“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out and departed into a solitary place and there He prayed.” (Mk 1:35) Simon and the others followed after Him, “and when they had found Him, they said to Him, ‘All men seed after you”. (Mk 1:36-37). Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”.
The problem is that these people were seeking after Jesus because He was becoming known as a “wonderworker” to them instead of the “Lamb of God.” Healing of the soul must come first. The healing of the sick was part of the mission of Jesus because it expressed God’s love and brought many people to Him.
Jesus arose early that morning before the crowds could gather. He needed rest and to be in communion with the Holy Father.
“And He said to them, let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for therefore I have come forth. (Isa. 61:1-2; Lk. 4:43), to preach the Kingdom of God.”
“And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out their demons.” (Mk. 1:40-45)
“And there came a leper to Him beseeching Him saying to Him, ‘If you will, You can make me clean.” Few, if any, doubt the ability of God, but many doubt the willingness and love of God to do all things for His children today. The reason Jesus healed this leper and all others was because it was the in the will of God. (Jn 8:28)
Jesus’ miracles set the seal to the authority of His teaching. Lepers were unclean. The Jews call leprosy the “the finger of God,” indicating that the disease was a direct punishment from God and incurable except by the same power that permitted it. Luke tells us that the man was full of leprosy, meaning that he had a very advanced case. The leper doubted that Jesus would help him, but he had the faith that Jesus was able to do it, and if He did, the leper knew that he would be cleansed. This is what he had asked for; not to be healed, but to be cleansed because sin was a part of the disease.
Jesus touched the leper showing that His sacred flesh imparted sanctification. Through Jesus’ hand, purity and power were communicated to the diseased one. First the contact, then the command, and then the cure and the cure was immediate.
After curing the leper, why did Jesus want him to be silent? Jesus wanted the leper to be presented to the priest to fulfill the requirement of the law as to his fitness to return to social life. (Lev. 13:14)
This man would not stay quiet, and Jesus had to go into “desert places”: “and they came from every quarter.”
The lessons of this miracle are: Jesus, who is able to cure the disease, is able to cure sin itself. Christ’s Savior works are shown in His healing miracle, for the diseases are both effects and emblems of sin. The ugly, festering sores of the leper were the outward sign of sin in the soul, and in Jesus’ miracle, we have the symbol of His power to purify and save us from sin. No matter how vile the sinner may be, “His touch has still the power to cleanse.”
THE PARALYTIC
Jesus returned to Capernaum and when the people heard of this, they flocked to Him, so much so, that there was no room for the crowds that encompassed Peter’s house, which was Jesus’ headquarters when in Capernaum. Jesus “preached the Word unto them.” Luke tells us that the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal them.” (Lk 5:17) This means that He was present to perform any form of healing.
It had become impossible for Jesus to be alone anywhere in the land, especially in Capernaum and the area surrounding this city which had become “His City.” He no longer claimed Nazareth as His own due to the rampant unbelief that was there. By direct contrast, He was honored in Capernaum. Some people came to Him out of faith, out of curiosity because of what they had heard about Him, or because everybody else was going. Whatever the cause or the reason, they were coming to Christ.
“And behold, men brought up a man on a bed who was stricken with palsy, and lay him before Him.” (Lk. 5:18) They could not find a way in, so they lowered him through the roof of Peter’s house and placed him “into the midst before Jesus.” (Lk 5:19) “And when He saw their faith, He said to him, ‘man, your sins are forgiven you.”
These four friends of this palsied man were determined to bring their helpless friend into the circle of healing, through the roof, and to the healing presence of Jesus. If a person seeks Jesus, that person will find Him. There is always a way and Jesus is always receptive. The friends knew that Jesus would help the man and their faith was strong, no doubts, no hesitation. Jesus was interrupted by this incident but He would not take offence, Jesus is the One who never feels anger at faith that brings people to Him, but becomes angered at unbelief that keeps people away from Him.
Jesus rewarded the friend’s great faith with a miracle of grace, which then became a miracle of power. He “who forgives all your iniquities”, (Ps 103:3), set the spiritual and the temporal in their proper order by forgiving the man’s sins. (Lk 5:20)
The Scribes and the Pharisees who where in attendance were perplexed. “Who can forgive sins alone but God alone.” (Lk 5:21) This was blasphemy! Jesus, in His divine omniscience, knew what these men were thinking and asked them, “Which is easier to say, your sins be forgiven you, or to say, rise up and walk?” Being freed from the bondage of palsy is symbolic of being freed from the bondage of sin. Jesus is saying that both are one in the same.
“But that you know that the Son of Man has the power upon earth to forgive sins…I say to you, Arise and take up your couch and go into your house.” (Lk 5:23)
This pardon was sealed by power. The man was cured of his palsy and forgiven of his sins. This supernatural cure was instantaneous and not only did the man glorify God for His gift of health and redemption, but “all were amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.” This includes the Scribes and the Pharisees. What a difference between the Jewish leaders in Nazareth and those in Capernaum! This time, all saw the glory of God in the healing. Although what they had seen was ‘strange’, they had faith and believed in Jesus as the Son of God.
The release of the palsied man from his affliction is the relief we find in the Cross that made possible a merciful provision for a palsied world. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly”. (Rm 5:6)
We witness in this miracle the immediate cancellation of sin and moral weakness because of the faith of others.
