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Jesus Christ’s Miracles
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coram_deo 08-Jul-21, 08:11 |
 Jesus Christ’s MiraclesThis thread will be devoted to the accounts of these miracles, which Jesus did not only to help people, but to prove He was who He said He was. This first entry, from the Gospel of Mark, is Jesus raising a 12-year-old girl from the dead. But He performs another miracle on the way to the girl’s house, which is included in this account. “And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.” (Matthew 5:21-43) |
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coram_deo 09-Jul-21, 19:42 |
Jesus Walks On Water “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33) Earlier, Jesus calmed a storm, which caused His disciples to marvel at Him. “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27) |
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coram_deo 10-Jul-21, 21:40 |
“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13) |
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coram_deo 12-Jul-21, 09:22 |
Jesus Christ Raises Lazarus From The Dead (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.” (John 11:1-45) |
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coram_deo 16-Jul-21, 08:59 |
Jesus Heals the Ear of One of His Enemies “And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.” (Luke 22:47-54) The other Gospel accounts say that it was Peter who cut off the servant of the high priest’s ear and that the servant’s name was Malchus. Also, the Gospel of Luke is the only Gospel to record Jesus healing Malchus’ ear, but it’s not unusual for one Gospel to have details that others lack. And after all the miracles that Jesus performed, healing an ear, which came toward the end of His earthly ministry, might have seemed almost routine. Here is the account of the incident in the Gospel of John: “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:10-11) And the account in the Gospel of Matthew: “Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.” (Matthew 26:45-57) |
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coram_deo 17-Jul-21, 09:19 |
“And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.” (Luke 7:11-17) |
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coram_deo 24-Jul-21, 16:23 |
“And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” (John 2:1-11) |
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coram_deo 29-Jul-21, 23:28 |
“And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:30-46) |
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coram_deo 31-Jul-21, 10:20 |
But the Catholic Church still performs exorcisms and has an extremely high threshold (from what I’ve heard) for determining an actual instance of demonic possession (and not mental illness or some sort of neurological issue.) Before citing passages from the Holy Bible about Jesus Christ casting out demons from afflicted people, here’s a contemporary and balanced article on demonic possession. It’s long but a good read. “(CNN) A small group of nuns and priests met the woman in the chapel of a house one June evening. Though it was warm outside, a palpable chill settled over the room. As the priests began to pray, the woman slipped into a trance -- and then snapped to life. She spoke in multiple voices: One was deep, guttural and masculine; another was high-pitched; a third spouted only Latin. When someone secretly sprinkled ordinary water on her, she didn't react. But when holy water was used, she screamed in pain. ‘Leave her alone, you [expletive] priests,’ the guttural voice shouted. ‘Stop, you w****s. ... You'll be sorry.’ You've probably seen this before: a soul corrupted by Satan, a priest waving a crucifix at a snarling woman. Movies and books have mimicked exorcisms so often, they've become clichés. But this was an actual exorcism -- and included a character not normally seen in the traditional drive-out-the-devil script. Dr. Richard Gallagher is an Ivy League-educated, board-certified psychiatrist who teaches at Columbia University and New York Medical College. He was part of the team that tried to help the woman. Fighting Satan's minions wasn't part of Gallagher's career plan while he was studying medicine at Yale. He knew about biblical accounts of demonic possession but thought they were an ancient culture's attempt to grapple with mental disorders like epilepsy. He proudly calls himself a ‘man of science.’ Yet today, Gallagher has become something else: the go-to guy for a sprawling network of exorcists in the United States. He says demonic possession is real. He's seen the evidence: victims suddenly speaking perfect Latin; sacred objects flying off shelves; people displaying ‘hidden knowledge’ or secrets about people that they could not have possibly have known. ‘There was one woman who was like 90 pounds soaking wet. She threw a Lutheran deacon who was about 200 pounds across the room,’ he says. ‘That's not psychiatry. That's beyond psychiatry.’ Gallagher calls himself a ‘consultant’ on demonic possessions. For the past 25 years, he has helped clergy distinguish between mental illness and what he calls ‘the real thing.’ He estimates that he's seen more cases of possession than any other physician in the world. ‘Whenever I need help, I call on him,’ says the Rev. Gary Thomas, one of the most famous exorcists in the United States. The movie ‘The Rite’ was based on Thomas' work. ‘He's so respected in the field,’ Thomas says. ‘He's not like most therapists, who are either atheists or agnostics.’ Gallagher is a big man -- 6-foot-5 -- who once played semipro basketball in Europe. He has a gruff, no-nonsense demeanor. When he talks about possession, it sounds as if he's describing the growth of algae; his tone is dry, clinical, matter-of-fact. Possession, he says, is rare -- but real. ‘I spend more time convincing people that they're not possessed than they are,’ he wrote in an essay for The Washington Post. Some critics, though, say Gallagher has become possessed by his own delusions. They say all he's witnessed are cheap parlor tricks by people who might need therapy but certainly not exorcism. And, they argue, there's no empirical evidence that proves possession is real. Still, one of the biggest mysteries about Gallagher's work isn't what he's seen. It's how he's evolved. How does a ‘man of science’ get pulled into the world of demonic possession? His short answer: He met a queen of Satan. A 'creepy' encounter with evil She was a middle-age woman who wore flowing dark clothes and black eye shadow. She could be charming and engaging. She was also part of a satanic cult. She called herself the queen of the cult, but Gallagher would refer to her as ‘Julia,’ the pseudonym he gave her. The woman had approached her local priest, convinced she was being attacked by a demon. The priest referred her to an exorcist, who reached out to Gallagher for a mental health evaluation. Why, though, would a devil worshipper want to be free of the devil? ‘She was conflicted,’ Gallagher says. ‘There was a part of her that wanted to be relieved of the possession.’ She ended up relieving Gallagher of his doubts. It was one of the first cases he took, and it changed him. Gallagher helped assemble an exorcism team that met Julia in the chapel of a house. Objects would fly off shelves around her. She somehow knew personal details about Gallagher's life: how his mother had died of ovarian cancer; the fact that two cats in his house went berserk fighting each other the night before one of her sessions. Julia found a way to reach him even when she wasn't with him, he says. He was talking on the phone with Julia's priest one night, he says, when both men heard one of the demonic voices that came from Julia during her trances -- even though she was nowhere near a phone and thousands of miles away. He says he was never afraid. ‘It's creepy,’ he says. ‘But I believe I'm on the winning side.’ How a scientist believes in demons He also insists that he's on the side of science. He says he's a stickler for the scientific method, that it teaches people to follow the facts wherever they may lead. Growing up in a large Irish Catholic family in Long Island, he didn't think much about stories of possession. But when he kept seeing cases like Julia's as a professional, he says, his views had to evolve. ‘I don't believe in this stuff because I'm Catholic,’ he says. ‘I try to follow the evidence.’ Being Catholic, though, may help. Gallagher grew up in a home where faith was taken seriously. His younger brother, Mark, says Gallagher was an academic prodigy with a photographic memory who wanted to use his faith to help people. ‘We had a sensational childhood,’ Mark Gallagher says. ‘My mother and father were great about always helping neighbors or relatives out.’ Their mother was a homemaker, and their father was a lawyer who'd fought in World War II. ‘My father used to walk us proudly into church. He taught us to give back.’ Gallagher's two ways of giving back -- helping the mentally ill as well as the possessed -- may seem at odds. But not necessarily for those in the Catholic Church. Contemporary Catholicism doesn't see faith and science as contradictory. Its leaders insist that possession, miracles and angels exist. But global warming is real, so is evolution, and miracles must be documented with scientific rigor. One of Gallagher's favorite sources of inspiration is Pope John Paul II's encyclical ‘Fides et Ratio’ (‘On Faith and Reason’). The Pope writes that ‘there can never be a true divergence between faith and reason, since the same God who reveals the mysteries and bestows the gift of faith has also placed in the human spirit the light of reason.’ The church's emphasis on faith and reason can even been seen in the birth of its exorcism ritual. The Rite of Exorcism was first published in 1614 by Pope Paul V to quell a trend of laypeople and priests hastily performing exorcisms on people they presumed were possessed, such as victims of the bubonic plague, says the Rev. Mike Driscoll, author of ‘Demons, Deliverance, Discernment: Separating Fact from Fiction about the Spirit World.’ ‘A line (in the rite) said that the exorcist should be careful to distinguish between demon possession and melancholy, which was a catchall for mental illness,’ Driscoll says. ‘The church knew back then that there were mental problems. It said the exorcist should not have anything to do with medicine. Leave that to the doctors.’ Doctors, perhaps, like Gallagher. Gallagher says the concept of possession by spirit isn't limited to Catholicism. Muslim, Jewish and other Christian traditions regard possession by spirits -- holy or benign -- as possible. ‘This is not quite as esoteric as some people make it out to be,’ Gallagher says. ‘I know quite a few psychiatrists and mental health professionals who believe in this stuff.’ Dr. Mark Albanese is among them. A friend of Gallagher's, Albanese studied medicine at Cornell and has been practicing psychiatry for decades. In a letter to the New Oxford Review, a Catholic magazine, he defended Gallagher's belief in possession. He also says there is a growing belief among health professionals that a patient's spiritual dimension should be accounted for in treatment, whether their provider agrees with those beliefs or not. Some psychiatrists have even talked of adding a ‘trance and possession disorder’ diagnosis to the DSM, the premier diagnostic manual of disorders used by mental health professionals in the US. There's still so much about the human mind that psychiatrists don't know, Albanese says. Doctors used to be widely skeptical of people who claimed to suffer from multiple personalities, but now it's a legitimate disorder (dissociative identity disorder). Many are still dumbfounded by the power of placebos, a harmless pill or medical procedure that produces healing in some cases. ‘There's a certain openness to experiences that are happening that are beyond what we can explain by MRI scans, neurobiology or even psychological theories,’ Albanese says. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, a psychiatrist who specializes in schizophrenia, arrived at a similar conclusion after he had an unnerving experience with a patient. Lieberman was asked to examine the videotape of an exorcism that he subsequently dismissed as unconvincing. Then he met a woman who, he said, ‘freaked me out.’ Lieberman, director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, says he and a family therapist were asked to examine a young woman who some thought was possessed. He and his colleague tried to treat the woman for several months but gave up because they had no success. Something happened during the treatment, though, that he still can't explain. After sessions with the woman, he says, he'd go home in the evenings, and the lights in his house would go off by themselves, photographs and artwork would fall or slide off shelves, and he'd experience a piercing headache. When he mentioned to this to his colleague one day, her response stunned him: She'd been having the exact same experiences. ‘I had to sort of admit that I didn't really know what was going on,’ Lieberman says. ‘Because of the bizarre things that occurred, I wouldn't say that (demonic possession) is impossible or categorically rule it out ... although I have very limited empirical evidence to verify its existence.’ The tragic case of the real 'Emily Rose' If you want to know why so many scientists and doctors like Lieberman are cautious about legitimizing demonic possession, consider one name: Anneliese Michel. Michel was a victim in one of the most notorious cases of contemporary exorcism. If you have the stomach for it, go online and listen to audiotapes and watch videos of her exorcisms. The images and sounds will burn themselves into your brain. It sounds like somebody dropped a microphone into hell. Michel was a German Catholic woman who died of starvation in 1976 after 67 exorcisms over a period of nine months. She was diagnosed with epilepsy but believed she was possessed. So did her devout Roman Catholic parents. She reportedly displayed some of the classic signs of possession: abnormal strength, aversion to sacred objects, speaking different languages. But authorities later determined that it was Michel's parents and two priests who were responsible for her death. German authorities put them on trial for murder, and they were found guilty of negligent homicide. The 2005 film ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ was based on Michel's ordeal and the subsequent trial. One of the leading skeptics of exorcism -- and one of Gallagher's chief critics -- is Steven Novella, a neurologist and professor at Yale School of Medicine. He wrote a lengthy blog post dissecting Gallagher's experience with Julia, the satanic priestess. It could be read as a takedown of exorcisms everywhere. He says Julia probably performed a ‘cold reading’ on Gallagher. It's an old trick of fortune tellers and mediums in which they use vague, probing statements to make canny guesses about someone. (Fortune teller: ‘I see a recent tragedy in your family.’ Client: ‘You mean my sister who got hurt in a car accident? How did you know?’) Or take the case of a person speaking an unfamiliar language like Latin during a possession. ‘A patient might memorize Latin phrases to throw out during one of their possessions,’ Novella wrote. ‘Were they having a conversation in Latin? Did they understand Latin spoken to them? Or did they just speak Latin?’ Novella says it's noteworthy that no one has filmed any paranormal event such as levitation or sacred objects flying across the room during an exorcism. He's seen exorcism tapes posted online and in documentaries and says they're not scary. ‘They're boring,’ he says. ‘Nothing exciting happens. The most you get is some really bad play-acting by the person who is being exorcised.’ In an interview, Novella went further and criticized any therapist who believes his patient's delusions. ‘The worst thing you can do to a patient who is delusional is to confirm their delusions,’ says Novella, who founded the New England Skeptical Society. ‘The primary goal of therapy is to reorient them to reality. Telling a patient who is struggling that maybe they're possessed by a demon is the worst thing you can do. It's only distracting them from addressing what the real problem is.’ Driscoll, the Catholic priest who wrote a book about possession, is not a skeptic like Novella. Still, he says, it's not unusual for people on drugs or during psychotic episodes to display abnormal strength. ‘I have seen it take four grown guys to hold one small woman down,’ says Driscoll, a chaplain at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa, Illinois. ‘When a person has no fear and is not in their right mind and they don't care about hurting themselves or hurting others, you can see heartbreaking things.’ That doesn't mean he thinks possession isn't real. He says the New Testament is full of accounts of Jesus confronting demons. ‘Do I still believe it happens? Yes, I do,’ he says. ‘It happened then. I don't know why it would be totally eradicated now.’ Gallagher agrees and has answers for skeptics like Novella. He says demons won't submit to lab studies or allow themselves to be easily recorded by video equipment. They want to sow doubt, not confirm their existence, he says. Nor will the church compromise the privacy of a person suffering from possession just to provide film to skeptics. Gallagher says he sees his work with the possessed as an extension of his responsibilities as a doctor. In a passage from a book he is working on about demonic possession in America, he says that it is the duty of a physician to help people in great distress ‘without concern whether they have debatable or controversial conditions.’ Gallagher isn't the first psychiatrist to feel such duty. Dr. M. Scott Peck, the late author of ‘The Road Less Traveled,’ conducted two exorcisms himself -- something Gallagher considers unwise and dangerous for any psychiatrist. ‘I didn't go volunteering for this,’ he says. ‘I went into this because different people over the last few decades realized that I was open to this sort of thing. The referrals are almost invariably from priests. It's not like someone is walking into my office and I say, 'You must be possessed.' " What happened to Satan's queen He may not have asked to join the ‘hidden’ world of exorcism, but he is an integral part of that community today. He's been featured in stories and documentaries about exorcism and is on the governing board of the Rome-based International Association of Exorcists. ‘It's deepened my faith,’ he says of the exorcisms he's witnessed. ‘It didn't radically change it, but it validated my faith.’ He says he's received thanks from many people he's helped over the years. Some wept, grateful to him for not dismissing them as delusional. As for letting a journalist talk to any of these people, Gallagher says he zealously guards their privacy. Julia, though, gave him permission to tell her story. But it didn't have a happy ending. He and a team of exorcists continued to see her, but eventually, she called a halt to the sessions. She was too ambivalent. She relished some of the abilities she displayed during her trances. She was ‘playing both sides.’ ‘Exorcism is not some kind of magical incantation,’ Gallagher says. ‘Normally, a person has to make their own sincere spiritual efforts, too.’ About a year after she dropped out, Gallagher says, he heard Julia's voice on the phone again. This time, she had called to tell him she was dying of cancer. Gallagher says he offered to try to help her with a team of priests while she was still physically able, but her response was terse: ‘Well, I'll give it some thought.’ He says he never heard from her again. Inevitably, there will be others. His phone will ring. A priest will tell him a story. A team of clergy and nuns will be summoned. And the man of science will enter the hidden world of exorcism again. The critics, the souls that aren't saved, the creepy encounters -- they don't seem to deter him. ‘Truly informed exorcists don't tend to get discouraged,’ he says, ‘because they know it is our Lord who delivers the person, not themselves.’ Is Gallagher doing God's work, or does he need deliverance from his own delusions? Perhaps only God -- and Satan -- knows for sure.“ www.cnn.com |
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coram_deo 31-Jul-21, 10:44 |
“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” (Mark 5:1-20) |
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coram_deo 01-Aug-21, 13:20 |
“So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.” (John 4:46-54) |
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coram_deo 01-Aug-21, 15:22 |
“And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.” (Mark 9:17-27) |
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coram_deo 02-Aug-21, 10:45 |
