Last week's lesson below this week: (check for the voice message on Sermons on our home page)

29 June:   Jesus Came to Heal Blindness

Mark 8:22-26 “²² They came to Bethsaida and some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

 

This is an interesting event here and calls for some thoughtfulness. Scripture tells of when Jesus healed Lazarus after being in the grave 3 days and even healing the centurion’s servant long distance. I think I would be correct in assuming that this doesn’t happen because Jesus couldn’t do it in one try and if so, then why did it take two times in this instance? If you look closely at Mark’s Gospel, you can see that he has not just randomly pulled together some parables and events from Jesus’ life. Is it possible, if not probable, that there is some message in the WAY Mark wrote about the things that happened in Jesus’ life?

For example, the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree is told in two parts (11:12–14, 20–25) with Jesus’s pronouncement of imminent judgment on the temple (when Jesus cleared out the temple) inserted in the middle (11:15–19). It seems clear that Mark viewed the stories as mutually supporting, with the fig tree incident understood as an acted-out parable illustrating the Lord’s judgment on unbelieving Israel.

In other words, Jesus encounters a barren fig tree, and He curses it because it is barren. Then the group travels into Jerusalem and the temple where Jesus clears out the temple from those that were desecrating it. Then they leave and as they do so they pass that earlier fig tree and the group sees how it had already withered. Is there not a teaching moment within a teaching moment here where He is clearly illustrating the coming judgement on those who were rejecting God’s Messiah? You have a complete misuse of the temple due to hard hearts, and you have a fig tree which is barren  – and Mark is showing us the condemnation that results in each of these situations.

To continue in this vein, consider the account which immediately precedes the healing of the blind man.  Jesus chastises His disciples and pointedly asks them: “Do you have a hardened heart? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” (8:17,18).      Then after the blind man is healed Jesus begins to tell the apostles how He would suffer many things by the hands of the Jewish leaders and be killed and then rise again 3 days later.  And what does Peter do? He pulls Jesus aside and tells Him that these things are not going to happen. Jesus’ response is to tell Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan. You are thinking like man and not God.” So Jesus tries to get His apostles attention – do you have ears and hear – and then tells them a very hard thing, and sure enough – they aren’t listening with understanding.

So reflecting on the ‘two-part’ healing we started off with - I don’t think we would be too far off the mark (no pun intended) if we see this as yet another parable of Jesus which is being taught in this physical world and not a parable ‘story’ . It is a parable via a real-life illustration.

So, the question then is what are we to do with this? I think the safe bet would be to make sure that we also are not like Peter and this blindman who can not see clearly. We need to make sure that we are seeing God’s will CLEARLY and following it. We need to make sure that our interests are focused on what God wants us to see and do. And what might that be???

 Col 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”     Prov 3:5,6,7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” And David exemplifies this thought:  Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

Remembering that 2 Tim 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is inspired for the purpose of teaching us and correcting us then we can properly understand how our minds are supposed to be transformed by the Word of God and there is a renewing of our minds as Romans 12:2 tells us.  

Secondly, we can also see that physical healing and spiritual growth are often not instantaneous. We must hold tightly to Jesus, continuing to look to Him to meet our physical and spiritual needs. The answers to our prayers may come quickly; or they may come through stages, or the answers my arrive after extensive waiting;  or   maybe only in the new heaven and new earth. Regardless, God’s grace is to be sufficient. 

Paul illustrates then when he prayed three times that his ‘thorn in the flesh’ would be removed. The Lord’s response told him: “’My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, (Paul says) I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Chris may dwell in me.” And in the coming years Paul finds it within himself, through the Holy Spirit, to declare that not only has he learned to be content in all things, but he finds himself reaching a point in his life where he declares that he has fought the good fight and is ready to be called home for his promised reward.

And in other circumstances we may need to remember what we are told in Proverbs and Hebrews: Prov 3:11,12 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”  Heb 12:6,11 “because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.” “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Finally, we need to remember what the Lord us: Mtt 16:24, 25,27 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. … For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and will then repay every man according to his deeds.”   James 2:17,20 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”  John 13:34,35 “A new commandment I give you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

The only answer I have for the two-part healing of the blindman is that this is the way for the Holy Spirit’s to open our eyes to see that there are many different ways and times in which God may work within us. The question is, are we seeing clearly and hearing and responding to God’s calling in our lives?

