Text for today is from Luke 5:17-21 also found in Mark 2:1–12 and Matthew 9:1–8.
Luk 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Luk 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. Luk 5:19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. Luk 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. Luk 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? Luk 5:22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Luk 5:23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? Luk 5:24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. Luk 5:25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. Luk 5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. Please take note that while this is a healing story, it is also a story of controversy, which reveals important information about Jesus to the reader. We read that Jesus had returned to Capernaum and in this instance, people filled the house & crowded outside the front door to hear Him teach. Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a bed or mat. It was impossible for them to get inside the house due to the crowd, so they headed up to the roof. Many houses in Palestine in those days had a staircase at the side of the house that gave access to the roof. Roofs were generally flat & made of mud & straw. The Greek text literally says they “unroofed the roof.” They pulled back the straw covered with mud, made a hole, & lowered the man through it, bringing him into the presence of Jesus. Mark tells us that Jesus saw their faith. Their faith that Jesus could & would give healing must have been strong, considering they dared to unroof the roof of a house that wasn’t theirs, & Jesus recognized this. Jesus said: Son, your sins are forgiven. Had He simply told the man to stand up & walk, that would have been the end of the story, but these words bring controversy into the story. The mention of sin alongside healing wasn’t out of the ordinary, as in first-century Palestine, sin & disease were intimately associated. What raised questions was Jesus forgiving the paralytic man’s sins. He wasn’t saying that the Lord God had forgiven the man’s sins, but rather that He, Jesus, was personally forgiving them. This becomes clear when we read about the reactions of the scribes. Upon hearing Jesus pronounce that the paralytic’s sins were forgiven, the scribes who were present had internal questions, due to their training & understanding of Scripture. “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” From the standpoint of the scribes, Jesus was clearly claiming to do something that was only God’s prerogative. Jesus doesn’t offer any explanation; He doesn’t say, “Oh no, you misunderstood. I was just pointing out that God has forgiven his sin.” The scribes didn’t misunderstand what Jesus was claiming. They saw His claim to forgive sins as blasphemy, because He was acting like God. They saw Jesus as no more than another Galilean who was a normal human, & for such a person to forgive sins was blasphemy. The charge of blasphemy was very serious, as if it was proved, it could result in death. In fact, it was a later charge of blasphemy which brought Jesus the sentence of death. (Matthew 26:65–66.) Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves… Jesus knew what was going on in their minds & yet doesn’t say exactly how. However, it was most likely prophetic understanding or that Jesus had divine insight or divine knowledge as well as revealing His divinity. We already saw this divine insight in post DBR62 where Jesus perceive who Nathanael was and we will see other instances of this as we go along. Understanding what they were thinking, Jesus asks them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed & walk’?” Here Jesus uses what is known as qal wahomer (Hebrew for light & heavy), also known as an “a fortiori” argument. A fortiori (ah-for-she-ory) statements are a type of logical argument that makes a case that if one thing is true, then it can be inferred that a second thing is even more certainly true. It was a teaching technique used by Jewish rabbis to teach from “the lesser to the greater,” meaning that if a conclusion applies in a lesser case, it also applies in a more important one. This lesser-to-greater argument is recognized when the text says something like “If … how much more ….” Jesus asks: Is it easier to say something that can’t be visually verified, or is it easier to say something which can be? Obviously, it’s easier to say “your sins are forgiven,” which can’t be visually verified, than to say to someone who is paralyzed, “Rise, pick up your bed, & walk.” Having made that clear, Jesus does the more difficult thing. He shows by the act of healing the man that His claim to be able to forgive sins isn’t an empty claim. By His action of healing the paralytic, He shows that He also possesses the unique authority to forgive sins. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, & go home.” & he rose & immediately picked up his bed & went out before them all. Jesus commanded the man to rise, to pick up his bed, & to go home, & he did just that, attesting to his healing. His being able to do these three things at Jesus’ command caused wonderment: They were all amazed & glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Jesus’ goals in performing miracles were to show compassion on those in need, to change their circumstances for the better, to demonstrate God’s power working through Him, to show the Father’s love & generosity toward those in need, & in this case to show that He was empowered by His Father to forgive sins.
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To place the scribes’ thoughts into context, it’s helpful to have a little background on who the scribes were & what they did. As we continue reading the Gospels, we will see they played a big part in Jesus’s ministry especially showing the contrast to Jesus’ love, mercy and forgiveness.
