F.R.A.N.gelism! Mark 2:1-12

F.R.A.N.gelism!

Mark 2:1-12

Introduction: The evidence of the Fall is all around us every day: sickness, suffering, sin, injustice, evil, and death.  What is the greatest benefit that Christianity has to offer to the world? Specifically, are our physical needs our greatest needs?  Liberal theology would say yes. This story is about four men and their needy friend. Friends are people you can count on, people who are there when you need them. This week Herb Mullins commented on this passage: “The greatest day of that man’s life was when his four friends ‘let him down’!” Truth! They let him down – not by disappointing him – but through the roof, and into the presence of the Son of God! They came looking for healing, and, at least for the paralytic, they found also healing of soul that comes with forgiveness. How does relief from physical suffering relate to reconciliation with God? H.A. Ironside said,

When Jesus was on earth proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, it was specially fitting that the blessings of the coming age should be manifested, and thus the people be given a sample of what [true] Israel and the whole world will enjoy in its fulness when God’s King reigns on Mount Zion and blessing goes forth to all the earth.

Ultimately, the miraculous physical healings that Jesus did looked forward to the day spoken of in Revelation 21:4, when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” In that day, the only trace of the Fall the redeemed will see are the nail prints in his hands… Until then we have a mission, to go into the world, and to bring people to Jesus, disciples making disciples… 

The Maine* Idea: With faith, we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the (only!) One who can meet their deepest need.

I. Friends bring friends to Christ despite the challenges (1-5)!

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.  ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.  ³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.  ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.  ⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."  

       The setting for this miracle story is described in verses 1 and 2. Even though the growing fame of Jesus made it impossible for him to openly enter in the cities and towns of Galilee, he does return quietly to Capernaum after some time out in the countryside. Notice that Capernaum is now described as “home” for Jesus… Even though He apparently slipped quietly back into town, the report of his return soon got out, and word spread quickly – Jesus was back! “Many” were gathered at the house where they were staying—standing room only it seems!

       Jesus was not just visiting friends, he was “…speaking the Word to them…” Rather than the usual words for “preaching” (kerusso) or “proclaiming the gospel (euangelizo) Mark simply says, “He was speaking the Word to them…” Later in this Gospel, in Mark 4, when Jesus is explaining the parable of the Sower to his disciples, He will say that “…the sower sows the Word…” The idea of speaking the Word to people is essential to our mission in the world. Rather than thinking exclusively about times of formal preaching or teaching or evangelism, we need to be sensitive to opportunities in our day-to-day life, those occasions when God might providentially open a door to simply “speak the word,” to share the truth that God has revealed with the people we come in contact with.  And take hope, because (as we’ll see in that parable) some “soil” will be prepared to receive it, and bring forth 30, 50, or 100 – fold. Yes, in many cases the ground will be hard and dry, or shallow, unreceptive to the word or distracted by the world. But even so, we are to sow the Word!  Some in the house where Jesus was speaking were hearing and receiving His teaching. Others would not listen, they were hard, rocky, or shallow soil.  But this story is about some who were destined to hear the Word of Life and didn’t yet make it into the house.

       Faithful friends will go out of their way to help a friend in need (3,4). These four men came carrying their paralyzed friend on a stretcher. We don’t know much about the man, or how he came to be in this condition - was it an accident? An assault? Some kind of chronic condition or disease? Was his condition related to his own sin (cf. John 9:1-3)? We just don’t know. The point is that together they believed that Jesus could help. So they came. And they encountered a wall of people, elbow to elbow, blocking the way to the one who was their Hope.  Question: Is it possible for people to get in the way of others coming to the Lord? Here the crowd seems to be an obstacle! They are thinking about themselves perhaps. Some may be simply curious. Others, like the scribes, may have been waiting for an opportunity to accuse Jesus. Some may even be there because they saw others gathering! (A friend in Russia said that some items were in such short supply that whenever people saw a line forming, they got in it first, and then sought to find out what it was for!). The four friends and their paralyzed brother were seemingly blocked by the crowd from approaching Jesus. Or were they?

       The obstacles to bringing their friend to Jesus were not going to stop these determined friends. How determined are we for our friends to come to Jesus? One of them got an idea: we can’t get through the crowd, let’s go through the roof!  In much of the world today, roofs are covered with clay tiles, this seems to have been different. Mark says they opened the roof, and “dug through…” Dr. Mark Strauss explains,

Palestinian roofs were generally flat and made of wooden crossbeams covered with thatch and a layer of dirt. They were sturdy affairs and were used for work, storage, drying fruit, and sleeping on warm summer nights. An external staircase or ladder provided access…

They went up that outside staircase to the roof and got to work. (Luke mentions “removing the tiles” and it could be that there were tiles on top of the hard, dried clay, or that the surface of the clay was hard and “tile like” and Luke used language that his Hellenistic readers could understand). The verb translated “they made an opening” only occurs a few times in the New Testament, and it has the idea of “gouging” a hole. It wasn’t easy, and the process no doubt got the attention of the crowd below, as dirt began dropping down on people, and then, shockingly, a stretcher is lowered down into the midst of the crowd! 

      They were taking a risk! How would the homeowner react? What would Jesus think? How did the crowd feel about what was happening? Someone cuts in line in front of you at the grocery store, or swerves in front of you in the car, or sits in front of you at the game… how do you feel? We hear almost nothing from Mark about the reaction of the crowd to what was happening.

       Freeing Forgiveness (5). The reaction that is reported by Mark is that of Jesus, doing the unexpected, rather than first healing the physical need of the man, He addresses the spiritual…

⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." 

       Notice that Jesus “saw their faith.”  Remember the words of James, “You show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works!” (James 2:18). Jesus saw the faith of the four friends (and maybe the paralytic). We’re not sure about the nature of their “faith.” How much did they understand about who Jesus is? What did they know about the depth of their sin and the need for a Savior?  They surely believed that Jesus could help their friend and heal his infirmity.  Do we have faith that Jesus can meet the deepest need of our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors… those people that God has purposefully put in our lives? There may be obstacles: their stubbornness, their past, other people in their lives, our conflicting schedules, our fear… whatever. Do we believe that God can meet their need? Of course we do! Then do something!  God is bigger than any obstacles.  Because with faith we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the One who can meet their deepest need.

