theologer

"And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all." - Luke 6:19

At the risk of sounding repetitive I'm going to talk again about just how awesome our savior is. I know I've been touching on this a lot lately, and I think it might be because I'm trying to beat it into my own head. I'm surprised at how I'll look back at some of the blog entries I wrote a year ago and think "that was a really good lesson, I wish I had learned it by now."

The truth is, our savior Jesus is more awesome, more beautiful, bigger, stronger, and far more loving and powerful than we will ever comprehend. This doesn't mean I wont try... This morning this verse struck me. Power was emanating from His body. People pressed in just to touch Him.

Remember King Midas? Everything he touched turned to gold. That would be a cool power until you wanted to hold your child (or even a TV remote). Shel Silverstein wrote a poem about a guy who everything he touched turned to strawberry jello (or something like that).

Imagine if everything you touched was made right? Imagine knowing that person and walking around with him? People would definitely press in and touch him. I've been seeing a chiropractor for back pain for about a month, I'd kill to be able to touch the Lord and see instant healing.

My point here is God is awesome. Everyone He touched -- and more -- everyone who touched Him, was instantly healed. I want to know, walk with, commune with, and love, this powerful God. I'm so happy I serve an all powerful God "for power came out from him," and not some lame person with emotional problems (or whatever other problems we often project on our Lord).

"They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out." - John 9:34

This whole section (John 9) about the man born blind is awesome for a few reasons. First because Jesus proclaims he was born blind so God may be glorified. Second because Jesus heals a man, he could not see and then he could, this is an AMAZING gift to receive.

Finally I like it because the Pharisees get so worked up over the healing and the man handles it so well. First they call him in to challenge that he was indeed originally blind (because they don't believe). Next they ask how Jesus did and establish clay should not have been made on the sabbath (looking for grounds to call it false). Then they go to the man's family and question them about his vision (they still do not believe) and the final section when they call the man back in is by far the best.

Them: "Give glory to God because this Jesus you talk about is a sinner and therefore should have had no power to heal you"

Man: "What do I care if He's a sinner, all I know is I was in utter darkness and now I see the beauty of the world around. I can walk without a guide, I can see the sun set and rise, I can gaze at the stars and trees whenever I want to!"

Them: "Tell us how he healed you."

Man: "Are you deaf? Have I not already told you? Maybe you need healing in your ears like I had in my eyes. Or maybe you want to become His disciples."

Them: "Don't even associate us with this man. We are disciples of Moses, we know he is great, we know nothing about this Jesus, not even where He came from, he must be a nobody, why would we follow a nobody."

Man: "That is amazing. You are the scribes, the teachers, the wise men, and ya'll have never heard of Him. Yet I was only a blind man and he thought me worthy of knowing Him. Even though you claim He is a nobody He had the power to heal my eyes! God wouldn't heal through Him if He was a sinner. God must have thought Him worthy of some power. No one has ever heard of blind man healed from his blindness and yet Jesus did it. If that's not from God what is? If ya'll don't want to be associated with this man, who DO you want to be associated with?

Them: "Woa there, WE are the the teachers, the scribes, the wise men, and YOU would presume to lecture us?"

And they threw him out....

I love this story because this guy was in their face, calling them morons for not tuning into the power of Jesus and where it must come from. I love when the Lord uses the weak to shame the wise. And this man's personality is something I can totally relate to. He is a biblically famous smart-alec.

*please take my interpretation of the verse with a grain of salt and understand I'm illustrating the situation, not re-translating it.

I think I've mentioned before about a guy near my home is isn't quite all there mentally. It's really quite hard for me to process. I see the guy and my heart just goes out to him but I don't know what to do. Finally I began to stop and to talk to him. Try to hold his hands and say a prayer for him for healing or for the Lord to reveal Himself to him. The hard thing I deal with is that as much as I want to see this guy healed, I MUCH more want to know that he'll have a chance, a hope for eternal life. How can he know if he cant understand?

So today I went back to visit. It was a rough day, but the Lord seemed to want to use it for good, and we were able to prayer for him. To love on him for a bit, and then even to go back and meet his family. Pray for them and love on them.

I try to explain that there is a God. That we believe in Him. That he is powerful. Magnificent and capable. That he desires to see those He loves be healed. I try to explain that the Lord created us to be perfect, but our imperfections are out own doing. That the Lord desires for us to be a part of redeeming these things. We prayed for him briefly and then shared with them how to pray. I asked if they would be willing to talk with the Lord every day about this young man. To pray for healing.

They said they would.
God showed up in a real way and it sure is fun when he does...