“And after these things, He went forth and saw the publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom and He said to him, ‘Follow Me’. And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.” (Lk 5:27-28)
The Bible does not in any way pretend to chronicle all that Jesus did or place event in historical order. It was about this time that Matthew joined the growing numbers of Jesus’ disciples. The way it was done is as the others. When Jesus called, they came.
The absolute grandeur of Jesus made up for a very impressive appearance. The Son of God, perfect in every way, had such a commanding presence that no one could help but listen and follow. Even His worst enemies were stricken by His presence and remember this man had absolute power over Satan and all creation. This is the power that so frightened the Jewish leaders and commanded a following of disciples and Apostles that would introduce to the world the greatest religious movement known to mankind.
Later that day, Matthew made Jesus a great feast and there he invited “a great company of publicans and others.” (Lk 5:29) The Scribes and Pharisees were disgusted and asked, “Why do you eat with publicans and sinners?’ Jesus said to them, “They that are well need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:31-32)
According too the Jewish leaders, the publicans were just as vile as the sinners. The Jews, by law, were to stay away from the Gentiles and for some reason the Pharisees could not see the wrong in their dealings with them and saw the wrong in Jesus’ dealings with them. This is an example of the blatant hypocrisy that prevailed in the Jewish leadership.
In the parable of the garment and the wineskins, Jesus s referring to the saving of sinners and it means a complete renewal, as in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18. It can also refer to the keeping of old customs. It means that the two religions, Jewish and Christian cannot be mixed. to patch old with new would make things worse; and to combine the two systems would be destructive to both. The old covenant must give way to the new. Th new covenant gives new life and freedom that is impossible with the old covenant.
The sinner is not merely reformed, neither are the old Jewish religion and customs merely given a new dress or container by Christianity. The sinner is a new creation and Christianity is the new and living way. (Lk 5:36-39)
SABBATH CORN PICKING AND THE WITHERED HAND
Sabbath keeping was always the first and only real argument the Jewish leaders could use against Jesus because it was, in their opinion, the only thing that Jesus violated in regard to the ‘law’ besides His claim of being ‘As God’.
In the first dispute recorded in Luke 6:1-12, the law permitted this liberty of picking corn but the Pharisees interpretation of the law was full of frivolous and damning rules to the point that the Sabbath was a day of stringent restraint. In answers to the Pharisees, Jesus brings out the Scriptures of David in Samuel 21:6 and He then declared Himself greater than the temple and Lord of the Sabbath. (Mt 2:27,28)
Human necessity over rides the trappings and regulations of the Sabbath and those very things foreshadowed Him and were a part of Him. All of the commandments and laws concerning life and sacrificial worship all pointed to Christ.
“And it came to pass also on another Sabbath that He entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered, and the Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath day: that they might find accusation against Him.” Jesus was being, more or less, set up by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees vigilance suggests two facts: One is that the Pharisees expected Jesus to heal the man because they knew that the mere sight of suffering brought sympathy and Jesus’ sympathy always lead to action. The second fact is that the Pharisees had resolved that if He did heal the man, it would sufficient grounds to bring Jesus before the tribunal. The healing in cases of life or death would be allowed, but the healing of a mere withered hand was not allowed. “Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? To save a life or destroy it?” (Lk 6:9)
As Jesus came to heal the man “He looked around about on His foes with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.” (Mk 3:5) The anger that He felt for sin resolved itself in the pity that He felt for the men who were guilty of it.
A simple command was given: “Stretch forth your hand.” And the hand was healed.
That was all the Pharisees needed, “they were filled with madness; and communed to one another what they might do to Jesus.” We must remember that Jesus was completely aware of what they had been doing and the purpose of it. They were reacting, as Jesus knew they would. (Lk 5:22; 1 Cor 12:4-11)
The Pharisees, who were so abhorred at the prospect and healing on the Sabbath, had no adversity to plotting to kill the Son of God on the very same day.
The Lord of the Sabbath had kept the Sabbath by sacredly healing the man and the man obeying the command shows the man’s faith by Jesus to him. He stood forth and obeyed. Faith had conquered fear. Sin so paralyzes us that our work for Jesus can be brought to nothing Our ‘withered hands’ can be healed and given power to do great things
“Then was brought to Him one who was possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb one both spoke and saw. And the people were amazed and said, ‘Is this not the Son of David?” (Mt 12:22-23)
This man was physically and spiritually blind and dumb because he was possessed by a devil. As we become more and more in bondage to sin through the constant repetition of sinful acts, the more we become partially blind to “the Light” and we cannot even speak of Godly things. As in the case with this man, the over abundance of his sin had caused this spiritually blind and dumb condition. Those who would worship Satan by their actions, words, and deeds will reap the benefits of such worship, which is misery and death, both spiritual and physical. The worship of God reaps nothing but salvation and peace through the blood of Jesus Christ.
This man was not only cured of the physical problems he had but he was also saved from Satan’s grasp.
The Pharisees, knowing of Jesus’ deity and not wanting anything to upset their position with the authority that they had with the political rulers, are to the point of making foolish statements. “But when the Pharisees heard it, (the praise of the people for Jesus), they said, ‘This fellow does not cast out demons. But by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.” (Mt 12:24)
This blasphemy of equating the Son of God is inexcusable! It is one thing to make blasphemous statements out of ignorance and quite another to make those statements with the full knowledge of the deity of Christ! God is outraged at this kind of action! Even though the Holy Spirit has not yet been fully revealed as a person of the Trinity, that does not take away the fact that His does exist. These statements by the Pharisees are willful, malicious, envious, and unpardonable! “…but whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in ages to come.” This refers to eternal damnation.