       Notice what Jesus does: he meets the man’s greatest need, and at the same time asserts his authority as the Son of God. He speaks to him tenderly, affectionately, calling him “My son…” The word is literally, “child,” [teknon]. Considering that Jesus himself was a young man just over 30, for him to use this term the paralytic was probably younger, and Jesus was also already respected beyond his years—He spoke with authority. And rather than first speaking to the man’s physical need, he says “…your sins are forgiven…” We understand that suffering and sin are related at the core because sin brought the curse on God’s good creation. And the healings Jesus did also pointed to some aspect of our spiritual need. H.A. Ironside alluded to this connection when he said,

Every form of disease healed by our Lord Jesus seems to picture some aspect of sin, which is like a fever burning in the soul, a leprosy polluting the whole being, a palsy making one utterly unable to take a step toward God, and like a withered hand incapable of true service. Whatever form sin may take, Jesus can give complete deliverance from it.

So, He begins with the deepest need of the paralyzed man: forgiveness… reconciliation with God.  Remember Jesus was revealing himself to Israel, speaking with authority, not as the rabbis.  And showing that He has authority that only belongs to God… including forgiving sins.  That ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to us (2 Cor 5:18,19). Your friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors have all kinds of needs… but they have one principle need, one thing that is more critical than anything else: God’s solution to the problem of sin.  That points us back to the truth that with faith we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the One who can meet their deepest need.

II. Jesus has the power to meet the deepest need of every human (6-12).

⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,  ⁷ "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  ⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts?  ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?  ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"- he said to the paralytic-  ¹¹ "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home."  ¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

       Then, as now, many people failed to recognize the authority of Jesus (6,7). Some of the scribes were there, religious leaders, authorities in the Scriptures and the traditions of the Fathers. And Jesus’ words of forgiveness sent up a red flag – Who did this man think He was? They were correct in saying that no man can pronounce forgiveness. Sin is ultimately against God, only He can forgive sin!

     C.S. Lewis said,

“He went about saying to people, ‘I forgive your sins.’ Now it is quite natural for a man to forgive something you do to him. Thus, if someone cheats me out of five pounds it is quite possible and reasonable for me to say, ‘Well, I forgive him, we shall say no more about it.’ What on earth would you say if somebody had done you out of five pounds and I said, ‘That is all right, I forgive him’” Jesus could forgive because He was God in the flesh, and ultimately all sin is against God.

They understood what his pronouncement of forgiveness implied – divine authority! He was claiming, essentially, to speak for God – even to be God! And of course, He spoke the truth. He is God, God the Son. That’s the point! Remember the questions Mark is answering: Who is Jesus? Why did He come? What does it mean to follow Him? Who is He? The Son of God. Why did He come? He came to call sinners to repentance, to provide the redemption price to allow humans to be reconciled to God. And as we grow in our understanding and appreciation of those two truths, we follow Him, using our gifts in His church, for His glory, and bringing others to Him. God was “…entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Cor 5:19,20).  Jesus’ divinity is further revealed in this story… He knows the thoughts of the scribes and responds to them before they speak a word…

       Jesus knows what we are thinking – and still loves us (8,9)! It is clear in this scene that Jesus’ divinity is revealed at several levels. He forgives sin, He heals infirmities, He also knows the thoughts of people – like the scribes here who are reasoning in their hearts, “Who does this guy think He is! Only God can forgive sins!” (paraphrase of Mark 2:7). Yes, and only God knows what we are thinking.  In the Fourth Gospel, John comments, “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people  ²⁵ and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man…” (John 2:24,25). Mark simply says “And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them…” (Mark 2:8). He knew their thoughts! Jesus is constantly provoking the religious leadership, drawing them out, forcing them to choose. A few, like Nicodemus in John 3 seem to be searching, inquiring, perhaps hoping… Many, as these scribes, will not believe.

      This miracle, like all miracles, was a sign, revealing His authority (10-12). One writer said, “He did the miracle which they could see in order that they might know that He had done the miracle they could not see…” Which is easier to say? You are forgiven? Or, get up and walk? Once more, he provides a sign, revealing to those with eyes to see who He is. Reminding them of what the Messiah came to do. And think of the part these four unnamed friends had in the story!

What is God saying to me in this passage? With faith, we can overcome difficulties and bring our friends to Jesus, the One who can meet their deepest need. By that I mean we can expose them to the Gospel, and urge them to believe and be reconciled to God. Only God can open their hearts, and by His kindness lead them to repentance and faith. He alone is the Giver of life!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? This passage is a reminder to us of who Jesus is and why he came. Healings were only a glimpse of the future, a promise of the day, still future, when the curse will be undone. He came to provide the redemption price that would make possible reconciliation with God. And he has committed the ministry of reconciliation to us. Does that scare you? It shouldn’t! He also said "I am with you always!"

       We’ve been talking over the last year or so about our calling to be witnesses right where we are, to the people that God has placed on the “front burner” of our lives. Pastor Greg Laurie used the term “F.R.A.N.gelism,” to talk about sharing our faith with Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors. The LaserChurch ministry tells us that on average we have 8-15 people in our close sphere of influence, our oikos (literally, “house” or “household”), and some of those are unchurched or unsaved.  Whatever the exact number in your life, you have some people that God has put in your life, and you in theirs, so that your experience with God can be shared—in actions and in words. Let’s do it!     AMEN.

The Case for Christ! I Corinthians 15:1-11

THE CASE FOR CHRIST!

I Corinthians 15:1-11

Intro: A movie was released this week called “The Case for Christ,” which tells the story a skeptic who took the challenge to investigate the evidence for Christianity, and who, as a result, becomes a believer in Jesus. I decided to use that title for the message today: The Case for Christ. At the heart of the movie is the story of the main character, Lee Strobel, who was legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, investigating the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, and ultimately being convinced that it is true. In the sermons of the apostles in the book of Acts, there is one theme that is repeatedly mentioned, which, by its very emphasis lies at the heart of the Christian message: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and the third day He rose from the dead, the tomb was empty.  John MacArthur said,

“Just as the heart pumps life giving blood to every part of the body, so the truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of Gospel truth.  The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter.  Without the resurrection Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation.”  

