Faults of the Evil Generation II

Today we are looking at Luke 11:37-44.

We have been looking at the things Jesus pointed out about his generation which evidenced their wickedness.  Their unbelief always wanted more signs.  Also their ability to see spiritually had been lost.  Today we will see how sin had caused them to give greater attention to superficial things over the top of the deeper and more important issues of their hearts.  Such a superficial existence not only fails to do good things, but actually causes us to do evil.  In this passage our favorite bad guys (the Pharisees and the Lawyers) are on the whipping post.  However, we need to ask ourselves today this question.  How am I like this?  Or, at least, how have I been dealing with this reality in my life?

They Focus on Image over the Inside

Now in this passage there is a Pharisee that asks Jesus to come to his house and eat with him.  During this situation Jesus recognizes something that is going on inside of this man.  There is no indication that the man had said anything openly.  Yet, Jesus is not content to have image without an accompanying inner reality.  That which looks good on the outside but is poisonous on the inside is more dangerous than that which looks bad on the outside.  People will be tempted to accept something into their life that looks good on the outside but can hurt them, whereas something that looks bad is generally rejected outright. 

So why was Jesus invited to dinner?  We do not know the man’s motivation.  More than likely he hopes to find reasons to discount Jesus and thus move up in the ranks of his religious group.  Thus pretended favors always lead to real attacks.  Yet, maybe this man simply wants to have the attention of one who had Jesus at his house.  Jesus was widely popular and to be associated with him in anyway would reflect upon the Pharisee.  Or, perhaps the man is interested in Jesus and wants a closer look.  No matter which of these is the truth, remember this one thing.  When you invite Jesus into your house, he is not going to content himself with only looking good.  Jesus is going to point out those hidden issues of our heart that need to be dealt with.

Now something happens before dinner.  Jesus neglects the traditional washing that the religious did before eating.  Now this washing wasn’t about hygiene.  It was a symbolic washing that represented being spiritually clean from sin.  It seems impossible that Jesus simply forgot.  Even if he didn’t normally observe this washing, Jesus knew the teachings and practices of the Pharisees all too well.  Thus it seems that Jesus purposely neglected washing because he knew it would provide a situation in which he can speak to the heart of this Pharisee’s life.  Although we are talking about the faults of an evil generation, we need to recognize that Jesus is also pointing out precisely where they needed to change in order to be saved.  It is like a surgeon.  Yes, cutting a person is bad.  But if a surgeon cuts a person precisely where they need to be cut then it is actually a good thing.  When God points out our sin it is not in order to condemn us, but in order for us truly to be set free.

Now when the Pharisee sees that Jesus does not do the traditional washing, he “marveled.”  Instead of seeing the heart of Christ he was stuck on this outward act or lack thereof.  We must understand that focusing on the outward without working on the inside is utter foolishness.  Jesus uses the metaphor of a cup to illustrate this.  Have you ever opened the dishwasher to pull out a cup or bowl that looked clean but when you turned it up there was some crud still left in the bowl?  Someone didn’t rinse it well enough for the machine to clean.  Although it looks good on the outside, you are not going to eat from it.  This is how God saw the Pharisees.  On the outside they looked like good followers of God and He should be happy to have them and use them for His glory.  But the problem was that they were full of sinful things.  Jesus points out that God had made mankind both material and spirit, or with outer and inner parts of their being.  Would God be satisfied for his people to clean only the outward?  The Pharisees were right that God was concerned with man’s need to be cleansed of sin.  But they focused only on the outward things.  In fact in this case the washings were merely symbolic.

In Matthew 15:11 Jesus makes the case that we are not defiled by outer things.  Rather we are defiled by what flows out of our heart into our material life.  Thus a person can make their life look good, but if their heart is wicked, it is not only unacceptable, but is even a worse evil.  Are we not a generation that fights against the reality that our inner man is more important than our outer man?  Do we not focus far more on image and material things than on truth, reality, and inner things?  It is an evil thing to focus on the outward and ignore the inner.