The Scribes in Jesus’ day, there were a variety of Jewish religious groups within Israel. The most well-known were the Pharisees, who came into prominence about 130 years before Jesus’ birth. They weren’t necessarily a large group, but they were very influential. The name Pharisee comes from the Aramaic word meaning “separate,” & the Pharisees were seen as separated ones. They based their religious views on both the Tanakh (Old Testament) & the oral traditions, which they generally considered equal in authority. The Pharisees opposed Jesus because they saw Him as being lax toward their laws; they disapproved of how He interacted & ate with sinners, of His contact with Gentiles; & not least of all, they rejected the claims He made about Himself & His relationship to God. In the time before the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon, scribes were professional secretaries. They were employed to keep accounts, transcribe legal information, write personal correspondence for those unable to write, & they served as recorders for temple affairs. After the Babylonian captivity, when some of the Jews returned to Israel, the term “scribe” began to be associated more narrowly with those who gathered together, studied, & interpreted the Torah (Jewish Law). They became a profession of teachers who were able to accurately preserve & interpret the law of Moses. By the second century BC, the scribes were a fairly distinct class in Jewish society. It was around that time that the scribes started to become linked to the Pharisees, who had also started to become prominent in Israel at that time. Initially, after the return from Babylon, the scribes were generally from priestly families, but later scribal training became open to members of all classes; & by Jesus’ time, scribes from non-priestly families were numerous & influential. Because of the changed conditions after the return from Babylon, the written laws of Moses needed to be interpreted in a manner which could be applied in the Jewish people’s new circumstances. This resulted in the oral interpretation & application of the written law being promulgated by the scribes. This “oral law” eventually was regarded as equal to the written law, & was equally binding. Because the scribes were experts in the oral law, some of the leading scribes were included in the Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial council of Israel. As they were authoritative instructors of the Law within the temple, as well as in synagogues, they were greatly respected. They were addressed as “rabbi” or “master” & were given a place of honor at worship as well as at social affairs. Within the Gospels (though scribes are only mentioned once in John) the scribes are seen as those who are concerned with the keeping of the Law, both written & oral. Luke also refers to them as lawyers, as their chief function was to interpret Jewish law. Because Jesus viewed the Law, especially the oral law, in a different manner, the scribes, when they were part of Jesus’ audience, were critical, often accusing Him of violating the Law. He healed on the Sabbath, didn’t follow their ceremonial washings, ignored their practice of fasting, & mixed with the unclean & outcasts of Jewish society. They often posed questions about the Law in order to trap Him. They demanded that Jesus make His identity clear & reveal the source of His authority to perform miracles. With some exceptions, the attitude of the scribes was hostile toward Jesus & His message. His popularity posed a threat to their authority. As we continue our study of Jesus’ life we will see they were also hostile because Jesus often exposed their hypocrisy & corruption. He accused them of being inwardly corrupt while appearing to be outwardly holy. He attacked the oral law, calling it a heavy burden which led people astray & which the scribes themselves didn’t follow. He accused them of emphasizing minor points of the Law while ignoring the more important concerns of justice, mercy, & faith. He claimed that if the prophets of old were alive in their day, the scribes would have killed them. All that Jesus taught & did posed a threat to their position & authority within the community, & therefore they joined forces with those who were normally their opponents (the high priesthood) to bring about Jesus’ arrest. They helped build a case against Him so He would be executed, & they participated with other members of the Sanhedrin in mocking Jesus on the cross. Throughout the Gospels, the scribes are sometimes mentioned together with the Pharisees. Some of the scribes belonged to the group of Jewish believers who were known as the Pharisees. & the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners & tax collectors… (Mark 2:16.) The Pharisees & their scribes grumbled at his disciples… (Luke 5:30.) While the phrase “scribes & Pharisees” is used 16 times, the scribes are mentioned as being with the chief priests and/or elders 24 times, & they are mentioned 15 times without connection to anyone. So while some scribes were Pharisees, not all were, & when Jesus spoke about the “Scribes & Pharisees” He was referring to two different groups of people. In tomorrow post we will see Scribes and Pharisees in action as well as Jesus’ reaction toward them. Text for today is Luke 5:16 and Mark 1:35
