A Woman is Healed

Luke 8: 4- - 48 (NIV): Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

This woman was desperate for Jesus. She had tried the doctors and everything else she could think of, and nothing had worked. She knew Jesus was her only hope, and she believed that he would heal her if she could only touch him. Unfortunately, in her society a woman was (and still is in some places) forbidden from touching or speaking to a man in public. Desperate, she touched him anyway and was instantly healed.

Jesus didn't even do anything except walk past her! But he knew that she had touched him and that the power to heal her had been given. Notice what he did. First, he made her confess that she had touched him. Why? For one thing, her condition made her “unclean” and she could not go to the synagogue. By announcing to the whole community that she had been healed, Jesus was allowing her back into society. How else would she have proven that she had been healed? Jesus didn't mind an “unclean” person touching him, and that's good news for all of us.

Also, Jesus wants us to confess to others when we heals us or saves us. That's how other people will know to do the same.

Now notice that Jesus said her faith had healed her. Faith is the delivery truck that God uses to deliver his goodness to us. We cannot be saved without it and we cannot be healed or have our prayers answered without it. When we get desperate enough, we'll reach out to touch him and find ourselves at peace. We won't care what our culture says, and we'll risk being embarrassed. Pride goes out the window when we're desperate. Often, when we are desperate for Jesus and realize that he is our only hope, we're right where he wants us to be.

Jesus was on his way to heal someone else, but he stopped to minister to this woman. He will take the time to answer our prayers too, so let's show him we have faith.

Motherhood, the Painful Privilege

Luke 1: 42 – 50 (NIV): In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”

This occurred when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary was pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth explains to Mary that John the Baptist had leaped within her womb when Mary approached. Elizabeth then praises Mary for believing that what God said was true.

Mary responds with what is known as the “Magnificat”, because that is the first word in the Latin translation of the passage. It is a poem or song praising God, the champion of the poor and oppressed.

Why was Mary favored of God? What was so special about her that she should be chosen as the mother of the Christ? She was pure in heart and in action. She was humble and obedient when God spoke. She praised God with her voice. And she believed – she had faith. These are the qualities we should honor, and I hope we do.

These qualities are so important because the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. A mother's influence cannot be denied. A mother who fears God will teach her children to do the same. She will see that they attend church and that they learn about God. She will praise God with her lips and not use them to curse her children. She will be humble before God, putting her trust in him for all things, even when it doesn't make sense or seems impossible. She will desire God's will for herself and for her family, as Mary did. In verse 38, she said “I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said.”

We live in a society that seems to celebrate young women who openly misbehave; who live a life far from faith in God. On this Mother's Day, let's celebrate the women among us who have a heart for God. Let's celebrate women who trust in him, who are pure in heart and action. Perfect? No, but righteous because of their faith in the one in whom they trust.

The Burning Bush

Exodus 3: 1-5, 10-14 (NIV): Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up." When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." ... So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." ... Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

I heard a preacher say one time that any old bush would do. God can use anything in his creation for his purposes. Notice, though, that God didn't speak to Moses until he had his attention. God is not going to yell over the noise of our busy lives.

And when we approach God, we must do so with proper reverence and respect. God is holy and we must remember that. So often we think of how much God loves us and that he died for us and that he wants what is absolute best for us, as any loving father does, and all of this is true, but we cannot lose sight of the fact that our God is a holy God. The Bible is clear that ungodly behavior hurts our fellowship with God. We can easily restore that fellowship through repentance, but we must know that our actions effect our closeness to God.

God told Moses not to come any closer until he removed his sandals. If we want to get close to God, we must do so with proper respect.

It is in this passage that we learn what God says his name is. God is set apart by himself. There is no other God. He is the God of the past, the present, the future. He is all in all, the Alpha and the Omega. He is the perfect being, the creator of the universe, the father of all life. God's name is so much more than just a handle, it is his authority, his reputation. He is I AM.

Moses had a huge task ahead of him, but he would do so under the banner of the name of God, by God's power and authority. God has a task for each of us. When we approach it by his name, his power, and his authority, we can accomplish more than we ever dreamed.

Teach Your Children to Love God

Deuteronomy 6: 4 – 9 (NIV): Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.

This passage is called The Shema. It is the heart of the Jewish faith and contains the “greatest commandment” in the Christian faith (Matthew 22: 36 – 38). It begins by reminding us that there is one and only one God. We are not to worship any other gods or make any idols to worship. Then the passage tells us to love God with all that we are. To love him with every fiber of our being. All of our heart – our emotional strength; our soul – the essence of who we are; and our strength – with all of our power. This means we decide to love him and we are determined not to allow anything to compromise that love. It's not a half-hearted love or a weak commitment, it's an all-consuming determination.

Understand that love is not necessarily a fond feeling. Love is a deliberate act of the will to give ourselves to someone or something. God is not telling us to like him, he's commanding us to love him. God says his commandments are to be upon our hearts. This means we know God's laws and we never forget them. We say we know something “by heart”. That's what this means. So, we make every decision in light of God's Word. Every time we speak, every time we act.

