Touched by Jesus

They say that children that grow up in overcrowded orphanages are way behind in development – especially if they are there from birth. Research shows that infants and children need to be touched in order to stimulate them to learn even the physical tasks of sitting, crawling, and walking. It seems our Creator made us to need to touch each other. When we are sad or upset, a good hug from a friend brings healing and strength to us. Some children are what I call ‘constant contact’ children. They need to be touching someone at all times or they go from sad to distraught quickly.

Once word was out that Jesus could heal diseases, people got excited when they heard he was coming to their community. It didn’t matter if they were well known and wealthy or if they were poor nobodies and outcasts. Jesus willingly touched and healed many people. And then there was the woman who reached out and touched Jesus…

“As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Luke 8:42-44 She must have been a desperate woman. According to Jewish laws, if she had any kind of discharge, she should not have been in a place where people could touch her – she was considered unclean and they would be unclean. Yet, she persisted into a crushing crowd and made her way to touch Jesus from behind. I wonder how many people she made ‘unclean’ on the way. And they didn’t even know it!

“’Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’” Luke 8:45 The woman was obviously embarrassed and did not speak up – that would be admitting she had broken the law by being there and that she had made many people around her unclean. And who wants to talk about a personal physical problem. She thought she could get healed without bringing it out into the public.

“But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’” Luke 8:46 This healing power of Jesus was obviously a physical thing – not just in that people became well, but that Jesus felt power leaving him. I wonder how and why that power would leave him without him telling it to go. How did the woman receive healing without Jesus speaking the words of healing to her? In a way, it is like a child holding onto his father’s pants leg or his mother’s skirt and drawing security and confidence from just touching their parent. But this was more than security or confidence. The woman was healed from a physical problem.

“Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’” Luke 8:47-48 While she had received healing just by touching him, confessing and receiving his blessing were important as well. Jesus did not let her miss that part. He could have just kept walking and not said anything. But Jesus knew the importance of confessing. He had more for her than freedom from bleeding. Now she would be free to talk about what Jesus had done for her. That is something that we so often miss in our large church and event gatherings – confession and publicly proclaiming what the Lord has done for us. Maybe a couple of people on stage get to share some, but the rest of the crowd are just onlookers. Sometimes, smaller gatherings without microphones can allow for more of this. But if we have an agenda and a schedule to keep, we can walk right by these opportunities and not see them. I wonder if we truly expect to meet Jesus and touch him and be touched by him when we gather for worship….

All of this happened while Jesus was on the way to the house of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, because his daughter was ill and he had asked Jesus to come heal her. While Jesus was still speaking with the woman, Jairus received a message that his daughter had died. Now Jairus had to decide if he would be angry with Jesus for taking too long to get there or he would have the faith to believe that Jesus could bring his dead daughter back to life. Jesus encouraged him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” Luke 8:50 Why did Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid?” What was Jairus going to be afraid of? Facing life without his only daughter, the joy of his life? Facing other people who had children and now his was dead? The words that were coming from the mouths of his friends, “Your daughter is dead?”

What is this fear that we have of hearing news we don’t want to hear about those we love or ourselves? Is it possible to rid ourselves of this fear? It is the fear of death – of those we love and of our own. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” The removal of that fear comes in trusting in the One who made us and knows us and loves us. We can reach up and put our hand in his hand and walk in confidence into the unknown because he is there. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

When he got to the house, Jesus took Peter, John and James and the girl’s parents with him and went into the room where the daughter was lying. He simply “took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’” Luke 8:54 And she did.

The woman touched him. He touched the child. It works both ways. But in both cases, trusting Jesus was an important part of the equation. Another part of that equation was that both the woman and the child and her parents were in dire need of help. We love to see God touching people in special ways, but we don’t want the pain that they are in which put them in the position of needing touching. We want to live in a world free from pain and suffering. God wants that for us as well. That is why he sent Jesus into the world and that is why he has gone to prepare a place for us where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17b I can hardly wait to be there – to be forever touched by Jesus.

Lord of All

Sometimes I wonder how much sleep Jesus actually got. He often prayed all night or got up early in the morning to go pray. He ministered to people long hours, through mealtimes, wherever he was. We get a glimpse of Jesus sleeping – in the boat while they were traveling to the other side of the lake. And even then, a huge storm came up swamping the boat and endangering their lives. He must have been exhausted because the disciples had to wake him up to get his help. “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement, they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’” Luke 8:24b-25

They knew Jesus was not an ordinary man. But this left them dumbfounded. Who can control the wind and the rain? Only God can. Is this really God? Did he put on human flesh and come down and walk with us? I imagine their emotion was a mix of amazement, fear and curiosity. What did Jesus mean by “Where is your faith?” Did he expect them to sleep through the storm like he did? Didn’t someone need to man the ship? A boat doesn’t row itself across the lake.

