Miracle of Faith, Pt. 1: "Faith Alive and Kicking"

FAITH ALIVE AND KICKING (LUKE 5:17-26)
Faith is alive and well in the 21st century. Science, technology and reason tried but they could not bury faith. Without faith, life is like a house without sunlight, without window or occupants. A life without faith is a murky existence, all doom and gloom, a leap in the dark. Without faith, the body is lifeless, without soul, breath or heart. Faith is at work everyday for those with eyes to see. Without faith, hockey players skate on thin ice, rope-walkers perform on a slippery rope and airline passengers fly at scary odds.

People from across the ages and from all walks of life have weighed in on the significance of faith. Augustine, defender of the faith, remarks, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” The philosopher Pascal muses, “Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a gift from God.” Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. says, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom adds, “Faith is like radar that sees through the fog - the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.” Educator Elton Trueblood observes, “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”

The account of Jesus healing a paralytic in Luke 5 is unique; it offers a number of “firsts” in the Bible. The loud demonstration of the paralytic and his friends’ faith in the presence of Pharisees and teachers of the law is the first record of faith in Jesus. Also, the Pharisees and Jesus had their first direct meeting and confrontation, and for the first time, Pharisees and teachers of the law from “every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem” descended upon a city, specifically Capernaum (Lk 4:31). What a start, what a meeting and what an audience!

The first display of faith in the Gospels was a group venture, yet a personal risk and a public outreach. Jesus admired the resolve of four friends (Mk 2:3), saw the bravery of a paralytic and offered forgiveness to the curious public.

Why is faith an action and not a feeling? What are the obstacles in the way of faith? How can we triumph over animosity and hostility to faith?

Faith is a Personal Experience, But Not a Solo Effort
17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Lk 5:17-20)

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. Luckily, a local farmer came to help with his big, strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn't move.

Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn't respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car put of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!”

The paralytic was a friend in need and his four friends were friends in deeds. They surrounded the paralytic, supported and sustained him. If the most supportive twosome in the Bible were Joshua and Caleb and the most stubborn threesome were the fire-walkers Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, then the most steadfast quartet had to be the four rooftop friends.

Someone articulated friendship well: “A friend is someone who knows you as you are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become and still, gently invites you to grow.” True friends are those who stick with us through thick and thin, ups and downs, haves and have-nots. Lee Iacocca reminisced fondly the advice his father gave him: “When you die, if you’ve got five real friends, then you’ve had a great life.”

The four friends had the highest degree of difficulty. In order to get to Jesus, they had to go up, then down and right through the roof. They removed the tiles, opened the roof and lowered the mat, the man, their mate into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus - before His very nose and face. The persistence of the paralytic and his paramedic friends, the selflessness of the four friends and the crowd-stopping, air-defying, object-balancing act made a strong impression on Jesus. The decision was theirs to make (v 19), the bill was theirs to pay and the work was theirs to sweat. Mark 2:4 records that they had to digging through the roof before lowering the mat.

Jesus looked on with interest, pride and delight. He admired the friendship, the persistence and the resourcefulness the four men had shown. Mostly, he was stirred by their faith. The faith of the four friends was unmistakable, recorded not only in Luke but also to Matthew and Mark. Their faith was in step with and no less stirring than the paralytic’s. Luke 5:20, Matthew 9:2 and Mark 2:3 noted that Jesus praised “their” faith - the paralytic and his friends. After all, they bonded with the paralytic, prized open the roof and lowered down their friend to Jesus. The four brave, smart and loyal men ignored the scowling of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, overcame the obstruction of the crowd and caught Jesus' attention to seek help for their paralyzed friend. They were not frustrated, discouraged or unprepared even when the crowd did not budge. There was no such thing as a dead end, a failing attempt or a futile effort in their vocabulary of faith. The four rooftops were never taken by surprise, flagging in zeal, short of ideas or at a loss.

Faith is a Personal Risk, And Not a Smooth Passage
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Lk 5:21-24)

Faith is not lived in a protected shelter, tested in a secluded environment or practiced in a safe place! Working faith comes with hostile receptions, strange glances and pot shots. Obstacles, opposition and odds are included, understandable and should be expected.

The faith of the paralytic and his friends was severely tested with the presence of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were present in response to Jesus’ claim and activities in the last chapter - Luke 4. Jesus entered the synagogue on the first recorded Sabbath of his ministry, read from the book of Isaiah on the promise of the coming Messiah and threw down the challenge: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-21). The religious leaders were not merely angry; they were outraged or “furious” (Luke 4:28) – the first occurrence of the Greek word “furious” in the New Testament and its only occurrence in the Gospels. They expelled Jesus from the city, even brought him to a cliff and attempted to push him down. Their interest was not in the man healed, but in the Sabbath broken. The sorest point of contention they had with Jesus was that He broke the rules and broke with tradition by healing on the Sabbath.

An orthodox Jew does not work, drive a car or answer the telephone on the Sabbath. In fact, he would not and could not blow out a candle, turn off a light switch to sleep or even put out a house on fire! New York Times (8/16/02) reported that Orthodox Jews campaigned furiously to designate a six-square-mile area in a prosperous suburb of north London as Britain's first eruv, an area defined in religious law where observant Jews are exempted from Sabbath prohibitions such as carrying keys or pushing strollers and wheelchairs.

Joseph Lieberman, the orthodox Jewish senator of Connecticut and Democratic Vice-President for the 2000 elections, admitted he could not go home after a Friday night meeting because operating machinery would violate the Sabbath. The senator had to either walk the four miles from the Capitol to his home or sleep on a cot in his office. Fortunately, a fellow senator then by the name of Al Gore offered an apartment across the street for him to stay, and even turned the lights on for Lieberman, which was another prohibition from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. (USA Today 8/8/00 “Who is Joe Lieberman?”) http://www.usatoday.com/news/conv/149.htm

In the thick of the 2000 presidential elections, the Charlie Rose Show (12/8/00) revealed that Lieberman left his TV on the whole day so that he did not have to violate the Sabbath by turning on TV to find out if the Florida Supreme Court would order a second recount in the Bush-Gore chad controversy. On the same night, Ted Koppel also reported that Senator Joe Lieberman was about to walk from his Georgetown home to the Vice President Al Gore's residence on the Jewish Sabbath to offer a primetime concession speech if not for the court's order of a recount.
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/nightline/transcripts/nl001208_trans.html

On the second recorded Sabbath in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 4:31) and the New Testament, Jesus kept the word concerning his mission. He healed people, including a demon-possessed man (Lk 4:33), Simon’s mother-in-law who had a fever (Lk 4:38) and people with various kinds of sickness (Lk 4:40).

Naturally in Luke 5, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law stormed into town to make their presence felt after Jesus' breakout or first Messianic activities in Capernaum were reported to them. When the religious leaders invaded town, the town folks knew their place, curtailed their activities and even stopped beseeching Jesus to heal, unlike the last chapter when they interceded for Simon’s mother-in-law who had a fever (Lk 4:38), when they took the sick to Jesus (Lk 4:40) and when they begged Jesus to heal individuals such as the leper (Luke 5:12). In fact, even the demons (Lk 4:41) stayed away when the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were in town to find out who were in accord and in cahoots with the man who broke the Sabbath! Matthew Henry says the Pharisees and the teachers of the law “sat by as spectators, censors, and spies, to pick up something on which to ground a reproach or accusation.”

Nevertheless, the four men stuck up for their friend at the risk of offending the religious leaders. Together, the five stuck to their ground, stuck to their purpose and stuck their necks out before the watching, waiting, and wandering eyes of the religious teachers. What made the faith of the four accomplices and their paralyzed friend so amazing was their disregard for who was in the way, who was in the crowd and who was in their corner. The religious authorities had descended like flies on the town; however, the faith of the five shone brightest and spoke loudest when they were sorely tested, publicly scrutinized and duly marked.

Faith is a Personal Triumph, But Never a Secret Matter
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Lk 5:25-26)

A woman who was looking for a dog found the perfect dog from the perfect place for the perfect price.

The ad in the local newspaper read: “Purebred Police Dog $25”. Thinking that to be a great bargain, Mrs. Freeman ordered the dog to be delivered. The next day a van pulled up and left her the mangiest looking mongrel she had ever seen.

In a rage, she telephoned the man who had placed the ad. “What do you mean by calling that mangy mutt a purebred police dog?” “Don't be deceived by his looks, Ma'am,” he replied. “He's in the Secret Service.”

Faith cannot wear a veil or a mask, vow to secrecy and confidentiality, shut its mouth or conscience. Jesus’ challenge to the paralytic to get up, take his mat and go home gave him no option in front of the staring crowd and made it impossible for him to remain neutral, back away or to do nothing and be healed. However, no matter what Jesus said, did or commanded, the paralytic’s decision to pick up the mat was still his personal choice, his big test and defining moment. Up until now, with the exception of the teeming multitudes, Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law (Matt 8:15), the sick that were brought to him (Luke 4:40) and the leper (Luke 5:13) with the touch of his hand. However, the paralytic was afforded no such luxury! Interestingly, Jesus never had any form of physical contact with the sick in the presence of the Pharisees, probably to spare their involvement and give them immunity. Besides, anyone looking for healing and seeking a miracle must truly act in faith and take a stand when it counts.