Luke 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. After healing the leper both in Luke and Mark it states Jesus went off to pray. Prayer and time alone with His Father is an important part of Jesus’ life. As we continue reading the Gospels you will see that prayer is a big part of Jesus’s message. I want to encourage you with this post, if you aren’t doing this already, to start to take time with the Lord daily as Jesus did. Every great man of God, from Moses to Jesus, had to retreat alone to his mountain for awhile in order to have time to meditate, pray and commune with God. Jesus Himself often got up at the break of day, before His disciples were awake, and would walk out across the hills or up a mountain to get alone with God and get His orders for the day from His Father. If even Jesus had to do it, how much more we need to do it! He'll solve a lot of your problems before the day even starts if you listen to what He has to say. We all need quiet time with the Lord in rest and refilling, drinking of the living water of His Word and fellowshipping with Him in prayer. It totally renews and refreshes you. It gives you new vision, fresh inspiration, new strength, rest, peace and joy. For "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). Prayer is not just getting down on your knees and speaking your piece, but letting God speak His too! This is why the Lord wants each of us to know Him personally and be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we can personally seek the Lord and find the answers that we each need for our own individual cases. This is actually the greatest thing that each of us needs to learn--to hear from God fresh every day and to follow His guidance. You can hear from God every day! It doesn't have to be out loud, it doesn't have to be with an audible voice. It can just be in that "still small voice" (see 1 Kings 19:12) that you feel inside of you, sometimes not even words, just an impression that you have. God doesn't have to always communicate in words, He can just give you a feeling or a picture or an idea. Jesus speaks anytime, anywhere--if you believe--any time you believe! So when you ask the Lord for an answer, expect an answer, and take the first thing that comes. If you really believe and ask the Lord, and you want to hear or see, you won't be disappointed. And that thing you see or hear with the eyes or ears of your spirit, that's the Lord, and it will be such a comfort to you. So expect God to answer. If you are sincerely asking Him, He will answer you. But if you're hurrying and rushing around, fretting and impatient, you'll never be able to focus your full attention--your eyes, your ears, your mind, your heart--on the Lord for the solutions to the problems, the answers to the questions, the best decisions for the situations. Follow Jesus’ example of getting still as the Father says, "Be still, and know that I am God. In quietness and confidence shall your strength be" (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 30:15). Text for today is Luke 5:12-15 also can be found in Mark 1:40-45; and Matthew 8:1-4
Luke’s version Luk 5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. Luk 5:13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. Luk 5:14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Luk 5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. Here is some background on how leprosy was considered in Jesus’s day to give you some context on what a wonderful thing Jesus did for this man. Today, we use the term leprosy primarily to describe Hansen’s disease. However, in biblical times it was a broader term that included a variety of skin diseases, including Hansen’s disease. Some of the biblical skin diseases which fell into the category of leprosy—such as psoriasis, lupus, ringworm, and favus—were curable, as seen in Leviticus 13 and 14. At that time, Hansen’s disease was not curable. Any of the diseases labeled as leprosy in the Bible caused a person to be considered “unclean” and as such they were ostracized from society, from their neighbors and friends, and even from their own family and home, in line with Leviticus 13 and 14, until or unless they were healed. Once healed, they went through an eight-day religious ceremony, after which they were declared “clean” by a priest. The reason for the separation was that the condition was contagious, but of course, it was difficult for the person to have to be apart from their family and the rest of society. Also because leprosy was sometimes considered a punishment for sin, this added an extra burden to those afflicted with it. The overall effect of leprosy was a form of “living death.” Such was the condition of the man who came to Jesus that day and knelt down before Him asking for healing. He approached Jesus with humility. In the ancient world, bowing down before another person was an act of respect for the other’s dignity or power to deliver one from urgent distress. This man was willing to violate social norms by coming to Jesus in order to be cured. He desperately wanted to lead a normal life. The way he asked the question—If you will, you can make me clean—showed that the man acknowledged Jesus’ ability and power to heal him. Some translations render this as, if you are willing, you can make me clean. It’s interesting that he asked Jesus to make him clean rather than to heal him. Jesus, moved by compassion, did something extraordinary; He reached out and touched the man. According to the Mosaic law, when one is touched by or touches something unclean, they become ceremonially unclean themselves. By touching the leper, Jesus became ceremonially unclean and exposed Himself to the disease, but clearly He was unconcerned about either. Rather than Jesus becoming unclean by touching the man, the man became clean when touched by Jesus. Jesus could have healed him simply by commanding the healing, but in His care and compassion, He instead touched him. As He did, He responded to both parts of the man’s statement. In response to “if you are willing,” Jesus answers that He is willing (I will); and in response to “you can make me clean,” Jesus said, “be clean.” We’re told that immediately the leprosy left him and that he was made clean. After healing the man, Jesus commanded the man to say nothing to anyone, but to show himself to the