And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” (Mark 2:1-12) Here is a good devotional I received today (8/2) from Joseph Prince Ministries that is based on this passage: “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you . . . But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Mark 2:5, 10–12 - AUGUST 2 - FORGIVENESS AND HEALING GO HAND-IN-HAND I encourage you to start today with this thought: the way out of being sin-conscious is to hear more teaching on the finished work of Jesus and how His blood has cleansed and forgiven us of all our sins. When you believe that your sins have already been punished on Jesus’ body and receive Him as your sin offering, your heart will be sprinkled with His blood from an evil conscience. As you listen to Christ-exalting teachings, instead of carrying sin-consciousness and condemnation in your mind and heart, you will be washed with the pure water of God’s Word. This will in turn affect your physical body and bring healing to every part that is not well! Some Christians are not able to receive healing for themselves or within their families because they are not able to receive forgiveness. They are still sin-conscious and doubt their forgiveness. They believe that God may have forgiven their past sins, but not the sins of their whole life. God knows that people need the assurance that their sins are forgiven before they can receive healing in their bodies, so the Bible makes His forgiveness of our sins very clear. In Psalm 103, when the psalmist lists the ‘benefits’ from the Lord, he starts with ‘who forgives all your iniquities’ before moving on to ‘who heals all your diseases.’ Not so long ago, I received this praise report from Patricia, who lives in South Africa. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and they were getting ready to go to the hospital for his positron emission tomography (PET) scan when she read one of my daily devotionals on the holy Communion. Feeling consumed by worry for her husband and condemnation for not being able to entrust the situation completely into the Lord’s hands, she took Communion and for the first time, discerned that the body of Jesus was beaten so that our bodies might be healed and made whole. She also meditated on how Jesus’ blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. After that, Patricia said, ‘I felt a peace only God could give. I was able to enter into a state of rest and faith without any effort on my part. I am proud to say, my Savior reigns. No cancer was found in my husband’s organs and the doctors could not explain why.’ What an amazing testimony of the power of knowing you are forgiven in Christ! In Mark 2:1–12, we read the account of the paralytic man lowered through the roof and placed before Jesus. Jesus said to the paralytic man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you,’ before He said, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ Why? Because Jesus knew that unless the man had the assurance that all his sins had been forgiven, he would not have the faith to jump up, grab his mat, and walk out of that house. Beloved, your sins are forgiven you. Stop punishing and condemning yourself. Believe the truth of the gospel and let your conscience be satisfied! Start enjoying all His benefits because they are your blood-bought rights. Forgiveness is yours. Healing is yours. Redemption from destruction is yours. Being crowned with loving-kindness and tender mercies is yours. Hallelujah! Simply believe that your sin debt has been settled and walk in these blessings today!” |
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coram_deo 02-Aug-21, 16:55 |
“Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:21-28) Here are two commentaries on what initially appears to be a cold response from Jesus to the woman’s plea for help. “However, these words would have been difficult for the woman to hear, regardless. Christ's intent, apparently, is to test the woman's commitment to her request, and her faith in Him. Jewish people sometimes called Gentiles ‘dogs’ to show their disrespect for them. Dogs in the ancient middle east were most often seen running in packs, as dangerous scavengers. Jewish people would not, in general, think of them as either pets or friendly creatures. However, the word Jesus uses is not as harsh as it sounds when translated into English. The Greek term He uses, kynariois, literally means "little dog." In the context of children and food, this seems to be a reference to a pet; this would have been a more common use of dogs in a Gentile region.” www.bibleref.com And here’s the second commentary: “b. It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs: Jesus continued to say discouraging things to the woman, yet this was not quite as severe as it might first sound. When Jesus called her one of the little dogs, He used little as a way to soften the harshness of calling her a dog. This softened the traditional Jewish slur towards Gentiles, which called them dogs in the most derogatory sense. i. We are at the great disadvantage of not hearing the tone of Jesus’ voice as He spoke to this woman. We suspect that His tone was not harsh; we rather suspect that it was winsome with the effect of inviting greater faith from the woman. It is possible to speak harsh words in a playful or winsome manner. ii. ‘Its harshest word [dogs] contains a loophole. [Dogs] does not compare Gentiles to the dogs without, in the street, but to the household dogs belonging to the family, which have their portion though not the children’s.’ (Bruce) c. Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table: The woman responded with great faith. She admitted her low estate, and did not debate the issue when Jesus called her one of the little dogs. She did not demand to be seen as a child; but only to be blessed as a dog. i. It was as if she said, ‘Jesus, I understand that the focus of Your ministry is to the Jews – that they have a special place in God’s redemptive plan. Yet I also understand that Your ministry extends beyond the Jewish people, and I want to be part of that extended blessing.’ ii. Her response is especially meaningful in light of the increasing rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders. It was as if the woman said, ‘I’m not asking for the portion that belongs to the children, just the crumbs that they don’t want.’ In the flow of Matthew’s gospel, there was more and more that the Jewish religious establishment did not want to receive. iii. These were two faith-filled words: Yet even. She accepted Jesus’ description and asked for mercy despite it – or perhaps because of it. ‘She would not give over, though he gave her three repulses. So as she said, like Jacob, I will not thee go, until thou bless me. And as he, like a prince, so she, like a princess, prevailed with God and obtained the thing which she desired.’ (Poole)” enduringword.com |
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coram_deo 03-Aug-21, 09:50 |
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.” (Luke 18:35-43) Excerpts from a commentary on this miracle: “Mark 10:46 says the blind man’s name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. i. The blind man couldn’t see Jesus, but he could hear Him – so, hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. Instead of giving up because he could not seek Jesus by sight, he sought Jesus the way that he could – by hearing.” “b. He cried out all the more: The man heard Jesus was passing by, and was desperate to get Jesus’ attention. He would not be embarrassed, and he would not be shut up. He knew that Jesus was the Son of David, meaning the Messiah, and kept shouting for His mercy. i. William Barclay points out there is a difference in the ancient Greek words used to describe the action of the blind man in Luke 18:38 and 18:39, and show the blind man’s great desperation. · Cried out (Luke 18:38): ‘An ordinary loud shout to attract attention.’ · Cried out all the more (Luke 18:39): ‘The instinctive cry of ungovernable emotion, a scream, an almost animal cry.’ c. Have mercy on me: The blind man knew he needed mercy from Jesus. He didn’t think that God owed him; he wanted mercy.” “b. What do you want Me to do for you? This is a wonderful, simple question God has not stopped asking. Sometimes we go without when God would want to give us something simply because we will not answer this question, and we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). i. Jesus asked this question with full knowledge that this man was blind. He knew what he needed and what he wanted, but God still wants us to tell Him our needs as a constant expression of our trust and reliance on Him. c. Lord, that I may receive my sight: The blind man knew how to submit to Jesus – he called Jesus ‘Lord’ and asked to receive his sight. e. Receive your sight; your faith has made you well: Jesus granted the man’s request and healed him of blindness. Jesus connected the man’s healing with the man’s faith. There were many notable aspects of this man’s faith that made him ready to receive from Jesus. · It was faith that wanted Jesus. · It was faith that knew who He was. · It was faith that knew what he deserved from Jesus. · It was faith that could tell Jesus what it wanted. · It was faith that could call Jesus Lord. f. He received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: The blind man, now healed and saved, began to follow Jesus. The way of Jesus became his way. This was especially significant considering that Jesus was on His way towards Jerusalem to die.” enduringword.com |
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coram_deo 10-Aug-21, 07:47 |
“After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.” (John 21:1-14) The specific number of fishes caught - 153 - is interesting because numbers often have symbolic meanings in the Holy Bible. I may start a thread on that (the meaning of numbers in the Bible) and look into whether 153 carries any specific meaning. BTW, the author of this Gospel is one of the disciples present for this event and therefore is an eyewitness to it (John is one of the sons of Zebedee.) |
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coram_deo 12-Aug-21, 07:36 |
Interesting to me are the Pharisees’ reaction to this miracle and Jesus Christ’s statements about Himself: “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” (John 9) |
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coram_deo 16-Aug-21, 08:11 |
This account, which I was led to by a devotional I received today (and posted,) is one of the instances in which Jesus cured a man of leprosy. “When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” (Matthew 8:1-4) What struck me about this healing is the man with leprosy saying, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” In all four Gospels, Jesus does not refuse to heal a single person - all who come to Him for healing are healed. Sometimes, He heals from a distance, sometimes He heals in person, but He never says He won’t heal someone - and He never fails to! |
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coram_deo 18-Aug-21, 10:05 |
“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:12-19) |
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coram_deo 22-Aug-21, 07:43 |