In vs. 41 Jesus tells him to give alms of what he has and then he won’t have to worry about washing his hands before dinner.  That is he will truly be clean spiritually.  Notice that it is possible to use external actions to wash internal sins.  This man was guilty of greed and wickedness (vs.39).  He focused solely on the symbolic act of washing, but never actually did anything about the greed and wickedness in his heart.  Did he not know he was greedy?   That is unlikely.  By his actions he was testifying that he would rather live in shadows and hide from the Truth than walk in the light of God.  Not all who come to Christ and go to Church seek His light and life.  Many are merely looking for shadowy places in which to hide themselves.  But where Jesus is there will always be a confrontation which such wickedness.  We must wash our hearts by actions that crucify those inner sins.  Are you proud?  Then take a humble position and seek no credit for it.  Become a servant of others and in so doing crucify the pride in your heart.  Such a person will be seen as clean by God.

They Focus on Trivial Matters over Heavier Things

Similar to focusing on the external is this problem of focusing on trifles over the top of heavier issues.  In another place Jesus used the picture of straining out a gnat, but then swallowing a camel.  The inability to truly face and deal with the inner issues affects how one prioritizes outward actions.  This imagery has to do with light and heavy objects.  Do you remember in the old cartoons how the character would be weight lifting and the two round weights would have 1,000 painted on them?  Yet, later you would find out that they were just black balloons.  This helps us to see several issues.  So keep this metaphor in mind.

Now Jesus had counseled the man to give alms because he knew the man gave precious little that didn’t somehow benefit him.  The Pharisees had developed a meticulous system of rules about tithing (giving a tenth of your income).  Within this system of rules they were able to look like they were lifting a lot of weight spiritually, but in reality they were not lifting anything at all.  Here Jesus points out that they would make a big deal about tithing to the point that they would even give a tenth of the herbs in their herb gardens.  This scrutiny on a trivial area of “income,” became a mark of great piety; as if they had lifted such a great weight.  In another passage Jesus shines a light on some of the things that they were doing.  Under the Law an adult child was responsible to take care of their parents in their old age.   However, a tradition had developed that said if a person had already made a vow to give their extra money to the Temple then they could be excused from having to care from their parents.  Now which is the heavier weight that needed lifting; caring for elderly parents, or donating to the temple?  More importantly which was the greater responsibility for the shirker; caring for their parents or caring for the temple?  Clearly caring for the parents is the primary responsibility.  So why would they do such a thing?  They would do it because they would get more honor and prestige out of giving a great sum to the Temple than out of “merely” caring for their parents.  This is how upside down their priorities were.  God is more concerned that you care for your immediate family than he is to get 10% of your income.  He is concerned that we be clean on the inside, and money /wealth is one of the biggest defilers of man.  Now you may think I just made a case for why poor people don’t have to give.  You couldn’t be more incorrect.  Do poor people have the need to be cleaned from greed and materialism?  Of course they do.  Our greed will always tell us that we don’t make enough to give to God, whether at a Church or directly to others in need.  A person who gives in to such greed will not be condemned because they failed to give enough.  They will be condemned because they embraced greed and nurtured it with false logic.  The Pharisees had trivialized tithing.  It was intended to be a means that broke the back of greed in their life, taught them how to live within their means, and helped those that were hurting.  These are the big weights that God wanted them to lift.  But they turned it into a means of stroking their pride.

In vs. 42 Jesus gives us two “heavy things” God wanted them to work on: Justice towards their fellow man and Love towards God.  The whole time they were coming up with rules and loopholes in the area of tithing they did not lift a finger towards justice for their fellow man and truly loving the heart of God and His ways.  Micah pointed this out in his book (6:6-8), “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”  Today social justice has become a code word for big government programs.  This movement has co-opted the biblical language for its own political gain.  They two are defiled by the lust for power and greed for money.  We do need to care for one another in our society.  But God’s plan has always been for individuals to freely choose to either serve Him or not.  Only then can they truly cleanse their hearts.  But the modern system of turning all compassion over to the State is not only hurting the poor, but defiling all of our hearts.  Ask yourself, what is due my fellow man, and do I love God and His ways more than the things of this world?  You will be cleaned or defiled by how you deal with those questions.