Jesus required more from the paralytic than just to be on the receiving end of His touch and be a passive recipient of God’s grace. He ordered him to pick up his mat and go home. Taking orders from Jesus before the Pharisees was as audacious and as dangerous a test as any. Did the paralytic have the spiritual, mental and emotional resolve to face up to the Pharisees’ persecution and questioning? Ending up on the Pharisees’ blacklist in crossing them was inevitable, as the blind man in John 9 found out. People associated and allied with Jesus in any form were often the target of the Pharisees, who questioned (Jn 9:26), insulted (Jn 9:29) and ostracized the blind man mercilessly (Jn 9:35). To the crowd’s utter disbelief and hushed silence, the paralytic demonstrated steadfast, stubborn yet simple faith. The man who was immobilized in his body mobilized his mind, will and faith to work. He proved that he was no leech, slouch or flake himself, and not a mere taker, an ordinary paralytic or an easy pushover. The paralytic refused to be a crowd pleaser, a secret believer or an anonymous seeker. Not only did he not wait, procrastinate or hesitate before the public, he picked up his mat and walk before the prying eyes of the investigative team. He couldn’t have done it at a better time, at a worst time or a more awkward time.

To the chagrin and dismay of the Pharisees, the paralytic also didn't go quietly. He made a lot of noise, attracted a lot of attention and caused quiet a scene and a stir. The paralytic did not fear repercussions, nor did he leave quietly. He raised his voice to praise and glorify God, and the crowd caught on to his infectious spirit. They were spellbound, listening carefully and paying attention. After that, they couldn’t stop talking about the paralytic or the healing, debating who Jesus was and what He said or noticing the Pharisees’ displeasure at the paralytic’s audacity, at the crowd’s excitement and at Jesus’ words. The man’s healing opened the door to a point of conversation: who can forgive sins?

Forgiveness is God’s prerogative, promise and provision to those who turn to Him (Neh. 9:17, Dan. 9:9, Ps 86:5). Jesus' offer of forgiveness to the paralytic and those who were present spoke volumes of who he claimed to be. Only God can initiate, bring and proclaim forgiveness. Not even priests could do that; they had to follow the good book and the letter of the law on forgiveness. However, the paralytic did not require a priest’s interpretation of the law and clean bill of health; he heard the good news directly from Jesus, who is the direct way of access for sinful man to God.

Conclusion: Man’s greatest need is forgiveness of sins, but it is hard to know what it means, harder to know where to find it, and even harder to know how to obtain it.
Praise the Lord, Jesus came to forgive our sins. He came so that we do not have to spend the rest of our lives yearning, asking and looking for forgiveness. Jesus did not come to address man's physical need, but his spiritual need; not to cure all man’s ills, but the illness of sin. The paralysis of faith, not the immobility of the body, is life’s greatest handicap. Man can pardon, but only God can forgive sins. Jesus had come so that we may not be darkened in our understanding, deceived by the Evil One and dead in our sins. He is waiting to forgive you of your sins, so that you can begin a new life in Him. Won’t you ask and accept His forgiveness today? Won’t you let him be your Savior and Shepherd, your guard and guide, your Lord and life?

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 2: "Not Under My Roof"

NOT UNDER MY ROOF (MATTHEW 8:5-13)
An ancient legend told of a monk who found a precious stone - a precious jewel, in fact, and then quietly kept it in his bag. A short time later, however, he met a traveler, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of the provisions. When the monk opened his bag, the traveler saw the precious stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, without much thought, the monk gave the traveler the stone.

The traveler departed quickly, overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came searching for the monk again. The monk was, of course, curious to see the traveler again. He wondered at what might have happened to the precious jewel, and yet frowned at what else the traveler would want.

Surprisingly, the traveler returned the stone to the monk and asked for something else. The monk gasped, shook his head in disbelief and asked, “What else do I have that you would possibly be interested to have?” Finally the traveler said, “Please give me that which enabled to you to give me this precious stone!” (Adapted from James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not to Be True, Dimensions, 1994, p. 101)

The gospels commend a selfless centurion whose great faith in God brought recognition from Jesus, healing to his servant and comparison with the Jews. This passage is controversial among scholars, baffling to readers and attacked by critics because Matthew reports that the centurion met Jesus, whereas Luke 7:1-10 claims that the two delegations the centurion sent did. The two possible ways to harmonize these two passages are to accept the possibility that either the delegates’ words were as good as the centurion’s words – linguistically, culturally, and technically, or that Jesus still proceeded to the centurion’s house after the crowd had left.

What help is faith to a Gentile? How is a person’s faith great in the eyes of God? Why is faith no respecter of persons? How does a Gentile come to God?

Faith Transcend Suffering; It Affects Master or Servant
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” (Matt 8:5-6)

It was related that once when the Duke of Wellington took communion at his parish church, a very poor old man went up to the opposite aisle, and knelt down close by the side of the Duke upon reaching the Communion table. Immediately, confusion, conversation and commotion ensued, interrupting and dashing the silence of the church and the solemnity of the occasion. Someone came and touched the poor man on the shoulder and whispered to him to move farther away or to rise and wait until the Duke had received the bread and the wine.

But the keen eye and the quick ear of the Duke caught the meaning of the touch and the whisper. He clasped the old man’s hand and held him to prevent his rising; and in a reverential but distinct undertone, the Duke said, “Do not move; we are equal here before God.” (Adapted from Pulpit Helps 3/91)

The centurion was a thoughtful, caring and kind man. He was not your typical master, owner or taskmaster. He was first and foremost a brother, a friend and a caregiver to the servant. The slave-owner did not stand aloof, stand back or stand around doing nothing when his servant was in pain, in sickness and in need. Though he and his servant were from different worlds and lived separate lives, class, rank or wealth did not define their relationship. No culture gap, social barrier or class distinction separated the two.

The centurion had a heart of gold, a heart of compassion and a heart of flesh and blood when his servant was in pain and suffering. Although not a doctor or a psychologist, he knew of his servant’s sickness, its symptoms and severity, and sympathized with the loneliness, sadness and fear that he was going through. “Lord,” the centurion said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” (Matt 8:6) In a sense the servant’s “terrible suffering” was worse than the standard “torture” the demons experienced before Jesus (Matt 8:29, Mark 5:7, Luke 8:28) and the disciples’ being “buffeted” by the waves (Matt 14:24) – the words are identical in Greek except that the servant’s suffering was described as “terrible” – grievously or excessively in meaning. He cared for a slave who could be easily replaced, who was effectively useless and who would drain and deplete his resources.

The centurion needed no group petition, eloquent persuasion or outside pressure to convince him to seek Jesus’ help. He changed roles with the servant, attended to the servant for a change and pleaded as if his very life was at stake, even seeking Jewish elders, asking personal friends and sending more delegations if he had to.

Of Jesus’ thirty-five recorded miracles in the Gospels, only nine individuals/groups took their cases to Jesus personally: four for their own welfare, including two instances with lepers (Mt 8:2-4, Lk 17:11-19) and two with the blind (Mt 9:27-31, Mt 20:29-34); four parents on their child’s behalf, including the Cana nobleman's son (Jn 4:46-54), Jairus' daughter (Mt 9:18-19), the Syrophoenician's daughter (Mt 15:21-28) and the father of a demon-possessed boy (Mt 17:14-18); but only the centurion unselfishly petitioned Jesus to heal a lowly slave, a family outsider and probably a lost cause, too.

Do you care for others in need? Ask about their welfare? Pray for them? It's been said, “People do not care how much you know till they know how much you care.”

Faith Transcends Sight; It Abounds Near and Far
7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.” (Matt 8:7-9)

In the movie Forrest Gump, Gump, along with many young men of his generation, enrolled into the army immediately upon graduation. When the dimwitted and unwitting Forrest arrived at the army barracks, he had his first taste and test of army life, but passed his first initiation into army life with flying colors.

A drill sergeant put him and other new recruits through the drill as they stood in line. Unfortunately, the black sergeant started with him as he stood in Gump’s face and boomed at the top of his voice: “Gump! What's your purpose in this Army?” Forrest knew the drill and had the answer down pat. Without missing a beat, he answered: “To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant!” The sergeant continued barking: “Gump, you’re a genius. That’s the most outstanding answer I’ve ever hear. You must have an I.Q. of 160. You’re gifted, Private Gump!”

When the sergeant moved down the line barking more instructions to other recruits, Gump thought out loud to himself: “Now for some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs, it’s not really hard. You just make your bed real neat, remember to stand up real straight, and always answer every question with “Yes, Drill Sergeant!’”

Gump knew without a doubt who was in charge, what his role was and where his loyalty lay. A soldier vouches for the system, knows the rules of engagement and does things according to the book. He lives and breathes the institution, the system or the establishment. Upholding its honor was sacred to a soldier. He thrives in the discipline, the structure, the environment and culture. A soldier’s failure to comply often means military discipline, court martial or immediate discharge.

The centurion had seniority in, experience with and insight into the chain of command. His faith in Jesus was simple and straightforward. From experience, he was never worried about an order not followed; his only concern was a command not given. He rightly understood that Jesus’ direct order, not His physical presence, was necessary to work a miracle. Jesus could heal near or far, in attendance or in absentia, in plain sight or out of sight, here and now or there and then. His divine will and spoken word, not His home visit or even His personal touch, were imperative.

The length, eloquence and frequency of Jesus’ words did not matter to the centurion. He trusted Jesus was true to His word and as good as His word. Jesus’ word was His command! One word sufficed to him (v 8); a sentence was a luxury. A simple “Yes,” “OK” or “Go” was good enough. His specific will was more important than His soothing presence. Jesus’ power and presence were not confined by space, time and distance. He could work a miracle in a vacuum, out of nothing and behind the scenes. God’s command was preferable to and as good as His company. His assurance, not his attendance, was crucial.