“And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;” (Matthew 12:9-15) And here is David Guzik’s commentary on this healing: “a. He went into their synagogue: A general theme through this section of Matthew is the rising opposition against Jesus. Sometimes this opposition is expressed against Him directly and sometimes attacks on His disciples. Yet we see that Jesus, as a faithful Jewish man, continued to go to synagogue normally. We might say that Jesus was a faithful church-going man, even when He had reason not to be. i. ‘Jesus set the example of attending public worship. The synagogues had no divine appointment to authorize them, but in the nature of things it must be right and good to meet for the worship of God on his own day, and therefore Jesus was there. He had nothing to learn, yet he went up to the assembly on the day which the Lord God had hallowed.’ (Spurgeon) b. A man who had a withered hand: At best, the religious leaders saw the man with the withered hand as an interesting test case. It is more likely that they saw the man as bait for a Sabbath controversy trap for Jesus. In contrast, Jesus looked at the man through eyes of compassion. i. These accusers also knew Jesus would do something when He saw this man in need. In this sense, these critics had more faith than many of us. We sometimes seem to doubt that Jesus wants to really or miraculously meet the needs of others. c. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath: Jesus exposed their hypocrisy by showing their greater concern for their own possessions than for a man in need, arguing persuasively that it can’t be wrong to do good on the Sabbath. Then Jesus compassionately healed the man. i. ‘The withered hand was literally ‘dry’, i.e. lifeless, perhaps paralysed; the man was thus not in imminent danger of death, which alone justified treatment on the sabbath according to Mishnah Yoma 8:6. He could just as well be healed the next day.’ (France) d. Stretch out your hand: When Jesus commanded the man ‘stretch out your hand,’ He commanded the man to do something impossible in his current condition. But Jesus gave both the command and the ability to fulfill it, and the man put forth the effort and was healed. i. ‘The man’s hand was withered; but God’s mercy had still preserved to him the use of his feet: He uses them to bring him to the public worship of God, and Jesus meets and heals him there.’ (Clarke) ii. ‘He stretched out his restored hand, assuming that not till restored could the hand be stretched out. The healing and the outstretching may be conceived as contemporaneous.’ (Bruce) iii. ‘Christ sometimes used the ceremony of laying on his hand; here he doth not, to let us know that that was but a sign of what was done by his power.’ (Poole) e. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him: In response to this display of compassion, power, and wisdom the Pharisees, in the hardness of their hearts, did not respond in reverent worship and submission but in hardened, murderous rejection. i. This is a significant development in the opposition against Jesus from the religious leaders. ‘Hitherto, they had been content with finding fault; now it is come to plotting against His life – a tribute to His power…Such is the evil fruit of Sabbath controversies.’ (Bruce) ii. Luke 6:11 says that the critics of Jesus were filled with rage when Jesus healed this man. Which was more a violation of the Sabbath: When Jesus healed a man, or when these hate-filled men plotted the murder of a godly Man who never sinned against anybody?” “a. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there: For a time, Jesus withdrew somewhat from public ministry as the opposition rose against Him. This was not out of cowardice, but in respect to God the Father’s timing for the course and culmination of His ministry. It could not be allowed to peak too soon. b. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all: Jesus did what He could to escape the press of the crowds, but the crowds simply followed Him. Nevertheless, He responded with compassion and He healed them all. i. This is one of the few references in the gospels of Jesus healing all on a specific occasion, yet it is important and appropriate here. Matthew wants us to know that the press of the crowd did not make Jesus impatient or angry. He also wants us to know that the determination of this crowd was evidence of their faith; therefore, all were healed.” enduringword.com |
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coram_deo 22-Aug-21, 17:56 |
“And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” (Luke 13:10-17) |
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coram_deo 25-Aug-21, 11:10 |
“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.” (John 5:1-16) |
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coram_deo 27-Aug-21, 09:48 |
“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.” (Mark 8:22-26) Here are excerpts from commentaries on why Jesus may have healed the blind man at Bethsaida in stages: “A reader of Mark’s Gospel may rightly inquire, ‘Why does Jesus heal the blind man in two stages in Mark 8:22–26?’ Earlier in the Gospel, we’ve seen that with simply a word, Jesus can heal from a distance (7:29). So why the protracted healing here? Let’s begin by noting one thing we can say the text is definitely not teaching. The two-step healing doesn’t imply that Jesus ‘failed’ at his first attempt at healing, or that he is somehow inadequate. Even the superficial reader of Mark’s Gospel couldn’t miss the clarity with which Jesus is repeatedly presented as the authoritative, omnipotent Son of God (1:1; 14:18, 27–28, 62, 72). At another level, the answer to our question is patently obvious. We read about a two-step healing because that’s how the event actually happened! The early church father Papias affirmed that Mark carefully wrote down the apostolic preaching of Peter. We read of a two-step healing because Jesus, historically, in space and time, healed the man in two stages. Looking back to the actual historical event, though, why did Jesus heal in this way? And does Mark, the Spirit-inspired narrator of these events, give us any clues in answering this question? Human Faith and Divine Power In Mark 6:5–6, we’re told that Jesus could do only few miracles in his hometown because of the people’s lack of faith. Elsewhere, Jesus clearly conditions answers to petitions with the proviso, ‘According to your faith, be it done to you’ (Matt. 9:29, cf. Mark 10:52; 11:22–24). Although Jesus can perform miracles where there is inadequate or non-existent faith (e.g., Mark 5:41–42; 9:23–24), most of the miracles in his earthly ministry correspond to the faith of the petitioner(s). As the author of Hebrews similarly charges us, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him’ (Heb. 11:6) Was there some inadequacy in the faith of the blind man that resulted in the delay of his healing? If so, Mark gives no such indication.” www.thegospelcoalition.org In this commentary, given in full, the author suggests Jesus may have “failed” in His first attempt at restoring sight to the blind man so Jesus would experience all facets of the human experience (failure to reach a goal being one of them.) “In chapter 8 of the Gospel of Mark, there is a most peculiar story of Jesus healing a blind man. What makes it peculiar is that Jesus seems a failure the first time around. The blind man is brought to Jesus. Jesus puts a little home-made ointment on the man’s eyes and says, ‘Can you see now?’ The man responds, ‘Well, I see—sorta. I see people, but they look like trees walking.’ Stop the story right there! We know how it goes on. There is a second healing touch and the blind man ends up seeing clearly. But before going there, stop and think about this moment in time. What might Jesus have been thinking when the man, still at least partially blind, said that? Was he surprised that the healing had not been instantly successful? This, of course, was not the first time that the healing power of Jesus failed. An earlier passage in Mark 6:5 admits that one time in Nazareth Jesus found he was able to do hardly anything. If Jesus tried to cure the blind man and his cure did not work at first, and if Jesus tried to heal folks in Nazareth but found he was unable to do it, then I wonder, ‘How did Jesus feel about that?’ Failure to accomplish goals must be a common human experience. And if Jesus knew all common human experiences, as it suggests in Hebrews 4:15, then he knew the feeling of having failed. It does not feel good. How did Jesus prevent failure from damaging his self-confidence? How can I? Would Jesus try to find someone to blame? Of course not. Then why do I so frequently say, ‘It is not my fault!’ My imagination also wonders what the blind man was thinking. Was he disappointed? Did he think less of Jesus because his sight was not perfectly restored, or was he satisfied that a little sight was better than none? Exploring any of these questions makes me reflect on what it means to be human. It also leads me to examine what I believe about Jesus. Deep issues of psychology, theology, and self-examination are hidden here. Beyond wondering what Jesus might have thought or what the blind man might have thought, there is yet another question. What was the Gospel writer, Mark, thinking by including a story in which an action of Jesus was less than perfect the first time around? Mark places this story at a critical point in his Gospel. It sets the stage for the episode immediately following. There Jesus asks his disciples if they understand him (Mark 8:29). Peter typically blurts out that he knows Jesus to be the Christ. But Jesus goes on to say that his journey will involve death and resurrection. That’s when Peter reveals that he really doesn’t understand Jesus as well as he thought he did. Mark’s placement of the story is then a clever way of helping the readers to explore the possibility that we, too, may misunderstand what it means when we say Jesus is the Christ. Or, with the blind man, we may be only partially right in our understanding. So Mark is dealing with Christology, Jesus with failure, and the blind man with disappointment. All of these are worthy trails to follow. But today I am captivated by the observation of the blind man: ‘I see people, but they look like trees walking.’ In my imagination, I think Jesus said, ‘Come and let’s try again.’ Healing that blind man required a second healing touch because we are not supposed to be seeing people as trees walking. That’s like not really seeing them. It is like they are not really people. Of course it is important to remember that I have stopped the story in the middle. My excuse is that sometimes I fail to realize that one moment in my life is not the defining point but simply one piece of a story that continues. So after the second touch, the man looked and—scripture says—he saw clearly! I assume that the test was how well he could see other people as people. It may be that the second touch was not to heal his eyes, but his heart. What keeps us from seeing—really heart-to-heart seeing— other people? This is an important question because we Christians believe that God came to us in Jesus. It’s a doctrine we call incarnation. And if we are correct in believing that God came among us in human form, then that makes every human I meet a potential ‘God carrier.’ I find that nine times out of ten in biblical stories when God wants to get through to someone, God sends the message through a human messenger. That means I need to be attentive to every person I meet. Not as ‘trees walking’ but with a genuine person-to-person encounter. The book of Hebrews says that by being open and receptive to other people—by relating to them on something deeper than a superficial level—some of us have ‘entertained angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2). Some of us have been spoken to by God’s messengers and didn’t even know it. Once John the Baptist sent some of his men to ask Jesus an interesting question: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ I suppose John’s question is one I need to ask of every person whose path crosses mine: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or am I to wait for another?’ You may remember the answer Jesus sent back. ‘Go tell John what you see. Blind people are receiving their sight, lame folks are walking, people with leprosy are being healed, deaf people can hear, and poor folks have good news.’ Healing and being healed is what happens when we no longer see people as trees walking. www.brethren.org I suppose what both commentaries suggest may be true: For Jesus to experience all that being human means, He would have to experience failure since all human beings experience failure. And in His healings, Jesus invariably brings up a person’s faith so it’s possible the blind man at Bethsaida lacked faith. I think verse 22 supports this: “And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.” The blind man was not requesting the healing - people with him were. In most healings, the person who needs healing is the one who requests it. That doesn’t appear to be the case here. Jesus’ healing was also delayed when He cast out demons from a man in Gadarenes: “And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.” (Luke 8:26-33) The demon-possessed man in this account didn’t request healing either, though given his affliction, that’s understandable. Nevertheless, Jesus commands the demons to leave the man, and, instead of that happening immediately, a dialogue ensues. |
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coram_deo 29-Aug-21, 09:18 |
And I don’t think it’s unusual that the disciples questioned how to feed four thousand followers of Jesus in this passage, having already seen Jesus multiply loaves and fishes once, because after Jesus and the disciples got into a ship after this second miracle of multiplying loaves and fishes, Jesus said something that the disciples misinterpreted as a chastisement for forgetting to bring bread aboard the ship. I’ll include that passage as well. “In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.” (Mark 8:1-10) And here is the passage where the disciples misinterpret what Jesus says: “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?” (Mark 8:14-21) There’s something about unbelief, or lack of belief, that makes one spiritually blind. I used to think atheists who insisted evidence did not exist for Jesus Christ’s Resurrection - after I’d presented many evidences - were simply trolling me. But now I lean more to the opinion that they honestly can’t see it. Their minds are so made up, so closed on the question, that they can’t process information on this subject the way an open-minded person could. Now I don’t think Jesus Christ’s disciples were atheists (obviously,) but maybe at this point in Jesus’ ministry, they honestly didn’t understand who He was. And that’s understandable - God appearing on earth in the flesh is not something easily believed. The disciples eventually did know and believe who Jesus was/is, but for many, that realization came only after they saw Him Resurrected. And that had such an effect on them that they went from cowering in fear of the Pharisees (who had Jesus put to death) to giving up their lives by refusing to deny they saw the Resurrected Christ and by refusing to stop preaching in His name. Which is why I believe the Resurrected Christ said to Thomas, when Thomas initially refused to believe Jesus was alive after His crucifixion because he hadn’t seen Him, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) |
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coram_deo 31-Aug-21, 05:56 |
Here is the miracle Jesus did after getting into the ship, which is recorded in the last verse of this excerpt: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” (John 6:15-21) In this miracle, Jesus seems to manipulate time, something He also did when He turned water into wine (I’m not a wine drinker but I know it takes a long time to make good wine.) Unless I’m mistaken, scientists think time did not always exist; that it was created at some point. So it makes sense that the One who created time can manipulate it as well! Here’s a commentary on this miracle which says John reports it in an “almost off-handed way.” From bibleref.com “The gospel of John records seven specific miracles, which are described as signs—meaning events carrying some specific meaning, purpose, or message. In John's case, these are collected as evidence that Jesus Christ really is God incarnate. Two are recorded in this chapter alone: Christ feeding thousands (John 6:1–15) and Christ walking on the water (John 6:16–21). Here, however, there is another miracle which is described in an almost off-handed way. Mark chapter 6 and Matthew chapter 14 give the details which John leaves out of this account. The men crossed the Sea of Galilee at Jesus' directive (Mark 6:45), encountering high winds and rough seas. Jesus, however, is watching from the shore, and walks out to them sometime just before sunrise (Mark 6:48). Even though the men are terrified at what appears to be a ghost, Peter works up the courage to walk on water, at least for a few steps, before being rescued by Jesus. The disciples then bring Peter and Jesus on board (Matthew 14:27–33). This verse describes the ‘bonus’ miracle of John chapter 6: when the disciples take Jesus into the boat, they are ‘immediately’ at their destination!” “Context Summary John 6:16–21 contains the fifth of John's seven miraculous ''signs'' proving that Jesus Christ is God: Christ walking on the water. This passage also describes a ''hidden'' miracle, not part of the main seven, involving the disciples and their boat. This incident is important for what it teaches about difficulty and suffering. The disciples found themselves in rough seas, after Jesus told them specifically to sail across the Sea of Galilee. Their hard time was not the result of disobedience; rather, their hard time came because they obeyed. Not all struggles are punishments, and not all storms come due to rebellion. At times, obedience to God means heading into a storm.” www.bibleref.com And I’d add God is not only with us in the storm, He brings us through it! Going back to the miracle of Jesus walking on water, which I posted earlier in this thread (Matthew 14:22-33.) When Peter asked Jesus to enable him to walk on water, Peter was able to do it - until he became frightened by the storm and took his eyes off Jesus. Then Peter started to sink. Keep your eyes on Jesus when you’re in the storm! |
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coram_deo 01-Sep-21, 10:20 |
“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come, he went out of the city. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:12-24) Here’s a commentary on the meaning of Jesus cursing the fig tree. From gotquestions.org: “The account of Jesus cursing the barren fig tree is found in two different gospel accounts. First, it is seen in Matthew 21:18-22, and then also in Mark 11:12-14. While there are slight differences between the two accounts, they are easily reconciled by studying the passages. Like all Scripture, the key to understanding this passage comes from understanding the context in which it happened. In order to properly understand this passage, we must first look at the chronological and geographical setting. For example, when did this occur, what was the setting, and where did it happen? Also, in order to fully understand this passage, we need to have an understanding of the importance of the fig tree as it relates to the nation of Israel and understand how the fig tree is often used in the Scriptures to symbolically represent Israel. Finally, we must have a basic understanding of the fig tree itself, its growing seasons, etc. First, in looking at the general chronological setting of the passage, we see that it happened during the week before His crucifixion. Jesus had entered Jerusalem a day earlier amid the praise and worship of the Jewish people who were looking to Him as the King/Messiah who was going to deliver them from Roman occupation (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11). Now, the next day, Jesus is again on His way to Jerusalem from where He was staying in Bethany. On His way, both Matthew and Mark record that He was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance that had leaves on it (Mark 11:13). Upon coming to the tree expecting to find something to eat, Jesus instead discovered that the fig tree had no fruit on it and cursed the tree saying, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:14). Matthew records the cursing and the withering of the fig tree all in one account and includes it after the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple of the moneychangers. Mark explains that it actually took place over two days, with Jesus cursing the fig tree the first day on the way to cleanse the Temple, and the disciples seeing the tree withered on the second day when they were again going to Jerusalem from Bethany (Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-20). Of course, upon seeing the tree ‘withered from the roots up,’ the disciples were amazed, as that would have normally taken several weeks. Having reviewed the general chronological setting of the story, we can begin to answer some of many questions that are often asked of it. First of all is the question, Why did Jesus curse the fig tree if it was not the right season for figs? The answer to this question can be determined by studying the characteristics of fig trees. The fruit of the fig tree generally appears before the leaves, and, because the fruit is green it blends in with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples saw from a distance that the tree had leaves, they would have expected it to also have fruit on it even though it was earlier in the season than what would be normal for a fig tree to be bearing fruit. Also, each