In verse 43 Jesus points out the vain things that they loved.  They wanted the best seats in the Synagogue (those that had the most social prestige) rather than being content with the place God would give them.  They wanted the kudos of their fellow Pharisees rather than the kudos of God.  They wanted people to notice them when they walked through the marketplace rather than to be noticed by God.  Respect, position, and power are not necessarily bad things.  But the love of these things causes much sin and defiles many.  These things are empty if they are sought over the top of God and a clean heart.

Lastly, Jesus points out how our neglected sins defile us and others.  What is the big deal?  Inner sins don’t just stay inside.  They grow and their defilement infects us and spreads into society.  We will end up defiling others by our sinful actions.  Jesus uses the picture of an unmarked grave.  To touch a dead body or grave made a person defiled under the Law.  This is something the Pharisees would have meticulously focused on.  Yet, here Jesus says they are like a person who made a grave but didn’t mark it (through negligence or purposefully).  People who interacted with them thought they were clean, but in fact they were being defiled unknowingly by them.  O friend, are you pretending to be all righteous and clean when in fact you are defiling everyone around you?  Take this to heart.  Begin to clean the inside of your heart in the fear of the Lord for He is the one that you will stand before and give account one day.

Faults II audio

The True Jesus: Forgiving Sinners

Now that Easter has passed, we will continue our walk through the book of Luke.  We are seeking to remind ourselves who the True Jesus is.  Our passage today is Luke 7:36-50.  If you remember, the passage before this is all about how the religious leaders had rejected John the Baptist because he was too anti-social and yet, they had rejected Jesus because he was too social.  He was a “friend of sinners.”

It seems very appropriate for Luke to share a story that clears up the truth about how much of a friend Jesus was to sinners.  In some ways He is and in others He is not.  If you are a sinner who likes your sin and won’t change for anybody (not even God or Jesus), Jesus won’t be your friend, in the end.  He will be your judge.  However, He will be the kind of friend to you who continues to try and speak the Truth into your life so that you can avoid that judgment.  Yet, Jesus did not have a problem with interacting with sinners and this was in great contrast to the religious leaders of His day.  Let’s look at the passage to clarify this issue.

Jesus Interacted With Sinners

The accusation that Jesus is a friend of sinners is very true because He was not afraid to interact with them in their lives and let them intersect what He was doing.  In this story we are going to see two very different kinds of sinners.

The first sinner is the Pharisee who we find out later is named Simon.  This Pharisee invites Jesus to his house for a meal and Jesus accepts the invitation.  We don’t know Simon’s motives, but more than likely Simon is seeking to deal with this “Jesus-problem” on his own.  If he can poke, prod, test and catch Jesus teaching error in some way then he will be hailed as a great rabbi by his peers.  If he was truly interested in Jesus no doubt he would have approached Jesus much like Nicodemus did; in secret at night.  Now before we leave this let me ask you this question.  Would you accept an invitation from a hypocritical religious leader who only wants to trap you?  The love of Christ does not reject Simon, but rather accepts the opportunity to be Truth in his life.  This man does not think that he is a sinner.  However, his sins were of a religious kind.  He was proud of his ability to do the Law.  Thus he was self-righteous around others.  He would be guilty of nit-picking on the finer points of the Law and yet ignoring the bigger issues to which it pointed.  He will also show that he is quick to judge others and yet lacked proper introspection.  Still Jesus goes to his house.

The second sinner is the woman from the town who is a sinner.  She comes into the home uninvited and imposes herself on their mealtime.  Simon normally would have had her thrown out.  But he waits and watches to see what Jesus will do.  We are not told what the woman’s sins are.  They must be something that is known publically for Simon to know.  Is she an adulterer, prostitute, or thief?  Next we can ask why she is there and crying so badly.  It seems clear that she has either heard of the teachings of Jesus by others, or she has heard Jesus teach.  He may have even spoken directly to her.  We have to be satisfied with not knowing on that account.  It is clear that she is convicted of her sin and yet thankful to Jesus for what He has taught or done for her.  The good news that even though she is a sinner, if she will repent, God still has a place for her, has filled her with tears of regret and yet tears of joy.  Notice that Jesus does not make an issue of her presence.  Instead he allows her to stay.