Jesus goes on to tell them, “…every little word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgement. For by words, you shall be justified, by your words, you shall be condemned.” Jesus does not mince words with these men. He is direct and straight to the point, which shows the seriousness of what just happened.
The Pharisees then ask for a sign! It is still the Sabbath and Jesus sees through their impertinence. “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there shall be no sign given except for the sign of the prophet, Jonah.” (Mt 12:39)
They had seen the signs and they knew the truth of Jesus. All they really wanted was more evidence to use against Jesus. Jesus reminds them of the Scriptures in reminding them that He is the prophesied One, to give them a hint of His coming resurrection, and to shame them before the people for their lack of reliance on the Scriptures.
Jesus then tells them of the worthlessness of self-reformation and a prophecy of Israel. In verses 43-45 of Matthew 7, the man, Israel, had tried to loose himself of the unclean spirit on his own accord and the result is that the unclean spirit returns and becomes even stronger because it wasn’t “cast out”.
The Jewish religion, as it was and as it stands today, still tries to reach salvation without Christ. The Kingdom of God is being offered to them and they are rejecting it again as they have done throughout history. They have yet one more chance to accept Jesus in the Millenium and during this dispensation of grace. The One “greater than Jonah” and “greater than Solomon” was in their midst and they would not accept Him.
THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE
“And Jesus went all about the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Mt 9:36)
As Jesus’ ministry continues, great masses of people would come to Him and He was beginning to need help. “The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray you the Lord of harvest, that He shall send forth laborers into His harvest.” (Mt 9:37,38)
Because the people fainted and were “scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd,” (Mt 9:36). Jesus ordered twelve of His disciples and “gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sicknesses and all manner of diseases.” (Mt 10:1) This first mission that Jesus gives the twelve would be limited to the Jews. The latter commission would be to the whole world. (Acts 1:8) “To the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mt 10:6)
Matthew 10: 7-42 lists the duties of the twelve:
Verse 8: Preach the Kingdom of Heaven freely and give and receive power such as healing, cleansing, resurrection and exorcism.
Verse 9_10: go in poverty, with only the clothes on their backs.
Verses 11-13: Abide with the worthy and bless their places.
Verses 14-15 reject the unworthy.
Verses 16-17: Use wisdom, meekness, and prudence.
Verses 18-20: Abide persecution with faith; accept God’s words through the Spirit.
Verse 21: The Word brings division and strife, even among families.
Verse 22-23: Endure hatred and flee persecution.
Verse 24-25: Have equality with Jesus.
Verses 25-29: The tests of Discipleship.
Verses 25: World persecution.
Verses 26-27: Fearless Preaching.
Verses 28: Fearless Consideration.
Verses 29-31: Fearless Faith. (He 11)
Verses 32-33: Bold Confession of Christ.
Verses 34-36: Family Persecution (Mt 19-29)
Verses 37: Put God First. (Mt 22:37)
Verse 38: Bear the Cross Daily. (Lk 9:23)
Verse 39: Deny Self. (Rm 8:1-13)
Verses 40-42: The Smallest Service Will Be Rewarded.
Those who give in the smallest details of goodness are done for the right person and with the right motive, will be rewarded. The foregoing is a basic outline of a Christian life.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up to a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them saying,” (Mt 5-7)
And thus started the greatest sermon ever preached. The ten components of this sermon are: The Beatitudes, consisting of virtues of the “blessed”; Moral Standards, that are concerned with the laws of the Kingdom; Religious Motives, of alms, in prayer and fasting; Mammon Worship, which is earthiness verses godliness; Temporal Cares, which is anxiety verses trust in God; Social Discernment, centuring and depression; Encouragements, that prayer makes it all possible; Summary in a sentence, that such a life fulfills the scriptures; The Alternatives, of the broad verses the narrow; two gates, wide and straight; two destinations, life and destruction; Two Classes, many and few; Two Kinds of Trees, good and corrupt; Two Sorts of Fruits, good and bad; Two Builders, wise and foolish; Two Foundations, rock and sand; Two Houses, Two Storms and Two Results.
The sermon began with Jesus’ disciples as hearers and as it went on, a crowd gathered.
There are contrasts between this sermon and the Law given at Mt. Sinai. The ‘Law’ was given in thunder, lightening, and increasing volume; the sermon was given with sweetness and words of peace. The ‘Law’ began with commands; the sermon, with blessedness.
This sermon, however fulfilled the Law. The eternal distinction between right and wrong of the Law was fulfilled in Christ and then He imparted a power to all those who believed in Him, in the spirit of the Law and not the letter of the law.
Jesus compared the old with the new. It went from obedience to service; murder was extended to hatred; adultery in a look; revenge to self-abrogation; and the love of the neighbor was extended to the love of the enemy. The formalism and ostentation of the Pharisees are pointed out, prayers are to be made in sincerity, fasting in sincerity for a purpose, and heavenly treasure over earthly treasure and trust in God instead of worry is urged.
In Luke’s version, “The Sermon on the Plain,” we see the manhood of Jesus and it was delivered at a different time. We have four Beatitudes, four woes, four laws of love, for laws of retaliation, the golden rule, four laws of mercy, four laws of justice, warning against blind leaders, the believer’s goal, a warning against formalism, and the discernment of mere teachers.
