3 Stories: 1 Healer
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Thank you for joining us this morning. Today we continue on in our seres “we’re Following…?” We are learning what it means to be a disciple of Christ, who is the Christ that we follow.
The title of todays sermon is 3 stories 1 healer. We will be looking at three different stories recorded in the gospel accounts and see how Jesus reacted to the people he encounters in these stories.
Prayer
Prayer
So last week we talked about Jesus having been baptized. He’s now gone into the desert, he’s been tempted by satan. he’s then called some of his disciples, And then gone about healing people, casting out deamons. His ministry is in full swing. And then we find our selves in Mark Chapter 1:40 in Galilee and Jesus has been preaching and casting out diamonds and then a man comes to him.
This is our first story
And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 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.” 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.
The Compassionate Healer
The Compassionate Healer
We see a few things here.
First the leaper comes with an attitude of humility. He comes to Jesus imploding him: some translations say beseeching him.
He realizes his need of healing, and he realizes that this man can heal.
Maybe he’s head the stories?? Maybe he’s seen it for himself.
He approaches jesus and kneels before him. And he doesn’t ask Jesus if he can heal him. He makes a statement. If you will, you can make me clean.” He knows Jesus can do it, he’s saying if it is your heart, If it is your desire Jesus. You have the power to make me clean.
Jesus is moved with compassion
That is the Jesus we follow.
A jesus who is moved with compassion at our pain.
But I think there is an important factor here, a posture of humility. That we come before God on our knees with a sense in our hearts that the only hope we have is in Jesus.
When our hearts are in the right place, we come face to face with a compassionate healer. Who came to heal us from the spiritual sickness that is sin.
Then Jesus does something intresting: Reaches out and touches him.
Notice the order.
Would have been a big no-mo
This would have made him ceremonially unclean
Your rules keep you from being moved by love.
He touches the leaper, and the leper is healed. and then he tells him: go but don’t tell any one.
How counter intuitive to our modern day perspective where we are all about promoting, getting the word out. I’m sure Jesus knew that this movement would continue to grow and flourish organically.
Leaper doesn’t listen
jesus now can’t go any where must minister on the outskirts of the city.
So what can we learn from this.
We should learn to pray for compassion from God.
But as followers of Jesus we should also pray that we would have compassion on those we encounter.
That we would see them through the eyes of God,
In these next two stores Jesus stirs up some controversy.
The Forgiving Healer
The Forgiving Healer
Jesus has returned to a city caller Capenaum.
This has kind of operated as Jesus home base.
And he’s preaching in this home.
There were so many people gathered there that there wasn’t even enough room at the door.
There is a paralyzed man who wants healing and So some friends decide to take help take their friend to Jesus. But they couldn’t get in. So they get on the roof of the house.
And they make an opening. The roof would have been made of thatch or compacted dirt, branches and would have been tiled. So they would have to break that up and make a hole. Then they lowered their friend down that hold.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Beautiful right. well yes, to us.
But to the religious leaders, not so much.
They saw this and the bible tells us they begin to question in their heart who is this guy? Why is he speaking like this, that’s blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. And Jesus perceived what was going on him they hearts and mind and he says this in verse 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? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
Man picks up his cot and leaves in front of everyone
They are all amazed and have never seen anything like it before.
So what can we learn from this;
Well first, again we see the attitude of the paralytic and the friends is a humble one.
They come to Jesus with faith Knowing he has the power to heal.
But the response of Jesus here was to forgive this man of his sins.
The Jesus we follow has the power to forgive sins.
The Jesus we follow has the power to forgive sins.
Now while not all sickness is a result of sin (we see this in other parts of Jesus’ story). We do know that all sin has consequences. That sin affects are lives in very practical way.
Excessive drinking = health problems
Sexual sin = Marital problems
greed, envy, jealousy, hate = emotional problems
Stealing, assault, murder = jail
So we have to understand the reality that sinful behavior has real physical consequences. But we also see here in this scripture that Jesus comes to forgive our sins. That in a desperately hopless world, our hope is in Christ. When it seems nothing can make up for the wrong we’ve done, We have a solution. Forgiveness in Christ.