The centurion understood how decisions were made, how instructions were carried out and what giving orders, receiving and obeying orders meant in his line of work. A soldier takes his orders from the top. He need not meet his superior or know him personally. Sight, distance and contact were luxury to the nameless small soldier, but specificity, delegation and command were imperative.

Faith Transcends Status; It Attracts Jews and Gentiles
10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matt 8:10-13)

Bailey Smith, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention caused an uproar, ignited a controversy and met a protest when he declared in 1980 before 15,000 people: “With all due respect to those dear people, my friend, God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew” (St. Petersburg Times, June 26, 1994).

So a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, asked renowned pastor John MacArthur this question: “Can God hear a Jew's prayers? Prayers of a Jew? Or, really, any unbeliever?”

MacArthur deftly answered: “Of course, God hears everything. The question is whether He answers. The answer, really, to that is that God is under no obligation at all to answer the prayers of an unbeliever. Certainly, He hears them, because nothing escapes His understanding, right? But, He has absolutely no responsibility to answer. In fact, a Christian living in disobedience will not get his prayers answered, either.”
http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/1301-I-5.htm
(Transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-I, titled “Bible Questions and Answers Part 11” )

Race and culture did not matter to Jesus; humility before God did. The elders of the Jews pleaded earnestly with Him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (Lk 7:4-5), but the modest centurion countered, “Lord, I do not deserve...” (Mt 8:8). The centurion was not the most important man in town, nor was he particularly highly ranked in the military or wealthy by any means, but still he had Rome's solid backing, his soldiers' staunch loyalty and the Jews' support. The Jewish elders did not overstate, invent or hype his achievements. They usually did not go out of the way for Gentiles, Roman officers or Jesus admirers, but even their patriotism, dogmatism and cynicism were challenged and overwhelmed by the centurion’s idealism, humanitarianism and sentimentalism. The centurion was regarded, cherished and appreciated for his love for the Jews, contribution to Jewish life and friendship with the Jewish elders.

Still, the centurion did not think it was proper socially, politically and culturally to go to meet Jesus by himself. He decided to send the Jewish elders to meet Jesus. He also felt out of place meeting Jesus with them and, more importantly, felt requesting the Lord’s presence in his house was out of line and not in Jesus’ best interests. The centurion in Capernaum – a Roman officer, a Gentile dog and a Jewish outsider – genuinely embraced Jesus, publicly acknowledged Him and called Him “Lord,” a title that never left the centurion's lips the two times he spoke (vv 6 and 8). Note the Jewish elders the centurion sent did not address Jesus as Lord in Luke (Lk 7:4).

Jesus marveled at the centurion's great faith in Him. Ironically, the two people in Jesus’ lifetime that He praised for their great faith were both Gentiles – the centurion and the Canaanite woman (Matt 15:28). The centurion had no Scriptures to read, no rabbi to teach him and no great tradition, regular training or profound theology to guide him from a young age, but by faith he broke the barriers of race, class and religion. The centurion was the first Gentile who professed faith in Jesus. The centurion did not have the glorious history of the Jews, but he had the earnest desire to seek Jesus; he did not have a traditional Jewish upbringing, but he understood the implications of lordship; he did not have the cultural sophistication, but he had saving faith.

Conclusion: Big troubles demand great faith in God, who is Almighty in power, strong to deliver and able to heal, save and forgive. In Jesus, the door of faith is widely opened to those who were formerly outside of God's salvation. In Christ, there is no east or West, no Jew or Greek (Gal 3:28), no deserving or undeserving. There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God (Rom 3:10-11). Heb 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Do you have living, working and practicing faith? Are you worried what people might think of you, say of you and do to you when you practice your faith? Faith has no shame, is not scared and does not stagnate.

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 3: "Don't Just Stand There, Do Something!'

DON'T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING! (MARK 5:21-34)
Yahoo! Health describes a bleeding disorder as prolonged bleeding due to inadequate blood clotting or coagulation. Normal blood coagulation, it seems, is a complex process involving as many as 20 different plasma proteins to form a substance called fibrin that stops bleeding. And when certain coagulation factors are deficient or missing, the process does not occur normally. Bleeding problems can range from mild to severe.

Some bleeding disorders are present at birth and are caused by rare inherited disorders and some are developed during certain illnesses (such as vitamin K deficiency, severe liver disease) or treatments (such as use of anticoagulant drugs or prolonged use of antibiotics). Bleeding disorder symptoms include excessive bleeding, excessive bruising, easy bleeding, nosebleeds and abnormal menstrual bleeding. The list from Yahoo! Health includes as many as 14 specific bleeding disorder diseases.

When Jesus was on the way to Jairus' house to heal his daughter, a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him in the crowd to touch his cloak and was miraculously healed. Was Jesus upset, insulted or bothered by her actions that were shrouded in secrecy? Not only was her method unorthodox in the Bible, her faith was unaware to the crowd, but her fear, apprehension and relief was understandable to Jesus. Though she was content to be healed, healthy and hidden, Jesus asked and required more from her and yet gave and taught her much more in the process.

How does one progress from seeker to believer? What does it take to grab and catch Jesus’ attention? Why does Jesus want us to meet Him all the way and not merely midway, to know Him personally and just know about Him?

Faith is Not a Thankless, But a Tireless Exercise
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. (Mk 5:25-26)

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, the survivor arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.

Early the next day, however, the man was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

It’s been said, “A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a person. Kites rise against, not with the wind.”

Life has its heartaches and none is as heartbreaking as a rare, a stubborn or an unspeakable illness that is dreaded for its physical onslaught, financial cost, mental, emotional and physical toil. The Chinese saying, “Long-sick folks have no filial or obedient child by their bed.”

The Law had some specific instructions on how to deal with a woman who has a discharge of blood for many days other than her monthly period or beyond her period. The woman, her bed and anything she sits on will be unclean as long as she has the discharge and those who had contact with her and her belongings will be unclean and must wash their clothes and bathe themselves, and will be unclean till evening (Leviticus 15:19, 25-27).

The story of the woman with a bleeding disorder began 12 years ago. She had a degenerating disease and was an ongoing sufferer. Her visits to the doctors were frequent, expensive and ineffectual. As health is more important than wealth, she spent all she had possessed, earned and saved. Numerous doctors had attempted in vain ancient techniques, modern experiments and unconventional ways on her, regularly calling her in, changing her medication and charging her again. The doctors could not heal her body or make her better, but she did not quit. She was determined in spirit to live on, press on and battle on. Her illness or her troubles besieged her but it did not break her. No matter which doctor she visited, what diagnosis she heard and how destitute she was, her resolve not to give up set her apart from others.

The fact that she got through to Jesus was a miracle in itself and a triumph of faith. Not only did the disciples surround him, a large crowd that had gathered by the lake was following him closely and beginning to press against Jesus to the point of crushing him (Lk 8:42). Not only did she have to keep pace with the moving crowd, she had to move up, get free, wiggle through, cut in and remain anonymous. All she had was the strength of a woman, a sick one too, but she managed to overcome her worry of suffocation from the crowd, separation from Jesus and for her own safety, not withstanding the fear of being chased, cornered, caught, chided and cursed.

Faith is Not a Timid, But a Triumphant Experiment.
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'“ (Mk 5:27-31)

The theology student decided his academic pursuits were a travesty and that he should go forth and seek the meaning of life for himself. And in the course of his travels, he was directed to a distant peak in the Himalayas where a great sage resided. Arriving at the age's austere cave after a trek of many days, the student prostrated himself and asked humbly, “O reverend Master, what is life?”

“Life,” pronounced the wizened old man gravely, “is the scent of jasmine after a spring rain.” The student frowned, “But Master, an Incan wise man I encountered told me life was a thorn like a needle of tempered steel.” The sage nodded, unperturbed and said, “(My friend,) That's his life.” (Adapted from James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited)

Up to this point, though the woman with the bleeding disorder had heard of Jesus' miracles in Capernaum, Jesus had healed previously in two ways only: by His direct touch or His spoken word. He healed the centurion's servant (Mt 8:8) and the paralytic by His word (Mt 9:7), and the leper (Mt 8:3) and Peter's mother-in-law by His touch (Mt 8:3, 15). Further, the leper and the centurion had asked Jesus for help personally (Mt 8:2), and the paralytic and Peter's mother-in-law were brought by others (Lk 4:38). None of the miracles was stealth-like or in secret.

The faith of the bleeding woman was undaunted, unprecedented and unconventional. Not only did the woman with a bleeding disorder defy her disease so long, she designed a plan to reach the Savior. She thought to herself: “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Any part of Jesus’ attire - cloak, textile, or edge - was good enough for her. The last thing the sensitive and considerate woman wanted to do was defile Jesus by touching Him; in fact, believing that touching His clothes was sufficient to heal required more faith! Remember, the law said an unclean woman was not supposed to touch Him. Her words, insight and actions showed her unwavering faith in Him – any part of Him. She should be at home, away from people, mindful of her bleeding condition (Mk 5:29). Her presence would horrify her personal doctor, offend the religious teachers and invite the scorn of the crowd, but she figured that God could not be annoyed, offended or tainted by genuine faith.

So the woman made plans, made chase and made creative contact with Jesus, rising above the clamor of the crowd, the misgivings of the disciples and the surprise, despair and panic on Jairus' face. She met Jesus at the lowest point of her life, and Jairus' too, but she never thought she was delaying Jesus' journey, disrupting Jairus' request and dooming his daughter to her death. God is sovereign, wise, and omnipotent; and He is able to make all grace abound in all things at all times in every good work (2 Cor 9:8), able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20) and able to save completely those who come to God through Him (Heb 7:25).

