Meditation
Jesus the judge
I love this passage of scripture because it shows a side of Jesus that most people try toforget about or avoid studying. The church today displays Jesus as being ultimately kind andloving to everyone all the time. But this passage He clearly lays it out to the Pharisees by rebuking them for their pride. I did a lot of cross referencing to 1 Corinthians when Paul rebukes the prideful church throughout this study.
Throughout Matthew 23 Jesus very clearly sets up instances of warnings against the Phariseesbecause they were living a life that was purely for show. It's the basic definition of being a hypocrite.
While meditating on the first portion of this scripture I kept thinking of this commercial I sawonce where the people in it were doing good things for other people on streets and then announcing into huge mega phones that they had just done a good task such as helping a ladyacross the street or carrying someone's groceries. It was a commercial against tobacco companiesand at the end it said "in 2000 'this tobacco company' gave away 2 million dollars to a charity"and then spent 10 million dollars promoting that they had done so.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you willfind rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
I was thinking about why people back in those days would be heavy burdened and it crossedmy mind that it is exactly because of what Jesus is rebuking in Matthew 23. The Pharisees were placing upon the people huge expectations of following the law for their own benefit. They expected people to fail at abiding by the law so they themselves could look good. Paul says inRomans 4:15 "But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!). Jesus' burden was light and easy to abideby because it is only through Him that the law is satisfied. Only Jesus can abide by the law. Thatis why He gave us the Holy Spirit.
We can only understand the scriptures when the Holy Spirit is in us learning about Jesus whichpoints to God. Jesus says in John 5:39 "You search the scriptures because you believe they giveyou eternal life. But the scriptures poin to me! Yet you refuse to come to me so that I can giveyou this eternal life. Blessed are the poor in spirit. We need God to know God. We love God because He first loved us and chose us.
Because the Word (Jesus, John 1:1 - In the beginning the Word already existed He was with God,and he was God) did not abide within the Pharisees they did not believe Jesus. Instead, just theopposite. They thought Jesus was the Prince of Demons.
It's a good thing it were not me talking to these Pharisees. Especially if I were required not to sin.I am fully pleased with Jesus' way of rebuking them. These warnings are essential to understandand think about so that we do not fall under the same influence of trying to live for ourselves. Because Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 16:24 "If any of you wants to be my followers, youmust put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross and follow me. If you try to keep yourlife you will lose it. But if you give your life up for me, you will find true life."
I love the promise Jesus makes in verses 11-12. "The greatest among you must be a servant. Butthose who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humbles themselves will be exalted.Blessed are the humble, meek, gentle and lowly for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus came so low in coming to this earth to die for us. I love to think about the humility behind this. I could pray over this scripture over and over, all day, every day.
Jesus strickly warns those who teach. Somewhere in the bible it says that teachers will be heldto a higher account on judgement day. That is terrifying! It is so easy to make it about myselfwhen really there is nothing I can do apart from him. In verse 12 Jesus makes it very clear theextreme efforts the Pharisees were going to, to uphold themselves. They were undoubtedlyleading believers away from the faith and making them worse than themselves.
Matthew gives an account of the sermon on the mount and in it Jesus spoke of letting your yes's be yes and your no's be no's. I've never quite understand the importance of this until meditation on Matthew 23. The Pharisees were usurping authority that had not been givento them. They were using religion as a way of sealing a deal. I've been thinking about thisa lot lately. It's like when we worry about things. We are technically sinning because we are usurping God's authority to take care of us. We are worried because we think we are not able tohandle a certain issue. When the fact is, we're not. It's not by our authority to.
It's so clear in this entire message that it is not important what we do on the outside but it's theheart behind what we're doing that truely matters. If your heart is being guided by the Holy Spirit you can't go wrong.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Healing at the pool of Bethesda
John 5:1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.
2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.
3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.
5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath,
10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.
13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.
14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”
15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God
16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.
17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.
21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.
22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,
23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.
26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son.
27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.
28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,
29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.
30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
It seems really strange that Jesus would ask the man if he would like to get well. This man has been sitting at the pool for 38 years. But the man does not answer the question. He only responds that he has no one to put him in the pool.
I think sometimes our problems become our identity. We lose a vision to see things change when we continuously go through the motions of crying out for change. There has to be a different mindset for when we get what we desire.
In order to get well you have to first go to the pool. Then you have to wait for the right conditions. Then you have to be the first one in.
It is essential that we do not get caught up in a spirit of faithless living being okay with when there is not revival not encountering God.
