions of the false prophets. There are seven species of wolves and they roam in specific areas. There’s the gray wolf and the artic, the red wolf and Himalayan, an India one plus an Ethiopian and Eastern breed. Within our Church and Society scene it is a good reminder to be on ‘red alert’ for their human counterparts.

Within the pages of the Bible the term wolves is applied to men in official positions (Ezekiel 22:27) intent on dishonest gain. Zephaniah 3:3 applies it to Judges who use their position for personal gain and revenge. It is an amazing fact that so many of the wolves in religious sheep covering strut the world’s stage. Television and the internet make them sound so plausible and personable as they promise much whilst stripping your soul and bank balance.

In an article on wolves was the following quote: ‘The majority of victims of predatory wolf attacks are children under age of 18 and, in the rare cases where adults are killed, the victims are almost always women.’ As I read the New Testament I find something very similar. The writers of the New Testament letters give strong warnings about this danger. Paul warned the Ephesian Elders that such predatory wolves were prowling even as he was talking. His warning was their call to be on guard and not be a mere hireling who runs away from protecting the flock. (John 10:12). I’m left with the impression that the majority of these mangy mongrels are males (I wouldn’t call them men).

How is this being played out today? Child abuse in Church run institutions and parish churches are under the spotlight. The predators in cleric garb have ripped out the faith and innocence of children many of whom are wrecks of what they were meant to be. Those who knew and did nothing are mere hirelings, not shepherds.  Christ Jesus speaks of a greater judgement which will fall upon such wolves (and I think it will fall on those who neglected their shepherd’s calling). I believe Christ holds such victims in a special section of His heart and affections. May they discover it, though they have to struggle through a lot of emotional and spiritual rubble!

What then is our best defence in dealing with these spiritual and moral predators? How are we able to develop an inner alarm system which gives out warning vibrations? Paul’s words to the Elders in Acts 20:32 is a good commencement place. ‘I commend you to God and to the message of His grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.’ His words to Timothy also undergird the importance of knowing Biblical teaching. ‘Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.’ (1 Timothy 24:16)

The strange thing about Christ Jesus as the Shepherd is His command to His sheep. ‘I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them…’ Matthew 10:16-42. We are not to be cowered by the wolves but to take the message of transforming grace to the society in which they prowl. Jesus says it is nerve-wracking and dangerous but that the wolves are actually afraid of sheep with a message of the cross. He also promised personal recognition and reward for His people rising up to the challenge.

A Palestinian Jesus?

Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority gave a Christmas message. This sounded rather strange knowing that Abbas is a Muslim, hates Jews and Christians. It is due to the P.A’s encouragement that Muslim pressure has meant an exodus of Christians from such places as Bethlehem.

However as Abbas spoke about Jesus two things became apparent. The man didn’t know what he was talking about and secondly Chairman Abbas was using Jesus as a ‘Poster boy.’ The reason for this was to make Jesus out to be a Palestinian (the term means Philistine in the bible) who was the original freedom fighter. Such a ploy has been used many times by cults, gay rights activists and anti establishment groups. To make Jesus Christ a mere ‘poster boy’ for a cause is ridiculous to the facts and scurrilous to the person. How such leaders from Arafat to Abbas try to use the Church as a political platform while seeking its extinction is beyond comprehension. Still hypocrisy has no shame.

The apostle Paul has called such endeavours as an attempt to create another Gospel and thereby another Jesus (Galatians 1:6–9. 2 Corinthians 11:4). His verdict upon such promoters is that they are cursed.

I wondered how the Islamic world would have reacted if the Pope had twisted the history of Mohammed in a similar fashion. What if it was said that the founder of Islam was a secret admirer of Israel and supportive of their right to the God given land. What if Mohammed was seen as a freedom fighter against the forces that occupied the land of Israel when he lived. Oh boy there would have been a jihadist uprising to put things right as they understood it. Here is a big difference between the two belief systems. Christians are called by their Lord Jesus Christ to pray for their enemies and the ignorant leaders such as Mahmoud Abbas. Islam says ‘kill them!’

In Matthew 24 Jesus gives some insights into what precedes His promised return to earth. Part of His message included a warning about pretenders to His name and authority. In verse 23 the Lord said ‘If anyone says to you “look! Here is the Messiah!” or “there he is!” – do not believe it.’ Such expectations are built upon similar delusions as to who is Jesus and denying what the bible reveals about Him. Chairman Abbas’ comments fall into that arena.