priest. There were probably two reasons for this: one was that Jesus wanted him to remain silent until he was officially declared clean by the priests, and the other was that He wanted to avoid generating too much excitement as a result of His healing work. Jesus added that He wanted the man to show himself to the priest “for proof to them.” It’s not clear whether the cleansed leper ever did present himself to the priest or go through the cleansing ritual, though presumably he did at some point. But what is clear is that he didn’t keep quiet about his marvelous and miraculous healing, as Jesus had instructed. Instead, "he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter." The healing of the leper shows us several things about Jesus. We see His love and compassion for those who are ill. When the leper said: “If you will, you can make me clean,” Jesus’ response was, “Yes, I want to!” He wanted to help those in need, to heal them, comfort them, and give them renewed life. His empathy is seen in understanding what it would mean to the man afflicted with leprosy to be touched, something which probably had not happened to him in years. Jesus could have healed him without touching him, but He took the extra step. This wasn't the only time Jesus touched, or was touched by, someone who was unclean. He took the hand of a dead girl, in order to revive her; allowed a sinful woman to touch Him; and was touched by the woman with the flow of blood, who was healed. Clearly, keeping the ritual aspects of the Mosaic law was much less important to Jesus than showing love and compassion to someone in need. I have a little personal list of testimonies that I keep. The Lord has done some amazing things during my life. I’ve seen food miraculously multiplied, people healed, shelter given, and many, many crazy and inspiring things. Our God is amazing!
But dearer to my heart than any of these things are what I call “just because He loves me” miracles. These are all those unlikely coincidences that didn’t need to happen, but somehow did; they’re all those heart’s desires that you never dared ask for, thinking that you couldn’t justify petitioning God for those. They’re things like this: My parents and I had been staying with friends for a few days of rest and unwinding. While at their holiday house in the mountains, I especially enjoyed sitting outside on the veranda and watching the stars, drinking some tea. My mother and I noticed that the cups our friends served us the tea in were this beautiful mix of mugs and teacups, with a different bird painted on each one. In fact, we both said how nice the cups were, and I mentioned privately to mum that I would ask where they had gotten them, if it wasn’t rude. What do you know, the evening we got back home, I opened our cupboard to make myself tea and there on the shelf was a set of the very mugs we’d liked so much! I just stared for a minute and then yelled for my mum, excited for her to come and see. She laughed when she saw what I was calling her for, and she told me that apparently while we had been gone, the Lord had provided us with a set of these mugs. Just because He loves me. Another miracle on this special list is my violin. When I was a tiny child, I wanted to play the violin. I don’t know why. I remember having a dream about it, and I went and told my parents that I wanted to learn the violin. My parents were supportive of it, as much as they could be, which was really just saying, “Wow! Well, pray and ask the Lord about it,” since they were non-salaried volunteers, and both violins and violin lessons are exorbitantly pricey. Years went by, and I kept saying I was going to learn the violin. One day, I remember it clearly, I was playing outside with my siblings and friends, and my mum called me inside. She had a big smile on her face. When I came in, one of our Bible students was standing there with a big smile on his face. He said, “I heard you want to play the violin, Amy.” When I answered in the affirmative, he swung his hand out and gestured to a black case that was on the counter. “I’m studying the viola now, and I would like you to have my violin,” he said. More time went by, because just because you have a violin does not mean you can play it. And then, because my best friend enrolled in a nonprofit music program, we found RSMEP, the Ronnie Samaai Music Education Project, which had lessons every Saturday, given by volunteer teachers from a highly acclaimed South African varsity. They asked for a token fee for enrollment, which, for a year, cost about half as much as the going rate for a single lesson. After starting there, I happened to be under the tutelage of Mr. Samaai himself. He appreciated my eagerness to learn, and we got along famously. He gave me extra lessons whenever I needed them, and even though he’s retired now, he will to this day make time so we can play violin together in his home. None of that had to happen. I could have easily gone through my life without knowing how to play the violin. I could have gone through life without being taught by a maestro who is an incredible human being and talented role model. But the Lord made it happen. Just because He loves me. I could go on and on about all the unnecessary, but deeply touching things Jesus has done for me. I cannot express how much I appreciate and value them. It makes my relationship with Him so much stronger, and magnifies my desire to return the favor of all those loving things to Him as well. First John 4:19 has become a truth to me. I love Him, because He loves me. He spoils me, comforts me, cheers me, and supports me, just because He loves me. I love Him, seek Him, spend time with Him, try to obey Him, and follow Him, just because He loves me. - Amy Joy Before we go much farther, I want to give some information and insight about Jesus’ miracles.
