Category Archives: Jesus

You Can Touch Jesus

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Mark 5:21-34, Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 9:20-22 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had woman healedbeen subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, 43no one could heal her, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched 44the edge of his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”  29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. They all denied it.

31 “You see the people crowding and pressing against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 22 Jesus turned and saw her.  33 Then the woman, 47 seeing that she could not go unnoticed and knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 47 In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 22And the woman was healed at that moment.

I know that you usually focus on the woman or Jairus in this story. I think the woman with the bleeding problem was really for Jairus so that his faith would be strong. The woman’s story speaks for its self and is/has/will be told many times but what about the crowd? They, according to the disciples, were touching Jesus! Did they have needs, wants or desires? Why was the woman the only one to draw power? I guess my real question here is: You can touch Jesus and have nothing happen?

Ok, that may mess with your theology but is it elsewhere in the Gospels?

  • The Ten Lepers; they “touched” Jesus with their cries and only one came back. The one leperLuke 17:11
  • The One Talent Servant was part of the kingdom and knew the requirements but yet he hid his talent. Matthew 25:14-30
  • The soldiers who beat Jesus.
  • The “Lord when did we see you” group in Matthew 25:43-45.

Now, there is a difference when Jesus touched someone. The Nine Lepers were healed, the other two servants knew and did the Master’s will and way more Seed was productive. The difference may be that Jairus and the woman came with faith to Jesus. The crowd was just following because who doesn’t like a parade and being around someone famous. In Matthew 9:25 the “crowd” was put outside so that faith in the house would not be hindered, after all, it was not their little girl.

http://clipart.christiansunite.com/Pictures_of_Jesus_Clipart/Healing_the_Sick_Clipart/index4.shtml

Tribes of Israel – Judah

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Judah is the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and became the family leader. His name means “praise” because Leah decided to praise God at the birth of this son. The tension in this family that is reflected in the names of the sons is astonishing; the lesson here is don’t marry sisters:-)

His first recorded act after being tapped to be family leader was to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites; so that they would profit from the loss of a brother. I read the story in chapter 38 as occurring quickly but Er, the first born, would have been only thirteen when Joseph became ruler of Egypt so the incident with Tamar must have been around the beginning of the famine. (a movie made an interesting point that he moved out to get away from a grieving Jacob) Remember Tamar is a grandmother of Jesus which is why this part is included in Scripture. He does seem to take a positive lead of the family in chapter 43 when he repeats the deal Reuben tried to make with Joseph. He is the main spokesman in chapter 44:16 and Jacob sent him for directions in 46:28.

Jacob at the end of Genesis leaves this blessing for Judah: Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

That blessing pretty well covers everything: family leadership, authority over his enemies, personal wealth and good looks.

The two main people from Judah in the Exodus story are Bezalel, the artist, found in Exodus 35:30 and Caleb, the faithful spy, first mentioned in Numbers 13:6. Both of these men are again mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2 where the clans of Judah and the family of Jesse, David’s father, and David’s sons are discussed. This family history goes to chapter 4:23 and covers Jabez and his pray. It also covers the rulers after the Exile. This family tree is repeated again in Matthew 1, which is Joseph’s line, and again in Luke 3:23, which is Mary’s family line.

Deuteronomy 33: 7 And this he (Moses) said about Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”

Jesus is from Judah through David’s son Nathan, brother of Solomon. In one sense much of the Old Testament is about that family; 1 & 2 Samuel, much of 1 Chronicles and the books of the Kings and 2 Chronicles covers that family. While the prophets spend many of their words talking about Jesus and His coming.

Pictures are from http://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/ , http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/Pictures/David.htm

Jesus as the Master Preacher

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The idea of preaching as I have gathered from several sources is a passionate appeal on a topic, usually religious. The more I have read and fit that idea into the messages that people (especially Jesus) preached in the Bible it seemed that they preached on things that they were consumed with as their “message.”  I got a feeling that the passion was in the preacher and that was conveyed to the people that are listening. I think that is why the disciples were taught for quite a while before they were sent out. They had to get the “message of Jesus” and make it theirs before they could truly give it as a “passionate appeal.” I have seen a lot of people that can get a congregation excited for forty-five minutes and then in the parking lot the people cannot remember the point of the sermon. But people who have preached on “their messages” because it is what God has put into them and their hearts make a difference.

The miracles that Jesus would do after His preaching was to convey the authority that He had to be preaching that message and to show them the real Kingdom He would bring and not just an earthly kingdom that would free them from Rome. This is why the leaders of the day were so afraid of Jesus’ message; it came with power and had hope and peace as the core of what He said.  The leaders of the day had seen other “messiahs” come and go but I think that the “passion of His message” and the miracles were more than they could handle. Gamaliel in Acts 5 said it best; “if it is from God” you are wasting your time.