I wonder how many times during the storms in my life I cry out to God to save me. I wonder if he is sleeping in my boat while I’m about to drown. Where are you God? I’m about to go under here. Save me! And then he asks me, “Where is your faith?” Faith that is not tested is no faith at all. Faith becomes stronger when tested by the storms in our lives. In fact, if we have no storms in our lives, we have little faith because it cannot grow in that environment. When a storm arises in my life, do I trust that God can end the storm at any time and that he has my best interest at heart? Sometimes, God lets the storm rage a while in order to strengthen me. Sometimes, he invites me to sleep with him in the boat while the storm is raging. And sometimes he stops the storm and allows me to enjoy the calm.

While the disciples are still shaking their heads in amazement, they arrive at the other side of the lake and meet a man who has been in a raging storm for most of his life. He is possessed by many demons, naked and dwelling in solitary places. Today we would put him in a locked down unit in a state hospital. When Jesus arrives, the man shouts, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” Luke 8:28. I wonder how the man knew who Jesus was? Did he think Jesus had come to harm him? Or was it the demons speaking. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James 2:19 It seems that the demons in this man recognized Jesus as the Son of God and were shuddering. And rightfully so, because Jesus did cast the demons out of the man. When the townspeople arrived, he was clothed and in his right mind, sitting at Jesus feet.

Something interesting happened in the interchange between the demons and Jesus. The demons asked to be allowed to go into the herd of pigs when they left the man. And Jesus allowed them to. The pigs ran down the bank into the lake and drowned. I wonder what the people who owned the pigs thought. Today, there would be a major law suit! Yet, how could you prove that it was Jesus’ fault that the pigs drowned themselves?

And then there is the question as to whether or not demons still exist in the world today. We have diagnoses for people who are not in their right mind and/or have seizures. We treat them with medications and often they are able to function normally or at least close to normal. Yet, in the New Testament, there are many instances where Jesus and/or his disciples cast out many demons. And there are references to demons in discussions of the last days. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” I Timothy 4:1 “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.” Revelation 9:20 “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:4 “With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.” Revelation 18:2 This sounds like there is and will continue to be demon activity in our world.

While we need to not be too quick to blame every bad thing that happens to us on demons, we would do well not to ignore their presence. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1 We live in an age when we only believe what we can see, touch, and smell. Yet, there are battles raging between good and evil. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 We know that the victory has already been won by Jesus’ death on the cross. And Satan knows his time is limited. “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Revelation 12:12

I don’t think I need to run scared looking for demons behind every bush, but I do need to be aware and walk closely with my Lord who is Lord of all. He will help me test the spirits so that I can listen only to the good and not the evil. And then I can along with the man released from the control of demons do as Jesus asked him to, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” Luke 8:39 I can recognize how much God loves me and what he has done for me and tell others that my Lord is Lord of all!

Listen Up!

I love the sun. In fact, I think I may be solar powered – I need the sun. But there are some things that look better when the sun is not shining on them – like a dirty car, a dusty room, mismatched clothing, etc. The bright light from the sun brings to attention things that need attention. So it is with God’s light. “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore, consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” Luke 8:17-18 What an interesting combination of sentences in one paragraph!

Because God’s light will bring things out into the open, consider carefully how you listen. Apparently, there is more to listening than… listening. What different ways of listening could there be? Since we have just been talking about types of soils and planting seeds earlier in the chapter, I wonder if different kinds of listening might be related to that. There is a listening that really isn’t listening at all – you are in the same room where the words are being said, but nothing is going into the brain. That would be the hard path. Then there is a listening when you are sort of trying to listen, but there are a thousand distractions pulling your brain in other directions. That would be the rocky soil. And there is a listening where every idea being presented is met with resistance and argument. That would be the thorns and weeds. And there is a listening where there is direct eye contact, the head is going up and down and the brain is tracking and thinking hard about what is being said. That would be the good soil, prepared and ready for seeds. Yes, apparently there are different ways to listen.