Each of the Gospel writers tells of certain miracles that are only mentioned in their Gospel. Mark has two such examples, Matthew three, and Luke and John both have five. There is only one miracle that is described in all four Gospels, and that is the feeding of the five thousand. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each share eleven miracles, though they place them in different settings. Tomorrow’s post is an example of this. Matthew places this miracle after the Sermon on the Mount. We need to remember that all four Gospels tell Jesus’ life from different perspectives. As readers of the Gospels, we don’t know exactly how many miracles Jesus performed. We read phrases which tell us that all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him, He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and the sick were brought to Him wherever He was. The Gospel of John ends his Gospel by telling us that what was written about Jesus is only a small portion of all that He did. John 21:25 says, And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. While we don’t know of every miracle Jesus performed, we do know of many, as the Gospel writers recorded specific ones to give examples of His mighty works so that we, the readers, will understand that Jesus is who He claimed to be—the Messiah, the Son of God. Just as seeing or hearing about His miracles in His day convinced many that He was the Messiah, so reading about them today can also help people believe. Besides that, it seems that each miracle recorded had a specific reason for being recorded. We have a glimpse into Jesus’s character and God the Father’s love for each of us as well as important lessons Jesus was trying to get across to His disciples as well as the people in general. The Gospel writers realized that and tried to prove us with an assortment of different miracles and circumstances. My hope as we continue reading the Gospels you will grasp what the writers were trying to get across to each of us. Recently, I read a post that gave an interesting perspective on the stay-home orders or lockdowns throughout the world during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. The author said that although “we were all going through the same storm, we weren’t all in the same boat.”
The point was that remaining home, for example, might have been seen as an opportunity for some, who got a break or the chance to explore new work schedules or to spend time with loved ones. For others it meant a loss of income, overly crowded conditions (or conversely, intense loneliness), and in some cases, even physical or mental danger. I thought about this a lot as I read intense posts and articles either directed toward people who disobeyed quarantine orders, or toward the government for trying to impose them, or even just posts that take for granted that everyone has the same viewpoints—and if not, that the people who held different opinions were stupid, misled, or worse. Some of this is addressed in the Bible, since human nature has always been quite self-centered, and Jesus constantly reminded His disciples and others around Him to have empathy and compassion and to try to look at things from others’ perspectives. I’ve gathered a few verses on this topic, which I’ve found to be a help in reminding me to be empathetic and compassionate with those I come into contact with, even if their beliefs are different from mine. – By Simon Bishop
Psalm 90:12 is a beautiful prayer by Moses that includes the line, “Teach us to number our days so we can have a wise heart.”
I think what it’s saying here is that if we could zoom out, see the beginning and the end, the brevity and finiteness of life, we would be able to better grasp what is really important. Over the last few years, there have been many changes in my little world. Many of these were changes that we could see coming, like our kids growing up and moving out and starting their adult lives. Some were unexpected, like the death of loved ones or big changes in careers. My life has always had a lot of changes, and I held wide margins for things to change. Living in a new place, doing a new thing, or being around new people are all par for the course for me. But for the most part, I expected the world at large to provide a mostly secure platform for all my personal changes. The last few years have shown otherwise. We’ve all learned that the world can and does radically change. The feeling of being totally out of control and not really knowing what the parameters are anymore was so disconcerting for me. Too much can change! Too much can be taken away! My soul wasn’t at peace. Hasn’t this been something many of us felt? The recognition that we’re not in control can be so disturbing. I’ve hovered between dread and panic and finally recognized that I had to adjust my mindsets. I couldn’t live in this tension, and then came the desperation to know what to focus on, and how to see things. I didn’t initially pray in the words of the Psalm noted earlier, but my cry was the same. This isn’t the only secret to coping with change, but it has been key for me in being able to reframe things that are changing in my life and in the world at large. The perspective of eternity brings clarity to the everyday. – By Marie Alvero The leaves in autumn do not change color from the blighting touch of frost, but from the process of natural decay.—They fall when the fruit is ripened and their work is done.—And their splendid coloring is but their graceful and beautiful surrender of life when they have finished their summer offering of service to God and man. And one of the great lessons the fall of the leaf teaches is this: Do your work well, and then be ready to depart when God shall call.--Tryon Edwards (180 By Marc
I was on an airplane in severe turbulence. Facing such a situation, it can be pretty frightening and, if you’re like me, you’re probably just waiting for the moment the plane touches down so your world is no longer being rocked. A verse that I claimed for protection during our descent on that flight was Psalm 46:1–3.