Paul affirms the necessity of the resurrection in I Corinthians 15:13,14...

“¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…” 

Along with a lot of practical problems in Christian living, some of the Corinthians apparently had a serious doctrinal problem in the promise of a future resurrection of believers.  The fact that Paul starts this great chapter presenting the “Case for Christ,” particularly in affirming the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, may also imply that some were beginning either to question the importance of His physical resurrection or even whether it really happened at all. Was the tomb really empty that first Easter morning? How do we know? Truth matters. In fact Paul says if the resurrection did not happen, if our faith is not based on historical truth, it is empty, useless, a complete waste of time. The empty tomb is the basis for our future hope as Christians.  And this truth transforms our living here and now. In his book The Triumph of the Crucified, Eric Sauer said, “...in the power of the first Easter (the resurrection of Christ), we go to meet the last Easter (the future resurrection of believers).”  The resurrection means hope for all who will believe. The empty tomb is the foundation and the fuel of the Christian life!

The Maine* Idea: The truth of the Gospel hangs on the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The evidence is clear, the question is, how will we respond?  We’ll consider the Case for Christ in these verses from three perspectives,

1. The Evidence of Salvation (15:1-2). The message changes lives, that must be considered as testimony as we consider The Case for Christ. The Gospel message changed lives then, and still does now.

2. The Evidence of Scripture (15:3-4). The events of the life of Jesus of Nazareth unfolded exactly as had been predicted in the Scriptures centuries before. Was it just chance, or does it show that God had a plan and that he revealed it?

3. The Evidence of Eyewitnesses (15:5-11). Paul mentions a few [not all!] of the eyewitnesses to the resurrection, many of whom who were still living and could be interviewed by his readers.  All of this contributes to the Case for Christ.

I. The Evidence of Salvation (15:1-2) The first line of evidence that Paul presents is not stated explicitly but clearly implied.  He opens the chapter,

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you- unless you believed in vain.

       The message of the Gospel was changing lives in the first century and the same message is changing lives today. Paul said in Eph 1:19,20, “…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead…” That power is transformational in the life of believers. If anyone be in Christ—a new creation! Paul preached the Gospel in Corinth, they received it, stood in it, and were saved by it (15:1-2).  Notice that he calls them “brethren,” he recognizes them as fellow Christians.  When he says “I declare to you…” he is reminding them of the message they heard and believed: the death of Jesus for our sins, his burial and resurrection. 

        1. The message impacted them in the past: “which you received…” There was a specific moment when they heard the Good News of the death and resurrection of Jesus and they believed it.  Whether or not you can remember and identify the precise moment, that is true for every believer (cf. Jn 1:12).

        2. “…in which you stand…”  It was not simply something that happened in the past, but they continued to stand in the truth. It is not that Christians simply were saved in terms of a past experience, they are saved, they have eternal life as both a promise and a present possession. The Corinthinans weren’t perfect, and guess what, none of us are! But we are a work in progress, by God’s grace.

        3. “In [or, “by”] which you are saved if…”  The context of I Cor 15 definitely points also toward the future, and completion of the promise of salvation in the resurrection of believers. We were saved, we are saved, we will be saved!

         Notice the qualifier: “…if you hold fast to the Word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” This is not a denial of the eternal security of true believers.  It is a warning however that saying you believe is not necessarily the same as truly trusting Jesus as your Savior and Lord.  Faith in Christ will change us!

       For me, by the time I was a young adult I had made the journey from atheism to believing that “a” god probably existed, but I had no idea that God could make a difference in someone’s life today. It was being called to serve on a jury hearing a murder case that God used to show me the truth. The woman who had been killed had some time before become a “born again Christian.” People came into court and testified that her faith experience dramatically changed her life... she had a peace, and an assurance of eternal life! That intrigued me, it spoke to a practical impact of “religion” or “faith” here and now. For my “scientific mind” that was evidence that there was something real here. I knew that I needed to consider the Case for Christ. Truth matters. And if the resurrection is true it changes everything. The truth of the Gospel hangs on the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus.  The evidence is clear, the question is, how will we respond?

II. The Evidence of Scripture (15:3-4)  The Old Testament Scriptures repeatedly predicted the coming of the Messiah, a deliverer, king, and Savior.  By the time of Jesus’ birth, for the most part, the idea that this “Rescuer” would also be a “Suffering Servant” had been lost. How could it be that the Messiah would suffer and die? How and why would God abandon His “anointed”? A key aspect of the apostles’ preaching was to point the church back toward that scriptural truth.

       Paul says, “I delivered to you that which I also received…” He brought authoritative teaching, not something that he just made up. He simply delivered to them what God had revealed! That’s our motivation for preaching through books of the Bible: we don’t want to add to or take away from what the Bible teaches.  He continues, “...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and was buried…” Paul is emphasizing the fulfillment aspect, so he doesn’t simply use the name “Jesus,” he uses the title “Christ,” or “Messiah.”—the one predicted as the deliverer of Israel by the Prophets. Andrew said in Jn 1:41, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). The a few verses later, in 1:45, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

            It’s Jesus, who is the Christ, the One spoken of by the prophets, who came into the world, and who “…died for our sins…” This is the heart of the Gospel message: the sacrificial substitutionary death of Jesus.  John the Baptist anticipated this truth when he saw Jesus in John 1, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Isaiah the prophet had predicted the coming of a suffering servant when he said: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all...” (Isa 53:6). It all happened “according to the Scriptures”—as it had been predicted and planned by God himself and revealed in the Old Testament.

         Not only His rejection and death, but also his victory over the grave, the Easter Event, was part of God’s plan: “…and was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures…” A second proof of the truth of the Gospel was that the resurrection of Christ happened in precise fulfillment of the Scriptures. What had been foretold with respect to the Messiah was fulfilled in the experience of Jesus. A few examples point to the importance of this Scriptural foundation...

      First, we read in Luke 24:25-27 when, after the resurrection, the Lord encounters two disciples on the road to Emmaus...

