Daily Archives: October 7, 2013

Bringing Heaven To Earth

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BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH

“He left the meeting place and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked Him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave — and it left. Before they knew it she was up getting dinner for them.” Luke 4:38-39 (The Message).

Just like that! Luke tells the story in a matter-of-fact way, as though it was an everyday occurrence. Speak to the sickness and it goes! But to the people who observed it, it was riveting.

They were not unfamiliar with miracles. Their Scriptures were dotted with stories of miracles from the time their first forefathers were born; Isaac, conceived by two old people; Rebekah — barren; Rachel — barren; Hannah — barren; and all the miraculous events surrounding their deliverance from Egypt and journey to the Promised Land, to say nothing of the miracles prophets like Elijah and Elisha did.

But that was then and this was now. God hadn’t even spoken to them in four hundred years until John. This was different. Jesus just spoke and things happened on a scale they didn’t believe possible.

What was happening? First John and then Jesus made an announcement that changed everything. “The kingdom of God is here.” What did that mean? Where was the kingdom of God before this? What was the kingdom, anyway? To the Jewish people the kingdom meant the land and people of Israel under their own king and not under the hated Romans.

What did the kingdom mean to Jesus? Jesus had been sent by the Father to represent Him in an enterprise that would take the whole of creation back to His original purpose. For four thousand years God had been preparing the way for His restoration plan, building a nation that would bring forth the Messiah, God in the flesh to show and tell by becoming one of us.

He would show the world what God is really like, repair the damaged relationship with His estranged children by paying their debt for sin, and build a world-wide body of loyal people who would continue what He began, bringing  heaven to earth through living like Jesus did. When demons invaded human beings, they had to go because they did not belong in God’s kingdom. When fever struck Peter’s mother-in-law, it had to go because sickness was not part of the way God did things.

Step-by-step Jesus was introducing His people to what the kingdom of God was all about — not a geographical and political realm like the land and people of Israel, but an inward change of heart towards God where His rule was restored. Like Jesus, His people would have the power to show the world, through their love and generosity and the miracles Jesus did, that God is good, all the time!

Of course He was operating in a fallen world where sin, pain, suffering and death were all very real. God’s kingdom was there, but so was the influence of the demonic realm, manipulating and dominating through deceit. By evicting what was part of the fallen world, Jesus was showing His people what it would be like to live under God’s rule and inviting people to return to God’s original intention.

He had come to pay the price the whole world owed God because there was no-one else on earth qualified to do so. People would no longer have to hide from God. There was nothing in the way any more. They could return to the Father and become a part of His recovery plan.

It’s no wonder that what He said and did shocked them. This was new to them, not anything like the arrogant, harsh and judgmental attitudes of their religious leaders. And they loved Him for it.

Weigh Up The Evidence!

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WEIGH UP THE EVIDENCE!

“He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed — His teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.

“In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, ‘Ho! What business do you have with us, Jesus? Nazarene! You’re the Holy One of God and you’ve come to destroy us!’ Jesus shut him up: ‘Quiet! Get out of him!’ The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn’t hurt him.

“That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, “What’s going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?’ Jesus was the talk of the town.” Luke 4:31-37 (The Message).

Just look what you missed, people of Nazareth!

The citizens of Capernaum were a more receptive lot, it seems. At least they didn’t write Jesus off because they thought they knew His pedigree. They saw something more in Him than just the son of Joseph and Mary. They recognised a confidence and an authority in His teaching that set them thinking.

But there was something more than just His words that caused a stir, at least in the spirit world. A demon was there who seemed quite comfortable in the presence of the people of Capernaum until Jesus showed up. This evil spirit occupied a man who, over the years had obviously made space for him in his life by habitually believing his subtle lies and living his dirty life until the demon unobtrusively had taken up residence and begun to control him.

Jesus’ presence in the synagogue blew his cover. Speaking through his host, he blurted out, ‘Jesus, this is my turf and you are intruding. You might look like an ordinary guy from Nazareth, but I know who you really are — God’s Holy One — and I can’t stand being near you! Is it time for you do us in?”

Jesus didn’t answer him. He had no cause for discussion with a demon! His words were terse and commanding: ‘Shut up and get out!’ That’s all. Here was another confrontation with the demonic realm. His victory over the devil in round one had equipped Him to evict the squatters wherever they identified themselves in His presence. His unconditional submission to the Father put Him in position to deal decisively with the opposition.

The residents of Capernaum were unwittingly being confronted with the evidence that they were to weigh up and decide for themselves who this man was and what to do about it. First there were His words — His teaching that impressed them as authoritative and believable because He seemed to know what He was talking about. Then there was His action — throwing out a demon they didn’t know was there! They had never seen that happen before.

What if the people of His own village had been patient enough to watch and listen? Perhaps they might have been more tolerant of their “village kid”, Jesus. Perhaps they would have been convinced that this “son of Joseph and Mary” was actually the Son of God.

And what of us? Jesus is not interested in winning a popularity contest. He had only one question to ask of us, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ On our answer hangs the direction of our lives. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” brings us into the realm of a partnership with Him to throw out all the “squatters” and set the world back on the course of restoration and eventual perfection.