As with most verses that I’ve known since I was a kid, the real meaning never quite struck me, but being on that plane made these scriptures come to life. My world was rocking in a sense and it was a frightening thing, but I still had the assurance that if we could just land, everything would be all right. The psalmist, on the other hand, is talking about a situation where not only a plane is in tumult, not only is there a localized hurricane or earthquake, but where the whole world is rocking and in tumult and confusion, falling apart and yet he is unafraid, because he’s holding on to the Lord. How much trust does that take? When your world is not just figuratively but literally falling apart around you and you’re standing steadfast, looking at the storm and saying to it, “I’m not afraid of you. Do your worst. I’m holding on to the Lord.” One of the most often-repeated commands in the Bible is “Fear not.” It’s easy to apply that verse when we feel it’s something small enough to handle, but when it’s too big for human help? Well, just about every time in the Bible that they were commanded to fear not, it was in situations that were well out of the realm of human possibility. It just goes to show that our ability to be without fear is not something that is based on our power, our goodness, or anything that we do at all, but because we are His and He knows and loves each of us personally. Going back to the airplane, many people around me were unfazed by the incident, their faces stern, impassive. No doubt, these people had flown many times and had faith in the pilots to see them through the storm. While it makes for a good illustration of trusting the Lord, who is the pilot of our lives, the fact is that they weren’t putting their trust in the Lord but in a mere illustration of Him, in this case the pilots of the plane. That’s not the kind of faith the Lord wants us to have, faith in a mere illustration, even if it is a fairly good one. The truth is that those pilots were only human and susceptible to the same mistakes as any of the rest of us. To put faith in them would be like putting faith in the earth on the day before the events of Psalm 46 take place. It may seem solid because it’s held up until then, but in reality, it’s not. So in life, a lot can seem solid, because it’s held us up before, whereas the Lord can seem shaky, especially if we’ve never put our trust in Him. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people, even professing Christians, say things like, “Will God put food on the table?” “Will prayer heal me of this affliction?” The meaning behind it obviously being that we have to put our faith in something more solid than the Lord and prayer, such as ourselves and our abilities to meet our own needs. Well, our abilities can only go so far, and when we look at life with a bit of perspective, we’ll see that almost everything is beyond our control, no matter how much we “have it together.” When thinking about all this, something that came to mind is how a lot of people here in Nigeria are leaving the country and the economic problems that they are facing for “greener pastures,” such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, etc. It’s easy for people to put their faith in such countries as they seem pretty stable compared to a country like Nigeria. And for those remaining, it often seems the safest bet to change their money to foreign currency as quickly as possible to avoid the rapid devaluation that has been ongoing for almost the past eight years. And yet can we really claim that those things are guarantees of safety? Consider how quickly things can change in the global environment. When we see a country like Lebanon’s economy completely collapse in spectacularly rapid fashion, or the destruction of war in a country like Ukraine, or the effects of natural disasters that have occurred all over the world, even in highly developed countries like Japan and the United States, and the wanton destruction they can cause, it reminds us that really nothing in this world is stable no matter how much faith we may put in it. Going back to the airplane, it makes for a pretty good illustration. The airplane is like our lives, everything we hold dear, everything we know, our world. The ground is the Lord. Everything in our lives can be shaky and in tumult, but the ground’s stability is always there to come back to whenever we need it. Our unmoving rock is and always will be the Lord. By Daveen Donnelly
The attitude that one’s own group or culture is superior—“are as common today around the world as they have ever been. The shrinking of the planet into immediate access on the Internet has brought thousands of strange people and strange patterns of life into our lives—and put our strangeness into their lives. Diversity is a given in this world. The question is how we will think and feel and act about it.” Tolerance toward people is critical in today’s multicultural and globalized world. It means respecting people and treating them decently and fairly regardless of their nationality, culture, race, religion, belief system, lifestyle, gender, or any other factor. Part of being a witness means listening to others and understanding where they are coming from. As a child I owned a comic book of the famous Indian fable about six blind men and an elephant. In the fable, six blind men stumble across an elephant, which none of them had encountered before. One blind man feels the elephant’s leg and says, “An elephant is like a tree.” Another grasped his tail and said, “No, no! An elephant is like a rope.” And