2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.
3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.
5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath,
10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded.
13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.
14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”
15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God
16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.
17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.
19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.
21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.
22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,
23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.
26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son.
27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.
28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,
29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.
30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.
It seems really strange that Jesus would ask the man if he would like to get well. This man has been sitting at the pool for 38 years. But the man does not answer the question. He only responds that he has no one to put him in the pool.
I think sometimes our problems become our identity. We lose a vision to see things change when we continuously go through the motions of crying out for change. There has to be a different mindset for when we get what we desire.
In order to get well you have to first go to the pool. Then you have to wait for the right conditions. Then you have to be the first one in.
It is essential that we do not get caught up in a spirit of faithless living being okay with when there is not revival not encountering God.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.
2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.
3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.
6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles?
30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
Spiritual gifts are given to each of us as means of helping the entire church.
Discernment
Gift of giving wise advice
Special knowledge
Special faith
Power to heal the sick
Power to perform miracles
Ability to prophecy
Speak in unknown language
Interpret unknown language
The Holy Spirit gives these gifts to
apostles
prophets
teachers
those who do miracles
those who have the gift of healing
those who can help others
those who can get others to work together
and those who can speak in unknown languages.
Jesus was the primary example of using these gifts. I heard someone once say that Jesus while on earth moved in every spiritual gift. But I'm not sure if I believe that because the bible talks about a person being part of the body. Especially in 1 Corinthians 12 how no part of the body is better than another. But then again Paul says later that you should desire all of the spiritual gifts. Which means you can more than likely obtain all spiritual gifts or else he wouldn't have said to try for all of them. If anyone were able to obtain all spiritual gifts it would be Jesus for sure.
So I guess my question is can you move in more than one gift at the same time. Or rather, if you can move in more than one gift at the same time is it something Jesus wants you to do?
By human nature (remembering that Jesus was fully God and fully man), if a man approached me saying would you please come to my house for my daughter is very ill and I believe you can pray and make her well again I would not be thinking about the next way I could use my gifting in getting people to work together on the way to the mans house. My thoughts would not automatically go to 'when is the next time I will get to interpret unknown languages' or 'let me teach the crowd behind me along the way'. My thoughts would be solely preoccupied with the gift of healing. I would be praying in the spirit, walking to this man's house with one thought: “Lord, let me heal”. I could have all of the gifts of the spirit but that still does not change the one simplistic fact that I am without a doubt human. Blessed are the poor in spirit. There is no way by my own authority I would every in a billion years be able to heal this girl. Never would it be possible for my weak human frame to act to this extreme without God residing within me in constant communication and power.
So I was thinking... What were Jesus' thoughts on the way to heal this little girl? I doubt it was what He had for breakfast. I doubt He was thinking about how He was going to get the disciples to stop talking about the who would be the greatest in Heaven. My guess, and I only can state this while admitting it is something I am no where close to having full revelation of, is that Jesus was completely submerged in Holy Spirit drawn utterances of allow me to heal. Noted, that the Holy Spirit is Jesus and Jesus is God and God is the Holy Spirit. This is something I could write pages and pages of gibberish and made up ideas and conclusions of trying to figure a little bit more about God out. But the fact is this is not something provable by my own strength. It's just an idea, and more than likely not a unknown one.
Why O Jesus would this woman be healed by touching Your robe? I know You are God but by Your own power was this hemorrhaging woman healed? Or were You seeking after God in that single moment.
My mind just crossed to that scripture about the people following Peter around and getting healed by his shadow. Was Peter's mission to heal people at the moment of his passing by? Was his heart set toward the Father in hopes that those around him would be healed? Or was it just something that happened?
I personally believe that our all spiritual gifts are obtainable and to be desired, but not for the purpose of walking around in constant using of all at the same time. But rather focusing mainly on each individual spiritual gift at selective times.
2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.
3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.
6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles?
30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
Spiritual gifts are given to each of us as means of helping the entire church.
Discernment
Gift of giving wise advice
Special knowledge
Special faith
Power to heal the sick
Power to perform miracles
Ability to prophecy
Speak in unknown language
Interpret unknown language
The Holy Spirit gives these gifts to
apostles
prophets
teachers
those who do miracles
those who have the gift of healing
those who can help others
those who can get others to work together
and those who can speak in unknown languages.