Readers are not informed whether the woman had heard the testimony of Jairus, but her last words, “I will be healed,” and Jairus words, “she will be healed,” (Mark 5:23) were astonishingly similar to each other. However, her faith was indicated and identified. Jairus was never credited with the word “faith” in his interaction with Jesus.

Faith is Not a Torturous, But a Trustworthy, Experience
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mk 5:32-34)

An elderly lady once went to a branch office in her town to buy stamps just before Christmas and the lines, like any festive occasions, were particularly long.

A kind bystander pointed to her that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. She thanked the stranger and said, “I know, but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis.” http://www.sermonillustrations.com/nti/matthew/10_40-42.htm

The sick woman’s aspiration to live and the action she took were rewarded by her acquaintance with Jesus, her acknowledgement before the public and His affirmation to her. Those who come to God by the side door must meet Jesus at the front door and not leave by the back door.

Jesus did not just introduce the woman to the crowd; he reassured her, taught and showed her how to live. It wasn't her cleverness or her courage that Jesus saw, but her faith. As long as she stood behind Jesus or disappear in the crowd, she could only sample the gift but not meet the Giver, experience the healing but not meet the Healer or taste the produce but not meet the Provider. She had to come before him, speak about herself and testify of Him in His presence and to others (v 33) in order to grow and mature in faith.

Jesus did not request, suggest or force the woman to speak up, yet the penniless woman volunteered to testify, and she told it gradually, gratefully and grippingly to the disciples, the crowd and Jairus, thereby strengthening His faith and resolve. Of course, she had her doubts and trembled with fear (v 33); after all, everyone knew she was unclean. Apparently, her name was unknown, her life was a secret and her actions were radical, but Jesus complimented her on her faith, invited her to share with others and declared her freedom from her misery (v 34) before the on-looking crowd.

More importantly, she saw her Savior's face, not his back; met Him, not feared Him or feared things; and heard His loving, gentle, reassuring voice. So Jesus instructed her to go and live in peace, not in fear, loneliness and anonymity anymore. God is not anyone's personal healer or physician, nor is faith a mysterious force, an unknown power or nature's gift. It’s been said, “Power in religion without personal relationship and public commitment is little better than superstition or magic.” Faith is a conviction and a commitment to the Savior who has the power to heal, save and forgive.

Conclusion: Albert Schweitzer said, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” God's door of faith is always open, friendly and accessible to the sick, the hurting and the weak. Are you merely standing around? Have you asked Jesus to be your friend, companion, and Savior? Do you give up easily, get discouraged quickly and go away empty? Jesus is the light that will brighten life’s darkness, dispel its coldness and end its wretchedness. Won’t you let Him in, take the step to make Him Lord and live a life of faith and freedom?

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 4: "Believing is Seeing"

BELIEVING IS SEEING (MATTHEW 9:27-31)
Helen Keller, the much beloved blind, deaf and dumb American author, envisioned what she would most like to see if she could see for just three days. In her article “Three Days to See,” she wrote that she would like to see those she loved on the first day - to look deeply and lovingly into the faces of people whose kindness, gentleness and companionship have made her life worth living, including her teacher, Ann Sullivan, all her dear friends and even her loyal dogs. At the end of the day, she would take a long walk in the woods to enjoy the countryside and at night watch the lights burn in darkness at home.

The next day, she would walk through museums to view past and present history, then visit art museums to study artistic expression and examine great carvings, sculptures and paintings and cap it by attending a theatre, a movie, a dance, or a play at night.

And on the last day Keller would head for the city to gaze at its bridges, towers, and people and then stand at a busy corner, merely to look at people to understand something of their lives, their smiles, joy, determination and even suffering. At the end of the last day she would go window shopping, walk the streets, and visit all the possible neighborhoods she could.
http://www.afb.org/archives/papers/writingsbyhk/w-three.html

Blind people can live productive lives today, but not in Jesus' time. In Matthew 9, Jesus healed two blind men who were prepared for the encounter, patient in their pursuit and practical in their faith.

Is there such a thing as blind faith? Why does God expect disadvantaged people to come to Him in faith just like everyone else? How does faith help sufferers transform from victims to victors in life?

Search the Scriptures
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Matt 9:27)

A man went to see the Pope as he was visiting in Europe. There was a huge crowd of people there but he managed to get through. He watched as the Pope stopped every once in a while to whisper something in their ear. He was dressed in his best suit because he really wanted the Pope to talk to him but, as the Pope came up to him, he walked right by and stopped by a guy near him who was homeless and dressed in rags.

So, the man said to himself, “I know why he stopped at him, he's homeless!” So the man paid the homeless guy 50 dollars to use his clothes and he went back the next day. Well, this time the Pope stopped at him, leaned over, and whispered to the excited man, “I thought I told you to get out of here yesterday!”

For all their setbacks, the two blind men more than made up for their physical handicap and personal disability with their theological inspiration, clear understanding and deep insight. They were theologians, historians and psalmists (Ps 9:13, 51:1, 57:1, 86:3, 86:16, 119:132, 123:3) without peer. Unknown to others, they had no firewall, blinders or handicap in their interpretation of and insight into Scripture. The title “Son of David” is a significant expression in Matthew’s gospel, where it appears ten times, more than all other gospels combined. Nowhere else in the Gospels receives as much as coverage. The title appears four times in Luke (3:31, 18:38-39, 20:41) and thrice in Mark (Mk 10:47-48, 12:35), but none in John. Matthew revealed that the blind men were pioneers in recognizing, uncovering and announcing Jesus as the Expected Son of David to his fellow Jews. They were blind but they were well-informed, well-versed and well-prepared.

The blind men were, in fact, the first people to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of David in the gospels. Matthew intended to portray Jesus Christ as the Son of David (Matt 1:1) and to present the blind men as the mouthpiece of the good news (9:31).

The identity of the Son of David was never easy to spot or track. Fourteen generations of David's descendants had shuttled between Babylon and Palestine before Jesus' arrival (Mt 1:17). How did the men know what his blind countrymen did not? Weren't they disadvantaged people? They did not read the Old Testament, study genealogical records or go to a rabbinical school, but by God's grace, they understood what theologians, historians and rabbis could not: that Jesus was the son of David, not of Joseph or Mary.

Faith distinguishes those with sight and those with insight, levels the playing ground of those who can see and those who cannot, separates those that cannot see and those that do not and would not see.

The blind men had the faith to ask for the impossible. God had never healed any one who was blind in the Old Testament. On one occasion, God healed Elisha’s Aramean attackers, who were temporarily blinded, not permanently blinded or born blind (2 Ki. 6:18). The blind men pleaded with Jesus with words right out of the Psalms that were mostly from David's prayers (Ps 4:1, 6:2, 31:9), but one quotation grew on and stuck with Jesus. The “Have mercy on me” pleas were from David primarily, but the plural “Have mercy on us” (Ps 123:3) gave Jesus pause and food for thought. The original reference in Psalms 123:3-4 was heartbreaking: “Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.”

Seize the Opportunity
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. (Matt 9:27-28)

A guessing game goes like this: A man said, “Knock, Knock.” A voice then asked, “Who's there?” The man replied, “Opportunity.” The voice, however, answered, “Can't be.” The man was taken back, and asked, “Why not?” To which the voice countered, “Because opportunity knocks only once.”

The English word opportunity comes from Latin ob portu, where the English word for “port” is derived. In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide before it could make it to port. Like a surfer riding the waves, a ship at a port waits for the moment when it could ride the turn of the tide to harbor. The captain and the crew would have to get ready for that one moment, for they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in.

It's been said that four things cannot come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, time past, and the neglected opportunity (Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, 178).

The blind men not only had inspiration; they had industry. The blind men had reasons to impose on Jesus and to invade his privacy. Jesus' next step was to leave Capernaum and proceed to other towns and villages with his disciples. His mission was to teach and preach in the synagogues of Judea (Luke 4:43-44) and in the towns of Galilee (Matt 11:1). He and his disciples would leave Capernaum before the chapter ends (Mt 9:35) and their opportunity would disappear.

The challenge of the blind men, like most sufferers, was not combating people's hurtfulness, but to overcome their own sense of helplessness and hopelessness in a normal society. Blind men were good for little. They were beggars in old days, masseurs in many parts of the world today; though some have acquired higher education, they still end up as basket weavers, telephone operators and with low-end jobs. People then had no Braille invention, guide dogs or discrimination laws to make life easier.

The two blind men who met Jesus had no sight but that they made it up and helped themselves with their intelligence, interdependence and industry. They made full use of their other senses and faculties, especially their ears, legs and hands to follow Jesus back to his house. They had no help, except one another, but together they followed Jesus patiently until the right moment to barge inside (v 28). The blind men were resourceful in approach, relentless in spirit, and rapid in stride, following him on the streets, back to home and into the house. They were disadvantaged in sight, but not short of ideas. They grasped each other's hands, held onto their canes with the other hand and listened attentively to Jesus' stride, turn and pace for the right moment to approach Him. What a sight it was! They walked closely behind Him, waited smartly for the right opportunity and made sure they were not separated from each other and Jesus.

