Jesus in Full View

Bernard was born in Queens, NY in 1938. A financial wizard, He founded a penny stock brokerage at age 22, in 1960. At one point, Bernard’s company was the largest market maker in the NASDAQ, and the sixth-largest market-maker in the S&P 500.

Bernard was a huge success, and thousands of people built their wealth off his services. In the late 90’s, however, things began to smell “fishy” to some other financial experts, and just exactly how Bernard’s numbers were so good was becoming suspect.

Bernard’s success came crashing down in 2008, when he admitted to his own son that “it is all a lie.” and “i have nothing left.”

In March of 2009, Bernard, or Bernie Madoff, as you know him, pleaded guilty to 11 charges of federal felony. At the fall of his Ponzi scheme, the amount of loss to investors totaled 18 Billion dollars - and if you weren’t personally affected by the Madoff fraud, you probably know someone who was.

Throughout the years, thousands of investors trusted their hard-earned dollars to Madoff’s company to secure their investments, their retirements, their dreams, and their family’s futures. Some made out just fine, but many lost nearly everything, including one of my College professors, who I remember to this day, saying, “there are many ways to harm a man, but to defraud him of his family’s security and future is a bitter blow.”

Now, maybe you’re no financial wizard, not an investor, maybe your life’s savings is in tucked away in your mattress or a hole in your wall, but if you’ve been down this road we call life for any amount of time, there is a significant chance that you have faced fraud - betrayal. Someone makes a promise that they can’t and don’t intend to keep. Its for their benefit, and costs dearly to everyone except them.

This is why we think prudently about major decisions, purchases, investments, agreements, contracts, commitments. This is why lawyers and legal aids earn an excellent living fraud-proofing business contracts and loans and mortgages. This is why there are court systems dedicated entirely to financial claims. This all goes back to the fall and the curse, and this is why there is great mistrust in so many interactions.

And betrayal stings when its financial, but it stings worse when it is personal. Betrayal by a friend, a loved one, a parent, a child, a spouse - it cuts to the heart, embitters and callouses even the most tender of people. Betrayal wounds in ways that infects the affections, and a betrayed person may never live or love as deeply again.

I live in and come from a generation where “fear of commitment” is endemic. Marriage is in decline, average length of employment is in decline, length of residency is in decline. There are a myriad of reasons for this, but i believe it is largely because people have seen their parents and grandparents defrauded in many ways, and it detracts from trust.

When someone asks for a commitment, they are asking for trust - they are promising follow-through, which is hard to come by.

In our passage today, Jesus makes some of the boldest pleas for commitment that a leader can make. He makes statements that will drive followers away. There is no sweet talk, there is no sugar coating - there is honesty, and their is bald confrontation.

Jesus wants followers who are “sold out” so to speak. He demands an investment of more than money or time, but of the whole life.

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

That is a parallel to the opening of our passage today - and I will be honest, those are sharp words! If you had that kind of conversation with a prospective employer, you would probably high-tale it and make a bee-line for the door. But Jesus makes these radical claims on his disciples’ lives unabashedly and honestly, but there is a reason He can do that.

Unlike Bernie Madoff, who defrauded thousands of honest People out of their savings, Jesus intends, is commited to, and is fully able to deliver on every promise that he makes. So yes, he wants followers who are “sold out,” but he backs his claims on our lives - on your life and mine - by his power and authority.

Jesus power and authority encompasses all things, including our lives, our time, and our resources. He has authority to calm seas and forgive sins. Is He your Lord?

One Warning - 18-22

Matthew’s account is a parallel with what we read from Luke a moment ago, but Matthew gives us just two prospective disciples in stead of three. The scene is set, with Jesus getting ready to cross the sea of Galilee, something we will see Him do several times.

As he was getting ready to depart, these men come up to him and indicate that they want to follow Jesus.

The response that ensues can be summed up in this way - there is a cost to discipleship. It is not always without trouble to follow Jesus. There is a lifetime of commitment to a Savior who doesn’t promise ease or lack of trouble, but who does promise life eternal beyond the trouble.

As we read this, one person was eager to follow Jesus, but Jesus quelled his earnestness wit a report of homelessness.

Another showed willingness with apprehension, and Jesus called his bluff by examining his priorities.

The authority and Lordship of Jesus take on even another hue here. This is why I’ve titled the message “Jesus in full view,” because in this dialogue and the subsequent miracles, we begin to see an even fuller picture of who Jesus is.