Jesus was the primary example of using these gifts. I heard someone once say that Jesus while on earth moved in every spiritual gift. But I'm not sure if I believe that because the bible talks about a person being part of the body. Especially in 1 Corinthians 12 how no part of the body is better than another. But then again Paul says later that you should desire all of the spiritual gifts. Which means you can more than likely obtain all spiritual gifts or else he wouldn't have said to try for all of them. If anyone were able to obtain all spiritual gifts it would be Jesus for sure.
So I guess my question is can you move in more than one gift at the same time. Or rather, if you can move in more than one gift at the same time is it something Jesus wants you to do?
By human nature (remembering that Jesus was fully God and fully man), if a man approached me saying would you please come to my house for my daughter is very ill and I believe you can pray and make her well again I would not be thinking about the next way I could use my gifting in getting people to work together on the way to the mans house. My thoughts would not automatically go to 'when is the next time I will get to interpret unknown languages' or 'let me teach the crowd behind me along the way'. My thoughts would be solely preoccupied with the gift of healing. I would be praying in the spirit, walking to this man's house with one thought: “Lord, let me heal”. I could have all of the gifts of the spirit but that still does not change the one simplistic fact that I am without a doubt human. Blessed are the poor in spirit. There is no way by my own authority I would every in a billion years be able to heal this girl. Never would it be possible for my weak human frame to act to this extreme without God residing within me in constant communication and power.
So I was thinking... What were Jesus' thoughts on the way to heal this little girl? I doubt it was what He had for breakfast. I doubt He was thinking about how He was going to get the disciples to stop talking about the who would be the greatest in Heaven. My guess, and I only can state this while admitting it is something I am no where close to having full revelation of, is that Jesus was completely submerged in Holy Spirit drawn utterances of allow me to heal. Noted, that the Holy Spirit is Jesus and Jesus is God and God is the Holy Spirit. This is something I could write pages and pages of gibberish and made up ideas and conclusions of trying to figure a little bit more about God out. But the fact is this is not something provable by my own strength. It's just an idea, and more than likely not a unknown one.
Why O Jesus would this woman be healed by touching Your robe? I know You are God but by Your own power was this hemorrhaging woman healed? Or were You seeking after God in that single moment.
My mind just crossed to that scripture about the people following Peter around and getting healed by his shadow. Was Peter's mission to heal people at the moment of his passing by? Was his heart set toward the Father in hopes that those around him would be healed? Or was it just something that happened?
I personally believe that our all spiritual gifts are obtainable and to be desired, but not for the purpose of walking around in constant using of all at the same time. But rather focusing mainly on each individual spiritual gift at selective times.
Meditation Journal
Mark 5:21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.
22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet,
23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”
24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.
26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.
27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.
34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing.
39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.
41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!”
42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Jairus' Daughter and the hem of His robe.
Jesus was on the way to heal a little girl when this woman reached out to touch His robe. There was a large crowd surrounding Jesus but it the passage says nothing about Him teaching or prophesying specifically at that point. His ministry was based around that focus of healing. He was on His way to heal another when she reached out. He wasn't up on a mountain teaching Sermon on the Mount and some random woman ran up to Him and tackled Him for healing. He was walking by to heal another. His ministry at that specific time was set for healing. Throughout Jesus' life on earth He moved in every gift of the Holy Spirit. But did He act with 2 or more of these gifts at the same time? It gets me thinking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit in general. What are the gifts of the spirit?
22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet,
23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”
24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.
25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.
26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.
27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done.
34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing.
39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying.
41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!”
42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat.
Jairus' Daughter and the hem of His robe.
Jesus was on the way to heal a little girl when this woman reached out to touch His robe. There was a large crowd surrounding Jesus but it the passage says nothing about Him teaching or prophesying specifically at that point. His ministry was based around that focus of healing. He was on His way to heal another when she reached out. He wasn't up on a mountain teaching Sermon on the Mount and some random woman ran up to Him and tackled Him for healing. He was walking by to heal another. His ministry at that specific time was set for healing. Throughout Jesus' life on earth He moved in every gift of the Holy Spirit. But did He act with 2 or more of these gifts at the same time? It gets me thinking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit in general. What are the gifts of the spirit?
Monday, September 17, 2007
Meditation 4 - Luke 1:26-38
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
So I was thinking about the whole reason we're doing these meditation jouranls and everything. This week, as well as next weeks focus is supposed to be on the birth of Jesus. I've kind of been focusing on the Zechariah - fortelling of John the Baptist story. At least for my last post I thought think about the foretelling of Jesus.