Eventually Jesus slowed to a halt, the ground was different and the blind men knew it was now or never. Since Jesus did not stop for them, they had to stop Him before He disappeared and closed the door. With that, they gave chase, cried out and rushed indoors. Astonishingly, they were there uninvited, but they were not unwelcome. They infringed upon Jesus' time, space and rest, but Jesus did not rebuke their presence or impede their entrance. In fact, their unflinching resolve, irrepressible spirit and desperate mindset caught Jesus' eye, cornered him inside and captivated His attention. What unity, capability and audacity!

Spare the Time
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. (Matt 9:28-31)

A man fell on a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. He yelled for help: “Is anyone there?” A voice answered him from heavens: “I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?” In despair he cried out: Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hold on much longer.”

Immediately the voice said to him, “That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch,” the reassuring voice said. A moment of pause, then the man spoke his mind: “Is anyone else up there?” (Bits and Pieces, 6/24/93)

In the end, the blind men were rewarded not only for their inspiration and industry, but also for their insight. The blind men’s response was the first of four “Yes, Lord” responses from the Gospels in the exact Greek word order. The others were the Canaanite woman (Mk 7:28), Martha (Jn 11:27) and Peter (Jn 21:15-16). Jesus had a knack of asking the crowd and his disciples questions, whether he was teaching or healing and whether he could get an answer or not. But He never let blind people leave with just their sight restored but their participation lukewarm and understanding incomplete.

The two men were not the only blind men Jesus questioned. Jesus asked the blind man in Bethsaida if he could see anything (Mk 8:23), questioned Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). In John 9, Jesus returned to ask him a blind man kicked out of the synagogue, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (Jn 9:35). In fact, none of the blind, including the demon-possessed blind man (Mt 12:22), could leave without questions asked, if not by Jesus or the crowd (Mt 12:13). Surprisingly, the blind did not get a free ride even with their condition. They could not leave quietly without answering a question, which Jesus used as a way to plant faith in them, to harvest faith from them or add faith to them.

Questioning the blind men served many purposes. Not only did Jesus care to meet and talk with them, he also cared to instruct and correct them. Later, Jesus encouraged and humanized them by touching their eyes (v 29). Blind people are naturally distrustful of people. Like most folks, they faced discouragement when they are disliked, discriminated and disparaged.

To appeal to God's mercy is the first step, but faith is still the personal step every one must make - the subsequent and ultimate and only path to God. Someone once said, “If you don't matter to you, it's hard to matter to others.” Heb 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Conclusion: Faith comes from our insight, not from our sight. Our eyes one day will need glasses, grow dim or lose sight, but faith will overcome poor eyesight, old age and physical handicap. Have you let the absence of sight, the dispute over evidence, or the presence of opposition hinder you from God? Seeing is believing for those without assurance, conviction and hope, but believing is seeing for those who have faith in God as their guide, caregiver and friend. God has promised that He will never leave, disappoint or fail those who trust in Him. Is your faith firmly rooted in the word of God and fixed on the Son of God? Is it persistent, patient and purposeful faith? Or is it fleeting, fragile and feeble?

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 5: "Not Too Proud for Crumbs"

NOT TOO PROUD FOR CRUMBS (MATTHEW 15:21-28)
The story of the Canaanite woman and her demon-possessed daughter is ridden with tough questions, negative overtones and hard feelings. A scholar said, “It is difficult to find a harsher and more unfeeling reply in the four Gospels than that which our Lord made to the Canaanite woman. In our present climate, if someone just overheard the first part of this Gospel reading, Jesus would be finished. Jesus of Nazareth would be called an anti-feminist, and I doubt if He would ever have been able to re-establish himself again for the highly considerate and sensitive man He was.” (Richard McCullen)

The Canaanites were a loose company of tribes who were already occupying and terrorizing the land of Palestine before Abraham's arrival there (Gen 10:15). Their checkered history with the Jews was understandable. Noah had cursed his son Ham, the forefather of Canaan, to be a slave to his brother Shem, ancestor of the Jews (Gen 9:25-26). After entering the Promised Land, the Israelites suffered the Lord's wrath for mingling with the nations, adopting their customs and worshipping their idols, including sacrificing their sons and their daughters to the idols of Canaan (Ps 106:38). The last Old Testament prophecy concerning the Canaanites was a damning exclusion of the Canaanites in the house of the LORD Almighty (Zech 14:21).

In this passage, the Canaanite woman not only survived the obstacles, opposition and odds in her path, but more importantly, she succeeded in the most unlikely place, in the most unlikely fashion and with the most unlikely ending.
How did she triumph amidst the adversity? She sidestepped her misfortune in life with her rousing appeal to Jesus, then combated opposition from the disciples with her relentless aim for Jesus' feet, and stated her deposition of faith with real admiration from Jesus.

How do we face and approach barriers and blockages on the way to Christ? Should we give up, be angry or become bitter? Why is faith unafraid of roadblocks, ridicule and rudeness?

Shout to the Lord
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." (Matt 15:21-22)

In a Peanuts comic strip Charlie Brown was playing catch with Lucy to prepare their losing team for the new baseball season. Charlie Brown proceeded to throw a high ball across the field to her. Lucy was ready for the ball to fly into her mitt. She lifted her head up to the sky, her hands were ready to field the ball, but not only did she not catch the ball, it hit her on the head instead. Then she suffered the ultimate indignity of the clueless Charlie Brown yelling at her: “Lucy, you're the worst player in the history of the game!”

Of course, Lucy would not accept that from Charlie Brown or anyone else, for that matter. She shouted defiantly to Charlie Brown across the field: “You can't prove that! You should never say things that you can't prove!” That made Charlie Brown think. Charlie Brown corrected himself and hollered back: “In all probability, you are the worst player in the history of the game!” Hearing that, Lucy whispered quietly and meekly, but triumphantly: “I can accept that.”

Do you take things lying down?

The Canaanite would not take no for an answer and would not take it as it is. She rose above her outsider status with a rousing and resourceful appeal to Jesus. The woman's appeal to Jesus was the turning point not only for the well-being of her demon-possessed daughter, but also for the promotion of Jewish-Canaanite ties and for the inclusion of Gentiles in God's kingdom. Her story was more compelling when readers realize she was the first pagan in a Gentile terrain to publicly embrace Jesus and the first and only woman to cry publicly for a hearing from Jesus. The verb “cry out” means scream, shrieking even, a very unlady-like outburst, especially before men!

It was shocking for a Jew to believe in Jesus, rare for a Gentile to welcome the Jewish Messiah in Palestine, but scandalous for a Gentile woman to acknowledge Jesus before foreign residents outside of Palestine, even though she was a Greek, according to Mark (7:26). Therefore, the confession of the woman in distant Tyre and Sidon, located in Lebanon today, was extremely challenging, controversial and courageous.

Previously in Matthew, Jews who made the attempt to approach Jesus were all healed, from men who were demon-possessed (Mt 8:29, 9:32) to the crippled (Mt 9:2) who could walk (Mt 9:27) and the blind who could see (Mt 14:26), but this was the first and only time a Canaanite, a Gentile and a Jewish adversary was healed. Further, she did not make things easy for herself or Jesus by asking in foreign territory. Even the Gentile centurion, whose sick servant’s racial identity was not revealed, made his request to Jesus in the friendly confines of Palestine when Jesus entered Capernaum (Matt 8:5).

In the process, not only did the Canaanite woman (by residence) renounce her neighbors’ and possibly her forefathers' pagan gods, beliefs and practices when she addressed Jesus as Lord and Son of David (v 22), she also stunned, embarrassed and offended her family, friends and neighbors when she made a commotion, caused a scene, and drew attention to herself, her daughter and Jesus with her loud, daring and passionate plea to Him in public. She cried, screamed and begged for attention. From now on she was recognized and identified as a Jewish sympathizer, a prodigal daughter and a curious sight - a Gentile woman who disregarded historical animosity, crossed cultural taboos and ignored racial differences to embrace Jesus in faith for the sake of her daughter. It made her an outsider, a minority, an oddball and an oxymoron in the worst places and to her own people, but her appeal was worthwhile for her daughter's sake. Though it cost her before her people, it gained a hearing from Jesus.

Shut Up Your Critics
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
(Matt 15:23-25)

A story that appeared in the Daily Bread told about an old grandfather clock that had stood for three generations in the same corner of a room, faithfully ticking off the minutes and hours, day after day. In the clock was a heavy weight that was pulled to the top each night to keep it running.

Then one day the clock was sold, and the new owner noticed the heavy weight. “Too bad,” he said, “that such an old clock would have to bear so great a load.” So he took the weight off the chain. At once the clock stopped ticking.

“Why did you do that?” asked the clock. “I wanted to lighten your burden,” the man said. “Please put it back,” the clock pleaded. “That's what kept me going.” (Daily Bread 4/20/98)

Do troubles trip you or toughen you?

The Canaanite woman demonstrated her perseverance and dignity when opposition arrived from the disciples, not her people. She showed that she had the poise of presence, the perseverance in character and the peace of mind that no one could fake, shake or take. The Canaanite woman's temperament, attitude and calm were amazing when opposition rained on her from the most unlikely source: Jesus’ disciples and Jewish men. Opposition, however, did not hinder her but hurried her to act, did not confuse her but convinced her to act, did not prohibit her but possessed her to act. So she kept crying (v 23) and she cried non-stop for the Lord's attention. “Keep crying” (v 23) is present tense, indicating she is still at it, with it and on it, crying her lungs, tonsil and heart out.

