The Meeting of Physical and Spiritual

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9)
Philosophers have long debated the realities of what we cannot see, and their relationship to the laws of nature, which we can observe.  Views range the full scale - from no relationship at all, to a blending that blurs the lines between the two.  The bottom line issue is this: God has created and has sovereignty over both - the seen and the unseen. As God the Son on earth, Jesus shared that same authority.  If He could heal physical illness, He could also heal spiritual sickness; He can forgive and save.  We often want the first, but hide from the latter.  He deserves for us to recognize and respond to His ability and authority to do both.  May we see Him for Who He really us, and trust Him to handle both our physical and spiritual needs. 

Preferring Pigs

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.”So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.  (Matthew 8)
This is one of the most memorable demonstrations of Christ's power recorded in scripture: casting out the demons into the swine.  It's a picture we can envision put onto the big screen. But what is most memorable is the response of the people: they would rather be scared by demons than overwhelmed by the power of God. The preferred stinky pigs to the Son of God.  They wanted to continue to live in darkness, fear, and evil.  How often people are the same way. Maybe we ourselves prefer the darkness of certain sins or "comfortable areas" of our lives, which Christ wants to clean out. We prefer pigs, and the demons to the holiness of God.  May God do more than change our preferences. May He drive out all the evil, sin, fear and darkness we allow, put up with, and even enjoy.  

What Do We Expect the Lord to Do?

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8)
The disciples had been following Jesus on dry land.  If a problem arose, they could turn around and walk away.  They saw themselves as unlike the people Jesus had just called who refused to give up all to follow Him. Jesus then got on a boat. For many of them, as fisherman, this was not viewed as a big problem - they thought they could handle following Jesus there; they were "experts" in this kind of life.  But the worst happened; the worst storm they could have experienced. Such storms can happen quickly on the Sea of Galilee.  They cried out to the Land Lubber to save them. What? Yes, they trusted Him more than themselves.  He answered. They wondered. Do we expect Christ to save us?  Do we think we can follow Him anywhere that He cannot handle?  Do we trust Him, call out to Him, and most of all, stand in awe of Him?  

Discomfort Zone

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8)
The other night I responded to a facebook post from a friend and found myself in a spool of comments and replies. The topic was the difficulty of following Jesus in our present culture.  The overriding theme was that in our society the newest obstacle to whole-heartedly following Jesus is not sex and drugs, but comfort.  It turns out that this is nothing new after all: Jesus had those who saw Him in the flesh who thought it would be a walk in the park.  We have seen many who walk an aisle, pray a prayer, or "make a decision", then soon "fall away" because some struggle or trial comes up they were not expecting.  We expect comfort, easiness, and the world to bend before our every desire. That is how film, commercials, and many other voices in our society present life to us. Get real.  Life is not about how comfortable we can be; it is about how conformed we can be to the image of Christ.  May we count the cost, and follow Him. 

Who do you Care About?

14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” (Matthew 8)
This quick snapshot tells a lot about the ministry of Jesus.  Peter had learned firsthand the importance of having someone bring Him to Jesus, so he brought Jesus to his home, his family. He watched as Jesus did what He always did: meet needs. Everyone else got the picture and began to do the same thing: bring their loved ones - those they really cared about - to Jesus, to be touched and healed.   In each instance, Jesus noticed not only those who needed healing and forgiveness, but the hearts of those who brought them to Him.  In the paragraph before this one (see yesterday's post), He did not even see the servant of the centurion, but He saw the centurion's heart, and based on that healed the servant from a distance.  Bring them to Jesus: He cares; He can; He will.  

Faith Where You Least Expect It

5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8)
Dealing with people day affter day, as they share their life struggles, I find it almost amazing at times that those who should have the most faith - those who are found in a house of worship regularly, are those who often live day to day like they have none, while those who are in the deepest waters often go through a crisis with more hope and faith with little show of consistent religiousity.  How can that be?  Though we are sure Jesus was not "shocked" by any human response - as He knew all men's hearts - He does pause, step back, and call attention to this man who recognized His care, His power, and His authority to actually do something.  When you face your next "crisis" in life - mayby today - step back and ask yourself: "What do I really believe about Christ? Do I truly believe, and react like, He is the loving, powerful Son of God Who can?" 

What God Wants

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” (Matthew 8) 
Here is this man whose life was in ruins.  He had lost his health and social standing, at had no hope for improvement. His only hope was if God, in the person of Christ, chose to intervene.  Yet he does not "demand" his own way. He asks: "If You will."  Jesus wills, and does.  Then He sends the man as living proof, to ask them: "Do you want what God wants?"  The man did not need to say a word.  His change in life through Christ said it all.  He was willing to let Christ change him; are you willing?