²⁵ And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"  ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

      50 days later, on the day of Pentecost, Peter argues from Psalm 16 as he preaches to the crowd in Jerusalem: The Christ must be raised, Jesus was raised, therefore Jesus is the Christ (see Acts 2:25-31)!  Years later we have Paul’s testimony to Agrippa, in Acts 26:22-23, where he says,

“…so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:  ²³ that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."

The Scriptures predicted a suffering messiah, who would conquer death. Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. After the resurrection He said to His disciples,

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."  ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,  ⁴⁶ and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,  ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem...” (Luke 24:44-47).

The evidence of salvation and the fulfillment of Scripture rings true: Christ died for our sins... and He rose again according to the Scriptures. The truth of the Gospel hangs on the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The evidence is clear, the question is, how will we respond?

III. The Evidence of Witnesses (15:5-11) – Someone might argue that this is all circumstantial evidence. Conversions? Prophecies? Maybe, maybe not. Could be coincidence. Paul next calls on his third line of evidence: eyewitness testimony! 

... he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me...

       In AD 107, perhaps ten years after the death of the last of the Apostles, Ignatius of Antioch, who was acquainted with the apostle John, wrote a letter as he was being carried to Rome as a prisoner, expecting to be thrown to the lions:

“If you come across someone who says that JESUS CHRIST never lived, or that he is just an idea, or a concept, or a myth- shut your ears to him.  JESUS CHRIST was born to a human family, a descendant of David.  His mother was Mary.  He was persecuted and crucified under Pontius Pilate, a fact testified to us by some who are now in heaven, and some who are still alive on earth.  How can this be a phantom, or an illusion, or a myth?  These are facts of history!

     It is also a fact that he rose from the dead (or rather, that his Father raised him up).  And that is the most important fact of all, because His promise is that the father will also raise us up, if we believe in Him. So if Christ is not alive neither shall we be.  There is nothing left for us to hope for if he is just an idea of a fantasy. 

      In any case, if he only appeared to rise from the dead—why should I be in chains for this “myth”?  Why should I die to support an illusion?  I am prepared to die for him, the true and real Son of God.  But no one is prepared to die for a shadow.”

      That carries weight as an extra-biblical testimony, but we have still earlier witnesses (vv. 5-7). Paul does not give an exhaustive list of the eyewitnesses to the resurrection. For example, the women are not mentioned, or the disciples on the road to Emmaus, or the story of “doubting Thomas.” But he gives a series of foundational witnesses that had tremendous credibility with the Corinthians.

       First he mentions Peter, who, by the time Paul was writing this letter, was considered chief among the Jerusalem apostles.  His past was not all so glowing as you may recall. Particularly embarrassing were his repeated denials of Jesus after the Master was arrested and while he was being mocked, beaten, and flogged. He  denied three times that he even knew Jesus! This same man is mentioned first by Paul in our passage as a witness to the resurrection!  When we read Acts, the continuing story of the early church, we see that after the resurrection Peter became a fearless proclaimer of the Gospel. How do we explain that change? It only makes sense if the message he was preaching was true—Jesus is alive!

        And it wasn’t only Peter, Jesus was seen then by the twelve… and after that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once!  Paul makes the point that the majority of these witnesses were still alive as he wrote, maybe 20-25 years after the Cross and Resurrection.  If anyone had doubts they could go and speak to them personally and hear their stories!

      Finally in vv. 8-10, Paul points to a special witness, to himself, the one who was writing this personal “deposition” to them: “then last of all he was seen by me, as one born out of due time…” Think about Paul’s personal history. He was there standing by, approving, as Stephen, the first martyr of the church, was stoned. He was such a zealous persecutor of the Church that he secured letters from the leaders in Jerusalem to go after “Christ followers” in Damascus and to bring them back in chains. This same man becomes a zealous proclaimer of the truth, a missionary and an apostle, who, according to tradition, was ultimately beheaded by Nero for his faith in Christ. How do you explain such a 180 degree reversal? Humanly speaking, the transformation of Paul is incomprehensible – unless, as he himself testified, on the road to Damascus he encountered the resurrected Christ and surrendered himself to Him. Paul’s conversion stands as a powerful witness to the truth of the resurrection. The zealous persecutor of the church became a fearless proclaimer of Messiah Jesus!

       The message of the apostles has not changed. It was the message of the church in the first century, and it is the same Gospel we preach today. The historical truth of the death, burial and resurrection of the Jesus, the Messiah, changes everything. It means that sinners can be forgiven, and reconciled to our Holy God. It means that we can have a new heart, a new life, through faith in Him.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Have you honestly considered the Case for Christ? As Ignatius said, “These are facts of history!” The evidence is compelling and clear.  In fact, God is not on trial. He is the Judge. Every human is on trial. The real verdict will be according to how we respond to the evidence.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  The Case for Christ looks like a good movie, it is also a real life drama in which everyone of us has a part. You’ve heard today just a small part of the evidence. Does it ring true? It may be that God is drawing you to believe, to receive the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The evidence is clear.  Jesus proved that He is the messiah by dying for our sins, according to the Scriptures and being buried, and then raising from the dead the third day.  It is as simple as A.B.C. Admit that you are a sinner (Rom 3:23); Believe that Christ died for your sins and was raised (Acts 16:31); Confess Him now as your personal Savior and Lord (Rom 10:9).  If you are still not ready, take one of the Gospels on the back table, read it, and consider the Case for Christ. This is real, it is true, God is offering you the Gift of Life.  AMEN.

Pastor's Annual Report Preview

Pastor’s Annual Report – April 2017

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.  ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing...” (I Peter 3:8,9).

       As I read the Bible I am repeatedly amazed by the relationship between indicative statements that relate to our standing in Christ, and the commands to live out the reality of our position in our daily lives. Because we have experienced grace, because the love of God has been poured out on us, we need to be gracious and forgiving, choosing to love rather than reacting in the flesh. The year has been challenging one for us both as a church and for us personally. Even so, by God’s grace, we have persevered. Let’s choose the more excellent way (I Cor 12:31ff.), not allowing a root of bitterness to take hold. For our part, let’s stay faithful and engaged in the work that God has entrusted to us. We are surrounded by people who desperately need the Lord.  