tree would often produce two to three crops of figs each season. There would be an early crop in the spring followed by one or two later crops. In some parts of Israel, depending on climate and conditions, it was also possible that a tree might produce fruit ten out of twelve months. This also explains why Jesus and His disciples would be looking for fruit on the fig tree even if it was not in the main growing season. The fact that the tree already had leaves on it even though it was at a higher elevation around Jerusalem, and therefore would have been outside the normal season for figs, would have seemed to be a good indication that there would also be fruit on it. As to the significance of this passage and what it means, the answer to that is again found in the chronological setting and in understanding how a fig tree is often used symbolically to represent Israel in the Scriptures. First of all, chronologically, Jesus had just arrived at Jerusalem amid great fanfare and great expectations, but then proceeds to cleanse the Temple and curse the barren fig tree. Both had significance as to the spiritual condition of Israel. With His cleansing of the Temple and His criticism of the worship that was going on there (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17), Jesus was effectively denouncing Israel’s worship of God. With the cursing of the fig tree, He was symbolically denouncing Israel as a nation and, in a sense, even denouncing unfruitful ‘Christians’ (that is, people who profess to be Christian but have no evidence of a relationship with Christ). The presence of a fruitful fig tree was considered to be a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Likewise, the absence or death of a fig tree would symbolize judgment and rejection. Symbolically, the fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel, who while very religious outwardly with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, were spiritually barren because of their sins. By cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, causing it to whither and die, Jesus was pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out. It also teaches the principle that religious profession and observance are not enough to guarantee salvation, unless there is the fruit of genuine salvation evidenced in the life of the person. James would later echo this truth when he wrote that ‘faith without works is dead’ (James 2:26). The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity. God judges fruitlessness, and expects that those who have a relationship with Him will ‘bear much fruit’ (John 15:5-8).” www.gotquestions.org |
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coram_deo 03-Sep-21, 11:39 |
“And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things.” (Luke 14:1-6) Here is the definition of dropsy, according to a medical website: “Dropsy: An old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water. In years gone by, a person might have been said to have dropsy. Today one would be more descriptive and specify the cause. Thus, the person might have edema due to congestive heart failure.” www.medicinenet.com Here are excerpts from a commentary on this miracle: “a. He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath: Even though Jesus had some of His greatest disputes with the Pharisees, He still associated with them – not to be one of them, but to love them and show them a godly example. b. They watched Him closely: Jesus was under constant observation. People wanted to know what He would do in different situations, and they formed their opinions about Jesus (and His God) based on what they saw. i. Watched Him closely: ‘The word used for watching is the word used for ‘interested and sinister espionage.’ Jesus was under scrutiny.’ (Barclay) As John Trapp wrote, ‘They watched as intently as a dog doth for a bone.’ ” “a. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy: Because this was in the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees (Luke 14:1) this man was an invited guest. Some believe that he was invited simply to provoke Jesus into doing something that they could accuse Him regarding. i. ‘Probably the insidious Pharisee had brought this dropsical man to the place, not doubting that our Lord’s eye would affect his heart, and that he would instantly cure him; and then he could most plausibly accuse him for a breach of the Sabbath. If this were the case, and it is likely, how deep must have been the perfidy and malice of the Pharisee!’ (Clarke) ii. The man was afflicted with dropsy, which is an ‘abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in the tissues of the body’ (Liefeld), ‘A disease that swells up the body due to fluids forming in the cavities and tissue.’ (Barclay) The word for dropsy here comes from the Greek words for ‘water’ and ‘face’ or ‘countenance’ because the disease often made a person look bloated in their face. iii. And Jesus, answering: ‘The arresting word is the word ‘answering.’ These men had said nothing, yet He answered them.’ (Morgan) Jesus answered them with both a question and an action. b. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? The issue was not about the healing directly, but on healing on the Sabbath. When Jesus healed the man, His accusers believed that He worked on the Sabbath, and violated God’s command, but that wasn’t true. With this question, Jesus reminded them that there was no command against healing on the Sabbath. i. Jesus never broke the commandments of God, but He often offended man’s traditions that surrounded and extended the commandments of God. The commandments of God are enough, and we should never make the traditions of man – even good traditions – equal to the commandments of God (Mark 7:8-9). ii. But they kept silent: Notably, Jesus’ accusers had no answer for this question. c. He took him and healed him, and let him go: We notice that there seems to be no ceremony or hocus-pocus in the healing ministry of Jesus. He simply did it, and the man was completely well. Additionally, since the man’s affliction (dropsy) affected the man’s appearance, it should be understood that the man’s appearance immediately was transformed, indicating health. This was a remarkable miracle.” “a. Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day? Jesus’ logic was simple and impossible to dispute. If it was allowed to help animals on the Sabbath, how much more was it right to heal people who are made in God’s image? i. ‘If they said no, they would reveal themselves for what they really were – inhumane religious leaders. If they said yes, they would be breaking their own laws governing the Sabbath.’ (Pate) b. They could not answer Him regarding these things: One reason they could not answer was that in using this analogy Jesus appealed to something good in His accusers. ‘You aren’t brutal and cruel men. You will help your animals in need. Now, extend that same common-sense kindness to needy people.’ i. ‘Thus, while our Lord rebuked the wrong attitude and temper of these men, He did so by appealing to the best within them and calling them to be true to it. His purpose is not that of shaming men, but that of saving them.’ (Morgan)” enduringword.com |
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coram_deo 09-Sep-21, 10:52 |
Here is the account as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: “Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:22-37) Here is David Guzik’s enlightening commentary on these verses. From enduringword.com: a. He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw: Again, Jesus displayed His complete power and authority over demons, casting out demonic powers that the traditions of the day considered impossible. b. Could this be the Son of David: The crowds reacted with Messianic expectation, but the religious leaders responded by attributing Jesus’ power to the prince of demons (This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub). i. “The Pharisees’ accusation amounts to a charge of sorcery, one which continued to be leveled against Jesus in later Jewish polemic.” (France) ii. “Let others censure with the Pharisees; let us wonder with the multitudes.” (Trapp) a. But Jesus knew their thoughts: This was remarkable, but not necessarily a mark of the divinity of Jesus. The Holy Spirit can give the gift of supernatural knowledge to an individual (the word of knowledge mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8). b. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation: Jesus logically observed that it makes no sense for Satan to cast out Satan. The Pharisees needed to explain how Satan benefited by the work Jesus had just done. i. “One devil may yield and give place to another, to gain a greater advantage for the whole society, but one never quarrelleth with another.” (Poole) ii. “Satan may be wicked, He says in effect, but he is not a fool.” (Bruce) “Whatever fault the devils have, they are not at strife with each other; that fault is reserved for the servants of a better Master.” (Spurgeon) c. By whom do your sons cast them out: Jesus asked a question based on their (wrong) premise that He operated by Satan’s power. If that were true, then how did their own Jewish exorcists cast them out? i. “The Jewish exorcists operated in conventional fashion by use of herbs and magical formulae, and the results were probably insignificant. The practice was sanctioned by custom, and harmless. But in casting out devils, as in all other things, Jesus was original, and His method was too effectual. His power, manifest to all, was His offence.” (Bruce) ii. “Envy causes persons often to condemn in one, what they approve in another.” (Spurgeon) iii. I cast out demons by the Spirit of God: “Though our Lord had power all his own, he honored the Spirit of God, and worked by his energy, and mentioned the fact that he did so.” (Spurgeon) d. And then he will plunder his house: Using an analogy, Jesus explained His authority to bind Satan’s power. He is stronger than the strong man is. In so doing, Jesus presented a valuable principle in spiritual warfare as we remember that Jesus gives us the permission to use His name and authority, giving us the strength we need in binding the strong man. i. Jesus also made it clear that He was the stronger man who was not captive under the strong man. His message was, “I’m not under Satan’s power. Instead, I’m proving that I am stronger than he is by casting him out of those he has possessed.” “The very fact that I have been able so successfully to invade Satan’s territory is proof that he is bound and powerless to resist.” (Barclay) ii. Jesus looks at every life delivered from Satan’s domination and says, “I’m plundering the kingdom of Satan one life at a time.” There is nothing in our life that must stay under Satan’s domination. The One who binds the strong man and will plunder his goods is our risen Lord. a. He who is not with Me is against Me: Jesus first removed illusions about any neutral response to Him or His work. If one is not for Him, then that one is against Him. If one does not work with Jesus, by either active opposition or passive disregard, that one works against Jesus (he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad). i. “Only two forces are at work in the world, the gathering and the scattering. Whoever does the one contradicts the other.” (Morgan) b. Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven: Jesus solemnly warned the religious leaders against rejecting Him. Their rejection of Jesus – especially considered what they had seen of Jesus and His work – showed that they were completely rejecting the Holy Spirit’s ministry. That ministry is to testify to Jesus, hence the warning of committing the unforgivable sin. i. The Holy Spirit’s main ministry is to testify of Jesus (He will testify of Me, John 15:26). When that testimony of Jesus is fully and finally rejected, one has truly blasphemed the Holy Spirit and essentially called Him a liar in respect to His testimony about Jesus. The religious leaders were close to this. ii. To reject Jesus from a distance or with little information is bad; to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit about Jesus is fatal. c. It will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come: The eternal consequences of this sin force us to regard it seriously. Therefore, how can one know if they have in fact blasphemed the Holy Spirit? The fact that one desires Jesus at all shows that they are not guilty of this sin. Yet continued rejection of Jesus makes us more hardened against Him and puts us on the path of a full and final rejection of Him. i. Some people – as a joke or a dare – intentionally say words they suppose commit the sin of blasphemy against the Spirit. They think it a light thing to joke with eternity. Yet true blasphemy against the Spirit is more than a formula of words; it is a settled disposition of life that rejects the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding Jesus. Even if someone has intentionally said such things, they can still repent and prevent a settled rejection of Jesus. ii. “Many sincere people have been grievously troubled with apprehensions that they had committed the unpardonable sin; but let it be observed that no man who believes the Divine mission of Jesus Christ, ever can commit this sin: therefore let no man’s heart fail because of it, from henceforth and for ever, Amen.” (Clarke) a. A tree is known by its fruit: The bad fruit of their words (when they condemned Jesus) betrayed the bad root growing in their hearts. If they got their hearts right with God, their words about Jesus would also be right. b. Brood of vipers! With these words, Jesus essentially called the religious leaders “sons of Satan.” They were a generation associated with the serpent, not with God. It was this evil nature that made them speak evil of Jesus (How can you, being evil, speak good things). c. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks: Our words reveal our heart. If there were good treasure in the heart of these religious leaders, it would show itself in good things. i. For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment: “Idle and wasted words are to be accounted for; what then of evil and wicked?” (Trapp) ii. Adam Clarke said that the sense of the ancient Greek word used for an idle word is “a word that does nothing, that neither ministers grace nor instruction to them who hear it.” If this is true, many preachers might find themselves guilty of this sin. d. By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned: By this Jesus answered an anticipated objection – that He made too much of mere words. Instead, because words reflect the heart, one can be rightly judged by their words. i. Paul also wrote about the importance of our words: That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) enduringword.com |
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coram_deo 13-Sep-21, 00:38 |
“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” (Luke 5:1-11) What’s interesting to me about this passage is Jesus tells Peter to let down nets (plural) and Peter responds by letting down a net (singular.) The net then breaks because of the large number of fish. But Peter, who was undoubtedly tired and frustrated after a fruitless night of fishing, obeyed Jesus and was well rewarded. Peter’s reaction to this miraculous haul of fish is also interesting. Here is a good commentary on Peter’s reaction to the huge haul of fish: From sermonwriter.com: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (v. 8b). This is an epiphany story—a moment of sudden insight—especially for Peter. Faced with a miracle, he finds himself in the presence of the Holy and overwhelmed by his own unholiness. Like a poorly dressed person in elegant company, Peter wants only to escape the unfavorable contrast. • This was also the response of Moses at the burning bush at his call—”Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). • It was also the response of Isaiah at his call—”Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!” (Isaiah 6:5). • Now it is the response of Peter at his call. Each of these three became great Godly leaders, but their greatness had its roots, not in their wisdom, talents, or spirituality, but in God’s call. God calls whom God calls—and God often gets the best mileage out of the least likely candidates. Jesus says, “For whoever is least among you all, this one will be great” (9:48)—perhaps because the least are quicker to respond—less likely to count the cost—more apt to trust. Happily, God calls each of us to some important task—often one that seems of no more consequence than letting down the nets one more time. The fishermen who obeyed Jesus that day could not imagine that, two thousand years later, we would still be deriving spiritual nourishment from the story of their obedience—but we are. It matters not whether Christ calls us to serve on a faraway mission field or to a far humbler task—ushering, singing in the choir, setting up coffee, visiting a shut-in, feeding a hungry person, or giving our last dollar. In Christ’s hands, the modest task becomes a vehicle for epiphany—revelation—discovery—greater faith. Christ can turn our most humble act of obedience into a net-breaking, boat-sinking miracle of abundance. We have largely lost our sense of wonder and fear in God’s presence. Instead, we worship at the altar of science and technology, which present us with new wonders every day. We worship at the altar of self-esteem, resisting humility and contriteness as if they constituted some sort of emotional disease. We even imagine that we have the right to set conditions under which we will accept God—and to spell out attributes that we expect God to bring to the table if he is to win our approval—but, in our better moments, we kneel in God’s presence, acknowledging our debt to God for every breath that we take. Simon is correct when he says that he is a sinful man, but Jesus has come to redeem sinners and outcasts, as he demonstrates in this chapter—touching a leper (5:12-16); forgiving the sins of a paralytic (5:17-26); calling a tax collector (5:27-28); and sitting at table with tax collectors and sinners (5:29-32). He says, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do” (5:31). sermonwriter.com |
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coram_deo 13-Sep-21, 10:52 |
“And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.” (Mark 1:21-28) Here are excerpts from commentaries on this miracle. From truthappliedjs.com: Mark tells us the man who cried out “was possessed by an evil spirit.” Literally, God in the flesh confronted a demon in the flesh. This evil spirit referred to Jesus in two ways and asked two questions. First, the evil spirit referred to Jesus as “Jesus of Nazareth.” This title carried a tone of scornful disdain. Nazareth was an obscure town, held in low esteem by other Israelites (cf. John 1:46). The Jewish leaders, in particular, used the term to belittle or downgrade someone. They mocked the idea that anyone significant, let alone the Messiah, would come from such a place (cf. John 7:41, 52). In referring to Jesus’ hometown, the demon joined the scorn of the disbelieving crowds. But the evil spirit also referred to Jesus as “the Holy One of God.” At the same time, the evil spirit knew exactly who Jesus was. Consequently, his scorn is mixed with terrified dread. As a wretched fallen angel, his response was one of hate intermingled with fear. He called Jesus “the Holy One of God” because he was fully aware of Jesus’ divine authority. This unclean spirit, a being characterized by ultimate depravity and incurable wickedness, cringed in the presence of perfect holiness. Let me make an observation here: It is very possible to recognize Jesus for who He is and hate him all the more. I know who you are and I don’t like it. This evil spirit recognized Jesus’ humanity by calling him “Jesus of Nazareth” and recognized Jesus’ deity when he called Him “the Holy One of God.” This brings us to the two questions the evil spirit asked. The first question, “Why are you interfering with us?” – This was the demon’s way of saying, “Mind you own business.” Notice the “us” in this question. The evil spirit is probably speaking on behalf of many evil spirits that were in this man. He was infested with them. The second question, “Have you come to destroy us?” – From the evil spirit’s perspective this is referring to the final judgment that he knows is coming, but doesn’t know when Jesus will bring that on them. The evil spirit knows that Jesus has the authority to interfere and to destroy. [i] It is important to emphasize that during Jesus’ ministry, the demons did not attack Him. They assaulted the souls of sinful people but never Jesus. In fact, whenever a confrontation occurred, it was Jesus who attacked them. His mere presence sent them into a frenzied panic. Though invisible to the naked eye, they were not invisible to Him. They might be able to hide from people – disguising themselves as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and dwelling comfortably within the confines of false religion. But they could not hide from the omniscient gaze of Christ. In His presence, they blew their cover due to the constraining power of their fear. [ii] Casting out unclean spirits: Jesus the exorcist. The NT takes the existence of demons for granted but offers no explanation of their origin or descriptions of their appearance. Many are not comfortable with the idea of demons, although we still use phrases like, “What’s gotten into him?” or “What’s come over you?” The world of demons is exotic and bizarre to most moderns. They either reduce