But pastor you don’t know what I have done. How I’ve messed up. This is the message I have for you. There is hope in christ. Forgiveness in Christ.
He washes those sins away. He forgives fully and completely. He does so because he is God. and it is in his death on the cross that we see he paid the price for those sins.
The Relational Healer
The Relational Healer
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
So in this story we see that, mark is continuing to show us the impact and how big Jesus ministry was.
All the crowd was coming to him and he was teaching them.
Jesus was teaching all who listened.But focuses on one
Pasing by he sees levi - a tax collector
You see they were Jewish, but had partnered with the roman government to tax the Isrelites. They would have been seen as traitors. And they would raise these taxes to some pretty unfair rates, and in doing so they would pay a portion to rome and then whatever was left over they would keep. So you can see how they would be incentivized to raise taxes so they could pocket more money. Yet Jesus see this man and tells him follow me.
Then he goes and eats with this man.
like we see in the first story this would have been a no-no.
Eating and fellowshipping with the people he would be making himself unclean.
A religious leader wasn’t supposed to do this kind of thing.
Yet he’s reclining at the table with other tax collectors and other sinners and
He stirs up more controversy.
But what we learn form this;
is that Jesus though he’s drawing a big crowd and has a ton of people’s ear, he also focuses on this one individual.
He spends time with him, he realizes his need. He realizes his need for spiritual healing.
And here he goes from very practical physical healing to using a sickness as a spiritual metaphor.
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
sickness that goes deeper than the leporsy, then the praysis.
Is a condition that all men have, but only some are aware of.
He say I didn’t come to call the righteous, but the sinners.
The thing is that we are all sinners. The problem is that only some of us relize that.
We must realize our own condition. and understand that we have forgiveness in Jesus.
But that leads us to also see the condition of those around us and see the Jesus died for them too.
Some times we use our own criteria for who can come into the family.
That person is too far gone
But wow God could really use this person!
Not realizing that Jesus looks at the outcast, the least likely candidate and says. I’m going to use him. Thats the Jesus we follow
We are called to preach the gospel to all people at all times. Regardless of what we perceive about them.
So, do we know the Jesus that we follow?
I want to leave us with two things to really examine:
The first is internal: What kind of healer do you need?
The compassionate healer. The one who looks at you and say my heart breaks for you?
Sometimes we see God as a harsh God, uncompassionate and not filled with Love. But God Loves you. He cares for you.
The forgiving healer.
The one who says I know what you’ve done. Ive witnessed your mistakes, but I forgive you! I love you!
The relational healer.
Maybe you’ve viewed God as more of a judge and less of a father. You’re perception has been that God is up there in the clouds ruling over everything but you’ve neglected to see that the Father sent the son to show us he wants to have a relationship with us. And its in that relationship with Jesus that you will find the spiritual healing you are longing for.
Which ever of those you needed to hear this morning Know that God Loves you.
Now the external:
If we follow Jesus then that means that we need to be sensitive to the needs and situations of the people we interact with each day. What kind of healer does the world need?
Jesus understood for some individuals he needed to lead with compassion. His heart broke for the leaper.
For others the issues was sin in their lives.
And the need was to deal with the sin, offer forgiveness. A forgiveness that only comes from God.
For others he lead with friendship. With sitting with them, breaking bread with them.
Feel like Family! Not seeing them as outcasts and unholy, but by offering them hope and truth while sitting and dinning with them.
This should be our approach when interacting with people.
disciples not only learn, they make disciples.
Today if for the first time you’ve heard this message and you say I want to place my faith in Jesus. I’ve never done that before. I need that forgiveness of sins. I need that spiritual healing. I want to invite you to make Jesus the Lord of you life. To place your faith in him. the bible says:
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10
And so im going to ask that where your at you would just pray with me: There is nothing magic about this prayer it’s simply to help guide you as you talk to God and tell him that you believe that Jesus is God’s only son and that he died for your sins, and was raised on the third day.
Let’s Pray
If you made that decision today we want to pray with you, and talk a little more about that decision. We’d love to give you a call this week. So I’m going to ask that you text believe to (210) 741-8761 and fill out the form thats texted to you. And someone will be reaching out to you this week.
We love you, I pray you reaching have a blessed week. Let’s end with a song.