the third man discovered the elephant’s side and says, “I’m telling you, an elephant is like a wall.” The fourth blind man, feeling the large ear, smiles and with a contented sigh says, “Ah, I am now aware that the elephant is like a leaf.” The fifth man, grabbing the smooth, sharp tusks, declared, “The elephant is definitely like a spear!” The sixth man, catching hold of the elephant’s squirming trunk, spoke with certainty, “You’re all wrong! An elephant is like a snake.” It’s a very simple fable but provides some food for thought. When I personalize it, I am able to go into a situation, experience, or friendship and picture myself as one of the blind men, with my thoughts, feelings, opinions, and perception seeing only one part of the elephant, so to speak. Imagine yourself as a blind person encountering a metaphorical elephant in your life—it could be someone or some situation or some issue you’re currently facing. Consider that perhaps you’re only grasping a part of that something, and that there may be more to that person or situation or issue than meets your eye. Doing so can add perspective as you realize that what you see is not always the full picture. I’ve always found the New Testament story where Jesus is asked by the Pharisees to pass judgment on a woman caught being disloyal to her husband very moving. The Law of Moses declared that she should be stoned to death. If Jesus contradicted the Law of Moses, He would not have appeared as a righteous rabbi to the crowd waiting to participate in the stoning. Jesus said to the indignant crowd, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Then He said to the woman who had committed adultery, “Do none condemn you? Then neither do I. Go, and sin no more” (John 8:10–11). Only God is righteous, we should let Him be the judge. Jesus said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1–5). Believing ourselves to be better than others is often at the root of being judgmental, whereas compassion can be found through accepting that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). John F. Kennedy, the 35th American president, said of tolerance, “Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” Tolerance of others is not acceptance of sin. Tolerance is recognizing that people deserve to be treated with respect and decency regardless of whether we like them or not, as human beings created in God’s image. At times you may feel called or convicted to speak up against wrong or evil. The key in doing so, however, is to bear in mind that, as Christians, we are first and foremost instructed to show Jesus’ love to others. You may have the conviction that someone’s actions are not good or godly, but you are still called to love them. We all need to be faithful representatives of Jesus’ love when interacting with others in any situation, and consider how He would want us to respond. We can make mistakes in our judgment of others and, of course, learn that it’s not always possible to place a simple “right” or “wrong” label on the decisions of others, or situations or events that occur. It is tempting to see others and situations through a monochrome lens, but time, experience, mistakes, and failures teach us to see in polychrome. God knows the heart of each individual and He understands everything about each one in a way that we would never be able to. He doesn’t need our help to judge people, but He does need our help to show them His love and to share the good news of His love for the world. As Mother Teresa aptly said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Sociologists in the field of intercultural communication studies claim that as human beings socialize and take on the accepted norms and values of our culture, we begin to internalize the culture around us—it starts to become a part of who we are and greatly affects how we view things and make decisions. Metaphorically speaking, our culture becomes the lens through which we see and make sense of the world. Once our culture becomes an internal part of our belief, we take it for granted, and for the most part, we don’t reflect on it. When people don’t belong to a culture they are introduced to, they are more likely to detect and appreciate things that members of that culture hardly notice, because the members of that culture are so enmeshed in it. Conversely, foreigners often fail to understand or appreciate social expectations and codes that those native to the country are familiar with. In the past year I’ve traveled to three continents, spent time in four countries, and met many wonderful and interesting people. If you asked me what I consider the key to adapting to new cultures, countries, situations, or people, I’d say that it’s genuine interest and care for others. Seek to build bridges of communication with those you might not understand at first. Show yourself welcoming and open and portray kindness and respect. Accept others as they are, and don’t draw a circle around your life that shuts others out. Remember that “the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13), and love is a universal language that you can use to reach people in whatever language, culture, or tribe you find yourself in. You cannot always understand somebody or why they react, feel, or think the way they do, yet you can always try to love them and share the good news about the One who knows everything about them and loves them and wants to enter into a personal relationship with them for all eternity. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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