In summary, I think we should be very appreciative of God’s patience and His willingness to continue to make the effort to pull us into His kingdom. Let us not be hardheaded about obeying the Lord; let us not be blind or deaf in understanding and obeying God’s will; let us not be hard hearted and fail to appreciate and love the Lord and therefore learn to love all of God’s children. Let us not become like the seed falling into the weeds and be influenced by Satan by - becoming fixated on the things and interests of this world and of this life. Let us become the light to the world in bringing the Lord’s message of salvation to all who will listen.

 

 

22 June: What is the Pearl That We Seek?        MTT 13:45, 46

Last week we concluded that we needed to remain faithful and/or obedient to the Lord – all the way to the end of our days or until the Lord comes again. If we do this, we fulfill James’ expectations of persevering in our life in order to obtain that crown of life we have been promised.    One of the things that I have tried to stress many times though, is that we do not and/or will not have to wait until death and heaven to receive God’s blessings. In John 10:10 Jesus states that He has come to bring us LIFE – “abundant” LIFE. But we need to realize that this abundant life is conditional – it is conditional in that we must be living the way God is directing us. To do this we must KNOW   His directions / teachings.

There is a parable that speaks to this: Mtt 13:45,46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Just before these verses Jesus told of a man stumbling upon a treasure in a field and he buys this field in order to acquire the treasure. But this parable is not us! That parable relates to someone who is lost and he stumbles upon a treasure – inferring he finds the gospel truth of salvation and it is in all probability that this happens because WE bring the truth of the gospel to him or her. It then becomes THEIR responsibility to give up all of this world in order to acquire that treasure of salvation. But US – those of us sitting here today - we already know about the treasure – the great pearl. Now, the question is, what are we doing about it? How much are we “giving” up to obtain that “pearl”?

2 Tim 3:16 tells us that Scripture is inspired and has been given to us to train us in righteousness and to be equipped for the doing of good works.  How much “training” are we involved in???

Jer 31:33,34 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”  Is this a true statement about us? Do we ‘KNOW’ the Lord and are His commandments in our hearts???

Joshua 22:5 “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statures and ordinances in Israel.”

2 Tim 1:5 “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”  How connected are WE to God’s word and how established are we in relationship to God?

This ‘connection’ with God’s word and Spirit is how we find our abundant life that Christ has brought to us. Remember the parable we looked at recently, the vineyard workers? What happened in that parable? Those who were chosen to work for the Master was paid abundantly. Remember the parable we looked at last week? The obedient servant was blessed and the wicked servant was punished.

What did Jesus say to those people who called on His name in Matthew 7? “Depart from Me for I never knew you.” Christ says in that passage that those who “DO” the will of the Father will be invited into the kingdom. Jesus has told us if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

Consider what is written in 2 Chron 12:14 “”(And the King Rehoboam) did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.”          Judges 2:6-11 “When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went to take possession of the land. ⁷ The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. ⁸ Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. ⁹ And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and another generation rose up after them A) who did not know the Lord, B) nor even the work which He had done for Israel.   C) Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals”.

You will notice the correlation between knowing God and doing His will vs being ignorant of God and doing evil.       We all know the truth of the statement that you cannot serve two masters.       Deut 6:1-3 ““Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may do them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it, ² so that you, your son, and your grandson will fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. ³ Now Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do them, so that it may go well for you and that you may increase greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”   

Knowing and obeying God = blessings and protection.

Col 3:1,16 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, … Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Do you see where KNOWING the word of God leads you? It leads you here – to participate in worshipping the Lord and uplifting one another in the Spirit. See those qualities of the Holy Spirit. Those are relationship qualities which are active in our lives, not just at Sunday worship but each and every day of our lives. These qualities guide us not just with our Christian brother and sisters but with those who are lost and do not know the Lord. The Good Samaritan did not first ascertain whether the man in the ditch was a God follower before he helped him. The Second Commandment to love our neighbor is not restricted to loving our Christian neighbor but any and every neighbor.

And if you remember correctly, one of the statements by Jesus was that He said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. That assumes what? That we KNOW what His commandments so that we CAN obey them.  

Mtt 13:45,46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

My question is, are you seeking the fine pearls of knowledge and relationship? Are you seeking the one great pearl of love for God? John tells us that faith produces works. Are there works of love in our lives.   Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Eph 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”    Titus 3:14 “And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”   1 Pet 2:12 “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

We are told that if we know to do good and don’t do it, then it is sin.  

Heb 5:12 “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

Let us make sure that we are growing, maturing and becoming more and more like what the Lord wants of us and from us. Let us make sure that our studies and prayer time is drawing us nearer and nearer to the Lord that we can bring glory to His name.