This story has everything.
Big crowds, small room.
4 friends who will rip off a roof to get their buddy some help.
Doing the right thing vs the proper thing.
Priorities: Release from sin or release from handicap?
Religious organizational approach vs moral and compassionate healing.
For the first time we see a confrontation with the religious leaders. Jesus has to decide which is more important, pleasing the status quo or forging ahead with his mission.
This is the first mention of the religious leaders and the first time casting out demons is omitted. Hmm.
I have prompted this week to also mention that there seems to be connection between the healing and the casting out of demons. Can there be some symbolism that I haven't seen before? Can the removal of an evil spirit, the breaking of a fever, the healing of leprosy, and now the restoration from being paralyzed have a deeper spiritual meaning?
God, open us up to real world of spiritual battle, train us to hear your clarion call, to respond with spiritual weapons you have provided.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Reflect and Re-Engage
As I read through this text and then meditated on the meaning of the story, it occured to me that Jesus knew the value of spending time in God's presence, or as a man once said, "Wasting time with God"
The ministry had already been launched. He had already engaged the enemy, he had already articulated his message, he had already exercised the power that would drive his ministry. Yet in the midst of mission, he reconnected to the power source, the purpose of his mission was reviewed and reflected upon and re-centered. We don't get a lot of stories about this discipline, but we get glimpses. I will tell you from my journey over the last 10 years or so that when I ignore the disciplines of silence and solitude I get distracted and lose my focus. We get an early read from Jesus, that while "totally God" and "totally man" he never forgot to reconnect through the inner disciplines of prayer, silence, solitude, meditation, and study.
Then there is the leper. I think these stories are related. He responds with "indignant" An odd word for the response. I will do some word study before Sunday and see where it leads. But on the surface if you come out of a time of worship with God and see disease that both alienated physically as well as socially, doesn't it make sense that Jesus would be offended? Wouldn't the leprosy be viewed as the work of the evil one? Isn't this just what the evil one wants to do? Create a world where we are alienated and cast out?
Do we have people today, that given their circumstances we should respond with indignance? Can we look around and find the modern equivalence of leprosy?
God, open our eyes to current methods of the evil one. Make us aware of his purposes and manifestations.
Amen
The ministry had already been launched. He had already engaged the enemy, he had already articulated his message, he had already exercised the power that would drive his ministry. Yet in the midst of mission, he reconnected to the power source, the purpose of his mission was reviewed and reflected upon and re-centered. We don't get a lot of stories about this discipline, but we get glimpses. I will tell you from my journey over the last 10 years or so that when I ignore the disciplines of silence and solitude I get distracted and lose my focus. We get an early read from Jesus, that while "totally God" and "totally man" he never forgot to reconnect through the inner disciplines of prayer, silence, solitude, meditation, and study.
Then there is the leper. I think these stories are related. He responds with "indignant" An odd word for the response. I will do some word study before Sunday and see where it leads. But on the surface if you come out of a time of worship with God and see disease that both alienated physically as well as socially, doesn't it make sense that Jesus would be offended? Wouldn't the leprosy be viewed as the work of the evil one? Isn't this just what the evil one wants to do? Create a world where we are alienated and cast out?
Do we have people today, that given their circumstances we should respond with indignance? Can we look around and find the modern equivalence of leprosy?
God, open our eyes to current methods of the evil one. Make us aware of his purposes and manifestations.
Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)