In this sermon, whether on the mount or on the plain, Jesus was preparing His twelve for what was to come and although they didn’t know why He was doing it or understand all that He said, after His ascension, they would remember and understand all that He said.
“Now when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He entered Capernaum, and a certain centurion’s servant was sick and ready to die.”(Lk 7:1-2)
In contrast between Luke’s and Matthew’s account of this miracle, Matthew wrote with Israel in mind and his account has a waning to the nation. Luke wrote to the Gentiles and his version does not contain the warning but introduces instead the instructive and encouraging aspect that the centurion, in the first sentence, persuaded the Jewish elders to plead for him with the Savior. Matthew tells us that he went to Jesus and relates the whole conversation as being between Jesus and the centurion. Luke says that the miracle was performed as Jesus came into Capernaum and gives no closer details and circumstances; Matthews abrogated record relates what passed through others as if it had been directly transacted. Luke uses more circumstantial evidence and tells us that the centurion, first of all, empowered his Jewish friends to intercede on his behalf. Matthew has the ailment as “palsy” that consisted of excruciating pain. Luke, being the doctor, said the servant was ‘sick and ready to die.’ His medical approach forbade him expressing the precise nature of the man’s fatal ailment.
The centurion found a purity, reverence, simplicity, and nobleness of life not found in any heathen religion. He was close to the Jewish people and they knew his worth and they were ready to help him all they could.
In this centurion, we have the promise of the Jewish-Gentile barrier being torn down and it was a forecast of spiritual brotherhood in Christ. This man was a ‘proselyte at the gate’.
The traits of the centurion were truly commendable. He had concern, he was modest and reticent in his ‘unworthiness’ to approach Jesus whether personally or otherwise, his faith in Jesus to heal and because of all this, and his great faith was rewarded.
The traits of the Sychar woman and the centurion are much the same. Their faith was great in believing in Jesus, His power, in dependence upon Jesus and His will and in their humility.
Jesus said of the centurion, ‘I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
Bishop Hall once wrote, “Great variety of suitors resorted to Christ. One comes for his son, another for a daughter, and a third for himself. I see none for this servant but this centurion. Neither was he a better man than a master was. His servant sick, yet he does not drive him out-of-doors, but lays him at home, neither does he stand gazing at the servant’s bed side, but seeks forth, and not to witches and charmers, but to Christ…He is unworthy to be well served that will not wait upon his followers.”
THE WIDOW’S SON
“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 city, behold, and there was a dead man carried out, the only son of the mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city were with her”. (Lk 7:11-12)
It was not by happenstance that these two groups would meet. Had Jesus and His company been a little late reaching the spot where the two companies met, the burial would have been over. In God’s plan, the two companies met with His working in and through seemingly natural circumstances. As the two groups met, life triumphed over death and sorrow turned into joy.
While there may have been another resurrection from the dead, (Lk 7:22), three specific records are given: a child, raised immediately after death, a young man, raised at his funeral, and Lazarus, who had been dead for four days.
At the raising of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus was besought by her father, at the gate of Nain, the miracle was unmasked by the widow and at Bethany, Lazarus was raised and it was unexpected by his sisters.
Two facets enhanced the bitterness of the mother of the dead boy. First the dead boy was her only son. The Bible relates no loss so severe as the loss of an only son. (Zech 12:10; Amos 8:10)
The second thing was that she was a widow. All that was left to her was dead and being bourn to burial.
Here, as in other miracles, Jesus’ works of miracles came not only from His wish to prove His purpose of mission but also from out of His infinite sympathy with the suffering of humanity.
“Weep not…Young man I say unto you, Arise!” (Lk 7:13-14)
The miracle produced fear in all that saw it, but such fear gave place to the still deeper and holier feeling of awe and reverence for the life giving Lord. Fame of Jesus spread even more and the hatred of the Jewish leaders grew more and more.
Having the power to raise the physically dead, Christ is well able to, by virtue of His of His own death and resurrection, raise the newness of life those who are dead in their sins and trespasses.
It is well to remember that Jesus was the “only begotten Son of God” and to reflect on the sacrifice of His Son for our salvation.
“Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples”. (Mt 11:12)
John, being in prison, hears both of Jesus’ miraculous works His rejection by the Jewish leaders and John’s faith waivers. He asks if Jesus is “He that should come.” Luke adds, “And in that same hour, He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many who were blind, He gave sight.” (Lk 7:21)
Jesus answered John’s questions with actions and deeds. “And to the poor the Gospel is preached.” (Lk 7:22/ Isa 61:1-3) Jesus was doing all that the scriptures said He would do.