The disciples, on the other hand, were protective of Jesus. Already, on arrival at Tyre, Jesus entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; however, the Canaanite woman found out where He lived, and decided to act quickly, as soon as she knew where He could be found, according to Mark (Mk 7:24)

Even then, the disciples' words, behavior and attitude were inexcusable. Their actions and words that day were appalling, inexcusable and discriminatory, but their attitude was worst. They refused, rejected and rebuked the woman outright. They could have done a lot of damage to her faith, the Jewish Messiah's reputation and Jewish-Gentile relationship. Sadly, the disciples acted by themselves. Interestingly, the Greek verb to describe the disciples' “urging” in Matthew 15:23 is the same verb to describe the Canaanite woman's “begging” of Jesus in Mark’s version (Mark 7:26), suggesting that the woman pleaded relentlessly with Jesus, but the disciples pestered Jesus just as hard, but with more people. It was an uneven and losing shouting contest to her. The odds against her were high: at least twelve Jewish men against an outnumbered Gentile woman! For the first time, the Greek word “besought” (v 23’s urged) lost its nobility, decency history and credibility in the life of disciples. The disciples did not “beseech” Jesus to do something positive or proper like they used to, such as explaining a puzzle (Matt 16:13, Mark 4:10, John 9:2) or urging him to eat (John 4:31); instead, they urged him to do something negative and turn down someone in need.

To their surprise, not only did they fail in persuading Jesus to send the woman away, they could not bar or ban her either from Jesus. She crept nearer and nearer, closer and closer, as she made stride, made progress and finally made contact, lunging at his feet. The turn of events did not make her make her bitter but it made her more determined to succeed, and she did. Not only did she outrage the disciples, she outdid and outclassed them, begging Jesus passionately not with words from afar but on her knees before Him, under His nose, in front of His eyes. Before they knew it, she had made her way, knelt before him and pleaded to Him: “Lord, help me!” (v 25)

In your troubles or sadness, have you rushed to that special spot before Jesus? Have you told Him about your plight? Have things, people and feelings prevented or obstructed you from having faith in and getting close to Jesus?

Stand on Your Grounds
26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matt 15:26-28)

Dogs (v 26) are more pests than pets or guardians in those days. No matter how lovable, friendly, well-bred, well-groomed or well-trained they are, they contribute nothing to the family and bring nothing to the table! Sheep (v 24), on the other hand, give of their wool, milk and meat; and if that wasn't enough, their young ended up on the owner’s table too! No wonder Jesus used the sheep analogy for Israel and the dog for Gentiles.

Jews were not allowed to keep dogs for pets. Muslims forbid that too. Dogs were dirty, wild and numerous in Jesus' days. Without owners, they stray; without baths, they stink; without food, they starve.

The only way dogs subsist and survive is to live off strangers, garbage or open air dining. Fearful dogs go to the trashcan for food, but smart, hungry, friendly dogs take their place by the table or with strange people. Anyone can chase dogs away but no one can stop them from returning, unless they are hit with a stick or a stone. Their place cannot be denied. Crumbs are free. Not even the most frugal man in the world would or could save morsels. Diners can save the last piece of bread or maybe even its crust, but not crumbs or scraps that are left on the table or dropped from the table.

The Canaanite woman, interestingly, created an opening despite Jesus' emphatic, pointed, forceful statement (Mt 15:26). By saying, “Yes, Lord,” she demonstrated that she did not need a direct question to answer Jesus (Mt 15:27). She wisely portrayed herself as a Gentile underdog who was not picky, greedy, moody, flaky or testy. The foreigner willed for herself nothing but unwanted and unfeasible crumbs from the table and she did not even ask for a helping hand or a deserving turn.

Jesus' actions were enigmatic. Though Jesus did not send the woman away, he did not rebuke nor reward the disciples either. While his initial silence was confusing, his final remarks were crucial. Jesus did not aid her defense or scorn her presence; in fact, he ignored her to make her determination and initiative even more remarkable. He wisely used withdrawal, silence and delay to extract, emphasize and endorse her great faith. She called Jesus Lord three times, tying her with the two blind men (Mt 20:30-31) in calling Him “Lord” the most number of times, except she humbly, respectfully and audibly called Him Lord the three times she spoke to him.

Jesus openly congratulated and commended the woman for her great faith. Along with the centurion (Lk 7:9), these two Gentiles were the only ones Jesus admired for their great faith, but she was the only one to hear from Jesus first-hand His direct praise, which Jesus highlighted to emphasize His purpose. Jesus made the trip to Tyre and Sidon to make the sharp contrast between the stubbornness of the Jews and the repentance of Gentiles. He rebuked the Jews for their unbelief: “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Matt 11:21-22) In fact, Jesus visited the farthest and most hostile places to reveal the great faith of a Canaanite woman in faraway Tyre and Sidon who had NOT seen Jesus perform miracles to highlight the Jews' stubborn unbelief in Palestine even after seeing up-close Jesus' miracles in their land.

Conclusion: God knows our heart, our actions and our mind. He does not deny, forsake or reject those who come to Him. God's forgiveness, salvation and goodness are freely available to those who come sincerely, patiently and tirelessly to Him. Have you come to the Source, the Giver and the Fountain of Life? Have you confessed and committed your need to Him? Have you called on Him and cried to Him for help? Do you allow people’s words and deeds stumble and not stimulate your relationship with God? All who receive him, all who believe in the name of Christ, are considered children of God, not wild dogs or lost sheep, but sons and daughters of God.

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 6: "Rags to Riches"

RAGS TO RICHES (MARK 10:46-52)
Joel Gregory told a story of a blind, poor and hungry Indian beggar who sat beside a road, starved from the scarcity of travelers and how much rice they could give him. One day he heard the thunder of a chariot in the distance. It was the grand entourage of the Maharajah, who was known to have performed miracles for the poor. This was a moment that had never come before. Surely the Great One would stop and give him baskets of rice.

Indeed, the golden chariot of the Maharajah stopped before the poor beggar. The Great One stepped down and the beggar fell before him. However, the beggar couldn't believe the stinginess of the Great Maharajah, who said to him, “Give me your rice.”

An unpleasant, a repulsive, dark scowl masked the face of the beggar. He reached into his bowl and flung a grain of rice toward the Maharajah. The Great One said, “Is that all?” Next, the beggar spat on the ground, cursed and, in disgust, threw him another grain of rice. The Great One turned, entered his chariot and was gone.

The beggar – angry, moody and grouchy - fingered the remaining rice he had in his bowl. He felt something hard, glistening, something different from rice. He pulled it out. It was a grain of gold. He poured out his rice, caring nothing for it now and found another grain of gold. The poor beggar regretted what he had done. If only had he trusted the Great One, he would have had a grain of gold for every grain of rice! (Adapted, Pulpit Helps 2/93)

When Jesus passed Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, he healed blind Bartimaeus (Lk 18:37), who never stopped shouting for His help, asking for His mercy and clamoring for His attention. Jericho, historically, was famous for its falling walls (Josh 6:26). It was a dangerous place for travelers, as told fictionally by Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30), but it was a redemptive spot not only for the beggar Bartimaeus but also for the tax-collector Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1). Mark's gospel differs from Matthew’s gospel (20:29-34) by focusing only on one blind beggar, not two, and differs from Luke’s account (18:35-43) by naming the blind and personalizing him.

Is faith a sympathy for one’s plight, a sadness for one’s troubles? Why is faith a positive response and not a negative or passive to God’s goodness? Why is faith the surest riches, reserve and resource in the eyes of God?

Let Your View Be Known
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mk 10:46-47)

People with disability are often picked on, cast aside and taken lightly. Not only do they suffer from emotional insecurities, they have to endure physical inconveniences and social insinuations. Blind people are a challenge to the most supportive family, an eyesore to the most tolerant public and a target of most neighborhood bullies. They suffer injuries, accidents and even death at the hands of ignorant family members who consider them a taboo, a punishment and a freak.

Most people have heard of the three blind mice nursery rhyme. Historical buffs attest that the farmer’s wife did not cut of their tails with a carving knife for no rhyme or reason! The gruesome nursery rhyme was, in fact, a real social, political and historical drama in its day. The “farmer's wife” was supposedly England’s Queen Mary I, whose displeasure with three ratty noblemen resulted in more than just a body part severed; they were burned at the stake. http://www.mother.com/~prdesign/ThreeMice.html

Blind beggars live an unbearable life. They solicit for a living because their family members are too poor to raise them, too ashamed to have them or too superstitious to acknowledge them. Blind people at that time relied on the kindness of strangers for livelihood, news and most things.