Next, the responsibility of teaching children what God desires is placed squarely on parents. Parents are the number-one influence on our children. Parents shape our children's character. Children learn what is important in life from watching us. Their morals, their values, their character comes directly from watching their parents. It is not the church's responsibility to teach your children about God, it is yours.

God said to teach our children about him when we sit at home, when we walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we get up. That covers the whole day. We look for opportunities to talk to them and we do so. We let them see us praying and reading our bibles. Our home is full of love and of symbols of our faith. We stress to them the importance of a relationship with God, then we let them see us work on our own relationship with him. We're not perfect and they will see that soon enough, but by our actions we show what is most important to us.

Your children already know whether or not you love God. Teach them about him. Teach them to love him too.

Easter

Matthew 28: 1 – 10 (NIV): After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

This is the greatest moment in the history of the world! Things were looking so grim, yet the creator of the universe had just conquered death, the enemy of mankind. But these women didn't understand that yet. They were simply trying to pay respects to a really good dead guy. The idea that he had come back to life was beyond their wildest dreams. That's the gospel: what God has in store for us is so wonderful, it is beyond our imaginations.

God didn't create us to suffer. Yet we suffer. God didn't create us to die. Yet we die. What gives? Losing paradise was the price we paid for having a free will. Love is not love if it is forced. God knows that. He had to allow the “fall” so that we would freely choose him. We are not God's puppets or pets, we are his beloved children. We suffer because of the fall from paradise, but God suffered along with us. And when he rose again, he proved that death is not the end for those who believe.

The women were afraid that first Easter morning as they encountered the supernatural. Yet, the angel and Jesus both told them not to be afraid. When we see things we don't understand, it is frightening, but God's message to us is to not fear. In fact, the Bible tells us 365 times – once for each day of the year – not to be afraid. When we walk by faith and realize that God is God and he knows what he is doing, our fears will subside.

When the women realized that Jesus had risen, they worshiped him. That should be our response as well. And Jesus had a task for them: go tell. God has given us that same marching order. We live in a world that needs hope; a world of people afraid of the future. We live in a world that needs to know that there is a God, that he is all powerful, that he does care, and that he knows what he is doing even if we don't understand. When we believe, we have the hope that we will return to paradise.

The Triumphal Entry

Luke 19: 28 – 40 (NIV): After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' " Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They replied, "The Lord needs it." They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

This was Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We call the Sunday before Easter Palm Sunday because people laid down cloaks and palm fronds on the road in front of Jesus as he arrived. Jesus was celebrated as a conquering king riding into town after a major victory. This was the one time he was celebrated by a city as the king he rightfully was. The scene is ripe with symbolism. Luke says the people were praising God “for all the miracles they had seen.” Why didn't Jesus arrive on a powerful horse? Because everything he did was for a purpose and his arriving on a donkey's colt was to fulfill a prophecy and show that he was the Messiah. Zechariah 9:9 says, “See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation; gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

A king would ride into town on a donkey only in times of peace. Jesus was bringing peace – peace with God. He would provide that peace by laying down his life five days later. When Jesus returns, he will ride a white horse and he will not bring peace, but God's wrath (Revelation 19:11 – 16).

The Pharisees didn't believe Jesus was the Christ, so they didn't want the people worshiping him. Jesus said that if we don't worship him, “the stones will cry out.” Jesus was saying that he is God and because of that, he will be worshiped. It is our privilege to worship him, but if we do not, creation will.

I don't want some rock to have to cry out because I failed to worship Jesus. All of creation is here to worship and I want to do my part. Jesus said God is seeking true worshipers. A true worshiper acknowledges Jesus as the King and Messiah. A true worshiper worships Jesus as God incarnate. A true worshiper acknowledges that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

The Snake in the Desert

Numbers 21: 4 – 9 (NIV): They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

What is this about? Really? The God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt has now sent poisonous snakes among them to bite them? And didn't God strictly tell them not to make an idol of an animal? (The Second Commandment). Now he instructs Moses to put an image of a snake on a pole, and if anyone is snake-bitten, he simply has to look at the image and he will live.

This story would make no sense at all except that fourteen-hundred years later Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Now we are beginning to understand. Moses wasn't breaking the Second Commandment by creating this bronze snake – the people were putting their trust in God when they looked at it, not worshiping the fake snake.

This story is a Messianic prophecy. The Old Testament has 350 of them. This story is about people being punished because they did not trust God, and God providing a way for them to prove that they did, once again, trust him.

The Bible's message to us is that we are all snake-bitten, spiritually. We all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. None of us is righteous. We have all failed to trust God and are in need of someone to save us. Isn't it interesting that God instructed Moses to put an image of the very thing that was killing the people on the pole? Scholars say the pole undoubtedly had a crossbar and looked just like a cross. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, he became sin for us, then nailed it to the cross. He became sin, then punished that sin. All we have to do is look to him – believe in him – and our sin is no longer held against us.