When Jesus Passed By

When Jesus passed by.  Have you ever wondered just what you would have done had Jesus passed by.

Jesus passed by Samaria and Galilee and entered a village and ten men's lives were changed.  They stood afar off as he came into the village.  Perhaps someone had run on ahead to say that the master was coming.  Perhaps they'd just simply come to see what he looked like or to hear him speak or maybe they'd heard about the miracles he'd done.  Ten men coming together on this particular day, at this particular hour, for such a time as this.  Ostracized by society, living on the outskirts of town, their faces marred and disfigured by the tumours.  These ten men had leprosy.  They knew only God could heal such a disease as the one they had.

Had they perhaps heard how Namaan of old was healed of leprosy by the prophet Elisha.  You can read the account in 2 kings 5.  There were very strict levitical laws surrounding leprosy. 

 Lev 13:46 says  And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

These men would have known that they couldn't get too close, there would be the fear that the disease would be passed on to others, so from afar they watched.

Ten men living in conditions that would not be good, ten men who, when Jesus passed by would never be the same again.  Ten men who literally cried out to God on that road,  "Jesus, master, have mercy upon us".  Jesus did have mercy he simply looked at them and said, go and show yourself to the priests and as they went they were cleansed. 

The fear, the hurts, the tumours gone, they surely would have gone leaping and praising God at such a miracle.  But we don't hear anymore about them, did they go to the priest, the priest would have been the one who declared them clean and free of the disease.  Even though Jesus had done the healing he didn't prevent the work of the priest being done. 

Nine of these men just went on their way, changed completely because Jesus passed by but the tenth,a Samaritan, he came back to give thanks and to praise God. Now normally the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans but it didn't matter to Jesus. As the man fell at Jesus feet  Jesus said  "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger."

And he said unto him, "Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole".

You know friends Jesus didn't even have to touch these ten men, he only had to speak the words and today we still have those very words of Jesus that can be spoken to every disease there is .. We have his word in the bible .. Words that have been spoken to many people throughout the ages .. Go your way, your faith has made you whole.  The same words were spoken to the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5

Here was someone else ostracised by those in the community because of her uncleanness, makes you wonder how she coped all those years.  She'd been put outside of the camp, In her need to go and fetch water from the well for her daily needs, did her friends and family cross to the other side of the road to avoid touching her.

But now today, she heard and saw the crowd,

Here was the master physician himself, hadn't she heard how he'd healed the sick.  Just earlier in the day he had cast out demons from the mad man and now he was on his way to heal the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, if only she dared, if only she dared follow and touch him, she had been treated as unclean these 12 years, oh to be free from this infirmity, this plague that had been with her all these years, oh to be like her friends and the other women in her family, to be able to feel clean again, Did she think in those moments if I can just get near, just touch the hem of his garment.  She did just that as Jesus passed by, she drew closer until she could reach out and touch the hem of his garment and immediately the issue of blood stopped.

When Jesus turned and spoke to her he didn't condemn her, didn't tell her she was unclean, didn't move to avoid her, he simply said 'daughter' your faith has made you well, go in peace and be whole from your plague.

And as As Jesus went throughout galilee preaching  ...

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  Here again another man cast out from society, from friends, family life having to live a life of misery having to walk around shouting unclean unclean if anyone was to cross his path.  Not only the pain of having a disease, but the pain of knowing you might not see your family again, living in conditions that not even the dogs would like. And now here he was falling to his knees in front of Jesus asking the master to heal him, to make him clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

We always tell someone

Jesus passed by and this mans life was changed, no longer an outcast by society, no longer having to hide away.  He'd be able to spend time with his family tomorrow, be able to walk the road and not shout unclean. Perhaps just shout hello to the people he met. 

Whenever Jesus passed by men and women's lives were changed, the woman at the well living in sin, the young boy whose loaves and fishes fed five thousand, the woman taken in adultery about to be stoned. These people were all changed in some way when Jesus passed by. 

Some commentaries say that leprosy is a metaphor for one of the greatest diseases of all time ... That of sin ... If that's the case then we were all lepers at one time or another.

Leprosy is truly an awful disease, it's an infection that damages the nerve endings and so in time the leper feels no pain, areas on his hands and feet become numb and because of this if he hurts his foot or hand he wouldn't really know it hurt and the wound would become infected so badly that it may have to be amputated

and just as the leper cried out for God to have mercy so too have we cried out for the very same thing.  Mercy from a saviour who cleansed us and healed us from the ugliness of sin.

Jesus passed by and turned the ugliness of our life into something beautiful, we were cleansed, made whole and like the one leper who went back we too fall at the Saviour's feet, giving glory to God for the changes in our life.

 When I think of the scars of leprosy, how gross a disease it is, I am reminded of my life before Jesus passed by. 

My sin must have been as ugly as that disease, if not uglier and yet Jesus reached out as he passed by and he touched me.

Most of us can say that we were changed and our lives were never the same when Jesus passed by.  Do you know that moment in my life when I was born again is something I'll never forget. I was clean, really clean, every horrible thing I'd ever done had been washed away, every lie I'd told, every swear word I'd uttered every single thing was gone and I was clean and made whole.  The leper and the woman with the issue of blood had been told your faith has made you well. Is that what had made me whole and clean, my faith.  Well it certainly wasn't faith in anything I could do and I don't think I really had that much faith then either I just knew Jesus was who he said he was and I knew he'd forgiven me.