Bartimaeus and the crowd were on a different wavelength, had a different opinion and were on different sides of an issue. This passage also appears in Matthew 20:29-34 and Mark 10:46-52. When Bartimaeus asked the crowd what the commotion was about, they chorused, “Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.” However, Bartimaeus did not concur with their assertion or agree with the title. The outwardly blind but inwardly seeing beggar did not shout for Jesus of Nazareth, but for a different name and gave a different interpretation: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Jesus of Nazareth refereed to the humanity of Jesus (Acts 2:22), but Jesus, Son of David, appealed to His divinity. Many, like Nathanael, see Jesus of Nazareth as the son of Joseph (John 1:45). So, Jesus of Nazareth referred to His immediate ancestry, but Jesus, Son of David referred to His royal ancestry. The former described his earthly roots and local dwelling (Matt 2:23) but the latter his divine origins and heavenly roots. The Nazareth label was popular to unbelievers, mockers and detractors such as the soldiers and officials who arrested Jesus (John 18:3-5), the girl who forced out Peter’s denial of Jesus (Matt 26:71) and evil spirits that challenged His authority (Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34). It was also what disciples called Jesus before they understood the full meaning of the resurrection (Luke 24:18-19). The repentant, transformed and empowered Peter, in his ministry and preaching as leader of the early church, used a theologically different title for the risen Christ. After the resurrection, Jesus was “Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” not just “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 3:6, Acts 4:10)

Such odds were against blind Bartimaeus. Mark informs readers that the crowd was a large crowd (v 40). However, their noisy clamoring and apparent certainty was suspended, shot and shattered by the blind man who stated, argued and cried otherwise. In the corresponding passage of Luke 18:38, Luke uses a more specific word to describe the blind man’s shouting. Mark uses the general word “krazo” to describe the blind man’s shouting, but Luke instead employs the more specific “boao,” or to holler for help in a more tumultuous and disruptive way. This seldom-used word for “cry” is commonly associated with John the Baptist’s crying in the wilderness (Matt 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23) and to Jesus’ loud crying on the cross (Mark 15:34). Other than John the Baptist and Jesus’ intense crying, this word usually describes a collective or group cry, such as believers who cry day and night for justice (Luke 18:7), the crying unclean spirits who were cast out (Acts 8:7) and the crowd’s vehement opposition to the gospel in Acts (17:6, 21:34). So the blind man produced a shock and made heads turn when he took on the large crowd and matched the group in volume and intensity.

Bartimaeus should be applauded. He was blind, but he was not dumb or deaf. His ears flapped open and his mouth worked overtime at the mention of Jesus’ name. The eyes of faith enabled him to see and his depth of insight empowered him to act. His insight functioned when his sight could not, and understanding and learning were possible even when reading and education were impossible.

Let Your Voice Be Heard
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." (Mk 10:48-51)

During a nursing student’s second month of nursing school, the class professor gave the students a pop quiz. Being a conscientious student, the student had breezed through the questions until reading the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke(, the student thought).

The student had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired, and in her 50s, but how would I know her name. The student handed in the paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward the quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor to the students’ dismay, “In our careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello.’” (Her name was Dorothy.)

Bartimaeus knew what he wanted when the opportunity presented itself. He had confidence that Jesus could hear his voice above the commotion of the moment, no matter what people in his way say to him, think about him or feel around him. The crowd was trying to do Jesus a favor by silencing, denouncing and chiding the blind man. They probably thought that he was an outcast, a drifter or a crook and felt that he was rude, stubborn and noisy. The real truth was that they were appalled with, alarmed by and angry at the blind man’s stubborn designation of Jesus as “Son of David.”

Further, if Bartimaeus had shouted once without success, shouldn’t he save his breath, leave Jesus alone and lower his voice? So a shouting match began. The large crowd roared fiercely, noisily and directly at him and in his face, trying their utmost to put him down, shut him up and make him leave. Not only that, they also attempted to cut off his path to Jesus, no matter how loud, often and moving his pleas were. Luke records that the shouters were people that were leading the way and, naturally, blocking access to Jesus (Lk 18:39). The human chain should have been quite enough to put blind Bartimaeus in his place and discouraged him from attempting to come through, but he was anything but demoralized, disappointed and distressed. Bartimaeus persisted on, stayed around and got through to Jesus. Blockades and rebuke could not stop him. The rebuke (v 48) he suffered was consistently recorded in all three Synoptic gospels (Matt 20:31, Mark 10:48). The only other people who suffered as much rebuke and received that much coverage in the gospels were the equally defenseless children that were brought before Jesus to bless (Matt 19:13, Mark 10:13, Luke 18:15).

In the end, Bartimaeus' courage was rewarded. Jesus asked about him, sent for him and talked to him. The Messiah never turned down a man who raised his volume, caused a racket, craved his attention, cry for injustice and refused to leave. Bartimaeus was right. Jesus always halted for the blind, talked with them and healed their sight whether they be in Jericho, in Capernaum where he healed two blind men (Mt 9:27), or in Bethsaida where he opened the eyes of another (Mk 8:22). He took time with them, took trouble with them and took care of them. Even in Jerusalem, he healed blind people who came to him at the temple before the watchful eyes of the chief priests and the teachers of the law (Mt 21:14-15), who later sent him to his death.

Let Your Void Be Filled
52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mk 10:52)

One day a ragged beggar went door to door, asking for a few cents to buy something to eat. As he grumbled at his misfortune he wondered why people with so much money were always never satisfied and always wanted more. He knew a businessman who, after making his riches, built ships to compete for the lucrative overseas trade, but lost everything overnight when his ships were sunk by a great storm.

The beggar said to himself: “As for me, if I had only enough to eat and wear I would not want anything more.” Just at that moment Fortune appeared and said to him: “I have long wished to help you. And I will pour gold into your wallet on one condition: all that falls into our wallet shall be your gold; but every piece that falls upon the ground shall become dust. Do you understand?”

The beggar said eagerly,” Yes, I understand.” However, Fortune reminded him, “Your wallet is old, so do not load it too heavily.”

The beggar could hardly wait. He quickly opened his wallet and a stream of yellow coins poured into it. The wallet soon began to grow heavy. Fortune warned the beggar that his wallet would not hold the coins much longer, but the beggar cried out “More. A few more. Two more, one more.” Back to a few more again. Soon the wallet split and the gold coins all fell to the ground and turned to dust. (The Moral Compass 169-70, William J. Bennett, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1995)

A Chinese axiom says: “A beggar of habit has no desire to be a king.”

Someone once said when the poor and hungry came to Jesus, He didn't give them money, and rarely any food; Christ gave them love and service and the greatest gift of all – Himself.

It's been said, “Beggars cannot be choosers.” Beggars have no choice but to take things on the chin and take what people gave them. However, Bartimaeus made a choice that day to break from the past and to follow Jesus to Jerusalem because Jesus did not treat Bartimaeus the way people did. Jesus did not talk to or talk about Bartimaeus, but talked with him, asking him an open-ended question and giving him a choice. Jesus was unafraid of and unashamed of the blind when he was seen with them in public. Rather, He had plenty of love, affection and compassion for them.

Bartimaeus could have returned to his parents, stayed in Jericho and lived a normal life, but he chose to be a follower of Jesus, a companion to Jerusalem and a witness of his death. A beggar is often seen as one who repeatedly ask for alms, gifts, or both. However, Bartimaeus was not an ordinary beggar with the incessant wish for things or request for sight. Of course, he wanted to see, but not necessary to see the things of the world. He wanted to look at his Savior’s face; and not just a glimpse. From the day on, he never left his side. He was free to leave, to return home and to live normal lives, but he made a wise choice to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus was not a hard decision to make for the blind man. Bartimaeus was the first blind man healed by Jesus in public before a crowd (v 46). The two blind men at Capernaum were healed inside the house Jesus was residing (Mt 9:27). Also, Jesus took the blind man in Bethsaida outside the village to heal him (Mark 8:23). In a third instance, Jesus healed another blind man before his own disciples (Jn 9:1-6). Bartimaeus had never known or heard of anyone with so much compassion blind people. Jesus' eyes, ears, mouth, fingers and heart were always accessible to the blind. He conversed with them, gave them vision and taught them what to do (Mt 9:30), where to go (Mk 8:26) and how to believe (Jn 9:37). He asked them, heard them and, more importantly, touched them. In all four instances of personal encounters with the blind, Jesus touched them (Mt 9:29, 20:34, Mk 8:23, Jn 9:6). The parallel passage from Matthew 20:34 also makes note that Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.

Readers do not know the names of the Canaanite woman, the centurion who had great faith or the men and women Jesus praised for their faith, including the paralytic, the two blind men from Capernaum, the woman with a bleeding disorder, the woman who anointed Jesus and the ten lepers. Of all the people who had faith in Jesus to heal, Bartimaeus' name was the only one provided for a reason. Bartimaeus experienced with other disciples their Master’s cruel cross, lonely burial and empty tomb.

Conclusion: Insight is more powerful than sight. People may cut off your path to Jesus, but they can never cut off your heart for God, hope in Him and hunger for Him. Of course, loud noises or crazy antics make an impression, but only deep faith makes the difference. Be a true disciple today. Do you long for things that satisfy temporarily or briefly? Do you follow Him part of the time, part of the way or follow Him all the way? Are you growing in your faith of Him, building on your knowledge of Him and testifying of your riches in Him?

Miracle of Faith, Pt. 7: "The Economics of Forgiveness"

THE ECONOMICS OF FORGIVENESS (LUKE 7:36-50)
Every Saturday, a man goes into his barber shop. So this one Saturday he told his barber that he was going to Rome. The barber asked what flight he was going to take. The man responded “A-1.” The barber yelled, “A-1!? Are you crazy?! That plane's food is horrible! And, you'll never get a wink of sleep 'cause the engines are so noisy!”

After a moment of silence, the barber politely asked, “What hotel are you staying at?” The man replied “The Grand Hotel.” The barber again yelled, “Why are you going there?! The place is infested with roaches and the mattresses are as hard as a rock!” Then after another moment of silence, the man said, “Oh, and guess what I'm going to do!?” “What?” asked the barber. The man said, “I'm going to see the pope!” The barber literally screamed, “You'll never get to see the pope!! No one ever gets to see the pope up close!”

Two weeks later the man came back and said that the plane and the hotel were great. The barber was astonished. The barber asked if the man got to see the pope up close. The man stretched his arms about 2 feet apart and said, “I got to see the pope and I was this far away and he talked to me personally.” “No way,” said the barber. “What did he say to you?” “Where'd you get the dumb haircut?” the man replied.