John, who had baptized Jesus and witnessed with his eyes and ears the Spirit of God descending on Him and heard the very voice of God saying ‘This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased”, now was in doubt. As he sat in the prison cell, did he wonder if he was just imagining things? No, he knew that what he had seen and heard was true. Jesus, knowing of John’s anguish and the reasons for his doubt, treats John with a soft answer of reassurance, and is moved to make a testimony of him. Jesus tells of John’s worth. Was he as a ‘reed shaken in the wind?’ Was he clothed in ‘soft raiment’ or of high class? John was more than ‘a prophet’ because that other prophets had predicted what John had seen and handled. (Jn 1:31-44; 1 Jn 1:1)
He was the one that Malachi wrote of, (Mal 3:1), and although he was greater than all the prophets, the “least in the Kingdom of Heaven was greater than he was.” (Mt 11:10,11)
In Matthew 11:10, the idea is that before John, the Kingdom of Heaven could only be viewed in the light of prophecy, but now it was preached. Men pressing into it resembling ardor and desperation. They appear as f they would seize it by force. It expresses the earnestness that people must have in getting rid of sin and all satanic powers, and standing true when relatives oppose them. (Mt 10:34-39)
John was as Elias if they received the prophecy that he was giving. (Mt 11:14)
In the next four verses, Jesus denounces unbelief. John came as a poor, solitary man and they accused him of being possessed. Jesus came as a partner with man and they call Him gluttonous, a winebibber, and a friend of publicans and sinners. “But wisdom is justified of her children.” Wisdom’s children are deeds and works. After this Jesus predicts judgement on unbelieving cities and then rejoices over the simplicity of truth.
The nest three verses mark a pivotal turn in the ministry of Jesus. This is a new message. The rejected King turns from the rejecting nation and offers, not the Kingdom, but rest and service to all who are in conscious need of His help.
“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”. Thus was the general invitation to all people.
JESUS’ ANOINTING
In this scripture, we have in this sinner who comes to Jesus in deep repentence and worship. She is at the point that sin has so taken over her life, that this was the only way to go.
“And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And she stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment”. (Lk 7:37-38)
First of all, she knew where to find Jesus, which means that she was seeking Him. When we seek, we will always find. ( Mt 7:7)
Second, the box of ointment and its contents were expensive and probably represented all her sinful life had brought in. She is giving it up in an act of anointing, of accepting Jesus as her Savior and Lord.
Third, in the washing of His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and kissing them, we see absolute affection, reverence, subjection, and obedience.
Fourth, in the anointing, we see a woman’s faith in the respect she had for Jesus. She was joining, in supplication, with the Anointed One of God. Once again we see Jesus’ omniscience in knowing the thoughts of the Pharisee and in knowing all about the woman and Hs infinite power to forgive sins. “Your faith has saved you: go in peace”. (Lk 7:50)
When Jesus would justify the woman in the eyes of Simon, He points to her works, because that was the only way Simon could see the proof of her faith, but in forgiving her of her sins, it is her faith and not her works by which she gained peace and salvation. Both must be present. (Titus 2:14; 3:4-8)
It is clear that Simon did not respect Jesus by not offering to Him the common courtesies as a guest or as the Son of God. By now, the main concern of the Pharisees was to gather as much evidence as the could to use against Him. Again, as they “bumbled away” through their supposed wisdom, they were under the divine providence of God, and their pompous, natural-minded machinations were but serving to bring Jesus to the glorious culmination of His earthly life; that He would be raised again to His place of glory. All mankind does is to further this end whether they have knowledge of it or not.
Jesus continued His preaching, and evidencing the ‘good news’ of the Kingdom of God with the twelve disciples. (Lk 8:1-3)
Much has been made out of the Modernist’s thinking concerning Our Lord’s association with women. These ‘natural men’ always deny Christ’s perfection and His spinelessness. Again, it can’t be stressed enough that although Jesus gave up His Glory to become incarnate, He did not give up His Deity! Jesus was presented in His earthly life with all the temptations this world could offer, and yet, He could not bow to that temptation so that He would be “an ensample” for us.
The reverence and care for Jesus and His disciples was out of complete adoration of Him as their Savior, Messiah, and the Son of God. To think otherwise is to reject Jesus just as the Jewish leaders did.
The “catholicity” of Jesus is again shown in His call of all people to come to Him. All are the same under God.
“There came then His brethren and His mother, and standing without, sent unto Him calling His name.” (Mk 3:31)
The verse at Luke 3:21 explains the reason for their visit. “And when His friends heard it, (the plotting of the Pharisees), they went out to lay hold on Him: for they said ‘He is beside Himself”.
As for Mary, we see a worried mother. She knows of Jesus’ Deity and His Mission. As for His brethren, we are reminded of the brothers of Joseph who considered Joseph a dreamer, and all the brethren of Jesus thought that Jesus was crazy and sure to find death because of His preaching and healing. The feelings between Jesus and His siblings are shown here and when Jesus is asked to go to Jerusalem because “For neither did His brethren believe in Him”. Jn 7:35) They would hold this opinion of Him until after Hi crucifixion.
Jesus, of course, knew what they were about. Once before He said to His mother, “Woman, what have I to do with you?’ He met the interference of His brothers at this time with an explicit repudiation of earthly kinship, if based on blood relation.
“Behold, My mother and My brethren: For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother and My sister and My mother.” (Mk 3:34-35). His mission and His Father were paramount in His work and in His mind. Any interference with the divine providence was not tolerated.
THE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM
“The same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside…And He spoke of many things unto them in parables saying.” (Mk13:1)
Why did Jesus speak in parables? Jesus used parables because the Oral Law and years of misguided information and teachings had left the people unable contrary messages and teachings that were the true Word of God. The parables were not explained to the people because those who could receive the message would and those that did not have “ears” would not.
Jesus would now open up the previously hidden truth about the future Kingdom, knowing that it would be rejected by most after hearing it as it had already been rejected before.
The parable of the sower tells of the results of His teaching on the multitudes. Some got the message and some didn’t. Christ is, of course, the Sower and then the different classes of hearers.
The six parables are meant to reveal certain far reaching truths that, up to this time, hadn’t been known about the postponement of the Kingdom because of Israel’s rejection of the Kingdom of Christ.