The next interesting part of this paragraph says, “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” Luke 8:18b In the context of this paragraph, this does not seem to pertain to worldly wealth. We haven’t been talking about earthly possessions here. What do we have that we will get more of if we listen the right way and will lose if we don’t? I’m thinking things like real knowledge and wisdom. Just like any relationship with another, if we listen carefully and try hard to understand another person, we will gain more knowledge about that person and wisdom about how to relate to that person. And so it would be with God – as we listen carefully to his words, as we study them intently with a heart open to learning from him, we will gain more and more knowledge of him and wisdom from him. But those who refuse to listen will find that even what they thought they knew will be less and less and in the end, they will be totally separated from God.

While Jesus is teaching, his mother and brothers arrive and are having trouble getting close enough to him to be able to talk to him. Someone tells Jesus they are there and his response is a little disconcerting to some of us. “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” Luke 8:21 Why wouldn’t Jesus stop what he was doing like any good son and go give his mother a hug and say hello?

Maybe my problem is that I am reading too much into this. We don’t know if Jesus said those words as he was walking out to greet his mother or if he refused to go greet his mother. So maybe rather than jumping all over this comment, I need to have grace with the writer giving him the benefit of the doubt and understand he couldn’t include every word and every detail of every interaction with Jesus.

It's Planting Time

Sometimes I wish I could have been around when Jesus was walking from village to village teaching. I wish I could hear his words for myself, hear his tone of voice, see if there was a twinkle in his eye, and see his expression when he went head to head with the teachers of the law. We have the Sermon on the Mount and we have many of the parables he used to teach. We teach and preach Jesus crucified and risen from the dead. But what did he teach?

“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.” Luke 8:1 In the New International Version, the phrase, “kingdom of God” occurs 65 times of which 51 are in the four Gospels. Plus, it appears in other ways such as “God’s kingdom” another 11 times mostly in Paul’s writings. That seems to make it a significant focus of the New Testament – which means I would do well to pay attention and try to understand more about it. How is God’s kingdom different from earthly kingdoms? How is order maintained in God’s kingdom? How does the kingdom advance? Who has authority and power? These questions and many more are answered throughout the Gospels.

Jesus went on to tell a parable about a farmer sowing his seed. Some fell on the path and was trampled and eaten by birds; some fell on rocky soil and though it sprouted, it could not grow because there was not enough moisture in the soil to sustain it; some fell among thorns and was choked out; and some fell on good soil and it yielded a good crop – a hundred times more than was sown. “When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:8

Now his disciples, being good disciples of their rabbi, asked questions about what the parable meant. This gives the rabbi opportunity to teach and explain. “He said, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’”Luke 8:10 Wait a minute! I thought Jesus wanted us all to understand what he is teaching. Why did he say that stuff about people no seeing and not understanding?

He was quoting Isaiah 6:9 which was about Isaiah’s calling to be a prophet to the people of Israel. He was called to “Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10 God goes on to promise that even though the cities will lie in ruin and the people will be killed and scattered, a stump will remain from which ‘the holy seed’ will come. This is one of his many prophesies regarding the birth of Christ.

I feel at a loss not understanding the original language. However, in the context of the total Scriptures and understanding how much God loves us and wants us to see and hear him, I am thinking these words are more speaking to the reality of what is than to the desire of God’s heart. But God doesn’t give up. He continues to send prophets, preachers, and friends into people’s lives to keep his message in front of them. His desire is that we would become part of his kingdom and that we would be growing daily as we commune with him. I believe he was telling Isaiah to scatter seed far and wide, knowing that much of it would not grow – some would not even sprout. But keep scattering because some of it will fall on good soil and will take root and grow. And I believe that is what Jesus was doing as he spoke to the crowds and then to his disciples in Luke 8. He was scattering the seed widely, knowing that not all of it would take root, but some would – and to those, he is giving the secrets of the kingdom of God.

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:11-15

In a way, this is a commissioning of Jesus’ disciples – just as Isaiah was commissioned – to spread the word of God far and wide. They are not responsible for the condition of the soil of people’s hearts. They are responsible to make sure everyone has opportunity to hear the word. We are each responsible for the condition of our own hearts to receive God’s word. John the Baptist was helping people prepare their hearts to receive God’s word by asking them to repent and refocus on God. The disciples are now commissioned to help spread the seed of God’s word.

And as I hear and understand the teaching in this parable, I too am commissioned to spread the seed of God’s word. And I pray that those who catch some of this seed are preparing their hearts to receive it and grow.