I think  he wants to remind us of who we were and wants us to know who we are and who we can be in him.  He came to save that which was lost.  We were lost and he found us.

He's here just waiting to touch lives once again, lives that have been marred by sin, lives that have been broken by harsh words that have hurt and scarred, lives that seem empty and unused or old and unneeded, lives that are in pain from disease, illness, addiction, lives saddened by loss, lives that are just hurting.

Today Jesus can and does still pass by, but he doesn't just pass by and do nothing, He stops and does everything. He stops and touches and changes so many lives, whatever the need. 

If you have a need don't miss out on a touch from The Saviour.

Peace Be Still

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)
A very happy and blessed New Year to you. As I drove home after visiting my family over Christmas (it's a 3 hour drive) I often talk to the Lord on the journey and this time I asked the Lord to speak to me from what I could see around me as I drove.  
Dark clouds covered the sky and torrential rain lashed against the windscreen, the wind was high and it wasn't very good driving conditions. As I peered through the rain I saw in the clouds a small circle of light shining through, it wasn't a brilliant light sort of hazy as if the sun was doing it's best to push through the clouds, but then the Lord showed me that there are many storm clouds in peoples lives, mine included, and often at the start of a new year we forget to leave the things behind us. We take everything that bothered us at the end of the year into the new. Often things like sickness, worry about a job and other burdens that just weigh us down seem like the storm , but I was reminded that no matter how dark the clouds may be the 'Son' can still shine through. The Lord Jesus Christ is the 'light' and He will shine through any storm clouds that come our way. All we need do is talk to him.

I recalled how, when the disciples were with Jesus in their ship and clouds had gathered and a great storm of wind arose and the waves beat against the ship filling it with water, it must have been a terrifying time for the disciplies, a bad night. The disciples were fearful and woke Jesus because they thought they would perish. Jesus showed his care and love for his followers when he spoke those words 'Peace be still' and, the bible says, there was great calm.
Jesus wants to do the same for us today. If we have taken any of the clouds into the new year with us then simply talk to the Lord.

Ask for his help in leaving behind anything that darkens your walk with Him, anything that will be a burden to you in the coming days. His words to you will be as they were to the wind and the sea 'Peace be still' - and there was a great calm.

I'd Rather Be a Door Keeper

2 King 5:1-16

Naaman was Captain of the Kings army, a great man, but he had leprosy. On hearing that a prophet in Israel could heal him Naaman was sent by the King of Syria to Israel to be cleansed of his leprosy. Naaman came and stood at Elisha's door and Elisha sent word to him that he ought to go and wash 7 times in Jordan and his flesh would be healed. Naaman was furious, he had expected Elisha to come out to him. Here he stood a great and honourable man - hadn't the Lord given deliverance to Syria by him and here was this prophet not even bothering to greet him, sending a mere servant to tell him to wash in Jordan. He thought Elisha could at least have come out and called on the name of the Lord, laid his hand over the place that the leprosy covered, but to wash in Jordan ... The rivers of Damascus were far better than those of Israel anyway, so why couldn't he wash in them - and Naaman turned and went off in a rage.

You know this got me thinking about pride and wondering if in any way I was a bit like Naaman do I expect to be treated differently do any of us expect to be treated differently. Do we know the Lord wants us to do something but we don't really want to do it as say "But Lord I'd rather do this such and such, for example ...

Look at Peter Lord, he stands at the front of the church and sings for you - that's a decent sort of job Lord, my voice isn't so bad, can't I sing for you, or ...

What about Mary, she leads that house-group with Andrew, people look up to her - can I do something like that Lord ...

And what about Martha, people have started asking her advice about things ...

And there's Paul over there, he even gets to lead the worship once a month and Lord you just want me to ... well help wash the dishes, giving out the hymn books would be better than that.

Can't I do something decent Lord, perhaps I could teach Lord, I'm sure I'd be good at it. Give me something where others can see I'm an OK sort of person - Lord I always seem to get the menial tasks.

Perhaps Naaman thought it was a bit beneath him to wash in the Jordan but as his servant pointed out to him "look if the prophet had asked you to do something really great you'd have gone and done it, why not do this thing that seems trivial to you -
God can even use what seems trivial for his glory.
So Naaman went and washed in the Jordan and was healed.

You know the Psalmist says it all in Psalm 84 "For one day in your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Pride is a funny thing - we always seem to want what we think is best for us and yet no matter where the Lord places us - whether it's to be the cleaner not the preacher - the door keeper not the worship leader, the washer-upper not the housegroup leader ... if we continue to wait in the wings and never make centre stage our Lord knows what is best for us. He's given us whatever gifts we have and we ought to be content in using those gifts for His glory, not ours.

You know Elisha sought no reward for the help he'd given Naaman, he didn't wan't to be centre stage and we shouldn't seek to be noticed or seek the praise of others either.

The Lord has given each of us something special, something we can do that perhaps no else can, we are unique and he allows us to keep out individuality: but we are one in Him and whatever He has given us we should do it until the time mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-32

Ane he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (and some cleaners; and some door keepers, and some washer uppers)
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: .....

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.