The ‘wheat and the tares’ tells us that the Kingdom will not come until the end of the age, and “But of that day and hour knows no man; no, not the angels in heaven, but My Father only.” (Mt 24:36) Also what is being preached in this dispensation to individual Gentiles and Jews alike, is personal salvation. Jesus said that He, Himself, was the Sower of good seed and this sowing was done in the Lord’s ministry in Israel. “This generation shall not pass ‘til all these things be fulfilled,” and we know that all those predicted happenings did break upon that generation. The first statement of this section refers to when the harvesting angels will come with Jesus to set up His Kingdom.
“The Mustard Seed” and “Leaven” both illustrate the so far hidden but ultimate greatness of the Kingdom. In this case, leaven is the symbol of good. “The Kingdom of God is like unto leaven.” In this instance, the Kingdom is hidden in the meal and it is finally ‘filling the whole’. The mustard seed will grow and become a great tree, as will the Kingdom of Heaven. Before, it was hidden and soon it will be in its full glory.
The ‘hidden treasure’ and the ‘pearl merchant’ represent the hidden glorious treasure of eternal, blessed life that is to be found in the Kingdom of Heaven, but it must be diligently sought after, if it is to be found. The best part about it is, Jesus has opened the way to get there! The Jews, as yet, have not taken advantage of “The Way” as a nation.
The ‘dragnet’ tells of separating the righteous from evil and the evil will be cast into the eternal fire.
The parables illustrate a progression from “the sower”, we find results of Our Lord’s preaching, from the ‘wheat and the tares’ we find that good and evil are together until the third and forth parables; the ‘mustard seed’ and ‘leaven’ give us the Kingdom which will be made manifest, and the fifth and sixth parables: ‘treasure and pearls’ show the wonders of the Kingdom will be given to the righteous. In the seventh, the evil ones will be cast into eternal damnation.
Christ planted the seeds of righteousness, Satan has planted the tares, and the Kingdom had been opened up for all by Jesus. The rest of the parables speak of the future. Since Israel, or most of it, has rejected the offer, the Kingdom has been postponed.
The Church age is still going on and the blind are still blind to the reality of Christ. God, however, has always remained with His chosen people and He always will stay with them, just as through their blindness, the Gentiles are under God’s protective wing. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
THE TEMPEST
“And the same day, when the evening was come, He said to them, ‘Let us pass over to the other side”. (Mk 4:35)
The first thing that comes to our attention about this miracle is that Jesus is a very tired man. The events of the day have worn Him out, mentally and physically, and He fell asleep. He slept a sleep of pure and holy conscience, in full trust of the Father’s care and protection as the Son of Man and He awoke as the Son of God with power!
The storm was sudden and all of the disciples were afraid. “Master, carest thou not that we will parish?’
Jesus spoke and the wind ceased, and after the ‘great tempest’ was a ‘great calm’. Jesus is the queller of all disharmony, disorder, and confusion of nature and from which, He alone, will one day retrieve the world.
“Thou rulest the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Ps 89:9)
First Jesus rebukes the storm and then rebukes the disciples for their fearfulness and little faith. The disciples had not lost their faith in the Master, but they had learned nothing from the centurion’s faith and they could not fully get a hold of their own personal faith because they were afraid. Faith and fear cannot exist together.
The disciples gained a new revelation about their Master. He was the revelation of God to man.
The lesson gained is that Jesus is always for us. Symbolically the sea, in scripture, is the restless and sinful world, (Dan 7:2;Rev 13:1; Isa 57:2), the wind is the blast of persecution and the boat is the Church of Christ. The waves of the world rage against the craft, the wind buffets the craft around, yet the forces never will prevail because of Christ being the Captain and Leader.
THE DEMONIAC OF GERASA
“And they came over to the other side of the sea, into a country of the Gerasenes. And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him, out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit.” (5:1,2)
Matthew tells us that there are two men. The fact remains that if there were two, there was one! One of the demoniacs was more violent than the other and the more violent one was the spokesman for the two. As with all of the possessions by demons, which confronted Jesus, it is the possession by demonic forces that is emphasized.
This was an unclean spirit! Luke is the only account that mentions that the demoniac wore no cloths. Sin can make people shameless and devoid of all modesty. Check out the ‘modern idols’ of the music world and movies. The father away from God one gets, the less shameless and immodest one gets.
“No man could tame him.” This was a fierce man!
The demons in this man knew Christ. Conscious of the gulf that divided them from Jesus, and in the degraded condition the demons were in, they couldn’t have anything to do with Jesus. They did, however recognize the Deity of Christ. “Thou Son of the Most High God.” (Mk 5:7)
This is the first designation of Jesus as divine in the New Testament, and it is a divine name going back to the patriarchal worship of God. (Gen 14:18)
The more prominent of the demoniacs saw Jesus and ran and worshiped Him. Even the most foul of individuals finds a time when he must ‘run’ to Christ for help and salvation. The demon feared torment and asked that he would not suffer this “before the time.” (Mk 18:34)
All of the demons that possess man know of Jesus, His mission, HisDeity, and of the end that is to come to them.
The method, which Jesus used, was to question the demoniac about his name so that He could find the true man among the demons that possessed him. In the name, Legion, we get a description of the man’s condition.