This is why it is a “now kingdom”. We should be preaching His message that He has given to each of us and when we do that His power will be there to do His miracles.

Art from – http://clipart.christiansunite.com/

Jesus as the Master Healer

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Jesus heals! Jesus is my Healer! Whether it has been in my physical body or an emotional problem He has been my Healer. It may have been fast or slowly over time but He has always been faithful to make Himself real to me in the area of healing.

Jesus heals now and when He was on the earth for the same reason; it is a way of proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven is now. People will argue theology but when you can say, “ This has been healed in my life because of Jesus” it is really hard to argue that. The testimony of someone who has been truly healed can be a real faith builder and a witness for those that knew about the illness, like Lazarus in John 12:10. The chief priest found it easier to try and kill Lazarus than argue/believe his healing. In Luke 7:14 (the young man on the stretcher) and in Matthew 9:18 (the ruler’s daughter) Jesus also “healed” them from death. Jesus did these to fulfill prophecy and to be a testimony to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:5.

As the Master Example of a Healer He used many different methods and even had to pray twice (Mark 8:24) for someone to get the job finished: He used mud made out of spit (John 9), laying on of hands (Luke22: 51), someone just touched Him (Matt. 9:20) and He spoke the word and it was done over a long distance (Matt. 8: 13). In the healing meetings when He had also taught not a lot is said how He did it but if He laid His hands on hundreds of people you know He had to be tired (like Brother Oral Roberts sitting in his revival meetings) or maybe it was like what happened at the Brownsville Revival when the anointing would just go out over the people and they would just start being healed. But in one-on-one healing situations, Jesus questioned them for exactly what they wanted (Matthew 20:32).

Jesus did not always do all of the healings that could have been done. The people in His hometown were offended and He could only do a few miracles there (Matt. 13: 58). I think this story also shows that He had a harder time with “lack of faith” than with sin. He did not ask about the ten lepers (Luke 17:12) spiritual status before He healed them and He was amazed that a “Samaritan” came back and thanked Him and not the nine “Jews” and I don’t remember the Demoniac of the Gerasenes (Mark 5) repenting before Jesus cast the demons out of him and healed him.

The demoniac in Mark 5 (clothed and in his right mind), the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3) and even His disciples are examples of Jesus healing emotions. Can you imagine how that woman felt when she looked up and no one was there and Jesus did not condemn her? And Simon the Zealot putting away his radical ideas and conforming to Jesus message of peace or Peter, the workman, being able to get along with Matthew, the tax collector.

Jesus made sure that His disciples knew how to carry on this aspect of the Good News because He sent them out to heal and preach and Peter and John certainly made a commotion when they healed the lame man in the book of Acts.

The artwork is from http://clipart.christiansunite.com/Pictures_of_Jesus_Clipart/Healing_the_Sick_Clipart/

Miracles and Storms

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Miracles, miracles, and miracles.

Matthew 21:21! Killing trees and removing mountains, ok how many of you as baby Christians went outside after reading that and tried to kill a tree? How long did you wait to see if it was dead before you decided that you did not have enough faith? Ok, did you ever do the James and John act and tried to call down lightning on something or someone? Remember they got rebuked. All of this resurfaced after listening to a great sermon on Elijah by Steven Furtick of Elevation Church. His main point was not the rain or “fire of God” but they made me think again about miracles. Yes, I believe in miracles and that God still does them today.

Father God in the Old Testament certainly handled things differently than in the New Testament. Jonah’s storm, Elijah’s drought, lightning, and rainstorm and don’t forget Moses’ plagues He certainly stepped in and used weather and “supernatural happenings” to make a point to/for His kids. That maybe is the key right there, God used His nature to make a point to/for His kids. (Forgive me, I don’t do well with “Mother Nature” anymore; please make mine Father God.) The only New Testament figures that I could find who would have that sort of power are the two witnesses in Revelations 11.

As I thought about Jesus as our example and His miracles this simple truth hit me hard. Jesus never called down lightning, asked for an earthquake, or created a violent wind. Jesus calmed storms He did not start them. He calmed storms to prove His Lordship over them. Jesus healed, fed, and comforted people. Well, what about when He said you would do “greater things” in John 14: 11-13. That phrase may also mean “more.” Jesus used the same phrase here as He did about sending the Holy Spirit – when I go to my Father. Doing better than raising the dead, don’t think so, but how about more often than He did. Smith Wigglesworth had quite a few documented cases. What if every believer raised someone!

Ok, what about Matthew 21, He promised, well I guess the next time you are hungry and are about to be crucified expect that fig tree to die. But until then do miracles like Jesus; focus on healing, feeding, and freeing that will be a lot better than a dead bunch of trees and no mountains.