       I would invite you to look at the web site, https://www.truelife.org/ which we hope to subscribe to as a church. As we seek to stay “laser-focused” on our mission as a church, I believe this site may prove to be a resource that will greatly aid our efforts in outreach. We’ll look at a brief video that will introduce this tool to help us point the people in our sphere of influence and beyond to Christ. This is one tool that can prayerfully enhance our effectiveness in being a “Lighthouse of God’s Grace and Truth.”  A Volunteer is also helping us revamp our church website, and in conjunction with that we are trying to create a database of high quality digital photos that will help present our church well online. Can you help us with this? We do need I.T. help in recording sermons and in helping us with other computer issues, including Wi-Fi and the like, so if you can help us please let me know!

       My ministry has continued to focus on preaching and teaching, as well as counselling and discipleship. We were grieved this quarter to lose a faithful co-worker with the sudden passing of our brother and friend Pastor Jim Beliasov. Pastor Jim had been teaching an excellent adult Sunday School class on the book of Habakkuk, which was well attended and greatly appreciated. We are thankful for the impact that he has had on our church and on many of us individually.  The WOL Olympian ministry is scaled down from years past, but we have a good group of children, and faithful adult leaders who are investing themselves in discipling these young people. We include music, games, Bible teaching, and discipleship huddles in the program on a weekly basis. More help is needed if we are going to continue this ministry and even expand it to include middle school and high school students.

       You will notice this year that we are proposing a major cut in our church budget for the fiscal year 2017-18. Though we were able to nearly meet our budget because of several large special gifts last year, the stewardship committee has determined that for now at least, it is wise for us to make a more conservative and realistic budget based on our smaller giving base. Several missionaries retired in the last year which helped with the budget, and a few organizations have regretfully been cut. Other missionaries have had their pledged support from our church reduced. We take comfort in knowing that many of our people support missions and missionaries outside of the church budget, and we trust that God will meet the needs of His faithful servants as they continue to serve Him. 

       Thank you for standing with us. Let us recommit to prayer, and to a growing and intimate relationship with the Lord. And let us recommit to serving Him as a faithful member of His church, using our gifts to edify one another, and seeking to be a faithful witness where He has placed us.

Your co-workers in Christ,

Pastor Steve and Mary Ann

The Passover King - John 12:12-16

THE PASSOVER KING:  Palm Sunday 2017

John 12:12-16

Introduction: The rain we had last week made think of something I shared some time ago written by the famous theologian... Charles Schultz, yes, in a Peanuts comic strip…

Lucy and Linus were looking at a rain storm through a window and Lucy asks: “What if it keeps raining until it floods the whole world?”  Linus replied “God promised Noah that would never happen again.”  Lucy sighs, “You’ve taken a great load off of my mind.”  Linus gets the last word: “Sound theology has a way of doing that.” 

Sound theology is a good thing! People have a lot of different ideas about who Jesus is, and why He came. We shouldn’t be surprised, because the people in Jesus’ day also had a lot of different ideas about the Messiah, about who he would be and what he would do. What is the truth about Jesus? Where can we find “sound theology”? We teach and preach the Bible in this church, since God’s Word is the source of God’s truth.  We’ve been studying the Gospel of Mark for a couple of months, but I decided to go back to John’s account of the Triumphal Entry today.  (At the rate we are going, next Palm Sunday we’ll look at Mark’s account!). The Gospel writers had different emphases, but they all want us to know Jesus. Today we’ll depart from our current series in Mark, and to look at the story of the Triumphal Entry of Christ in it’s context in the Fourth Gospel, John 12:12-16. 

       On the one hand, we want to join with the revelers celebrating Jesus, the coming King. But we celebrate Jesus from a different perspective than the Jerusalem crowd that day, almost 2000 years ago. We have the whole story... we know what they did not yet understand: the King was also the Lamb, He was both the Sovereign and the Sacrifice that would open the way for us to enter the Kingdom as citizens and sons by giving himself for us! He is Lord, He is in control, no one could take His life, rather it was His plan to lay down His life for His sheep.

       John especially wants us to celebrate His deity and to worship Him. He wants us to marvel at His love demonstrated in the Cross and to love Him in return. He invites us to believe in Him: to submit to His Lordship and obey Him.  In the Bible we see hundreds of prophecies that were made about the Messiah fulfilled explicitly in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.  God had a plan, that plan was revealed, in part, in advance, in these Old Testament texts, yet most people simply did not yet get it. Palm Sunday leads us into the last week of Jesus’ life before the Cross.  The story unfolds exactly as God had planned it—confirming Jesus’ identity, inviting us to consider how we should respond to Him.   

Context:  Consider how this passage fits into John’s Gospel account. After the raising of Lazarus in John 11, the Jewish leadership conspires to put Jesus to death. Unwittingly, the High Priest even prophecies the substitutionary death of Jesus (11:49-51).  Chapter twelve begins with a reminder that Passover was only days away.  Since the very first chapter the reader of the Gospel has had to struggle with the idea that Jesus is both God’s Messiah (1:41) and “the Lamb of God” (1:29,36).  How could this be?  What did the approach of Passover portend?  Both the anointing of Jesus “for his burial” (12:1-8) and the plot to also kill Lazarus (12:9-11) sound an ominous note as the story unfolds.   The contrast with what is about to unfold is an example of Johannine irony.   The crowds, even the disciples, did not understand the full meaning of what was happening, what it really would involve for Jesus to fulfill His role as the “King of the Jews” (see 12:16).  As we consider this we’ll see…

The Maine* Idea: Palm Sunday teaches us some sound theology: It invites us to worship the Passover King, the Lamb upon the throne, and calls us to love Him and obey Him.