them to cartoon-like gremlins or deny their existence completely. Modern scientific attitudes heavily influence us; and since demons do not show up on scientific radar screens, many dismiss such cases as some primitive misdiagnosis that is now made obsolete by modern medical advances. It would make many happier if Mark had given some medical name to the maladies of these sufferers. At the opposite pole, however, are those who brand everything that they do not comprehend as demonic. Both views trivialize the problem of an evil that wages combat with God. In 1:32, Mark makes a distinction between those who are sick and those who have demons. Those afflicted with demons are never said to be “healed”; instead, the demons go out from them. [iii] The passage itself reveals a striking contrast between the response of people to Jesus’ authority and the response of demons. On the one had, people were amazed at Jesus’ power and authority (vv. 22, 27). They reacted with wonder, curiosity, and surprise because He taught as no one they had ever heard before. On the other hand, demons were terrified by Christ. They responded in horror, dread and panic. Those differing reactions lie at the heart of understanding the significance of this passage. Both the demons and the people were sinful. Yet, only the demons shrieked in fear. They understood Jesus was their Judge who would cast them into hell. The people certainly did not. truthappliedjs.com From thingsofthesort.com: This passage includes at least two things almost no one believes in anymore: authoritative teaching and spiritual warfare. And there are two primary ways of ignoring them. One is to deny their existence outright. That’s what the Enlightenment thinkers told us to do. They said modern people must question all authority. They said all tradition, all revelation, all external authority must be put under the microscope of personal reason and submitted to the moral authority of the Self. Part of that subjection to reason was a rejection of the supernatural—not only the supernatural miracles of God but even the person of God. Skepticism replaced faith. So today’s passage, in today’s world, is just about as crazy as you can get. Here we have the God-Man, Jesus, teaching not with suggestions for a better life but with the authority of the living God. And we have a demon-possessed man healed, the unclean spirit cast out, and everyone left awestruck. Could you imagine an event like this making the front page of the news websites today with any level of seriousness? The other way is no less a denial but a much more subtle one. And it’s the one we swim in, primarily, in our area today. Our culture really likes Jesus. But the popular Jesus is a far cry from the biblical Jesus. He fits squarely into the mold Self-centered thinking. Instead of accepting the Jesus of the Bible with all his claims of lordship and exclusivity, many have accepted a half-Jesus, which is really no Jesus. It’s a Jesus fashioned out of the selfish mind, perfectly contoured to personal desires and felt needs. He has all the encouragement and good vibes we want without the lordship and salvation we need. We can call this half-Jesus “Jesus Jr.” Who is Jesus Jr.? Jesus Jr. is a phrase I learned from Ray Ortlund at Immanuel Church. Jesus Jr. Is a sanitized version of the real Jesus. Jesus Jr. doesn’t surprise us, astonish us, or amaze us. Jesus Jr. does not cause us to say, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!” Jesus Jr. is safe, comfortable, manageable. Jesus Jr. never disagrees with us. But, as pastor Tim Keller says, “If your God never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.” If your Jesus never stuns you with his glory, if he never causes you to fall down at his feet in worship, if you never realize before him you are undeserving of his love and cry out for mercy only to find within him storehouses of grace, you are deprived of the only One who can really do something glorious in your life. The problem with both of these views is that neither accepts the authoritative lordship of Jesus Christ. Both are a rejection of the King of the kingdom that has drawn near. You can’t be saved in a world without Jesus, but you can’t be saved in a world with Jesus Jr., either. So we need the real Jesus who can do something about our sin. We need the real Jesus who takes matters into his own hands. We need the real Jesus who teaches, heals, reshapes, recreates, raises the dead. We need the authoritative Jesus of the Kingdom of God. And that’s the Jesus we have, if we’ll take him. In light of this authoritative teaching, who would you expect to be the first to respond? Maybe the synagogue leader? Maybe the long-time congregants? What about a demon? There’s something profound about the fact that a demon was the first to respond. Something deeper was going on than what anyone could see on the surface. Outside, the world went on as it always had as Jesus and the demonic realm did battle in a synagogue in Capernaum. We don’t know how this “one with an unclean spirit,” arrived in the synagogue. Maybe he was there all along. If so, what does that say about the spiritual state of the people? Perhaps he came in a little later, sensing somehow that Jesus was near. Whatever the case, it seems this unclean spirit heard the teaching of Jesus, because what he does next is in response to that teaching. The unclean spirit had seized control of the man. His personality was affected by this demonic presence. He cried out, resistant and defiant, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” What’s he saying here? These words reach all the way back into the Old Testament. It’s a formula of disassociation. The demon wants Jesus to go away and leave him alone. He’s not asking as much as he’s proclaiming. He’s saying, “You have nothing to do with us, and I have nothing to do with you. Be gone, Jesus!” He treats Jesus as an invader in this world that for so long was controlled by Satan and his minions. But Jesus is not invader, the demons are. Jesus is coming to reclaim his people in the fullness of time. The unclean spirit speaks not only for himself. Notice, he says “us.” “What have you to do with us?” “Have you come to destroy us?” Why does he do that? There are a few different possibilities. ● It could be that a legion of demons inhabited this man. We see that elsewhere in the Bible. But Mark calls this a man with an unclean spirit, singular, not plural. ● It could be that the demon is grouping everyone in the congregation together with him. He’s speaking on their behalf. And while it is true that everyone is far from Jesus and his authoritative teaching struck them all with a certain violence, I don’t think this is what he means. ● Rather, I think the demon is referring to the entirety of the demonic realm. We see in the gospels that when Jesus came to earth, all hell broke loose. The demons went on attack. And so this unclean spirit says not, “What do you have to do with me?” but “What do you have to do with us—all us demons?” Jesus is a major threat to every demonic power. They all recognized it, and sought a coordinated effort to undermine his authority. The unclean spirit recognized the authority of Jesus. He knew who Jesus was and what Jesus was doing. And so he does something really interesting. He mentions Jesus’ name twice. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” What’s he doing there? Think back to the Old Testament story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. After wrestling all night, Jacob demanded a blessing. So the angel asks Jacob his name. Why? Because revealing your name to an opponent was an act of submission. Jacob was admitting who he was, and coming under the authority of the angel. So when the unclean spirit shouts Jesus’ name, it was an attempt to unveil his identity to defeat him, to cause him to submit. He was saying, in effect, “I know who you are. You can’t fool me.” If someone stood up right now and said, “I know who you are, David McLemore,” something in me would pause. I would shudder a little bit. What do they know? One of our great fears is being found out. As soon as someone says they know me or you, they’re making a claim. That’s what this demon was doing. But did it work? Did the demon have more authority than Jesus? Was Jesus afraid of being found out? What sin or weakness or insufficiency was there in Jesus that struck fear in his heart? Nothing! This demon knew his end was near. He saw better than anyone else what was happening spiritually as Jesus taught. Hearts were changing. Chains were falling. The world was being set free from slavery to sin, from captivity to Satan, from the evil that raged within. Jesus was not a normal exorcist, using another’s authority. Jesus is the authority. The prophecy of Zechariah 13:2 was being fulfilled. God was removing the unclean spirits from the land. This particular unclean spirit seemed to know what it truly meant that the kingdom of God was at hand. What have demons to do with the kingdom of God? Better fight back now while he has the chance! It’s easy, I think to look at this and get so focused on the unclean spirit that we miss the man whom he inhabited. What happened to him? He was healed. That’s absolutely radical. It’s proof that Jesus’ authority wasn’t just a claim. He actually had the power he said he had. The kingdom of God truly was at hand. No one else could drive the unclean spirit away. No one else had the authority of Jesus. Now, how does this apply to us today? It’s something we say often here at Refuge because it’s such a foundational truth. No one is too far gone for God to save. Because the kingdom of God is at hand, even the demon-possessed have a chance! It also means this: Jesus has the authority to change you. Maybe you’re here today and wondering if your life is almost over. Your dreams are fading. Your sin is growing. Your desires as waning. Your hope is lost. Jesus has the authority to heal you. Jesus’ authority isn’t a removed authority; it’s a personal authority with personal implications. Jesus doesn’t only have authority over the world in some general sense, he has authority over each of our hearts in a very personal sense. Whatever mess you’ve made of your life, here’s the gospel truth: Jesus came to save sinners. Maybe you can’t imagine offering anything to Jesus but your absolute mess of a life. Okay. Bring it. That’s no problem for Jesus. You have a devil inside you? Don’t we all! Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. He has authority to heal you! Martin Luther said, “The life of Christianity consists in possessive pronouns.” It’s one thing to say, “Christ is Lord.” It’s another to say, “Christ is my Lord.” Any devil can say the first. Only the Christian can say the second. What do you say? www.thingsofthesort.com |
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