We’ve seen his authority in teaching, and we’ve seen his power in healing, but here in this conversation, Jesus authority extends to personal matters - a claim on life and time.

Matthew 8:19–20 ESV

And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

The eagerness is professed and probably honest, but Jesus is more brutally honest. “I will follow you wherever you go!” Perhaps he was just referring to Jesus’ trip across the lake, but Jesus’ response indicates that this was a more overarching commitment.

Jesus said, “foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Jesus, as an itinerant teacher, made his “home base” in Capernaum in the region of Galilee, but he never had a home. He stayed with friends and family members of the disciples, but he was essentially a wanderer - homeless among his own people, the Lord of the universe without a cottage to claim on our terrestrial ball.

The life of following Jesus is not a promise of wealth and prosperity, and anyone who says otherwise is selling a bill of goods. Commitment to Jesus in no way secures immediate gain, but the eternal gain always outshines the rest. While many ways of life have financial success as a major goal, the commitment to following Jesus disrupts the normal goals of life.

This brings to life teachings like

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The next man shows some apprehension, and at first his claim seems quite reasonable and even prudent. “let me fist go bury my father.”

Bereavement was just as tragic then as it is today, and in fact the festivities in that day were probably far more consuming than our modern funerals and celebrations of life. Any time a loved on is lost, especially a parent, there is intense mourning - it is part of the human experience and only the coldest of hearts do not give way to that experience.

So when Jesus responds, “Let the dead bury their own dead...” it seems intensely rude.

Now, If you’ve been a churchgoer, and a bible student for any length of time, you have probably heard the explanation that most likely this man’s father wasn’t even dead yet, and he was just waiting for him to die.

Well, I’ve always heard that, and I’ve always wondered if that was true. Well, In Israel, the dead were required to be buried on the same day that they passed away. So if this man’s father had just died, this man would not have even been in the crowd surrounding Jesus - he would have been attending to his very solemn duties as a son.

But Jesus had no patience for a follower who wanted to just wait around for his father to die. Some also speculate that there may have been an inheritance in view here, and perhaps this man was waiting for his “ship to come in” before he dropped everything.

Either way, from other places we know that Jesus knew minds and hearts, and he knew this man’s heart was not in it - it needed challenging, waking up, and the honest confrontation of whether or not the Kingdom of God would be more important than the cares of this world.

“let the dead bury their dead” is usually understood as a call, saying, “let those who are unconcerned with my kingdom care for the things of this world - my business is superior.”

Throughout the centuries, beginning with Jesus’ own disciples, many have heeded that warning and taken seriously that question. And if we’re honest with the demands, Jesus’ words do cut sharply - for the cares of this world are many, but are they more important than our walk with Christ?

Shall we neglect the Lord of the universe for lesser things? Within Jesus’ calls are calls to honor parents, to love one another, and to care for one another - so discipleship is not carelessness, it is not crass and cold-heartedness, but it is honest and forthright commitment. Jesus makes a claim on the priorities of his people - but Jesus is no Bernie Madoff, Jesus can and will back it up.

Three Examples - 23-9:8

After this warning, we see another “triplet” of miracles like we saw last week.

Interestingly, after we saw Jesus’ claim that discipleship is costly, we find that each of these three miracles include some kind of opposition or difficulty in Jesus’ ministry. We see a storm, very picturesque of life’s challenges. We see an angry crowd demanding Jesus’ leave, a picture of his rejection. And we see Jewish leaders accusing Him of blasphemy.

In each difficulty, two things are true - Jesus is victorious and miraculously overcomes, but the opposition is still very real.

So there is a cost to discipleship, but Jesus Authority Transcends the Cost.

1. Authority Over The Elements - 23-28

The first miracle in this set of three places Jesus in the boat, crossing the sea of Galilee like he said he wanted to.

Do you remember way back when we were in Matthew 4? And do you remember the calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John? The two sets of brothers? And do you remember their occupation? There is a reason that Matthew tells us that - and I think this miracle may be one of the reasons.

Here is Jesus, in a boat, surrounded by experienced fishermen from that very lake, and they are about to be accosted by such a trial that even they cry out for help.

The experience the disciples had in the boat gives a parable to two different things - a) the challenges of being a disciple of Jesus and b) who Jesus really is.

In this case, the storm was a real storm, and the challenge in following Jesus was simply following him, being with him literally, through a storm. A great storm.

The term is seismos - which is a fierce stirring of weather, perhaps even the effects of an earthquake under the sea - seismos/seismic. So Seismos is already a violent storm, and then Matthew adds the word “megos” or mega - which we understand, so this is a mega-violent storm.