The demons asked to be cast out into a head of pigs. All Jesus said was, “Go!” The demons entered into the pigs by divine permission. Jesus didn’t send them there. Evidently, the pigs preferred suicide to demon possession. To the Jews, the pig was unclean and for pigs to be the recipients of the demons was appropriate.
The Gerasenes did not feel that the price of who souls was worth the cost of about two thousand pigs, so in their blindness, they wished that Jesus would leave. Being the Lord of all things, Jesus had the right to do whatever He wanted to do with the pigs.
The word ‘deep’ means ‘abyss’ (Rev 9:1,2,11). The demons were merely returning home.
The Gerasenes began ‘to pray Him’ to depart out of their anger, awe and fear and Jesus answered the prayer to their own loss. (Ps 78:29-31) Sometimes, GOD ‘HEARS HIS ENEMIES IN ANGER’, (Num 22:20) EVEN AS HE REFUSES TO HEAR HIS FRIENDS ‘IN LOVE’. (2 Cor 12:8,9)
This cured man fully and spiritually restored, was wanting to stay with Jesus and learn. (Lk 10:39) It was a complete transformation. Think of it; possessed with a legion of demons! How absolutely wonderful it would be to be freed from that! No matte how awful our circumstances are, there is always someone who is worse afflicted, and for all there is Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Two thousand demons worth of misery is handled with \just one word, “GO”!
Luke tells us that the man followed Jesus to the ship wishing to accompany Him. Jesus tells him to go back and tell everybody about his deliverance. The best thing for this man to do was to be a witness and a memorial to the grace and power of Jesus Christ.
“And when Jesus passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto Him; and He was nigh unto the sea.”
(Mk 5:21)
This is a report of a miracle in a miracle. The raising of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with an issue of blood. In this study they will be handled separately, but it is important to notice that with ‘Jairus’ Daughter’ we have a request for Jesus’ help and with the ‘woman’ we have pure faith alone being the catalyst for the miracle, unaided by a request, relatives, or friends.
First of all, Jairus was a ruler in the synagogue, the class that was to condemn Jesus, asking for help. This man was desperate, and knowing of Christ’s Deity, he went to Him for help. The very ones who would seek to kill Him are brought to a point of reconciliation sooner or later. However, Jairus was a man who had great reverence for Jesus. He knew that no one could help him except Jesus, not even the hierarchy of Jewry.
His faith was strong but not as strong as the Centurion’s was because he felt that Jesus’ presence was needed. “Ask and you shall receive.” Jesus was a divine encourager for Jairus. At Jesus’ words, Jairus immediately felt peace. “Fear not, believe only; and she shall be made whole.”
Jesus, laughed at by the unbelieving, natural minded people, went about His divine duty. The crowds were not allowed to see this miracle. It wasn’t a show and He took His special elect of James, John, and Peter with Him into the house. Jesus did not want to ‘cast pearls before swine’. The three who went with Him were allowed to witness the miracle because of their preparedness of spirit.
With the words, ‘Maid Arise’ and the touch of His hand, the girl came back to life. He then commanded her to eat so that she would regain her strength. This shows Jesus’ deep caring and wisdom that both the spiritual and the natural must be in tune so that we can adequately serve Him. With a spiritual awakening, as this miracle typifies, comes a renewal that must be sustained both spiritually and naturally.
The silence that Jesus requested was for her own spiritual and mental good. The idle curious would have flocked in to see her, and being just a child, it could have been harmful.
This resurrection speaks to us as assurance that the final, grand assurance comes when the saints with the ascended Christ to set up the Kingdom. We all will be reunited at the time of the fullness of His grace.
The infirm woman is a parenthesis miracle, done while enroute to do another miracle. This woman was healed by just the touch of Jesus’ robe as He passed through the crowds going to Jairus’ house. This shows a very great faith. “If I may touch His clothes, I shall be whole.”
This shows the woman’s faith and courage to risk the consequences of breaking a sacred convention because of her condition. Jesus cured her by an act f His divine will and brought her to a more intelligent faith. Her faith, although imperfect because of thoughts that Jesus would not tend to her personally, was in its essence true and effective.
The word “virtue” pertains to the supernatural power which Jesus had and was ever conscious of. At the touch of the woman, Jesus felt His power go forth.” (Mk 5:30)
The woman is brought out of hiding to open confession. Her need represented the entire crowd’s need, and our need of Jesus. The need and the greatness of our Lord met.
Contact that heals must always issue a confession that glorifies. The thanking of God for His blessings on us is automatic in the believer.
Jesus tells her, “Your faith has made you whole.” Faith is the channel by which one is healed. (Acts 15:11)
This woman’s plague was extensive and yet, as it was extensive, so was the cure she received. It was immediate, as is salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ no matter how long or how deep into sin we are. Jesus is able to restore us and at the same time enrich us with the Spirit that is also God’s gift.
“And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, ‘Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.” (Mt 9:27)
Matthew arraigned miracles not in chronological order but in the lessons they taught; one leading to another. This was the earliest in a group of similar miracles. (Mt 11:5; 12:22; 20:30; 21:14; Lk 7:21; Jn 9)
These healings of the blind were a literal fulfillment of the prophetic Word concerning the ministry of Our Lord. “The eyes of the blind shall be opened.” (Isa 29:18; 35:5)
The two blind men knew of Jesus’ supernatural power and they proved the strength of their faith in His ability to heal them and His Messiahship. They plead for mercy first which carried with it the request for restoration of their sight.