When you look at all the founders of religious belief and enterprises one thing stands out. You can take all but one of them out of their faith system and it would roll on as if nothing happened. However should it be possible to do that to the Judeo–Christian Faith and remove the Messiah Jesus everything falls apart. On top of that the Christian Faith actually becomes meaningless. The same applies to the person, work and promises of Jesus in the life of His followers. Why?

Because He is their Lord and Saviour! He is the Way the Truth and the Life. It is by Him and with Him that we enter into the Father’s kingdom. Without Jesus there isn’t any message of amazing Grace. There isn’t any foundation for sin’s penalty paid and forgiveness available. Without Jesus there is a desperate groping around to be good enough for a god you can never know. For where would you look and how would you know such a god if you found him or her, or it? Humanity, you and I, needed God to come seek us and present Himself with verifiable proof from a previous record able to be checked out. Such information must then be tested as to whether His life and history matched the prophesies. That is the purpose of the Old Testament and its history. It is the claim of Jesus in the Gospels to check Him out (John 5:39). It is the testimony of the New Testament writers to what they saw in this Jesus. It is the beauty of God’s amazing, transforming and sustaining Grace that Jesus fulfils all the requirements.

That is Jesus. He is from the tribe of Judah, a Jew, not a Palestinian.He is the Messiah! Jesus fulfilled scripture even to dying on the cross (check Psalm 22. Isaiah 53. Palm 110.) He is risen from the dead and is coming again. Don’t settle for counterfeits or the ‘cover boy’ of terrorists.

Questions God Asks #2. The Face Reveals the Heart.

In cartoons anger is drawn by distorted face, glaring eyes and a smoke fumes rising from the shoulders. I doubt if Cain would have been like that in reality though the Bible says his face ‘fell.’ The Lord God used the occasion to ask him a question: “Why are you angry?”

The Genesis 4 record gives the occasion though with so little explanation. Both brothers had come to the altar to present a sacrifice to God. This had probably been a regular ritual since Adam and Eve had been evicted from Eden. They had violated God’s tenancy laws. The Lord provided a sacrifice to cover their treason and we assume Adam realised the ongoing need for such a practice. It was a reminder of failure; a testimony to mercy; a promise of a greater reality to which the sacrifice pointed.

For whatever reason the brothers, Cain and Abel, came together to present their sacrifices to God. The former offered the vegetables of the ground. Remember all of society at this time would have been vegetarian. But there was a problem with this being used in a sacrificial manner. The ground had been cursed (read Genesis 3) and it required self effort to sow plant and reap.

The latter brother offered an animal from his flock. From later references we realise this was reminding the offerer that to come before the Lord required the covering of a substitute. (This is one of the many teachings about Christ’s cross. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.) Abel’s was accepted. Cain’s rejected. We may rightly assume the reason for rejection was not following the principle set in Eden. Included would be the fact that Cain was giving back to God what God had cursed. (This is the danger today by Christians offering God worship whilst endorsing or practising lifestyles God’s word has called abominable)

When the Lord of glory asked the question of Cain it was to save the man from a greater calamity. He was envious of Abel and angry with God. As he couldn’t tackle the Almighty, Cain took it out on Abel. As it brewed in his heart the poison spread and dominated. The result was murder. That is always the outworking of unresolved issues and anger. Murder may not be as literal as what Cain did however many relationships, enterprises and personalities have been ‘slain’ by envy and anger.

Actually I believe the sacrificial act was the final ‘straw’ for Cain. It seems to me he had developed animosity towards his brother over an extended period. I wonder if that was another reason for Yahweh confronting him with “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen?”

When I was going into Bible College my minister gave me a New Testament with a well known saying in it: ‘This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.’ Cain let sin dominate and smother God’s word and inquiry. The result stands as a constant warning to us all. We need to realise anger isn’t the real issue. We all experience this emotion, even Jesus. The issue is not allowing it to lead us to sin. (Ephesians 4:26, 31-32).

The ‘why’ is what the Lord also asks of us! Can we look Him in the eyes (as it were) and explain it? Will we confess it? Deal with it? And be cleansed and forgiven from it? The issue is therefore a sinful heart unbowed before the Lord which He is wanting to transform by grace through personal surrender. To ignore God’s question is to self destruct in time and beyond.

Ray (who heeded the question) Hawkins.