The ship, or boat, was probably a standard sized fishing vessel, and if it were it would have been big enough for 15 people or so, and not very deep - so the notion of the boat being swamped by the waves was daunting, because the boat was probably almost to capacity as it was.

And where was Jesus? Asleep - resting. As a man, he needed rest, but also every facet of His life teaches us about trust and obedience to God. Jesus’ personal peace and rest was immensely telling. It brings to mind Jonah sleeping in the bottom of the ship on the way to tarshish, only Jonah was running in Disobedience, but Jesus was sleeping in peaceful harmony, doing the will of God.

So here is the carpenter, the land-lover, sleeping peacefully while the fishermen are crying out for help in the mega-storm. And isn’t that often how Jesus leads us? When we feel we are in a comfort zone, like fishermen on the sea, he brings us through a challenge in life so great that all we have left is to cry out. “save us, Lord! We are perishing!”

Matthew 8:26 ESV

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 6:30 ESV

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

I said when we were in that passage, that I don’t think Jesus said “O you of little faith” in those instances to rebuke sharply, but to correct lovingly - and just as Jesus said to them, Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will wear - he says to these disciples - don’t worry about this storm, whether you will live or die.

Have you ever had an “O you of little faith moment?” A moment where, in seeking to follow the Lord, you are met with challenges that seem insurmountable, but then almost out of the blue, the Lord provides in some unexpected way? A card in the mail? A visit from a friend? A helping hand from a neighbor? A gift? And in your Spirit you can hear those words - “O you of little faith.”

Then he arose, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm - in another place, it says he spoke to the wind and sea, saying “peace, be still.”

The one who created by the word of his power now shows his authority over his creation yet again, this time not in healing, but in literally changing the weather. Calming the storm.

And the men marvelled, saying

Matthew 8:27 ESV

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

What kind of man? What kind of power? What kind of authority? Jesus - the God man. This is Jesus, in fuller view - Jesus, in compassion and kindness, meekness, sleeping in a boat, but in power, calming the storm.

2. Authority Over Spiritual Beings - 29-34

The story continues on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, in a region called the “Gadarenes.”

Immediately, we are thrust into another violent scene, only this time it is not natural elements, but supernatural forces at play.

These men, possessed by demons - literally, fallen spirits - were so violent and fierce that nobody could pass that way.

I remember once walking down a narrow path at a place we were visiting in Kentucky, and the path was lined by full flower gardens on both sides. We came around a corner and there was a Mother Goose with her goslings. She was headed our way, and we hers - well, who do you think gained right of way? Like the strong, masculine, and fearless man that I am, I turned back and got as far away from that mother goose as I could.

Well, picture the Gadarene people, never passing this way on the road for who knows how long, because these demon-possessed men were terrorizing the way. You may as well have had a “road closed” sign - and maybe they even Did. But Jesus, like he entered in to the uncleanness of the leper last week, enters in to the fierce terror of these men possessed by demons.

Matthew 8:29 ESV

And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

This is an amazing statement, because this is literally the demons speaking through the man. And what they say is telling - they call Him “O Son of God.”

The disciples wouldn’t recognize Jesus as the Son of God until much much later, in Matthew 18 - but here these evil spirits know exactly who Jesus is, and they are not happy with Him.

Torment before the day - you see, these Demons know that one day their reign of terror will be brought to a swift end. They know that they and their King, the Devil, will be thrown into the lake of Fire - they know who Jesus is, and they tremble - just like James says in James 2:19

James 2:19 ESV

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

And they say, “its not time yet!” So they come up with a compromise - they ask to be cast into the herd of pigs off in the distance.

All Jesus has to say is one word - “Go.” There is no battle, there is no struggle, there is no war, there is no doubt - just “go.” Like he said to the weather, “Peace, be still.” He says to these spiritual beings “Go” and they went.

And went they did - right into the pigs, and it caused such a commotion in the pigs that they dove headlong down an embankment, and drowned in the sea.

Well, this got the attention of the townspeople. They were most likely all gentiles, as the people of this region were, plus, being pig farmers, no self-respecting Jew would keep pigs. The farmers fled into town, rallied the troops, and came back.

Now interestingly, they weren’t very excited about what had happened to the two men - they weren’t so happy about the terrorizing of their roadway being eradicated. They weren’t receptive of the good, but they were plenty upset about the side effects. I don’t think Jesus cast the demons into the pigs to be mean, or to cast judgment on the farmers, I think it was just a sign that the demons had come out - but the people begged him to leave.