Christ asked them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?’ Their faith must not stop short of mere confession of Him; it also must be tried. In order to be saved, truly and completely saved, we must not only accept Jesus as our Savior; we must take Him as our Lord. It is important to believe that He is able to perform the things that He said that He would in the fullness of His grace and power.
“According to your faith be it unto you.” The men received their sight but without faith it could not be done.
He touched their eyes so that they, being blind, could have a fuller revelation of His power and Deity. We sometimes are so blind that we must be touched by circumstances before we fully realize all that is in Jesus for us.
The condition of silence was to prevent the people from being mislead by the mere report of miracles and becoming thought of as a ‘fact of life’ thereby undermining the spiritual significance’s of the act and its meaning and lessons.
The spiritual applications are easy to find. Sin is moral blindness and deliverance is the removal of the blindness. (Dt 28:29; Isa 59:10; Eph 5:8; Mt 15:14; etc.)
Godward, the sinner is stone blind. All of the glory, which is God, cannot be seen, but in Christ, our eyes are opened and turned from darkness into light. (Acts 26:18)
These men disobeyed Jesus by speaking about His fame. Some think that this is praiseworthy, but it was plain disobedience. It shows that although the men had the faith required to be healed and they ‘saw the light’, they returned quickly to their own self granulizing.
“And as they went out, behold, they brought to Him dumb man possessed with a devil.” (Mt 9:32)
The demon was cat out and the dumb man spoke. The effect of this is that the crowd marveled. They saw Jesus as their predicted deliverer. His enemies, the Pharisees, repeated their words, He casts out demons through the prince of demons.”
Our Lord treats our spiritual disorders in the same way He dealt with the demoniac. He did not bother with the symptoms, He went right to the heart of the matter: the man’s soul.
Matthew concludes the record of the miracle with the information that Jesus went on His way teaching, preaching, and healing. (9:23) Moved with compassion: “He healed every sickness and every disease among the people.”
NAZARETH- THE LAST VISIT
“And He went out of there, and came into His own country: and His disciples followed Him.” (Mk 6:1)
Jesus, in making one more try in His native country, goes into the synagogue, as was His way. “to teach…and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, ‘ From where has this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that such mighty works are wrought by His hands?’ (Mk 6:2)
The same reaction was happening. The people were taken by what He had to say, but because of their unbelief, they were ‘offended at Him.” (Mk 6:3) “Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” (Mt 11:6)
Why were they offended? Romans 9:2 tells us. “Because they sought it, (righteousness), not by faith as it were, by the works of the Law. For they stumbled at the stumbling stone.” (1 Pet 2:7-8)
How sad Jesus must have been to have the people whom He had worked, played, and lived along side of all of His life reject Him and be offended in Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus marveled because of their unbelief “…and yet He went around about the villages teaching.” (Mk 6:6)
THE FEEDING OF THE 5000
This is the central miracle of all miracles. C. J. Ellicott in his “Commentary On The Whole Bible” states that, “No narrative of any other miracle offers so many marks of naturalness, both in the vividness of coloring with which it is told, and the coincidences, manifestly without design, which it presents to us. It is hardly possible to imagine four independent writers reproducing in this way a mere legend.”
The people flocked to Jesus wherever He went. This time He went into a desert place for rest and He was unable to find it. Moved with compassion, Jesus embraced the opportunity of teaching the multitude and healing the sick among them. Sympathy prevailed over the quest for solitude.
Our Lord’s omniscience is shown in asking Phillip what they should do about feeding the multitudes. Man is made t feel his insufficiency and then, when necessities are keenly felt, a miracle is wrought, but only where a miracle is required.
Faith must learn to draw on divine resources. The disciples had forgotten that Jesus was the creator of the universe, “Who calls those things which be not as though they were.” (Rm 4:17)
The provision of the boy’s lunch was truly divine. This small boy would provide over five thousand people with food and he would leave with more than he had brought. We, as believers, always come away with more that we had brought when we go to worship God.
From the creation of all things by God, we see that order is the first law of the heavens. This is also seen in the arraigning of the people by hundreds and fifties. To feed all of them as they stood and sat en masse would be a logistical nightmare. For the One who created the universe in the ordering of all the stars and planets and the ordering of the earth and heavens, the ordering of these people is the logical first step and in it we catch a glimpse of His vast wisdom.
The Public Thanks for the food He was about to minister reveals the wonderful combination of human dependence and divine omnipotence in one person.
Every miracle is incomprehensible except by Him, by whom it is done. The dividing of the loaves and fishes shows Jesus’ Deity.
To put the people at ease, the disciples were to serve the food. They were of the people and the people would feel more secure being served by them. They are sent out to feed the ‘lambs’ just as they would be after the resurrection of Our Lord.
As Jesus died once and for all for our sins and our salvation, the bread was broken just once and the provision, in abundance, kept coming until all were sated and there was still more left! The leftovers were not wasted. In the boy’s giving, he received more that he had given.
As result of the fantastic miracle, the people were ready to declare Jesus as King right on the spot! Jesus knew that He would gain His Throne in God’s good time and not man’s.
Jesus is the bread of life to a perishing world, and as the Living Bread, must be passed on to others by the eaters themselves. In Christ, there is a sufficiency for all of us. As Jesus used what the boy had given Him and the disciples passed on the multiplied bread Jesus had given them, so through our surrendered lives, Jesus waits to make others sharers of our knowledge and experience His sufficiency.