Truth!

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TRUTH!

“All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well He spoke. But they also said, ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since He was a youngster?’

“He answered, ‘I suppose you’re going to quote the proverb, “Doctor, go heal yourself.” Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum. Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown. Isn’t it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during those three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land, but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon? And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha but the only one cleansed was Naaman the Syrian.’  Luke 4:22-27 (The Message).

‘Hey Jesus! Aren’t you treading on thin ice? That’s not the way to win friends and influence people!’

What was He thinking? Was that the way to cash in on His popularity? Why antagonise the people of His own hometown when He had the opportunity to gain a strong following from the ones who already knew Him?

But Jesus was not interested in popularity. He was continually sifting people’s hearts —   looking for followers who would stick with Him through thick and thin because they believed in Him and were convinced that He was the Son of God. He purposely said things to offend, not to be offensive but to expose their reactions.

He knew that “familiarity breeds contempt”. Because He was so well known to them, they would not examine the evidence but write Him off because He was “just a village kid.” They knew His parents and there was nothing special about them.

But there was an even deeper offense that Jesus raised in His examples — Gentiles! This was always a flashpoint for them. It was the Gentiles who had been their undoing throughout their history — they were surrounded by them and they persistently followed their ways and their gods. They had failed to extirminate the Canaanites from the Promised Land. God had warned them that, if they did not, they would be a “thorn in their sides” and they were.

It was the Gentiles who were causing their suffering now, and any mention of them, and especially God’s kindness to them, was like a red rag to a bull. Jonah’s bad experience came from his effort to escape from having to take a message to Nineveh that he knew would result in God’s mercy to THEM if they repented and he was not prepared for that! The people of Nazareth were just like Jonah.

“That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger. They threw Him out, banishing Him from the village, then took Him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw Him to His doom, but He gave them the slip and was on His way.” Luke 4:28-30 (The Message).

That didn’t turn out very well, did it? Out on His ear the first time He preached at home. Where did it all go wrong? His fellow-villagers were so blinded by familiarity that they were not prepared to examine the evidence. And they were not the only ones. Wherever He went, there were those who rejected Him because they believed they were right.

It’s this arrogant assumption that we are right that robs us of the wonder of exploring, evaluating and embracing truth wherever we find it. Jesus kept saying, “Look at the evidence,” and His opponents kept insisting, “You are wrong; we are right!” And they killed Him because they believed they were right.

When He walked out of the tomb, who had egg on their faces?

Popular!

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POPULAR!

“Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that He was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone’s acclaim and pleasure.

“He came to Nazareth where He had been reared. As He always did on the Sabbath, He went to the meeting place. When He stood up to read, He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.” Luke 4:14-17a (The Message).

They knew Him. He was already a well-known and well-loved figure in the region. After all, an unusual person like Jesus could not escape notice. He was talked about outside Nazareth. When He disappeared for six weeks, people wondered where He was. ‘Have you seen Jesus?’ they asked one another. ‘Strange! No one knows where He has gone.’

Then, out of the blue He was back, chatting to groups of people here and there; telling them stories and teaching them about the kingdom of God. They were excited. The news spread. ‘Jesus is back. He’s a rabbi. He tells wonderful stories. Come and listen to Him.’

He fascinated them because He wasn’t like the other rabbis. He seemed to know what He was talking about. He wasn’t forever quoting this rabbi or that rabbi, and His yoke — so different from the others! He spoke about God as though He knew Him; and His God didn’t sound like the God the other rabbis spoke of — always demanding and expecting them to keep this law and that rule to please Him. He actually called His God ‘Father’ and Father was generous and full of mercy and compassion.

Back in Nazareth, on the Sabbath, everyone crowded into the synagogue. Jesus was there and they wanted to hear Him. It was expected that He would have something to say. And He did. When the time came for the reading of the Scriptures, everyone looked at Him expectantly, so He stood up and was given the scroll for that day.

“Unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written,

“God’s Spirit is on me; He’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, ‘This is God’s year to act!'”

“He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down. Every eye in the place was on Him, intent. Then he started in, ‘You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.'” Luke 4:17b-21 (The Message).

What? Did they hear right? Did He say that prophecy was being fulfilled right in front of them? That was something difficult to swallow. There’s a difference between having a strong expectation about something and accepting someone’s claim that he or she is the fulfilment. Many have made audacious claims about themselves, only to disappear like everyone else, leaving life to go on unchanged as usual.

What was different about Jesus’ claim? What was He saying? ‘I am the one on whom all your hopes and dreams are pinned. I have arrived to carry out everything your beloved prophet Isaiah spoke about. You can relax now. I am here!’

Can you imagine a well-known figure, someone who grew up in your neighbourhood, who went to school down the road, who played with your kids in the street, who climbed trees and rode bicycle and scraped his knees under your nose, standing up in church and saying, ‘I’m the one God sent to tell you that it’s going to be okay. I’m going to fix everything for you.’

How would you react?