And I can picture the disciples - “is this going to be how we are received? We are going to do great things and be met with this kind of rejection?” And i can picture Jesus saying, “yes, yes it is. If they hate me, they will hate you.”

This is a bit of the opposite of the storm, for in that instance a bad situation got fixed, when in this situation, a good work was punished by rejection. We face those things, as well. Sometimes Jesus gives us a sweet encouragement, an “O you of little faith” moment - and then other times we are left feeling empty when serving Him, but even in that, He is with us - when we are rejected, we must recall that He was rejected first. But His power and authority are no less real - the detractors from his work do not nullify who He is. One bad day does not negate every blessing you have received. Keep following, keep trusting.

3. Authority to Forgive Sin

Back in the boat, back to the other side, back to Capernaum, and met with another challenge.

This time, it is another healing - I don’t want to breeze past the healing, for again, it is miraculous and amazing - a man, bedridden, paralytic, carried to Jesus in faith and hope. But this time, the healing is different.

Jesus says to the man - “Take heart, my son - your sins are forgiven.”

Why would Jesus say that? Why would he go to that place?

Do you remember one of the healings of the blind man, where the disciples asked a question of Jesus?

John 9:2 ESV

And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

That was a way of thinking - very common in that day. Thinking that every unfortunate thing must have a personal cause. We think like that too, don’t we? We think, “this is going terribly - I’m so far behind - I can’t catch a break - what have I done to deserve this?”

Perhaps the paralyzed man had those thoughts - perhaps people had accosted him with those accusations. “you wouldn’t be paralyzed if you hadn’t...”

Either way, Jesus shows another facet of his authority by forgiving this man’s sins - going right past the physical ailment to the spiritual health and life. Jesus heals completely, and he heals instantly, his miracles are not surface-level, they are entire. With the storm, Jesus didn’t teleport the boat to the dock, he calmed the waves. With the two men, He didn’t alleviate their demonic symptoms, he eradicated their demons. And with this man, though he will heal him, he also cares for his whole being, body, soul, and spirit, forgiving his sins.

Well, if you thought the gentile pig farmers were angry, they probably had nothing on these scribes.

Blasphemy! is the charge - only God can forgive sins, it says in a parallel passage. Well, if only they knew - the demons know, but they didn’t.

Matthew 9:4–6 ESV

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Authority - it keeps advancing, doesn’t it? An authoritative teacher is one thing. A healer is another. A man who controls the weather is entirely another, and a man who has power over demonic forces is unthinkable - but now, his authority becomes very personal - because you may not be paralyzed or even sick. You may have never been in a storm that could sink your ship - you probably don’t have demons - but you know what you do have, and what I do have? Sin.

We need forgiveness, and more than just horizontal - human forgiveness - we need divine forgiveness.

It is interesting, because this won’t be the last run-in with the scribes and their counterparts, the pharisees - and this won’t be the last charge of Blasphemy.

In fact, the charge of blasphemy will ultimately be the charge that they take up when they request Jesus to be crucified. He will ultimately be hung on a Roman cross and executed for this supposed blasphemy.

He was accused of blasphemy for forgiving sins - and what do we know that he really went to the cross for? to forgive sins. Even in their opposition, these scribes were advancing the Kingdom of God and His Gospel. For the one accused of wrongdoing and evil in this case is the one who forgives wrongdoing and evil by his own sacrifice.

Jesus did have authority to forgive sins, and he proved it in this case by saying to the man, “rise up and walk.” Anyone can say “your sins are forgiven.” But Jesus proved the reality of that claim by saying, “rise up and walk.”

Jesus backed his claim - when he calmed the storm, the storm acutlaly stopped. When he cast out the demons, they went out of the men into the pigs. When he healed this man’s body and spirit, he rose up and walked home.

Bernie Madoff made a run of about 40 years scamming people, but Jesus of Nazareth has been on a perfect streak for 2000 years, and more than that, for he is from everlasting - the very God who created and who can say “peace, be still.” The very God who formed all things can say to the demons “go” and they go. The very God who crafted our bodies can say “rise up” and we rise up.

But most of all, the very God who is holy, good, righteous, and clean can say to us sinners, us needy, us unrighteous and rebellious, “take heart - your sins are forgiven.”

There is a cost to following Jesus - he wants your whole life. And you might say, “but i’ll mess up! I’ll fall short! I’ll stumble!” And you will, you will never follow perfectly. You will disobey. But Jesus is there to say, “your sins are forgiven.”