(v. 26) Gabriel seems to be the angel of choice when it comes to telling people they're going to have a baby. Jesus and John the Baptist are 6 months a part. That means they were probably born on totally opposite seasons of the year. If you think about the summer and winter day lengths it's logical that in the winter the days are shorter. And if we go by the date of Christmas for Jesus' birth then we can assume John's birth was in the summer prior. Now Christmas is not a technical biblical date set up. They actually put Christmas on the date of largest pagan holiday. However if you think that John was born in Summer and Jesus therefore born in the Winter months then you start to realize that the days decrease in length, which sort of goes along with that whole "as I decrease, you must increase" thing.
(v. everything else) I can only imagine what's going through Mary's mind when Gabriel shows up and is like "you're going to give birth to the Messiah. I mean, this was like every woman's dream back then, right? Every Father and Mother wanted their baby to be the Messiah. A friend once told me that the name Mary means 'bitter'. Because when a woman became pregnant the Father became hopeful that this baby would be the Messiah. But when she had the baby and it was a girl the Father became upset and named her Mary 'bitter' because a woman could not be the messiah and Jesus was very much not a woman.
I love that all things are possible with God because I am so uncapable of doing most things.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
So I was thinking about the whole reason we're doing these meditation jouranls and everything. This week, as well as next weeks focus is supposed to be on the birth of Jesus. I've kind of been focusing on the Zechariah - fortelling of John the Baptist story. At least for my last post I thought think about the foretelling of Jesus.
(v. 26) Gabriel seems to be the angel of choice when it comes to telling people they're going to have a baby. Jesus and John the Baptist are 6 months a part. That means they were probably born on totally opposite seasons of the year. If you think about the summer and winter day lengths it's logical that in the winter the days are shorter. And if we go by the date of Christmas for Jesus' birth then we can assume John's birth was in the summer prior. Now Christmas is not a technical biblical date set up. They actually put Christmas on the date of largest pagan holiday. However if you think that John was born in Summer and Jesus therefore born in the Winter months then you start to realize that the days decrease in length, which sort of goes along with that whole "as I decrease, you must increase" thing.
(v. everything else) I can only imagine what's going through Mary's mind when Gabriel shows up and is like "you're going to give birth to the Messiah. I mean, this was like every woman's dream back then, right? Every Father and Mother wanted their baby to be the Messiah. A friend once told me that the name Mary means 'bitter'. Because when a woman became pregnant the Father became hopeful that this baby would be the Messiah. But when she had the baby and it was a girl the Father became upset and named her Mary 'bitter' because a woman could not be the messiah and Jesus was very much not a woman.
I love that all things are possible with God because I am so uncapable of doing most things.
Meditation 3 - Luke 1:11-13
(v. 11-13) Whenever an angel appears in the bible they always have to say “don't be afraid”. I figure it's the same thing with God revealing His presence. We become overwhelmed and frightened. Mostly because we can't understand such a multitude of magnificence. I'm really curious to find out the significance of names to God. Whenever an angel shows up and says you're going to have a baby set apart for the Lord they always say and you name him “so and so”. Samson, Samuel, John, Jesus. Adam and Eve's names both held significance. It's one of those questions I'm excited to discover the answer to. God has multiple names so I know that names are important to him.
(v. 8-10) We just learned the other day in our Freshman practicum class what the significance of being the priest chosen to go before the Lord in the temple and burn incense. This was something only one person could do only once a year. So this would have been a huge privilege for Zechariah. I heard once that they used to tie a rope and bells around the ankle of the priest so if the Lord had killed the priest the others would be able to pull him out without entering the holy place them self.
I was actually thinking about encountering the presence of God the other day when I was reading through the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 and thinking about the types of conversations Jesus and the Father must have had. I thought about maybe they did some experimenting with how much glory the Father could reveal to a perfect, righteous person without it killing them. Of course both of them knew the exact mathematical equations for how much the Father could reveal. But I was thinking maybe they tested out spiritual gifts and revelations of God's glory just for fun. Maybe Jesus died and rose from the dead a few times from over manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
I was actually thinking about encountering the presence of God the other day when I was reading through the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 and thinking about the types of conversations Jesus and the Father must have had. I thought about maybe they did some experimenting with how much glory the Father could reveal to a perfect, righteous person without it killing them. Of course both of them knew the exact mathematical equations for how much the Father could reveal. But I was thinking maybe they tested out spiritual gifts and revelations of God's glory just for fun. Maybe Jesus died and rose from the dead a few times from over manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
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