In Luke 7, an uninvited sinner entered the house of Simon the Pharisee, who roundly criticized her appearance and her actions. Simon the Pharisee was uneasy with her presence, embarrassed by the commotion, irritated, annoyed and mortified with her actions. In truth, behind the negative attitude, shallow thinking and harsh words was a self-righteous, self-centered and self-sufficient Pharisee.

Is life a dead end for sinners? Why did God in Christ forgive the worst sinners’ sins, receive them into his presence and give them a new life? What did Jesus see in repentant sinners that a man like Simon did not?

Jesus Came for Those Stricken in Heart, Not Those Stiff in Neck
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Lk 7:36-38)

A man dreamed he was going to church with an angel as his guide. He saw people at a worship service singing hymns and songs of praise to God. Though he strained to hear the lyrics of the song but none came out their mouths of the congregants. The musicians were playing their instruments, but no music sounded. Even the prayers were muffled too.

The man asked the angel why he could not hear the musical instruments, the singing, the preaching or the prayers. The angel explained, “What you are hearing in the service is the God heard it, for God only hear what comes from the heart, not what comes from the lips alone.”

The man then heard a child on the last row praying the Lord's Prayer. Excitedly, the man said, “I hear a prayer, I hear a prayer, but how can it be? The prayer seems to come from a child who hardly knows her right hand from her left hand.” The angel spoke, “You are hearing the only part of the service that God hears. He hears this little child's prayer because she means what she says and puts her heart and soul in it.” (Adapted, Adult Bible Study Teacher, SBC, 10/31/93)

The woman wept for her sins. She was the only person in the Bible who cried from the bottom of her heart, from the depths of her being, from head to toe for her sins. She did not cry because people labeled her a sinner or that Jesus was blamed for her presence and that she was unwelcome, insulted and misunderstood. It didn't matter to her who were there – the Pharisee, the disciples or other men. She cried for and was stricken by her sins - its onslaught, venom and ruthlessness. Her tears trickled steadily, evenly, unpleasantly, uncontrollably and unattractively down her face.

The woman considered herself unfit to stand before Jesus, to anoint His head, to speak to Him. So she stood meekly behind him, held her breath and poured perfume on his feet. She felt condemned not before Her Savior, but in her own eyes, by her own past and before the men. Her dismay with sin had changed to disgust and despair. No one needed to convince her of the heaviness and the consequences of sin, her responsibility for her conduct and the need for accountability. She cried non-stop, back and forth, wailing and howling.

The word used to describe her tears in Greek is consistently associated in the gospels with tears of betrayal and bereavement, such as Peter's bitter tears of distress when he broke down after he had denied the Lord Jesus Christ three times (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72-15:1, Luke 22:62); when Mary lamented in tears for her dead brother Lazarus (John 11:33) and for the crucified Jesus (John 20:11); and when the crowd was reduced to tears for Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:38, Luke 8:52). The weeping woman did not betray any friend or neighbor and she did not experience the loss of anyone close to her, yet she felt to her pain a lump in her throat, a sting to her conscience and a knife to her heart, feeling like a traitor and a loser at the same time – one who had lost her innocence, dignity and future.

Regret, remorse and repentance are different. Regret is knowledge of wrongdoings in your head and remorse is experiencing the grief in your heart, but repentance is nailing your confession to the cross. As the Puritans said, “Repentance is a total, radical transformation of a person.”

Jesus Came for Those Sensitive in Heart, Not Those Self-righteous About Sin
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner." 40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. 41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (Lk. 7:39-47)

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) said, “A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.”

About 500 years ago, Brother Lawrence, an ordinary layman dedicated his life to serve as a cook in a monastery with great enthusiasm and little fuss, but with much admiration. His secret had since been told for many centuries in a little booklet titled “The Practice of the Presence of God.” Brother Lawrence told others the simple secret behind his uncharacteristic affection and fondness for his work which was hardly considered glamorous or exciting. He said: “I turn my little omelet in the pan for the love of God. And when I can do nothing else, it is enough to have picked up a straw for the love of God.”

It's been said, “Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often love will add a little chocolate.” Someone said, “The world is full of two kinds of people, the givers and the takers. The takers eat well – but givers sleep well.” (Quotable Quotations 155)

The woman was not there to ask for a favor or a word from Jesus, neither did she ask for Jesus to notice her, hear her or even touch her. She was there to express her love, gratitude and appreciation to the One who came in love, gave His everything and died for sinners. No one at the dinner table or in the dinner party understood the depth of the riches of Jesus’ love for sinners clearer than her.

In his parable, Jesus likened her grasp of the full meaning of salvation to the first man in the parable who owed five hundred denarii or five hundred days' wages, which is a little over a year and seven months' salary - minus 56 Sabbath days or 56 weeks for that year and seven months. 17 months’ pay is a lot of money, valuable down payment for a house, capital for a business venture and the annual budget for a small church.

The woman knew in her heart and mind that she owed Jesus a lot. She could not return His love for her to the same degree or in kind, but she could repay it in big and small ways. She did not just moisten Jesus' feet; she soaked, splashed, showered, drizzled, rained and poured on Him. Her action in Greek (“wet” v 44) was the same word for the fire and sulfur that rained enough on Sodom to destroy it (Luke 17:29), the heavy rain that poured in response to Elijah's prayer after three years and six months of drought (James 5:18, 1 Ki 18:45) and the rain that fell on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt 5:45).

Not only did the woman continuously shed tears on His feet, she completely dried it with her hair. The word “wiped” in Greek is similar to Jesus' actions in John 13:5, where after washing the disciples' feet, Jesus dried them with the towel. The towel in this instance was her hair! What love! How lowly! What trouble and how messy! During those days, people walked wearing sandals on unpaved roads. She did not have a towel, yet she dried Jesus' soiled, weary, bristled feet with her hair.

What kind of perfume, and how much she brought and the fragrance they make can be figured out from another woman's anointing of Jesus. According to John 12’s Greek text, Mary used the same expensive type of perfume, pouring a pint of pure nard (John 12:3) that was worth a year's wages, according to NIV (John 12:5), on Jesus’ feet (John 11:2) and head (Mark 14:3). If a year's wages were spent to wet both Jesus’ hair and feet, then anointing just his feet would require half a year’s wages – enough to buy a car, pay for a year's college tuition or a enjoy an overseas vacation for a family of four!

Jesus' love for the rich young ruler (Mk 10:21), the disciples (John 13:1), the apostle John (John 13:22-23) and the siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus (John 11:5) is well documented in the Bible, but this woman is the only person and stranger in the Bible to love Jesus voluntarily, unconditionally and unashamedly. Even the only confession of love for the Lord in the Gospels - from Peter's mouth - had to be dragged out (John 21:15). Note, too, that of the other seven instances of faith Jesus attested to in the Gospels (Luke 5:17-26, Luke 7:1-10, Mark 5:25-34, Matt 15:21-28, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 17:11-19), she was the only one who did not come to Jesus for physical healing.

Jesus Came for Those Sincere in Heart, Not Stubborn of Heart
47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." 48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Lk 7:47-50)

On one occasion when the church prayer meeting was at a new visitor’s home, the host prepared a lot of refreshments for those attending, including cakes, drinks - sparkling apple cider, Chinese tea, red bean soup and lots of fruit – avocado, persimmons and cantaloupes.

Before too long, the conversation turned to fruit trees. My wife had always wanted to plant three things – winter melons for soup, tomatoes for meals and lemon tree for drinks. She mentioned her desire to plant a lemon tree because we used to have a lemon tree in our previous house. Her favorite drink is anything with lemon – coke with lemon, tea with lemon and even water with lemon!

The lady of the house darted to her refrigerator and brought out a bag of lemons for her, saying, “Take it home.” Doris protested, “No, no, I can't use that much. Save some for yourself.” The lady host replied, “No. no, you take all of them home. I seldom use it. Besides, I have a whole tree out there in my yard!”

Finally, the woman believed that Jesus was presently, perfectly and prosperously able to forgive her sins.

God's forgiveness of sins is a free gift richly supplied to all who ask. The essence of God's forgiveness in Christ, proclaimed in verse 48, is explicitly linked to the understanding of the Greek word charizomai for forgive or “canceled” in verses 42 and 43 of the NIV. Charizomai is derived from the familiar word charis or gift. So God in Christ not only had canceled our sins, He had graciously, freely, liberally forgiven us.

The woman was the first man with the bigger debt in Jesus' parable who understood, believed and claimed the prosperity of God's forgiveness. Like the first man in the parable, she could not repay what she owed because she had nothing to pay for the debt she owed (v 42), neither could she pay the principal or the interest accrued. The KJV translated “neither of them had the money to pay him back” (v 42). No savings men or women had, no loan from friends and no future inheritance in store could settle the huge debt that was due. The same is true of the ransom from death Jesus paid for sin and sinners on the cross. We had no means to pay Him and no motivation to ask Him, but He freely gave His life without a murmur.

The prosperity of God's forgiveness is like the words of a song that goes like this:
“He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed Someone to wash my sins away,
And now I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing grace” all day long,
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”

Conclusion: Whether you are a millionaire, whether you win a million, whether you inherit millions or not do not really matter to Him. The questions that matter are: Do you know the riches of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 8:9)? Are you rich towards Him (Lk 12:21)? Are you rich in faith (James 2:5)? We are all the poorer in life without Christ and but we have all the riches in life in Christ! Do you know and have you accepted the riches of God’s love, His forgiveness and transformation offered to you in Christ?