I. Jesus is the King, and most people still don't understand! (12:12-13). 

¹² The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"

       As John tells us the story of Jesus, there is a lot of irony in how it unfolds. The Jews were expecting a Messiah, a King, a greater Son of David who would restore the kingdom to Israel.  They had somehow lost sight of the truth that the coming King was also to be the Suffering Servant.  The title “King” doesn’t show up a lot in John’s Gospel, until chapters 18, 19 when in Jesus’ trial and crucifixion it is the charge for which He is executed. But the few times it does appear are clues that John gives his reader early on about His kingship:

       The first time Jesus is called “King” in this Gospel occurs in the first Chapter, the confession of Nathaniel: John 1:49   ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Before this confession however, the reader has heard John the Baptist, twice, calling Jesus God’s Lamb: in John 1:29 we read  "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!; then again in John 1:36  ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" We read that and take it for granted, we’ve heard the phrases and this language applied to Jesus in church.  But imagine the disciples when they first heard it, imagine John’s readers when they first read this Gospel: for a Jew in the 1st century, “Lamb” whatever else it might mean, implied sacrifice. Lamb and King? Both Sovereign, and Sacrifice? How could it be?

       The second time in John’s Gospel that the word “King” appears, is in Chapter 6, and comes in response to Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 with 5 small loaves of bread and a couple of fish. John 6:14-15 says,  

“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  ¹⁵ Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” 

In response to this miraculous provision, they wanted to make him king by force. Jesus knew their thoughts, what they intended to do, and went away. It wasn’t time for the king to be revealed.  John had just reminded the reader of the Gospel, a few verses earlier: John 6:4 “Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.” After hearing John the Baptist call Jesus “the Lamb,” the reader of the Gospel has a clue as to what is coming – the disciples still don’t understand. He is the King – but also the Lamb.

       The third use of “king” in John’s Gospel comes that first Palm Sunday, the triumphal entry. The crowd quotes from Ps 118:25-26 which says,  

 ^“Save now (hosanna), I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.  ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.” 

Notice that they add something to the text: John 12:13  “…took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" They understand the coming One to be the King. What they said was correct, and this time Jesus allows it, even though there is little doubt the crowd was still clueless as to what was about to happen, what had to happen.  The reader of the Gospel, however, now knows…

     1. Passover was coming in a few days; the Lamb would soon be sacrificed (12:1).

     2. Mary had just anointed Jesus, and he said it was “for his burial” (12:2-8).

     3. The chief priests were plotting to kill Lazarus, because his being raised from the dead was irrefutable proof that Jesus was from God, and they wouldn’t hear it (12:9-11). Even raising a man from the dead could not convince them, their minds were made up, they would not consider the evidence that Jesus was the messiah (see Peter’s word in Acts 2:22).

            Part of the irony here is that the crowd, in quoting from Psalm 118 had forgotten part of the context: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone...” (Ps 118:22). That rejection would reach its climax in just a few days when the leaders insist: “We’ll not have this man to be our king! …We have no king but Caesar!”   They were looking for a king like the nations around them.  Jesus is King, much more so than any merely human king.  He is the Lord of all creation, our creator and redeemer.  A merely human king can demand our obedience, but not our heart.  Jesus is the Shepherd King who would lay down His life for his sheep.  God showed us his love, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Palm Sunday invites us to celebrate Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb upon the throne, and calls us to worship Him, to love and obey Him.

II. He is the King, and He came in fulfillment of the Scriptures (12:14-15). John takes us from the shouts of the crowd, which were ironically true, even though they didn’t understand correctly who Jesus was, to the actions of Jesus, taken in deliberate fulfillment of Scripture:

 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  ¹⁵ "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 

       The main point is that God had a plan, and every action of Jesus was taken in submission to and in fulfillment of the Father’s will. This week would lead to Calvary. The cross was not a failure, it was not an accident, it wasn’t plan B.  Peter said on Pentecost that Jesus was delivered up by the predetermined purpose and foreknowledge of God. That speaks to God’s love for us.  That is sound theology.

            It also speaks to the reliability of His Word. The Scripture, made centuries before was fulfilled precisely: He is the King.  All four of the Gospel writers point out the fulfillment of prophecy, Scriptures written centuries before Jesus’ birth, is one more testimony, another witness to the messianic identity of Jesus. Ironically, even as He was rejected by the leaders of the Jews, their very rejection fulfilled the Scriptures. Remember, after the resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And as they recounted to this “stranger” what had happened in Jerusalem, and revealed their confusion and shattered hopes, Jesus said,

²⁵ And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"  ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Rather than causing one to doubt Jesus’ identity, the Passion vindicated His messianic claim!  They needed to understand God’s plan: the Messiah is King, He is also our Passover who was sacrificed for us. By the way, notice that John leaves out a word from Zechariah’s prophecy: “Lowly” or “humble”.  John was emphasizing Jesus’ power, control, sovereignty, and glory. He is the King of Kings!  He is in control. Later, when they come to arrest Him in the Garden, we’ll see that they couldn’t even touch Him unless He allowed it. This King, the Sovereign who created and rules the universe, had chosen to give himself as the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Palm Sunday invites us to worship Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb on the throne, and calls us to obey Him.

III. He is the King, the Passover King, both Sovereign and Sacrifice (12:16).

¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

       John steps back for a moment and explains from his position years later what he and the other disciples were thinking at this point in the story, it was only when ^“...Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things...”

            The disciples didn’t understand at first what all of this meant.  Even though he had repeatedly, explicitly told them about the necessity of his death and resurrection, they couldn’t grasp it. It was only “…when Jesus was glorified then they remembered…”  In John, its especially on the cross that Jesus is glorified (see John 3:14,15).  The cross was his lifting up, his exaltation, his glorification, because it proved who he was, fulfilling the Scriptures, and it accomplished what he came to do, giving his life for our sins. The fulfillment of prophecy was a vindication of His identity, proving, from the Law, that is was necessary for the messiah to suffer (Lk 24:44).

          Notice a little further down in the near context, John 12:25-28, 

"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.  ²⁶ "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.  ²⁷ "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name…"

          Speaking to Pilate of the nature of His kingship, Jesus said,

"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."  ³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth…” (John 18:36,37).  

You see, He is the King, the Passover King. That is truth. That is sound theology, and it demands a response from us.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Palm Sunday invites us to worship Jesus, the Passover King, the Lamb upon the throne, and calls us to love Him and obey Him.   What the crowds said on Palm Sunday was true, but they didn’t grasp the full implications. Jesus was not a victim. He was in control. And as Sovereign, he fulfilled the Scriptures, and came to give his life as a ransom for many.   

       In Revelation 1:5 He is “…the ruler over the kings of the earth… [He] who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood…” In chapter five John sees in his vision He appears “…in the middle of the throne as a lamb that had been slain…” (Rev 5:6; cf. Rev 5-7, 22:1-3). The Passover King, exalted, on the throne of heaven, worthy to open the scroll and loosen its seals.  Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.  The One who was, who is, and who is to come.

What would he have me to do in response to these truths?  What difference does this doctrine make in my life?  Our response can only be to stand in awe of the matchless grace of God, to love the one who so loved us. Have you come here this morning to worship King Jesus?  Maybe you are reading this “by chance,” or maybe you just came to church today simply because you always do on Palm Sunday. Maybe you were invited and this is all new. Does it ring true to you? Do you feel hope welling up in your heart? It may be that God, who so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son, is, by His kindness, drawing you to repentance and faith. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish.” Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. The Passover King, who gave His life, so that we could have life. Praise him for his indescribable gift. Trust Him, receive Him. All hail King Jesus!  All hail Emmanuel!

       And if we believe in who He is, we must also recognize His authority. Later in this Gospel He will tell his disciples: “As the Father sent me, so send I you…” At the outset of His ministry He warned them, “If anyone would be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me…”  My life is not all about me. He chose you on purpose, for a purpose. To be His witnesses. To love your neighbor so much, that it becomes your life mission to show them Jesus, to point them to the truth.  Will you love the King? Will you obey Him?  Is there someone in your sphere of influence, in your oikos, that you can invite next week?   There are still more invitation cards – let’s get them out to our people and pray that God would touch their hearts to come and hear the Good News of the Gospel!    AMEN.

Clean, by the Grace of God! Mark 1:40-45

Clean, by the Grace of God!

Mark 1:40-45

Introduction: A while back a video circulated of two brothers, covered with paint, sitting on the floor of a shower, being questioned by dad [You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOiI7tZA86Y&t=3s ]. They were COVERED with paint. I think they were maybe 2 and 3 years old? It was hilarious when they pointed to each other as the “instigator.” I was waiting for the older brother to say, “The brother who you gave me, HE brought me the paint!” Or, “I threw in this paint, and out came THIS…!” Since the time of the fall, humans, by birth and by choice, are covered with the filth of sin.

       The prophets expressed the human condition clearly. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). Isaiah warned “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away…” (Isa 64:6). Our unclean, polluted, sinful condition, has to be seen against the absolute purity and holiness of God, the One who is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity.

       The Old Testament ceremonial law exposes our sin, our separation from God, and our need for reconciliation. Disease came into the world as a consequence of the Fall, and reminds us of the need for a Redeemer. In Bible times leprosy was a particularly powerful reminder. The separation from the community, from other people, from worship that resulted from “leprosy” illustrates our sinful condition and our need for spiritual cleansing, and with it, restoration to fellowship with Holy God. That brings us to…

The Maine* Idea: We were filthy sinners, alienated from God, but now He has graciously touched us, and made us clean, reconciled us to God.

I. Our Desperate Need: We are ALL needy, unclean, unable to approach God [apart from Christ] (40a; cf. Jer 17:9; Isa 64:6).

“And a leper came…”

       We have only two specific mentions of Jesus healing a leper in the gospels. One is the case when he healed ten, and yet only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. The other is this scene, also reported in Luke and Matthew. It is difficult for us to imagine the horror of a diagnosis of leprosy in the ancient world. First of all, it seems as though at that time the disease included more than “Hansen’s disease” which occurs today. According to the CDC…

Hansen's disease (also known as leprosy) is an infection caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. …The disease can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa). The bacteria attack the nerves, which can become swollen under the skin. This can cause the affected areas to lose the ability to sense touch and pain, which can lead to injuries, like cuts and burns. Usually, the affected skin changes color… If left untreated, the nerve damage can result in paralysis of hands and feet. In very advanced cases, the person may have multiple injuries due to lack of sensation, and eventually the body may reabsorb the affected digits over time, resulting in the apparent loss of toes and fingers…

In some areas of the world, this form of “leprosy” is still a problem – every 10 minutes someone contracts leprosy somewhere is the world. According to the CDC, today Hansen’s disease can be effectively treated if caught at an early stage. Whether the disease was even more virulent in the ancient world we have no way to tell. In fact, there may have been other diseases as well that were considered under the umbrella of “leprosy” in Biblical times. What we do know, is that the disease meant that the infected person was strictly segregated from the congregation and the community. Leviticus 13 and 14 describes the “diagnosis” of the disease and the result for those pronounced infected and unclean. For example we read in Lev 13:2,3…

² "When a person has… a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests,  ³ and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

Those infected had to wear a cloth covering their mouth, and if someone was approaching they needed to shout “Unclean! Unclean!” They had to live outside of the camp, away from even their own family. Touching a leprous person was strictly forbidden, and would render the person ceremonially “unclean.”

       Against that background, it is somewhat shocking that this leper had the boldness to approach Jesus. His plight was desperate. Perhaps his isolation was too much to bear. Perhaps he had heard enough about this Rabbi, this miracle worker, that a glimmer of hope began to well up in his heart. We too were unclean, not because of disease, but as filthy sinners, alienated from God. But now He has graciously touched us, and made us clean, reconciled us to God.

II. Our Only Hope: We are needy, and we must go to the only One who is able to meet our deepest need (40b).

⁴⁰ And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."

       How this leper came to hope that Jesus could help him in his desperate situation we don’t know. Did he see him do other miracles? Was the testimony of the authority of His words conveyed to him by a friend?  He was well aware of his need, and he had come to believe, or at least to hope, that Jesus was able, if it was His will, to heal him, to do for him what, as far as we know, had never been done since Naaman the Syrian was healed by Elisha (2 Kings 5). An illustration of how serious that disease was and what it symbolized can be seen in the story of King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:15-21…  

…And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.  ¹⁶ But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.  ¹⁷ But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor,  ¹⁸ and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God."  ¹⁹ Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.  ²⁰ And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.  ²¹ And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD.

By the way, that is the background to the vision of Isaiah. Remember, that is was “…in the year that King Uzziah died…” when he saw the Lord, high and lifted up, with the train of his robe filling the temple and the seraphim surrounding the throne, calling out “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts…” God is holy. He is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity. He must punish sin. And so the natural man, unregenerate humans, are separated from him, unclean, unable to approach him, helpless to do anything to save themselves.  We have no basis for pride. It is only those who are in Christ who can approach the Holy of Holies!

       Jesus is both our High Priest and the Lamb that was slain. His blood provided atonement for our sins. By His stripes, we have been healed! We were filthy sinners, alienated from God, but now He has graciously touched us, and made us clean, reconciled us to God. We were desperately needy, we had only one hope…

III. Our Gracious Savior: He came to be our substitute. And He is ready, willing, and able to “make clean” all who come to Him in faith (41,42).

⁴¹ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  ⁴² And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 

       The shocking nature of Jesus’ action is hard to convey in our setting. In the light of the horror of the disease in the first century, considering it’s “uncurable” status and the resulting isolation from others and separation from the worship (and the God!) of Israel, Jesus does the unthinkable. First of all, consider how His action contrasts that of Job’s friends when they came to him in his distress. Their reaction was, “You must have done something to deserve this!” Jesus does not even inquire. For the reader of the Gospel, from the first verse, we understand: He is the Son of God, He already knows the man and his need. He is moved with pity, no doubt as he looks at this leper, pleading for mercy, he sees before himself one more example of the consequences of sin, of humans living in a fallen world. Remember, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came to give himself for us, and ultimately, to undo the curse that resulted from Adam’s sin.

       Do you sometimes feel distressed by the suffering and sickness and sin and violence we see in the world around us? Don’t despair, that is why Jesus came! Let it turn your heart to the Gospel. He created the universe and pronounced it “good.” Sin, human rebellion, brought all the pain and suffering we see into the world. Jesus came to save sinners. He came to make a way for sinful humans to be reconciled to holy God. Jesus went much farther than feeling pity on the man.

       Jesus reached out his hand and touched him.  Touch a leper? That was unthinkable to a Jew!  He was unclean! The Law forbade such contact!  Think of this first of all from the leper’s perspective. He took a chance in even approaching Jesus and bowing down before Him. He should have kept his distance, kept his face covered, and shouted “Unclean! Unclean!” And yet he came. How long, I wonder, had it been, since this man had been touched by another human?  Did he expect, like Elisha had done with Naaman, to be sent to the Jordan to immerse himself seven times? Remember Uzziah, though he was a king, he lived out his last days in isolation. But Jesus reaches out his hand, touches the leper, and says, “I will. Be clean!” And he was. Immediately. The scene brings to my mind the song, “He touched me, He touched me, and oh, the joy that filled my soul! Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole!” The horrible disease that demanded isolation from humans and from God, was gone, by the gracious touch of the Savior, he was healed. That should resonate with you if you know Christ. Because we were filthy sinners, alienated from God, but now He has graciously touched us, and made us clean, reconciled us to God.

IV. Our Reasonable Response: Obedient submission to His Word (43-45).

  ⁴³ And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,  ⁴⁴ and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

        Faith requires obedience, a demonstration that we take God at His word and submit to His Lordship (43). Jesus tells the man, he “sternly charged him,” to say nothing to anyone, but rather to go and show himself to the priest and offer the required offering. Why? It seems, by the unfolding story, that Jesus knew the man’s heart, and he knew what would happen. The language is strong, even before the man leaves, Jesus knows what he’ll do, and so he “charges him sternly” not to speak, but to go to the priests as required by the Law. The language almost has the sense of “rebuke”—which is interesting, because the man didn’t do anything yet!  He sends the man to the priest. Why?

       For “…a proof to them…”  Remember Jesus is presenting himself, with his works and his words, as the Messiah of Israel. He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. His miracles were a testimony to the multitudes, and, potentially at least, they could be a testimony to the leaders and the priests. Who had ever heard of a leper being healed? Would the leaders see the evidence before their very eyes and recognize that only God could do the things that Jesus was doing? It seems like some were open, like Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him…” (John 3:2). But others, in fact most, would not, or could not, believe. In fact, the healed man seems to disregard Jesus’ instruction and goes out “talking freely” and spreading the news about what Jesus had done.

       The “sacrifice for our cleansing” has been offered, once for all. What “offering” is proper for us? There is an interesting contrast in the command to the leper, and to the command that is given to us as the church. In view of God’s mercy, we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, that is our reasonable service of worship! (Rom 12:1,2).  And rather than going, and staying silent, we are to go as His witnesses, and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them and teaching them the things He has taught us (Mt 28:18,20).

        How did the healed man respond? It seems shocking, but apparently he is so overcome with joy at his healing, that he ignores the instruction of Jesus completely: “But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news…” Notice the result: “…so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.”  We see the importance of obedience… at this moment it was to remain silent, for us it is to speak up—to be His witnesses…

God’s Word to me in this passage: We were unclean, filthy sinners, alienated from God, but now He has graciously touched us, and made us clean, reconciled us to God.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? I don’t know if you ever got into the paint when you were a kid—I did (literally!), but not as “effectively” as the kids in that video! But I got into enough other stuff in my years before I knew Christ, to know that my heart was desperately wicked, and that my works were like filthy rags before Him. Thank God for His Amazing Grace!

       A few years back we defined our “mission” as a church: “To know God and to make Him known.” That is perhaps minimalist in terms of the use of words, but it is a challenge that could keep us engaged till the Lord returns. Does this scene reveal God a little bit more to you? Do you see in Jesus’ act of compassion in touching that leper something of his love for humans?  Does it reveal something of his desire for reconciliation?  Does His intervention in your life speak to His love for you? Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments!” (John 14:15, NKJV).

       This is how God showed his love among us, He sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him! The more our eyes are opened to what He did for us, the better we know Him, the more we will love Him.   Who are the outcasts, the untouchables around us, who need to know the love of God? “And such were some of you [Us! SN]. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Cor 6:11).  The Lord’s Table is an opportunity to look back, and reflect on God’s gracious intervention in our story. And as we look ahead to His return, it is a motivation to stay faithful and engaged in His mission in the world.  AMEN.