Their Actions Contrast Greatly

What is interesting is that both the Pharisee and the woman are breaking social custom here.  He did not show the common courtesies one would show in that day and she entered someone’s home uninvited when they were entertaining guests.  Yet, she is doing so out of love and Simon is doing so out of lack of respect.

The woman’s actions are self-effacing and humble.  She weeps and washes the feet of Jesus.  Drying the feet with her hair was something that slaves would do.  She is kissing His feet the whole time.  Then she anoints the feet with a costly, perfumed ointment.

We contrast this with the Pharisee who neglected to have the feet of Jesus washed and then has him lay at his table with dirty, stinky feet.  This is dishonoring to Jesus.  Lastly, he despises the woman and the lack of response from Jesus.  Though the judgment is not spoken outwardly, it is there nonetheless.  Most likely this despising was obvious on his facial expressions.  Either way, Jesus knew exactly what he was thinking.

Why is Jesus interacting with these two sinners?  His whole purpose is redemptive.  He wants to bring them to repentance for their sins so that they can be in fellowship with The Father in Heaven.

The Parable of Debts

Jesus tells a parable to Simon in order to help him see the other side of this situation.  Right now, Simon is invested in the position that the woman is a sinner and should be thrown out.  The parable is parallel to the people at the meal.  God is the creditor and it is the Pharisee who owes a debt of 50 denaria to God.  Likewise, it is the woman who owes a debt of 500 denaria to God.  Jesus accepts the fact that the quantity of this woman’s sin was greater than Simon’s.  However, most likely Simon didn’t believe He had any sin debt to God.  Jesus then asks the question.  If their debts are forgiven which of them will love more?  Notice that Simon is focused on the great quantity of the woman’s sin.  Jesus says that he should be focused on both of their abilities (rather lack of ability) to pay anything.

Forgiveness Yields Love

There is nothing in this world like true forgiveness.  When we know that we have done someone wrong, then come clean with them about it, and they truly forgive us…the feeling is of amazing relief, joy and thankfulness.  It invokes the desire to love that person in a far deeper way.  Yet, if we don’t think we need forgiven of something, we won’t care what the other person thinks or does.  In both cases, it will show up in our actions.  Thus the formula: Forgiveness will lead to loving actions.

Sometimes people confuse what is being said in vs. 47.  Jesus is not saying that the woman will be forgiven her sins because she loved much.  If you carefully read the passage you will see that the forgiveness comes first and the love follows.  Jesus is pointing  to her actions and saying that her great love is proof that she knows she has been forgiven of a great debt.  She does all she can at the expense of her own self-respect to honor Jesus.  Simons actions on the other hand were anything but loving.  Even the loving action of inviting someone to dinner and feeding them is tainted by the disrespect and dishonor in all of his other actions.  Thus his lack of love is proof of what?  This is the unspoken question that Jesus is putting back to Simon.  The unseen always has visible effects.  Sometimes people deceive others and even lie to themselves.  But that truth is incontrovertible.  Thus Jesus gives the woman assurance that her sins have been forgiven her.  Why?  She is forgiven by the grace of God because of her faith in the Word and Person of Jesus.  Such blessed assurance to receive from Jesus himself.  You have been forgiven (perfect tense).

This all begs the question: Was Simon forgiven?  In the parable both are forgiven.  But in reality Simon acts as if he doesn’t even have a debt.

The real question is to us who are reading this today.  What about me?  Do I recognize that I have a debt of sin to God?  Do I also recognize that I have no way to pay for my sin?  It doesn’t matter if we quantified our sin and compared it to others.  The truth is that we are all in the same boat: we don’t have anything of value that will cover our sins.  If we are to be free of that debt, God himself must freely forgive the debt.  Why would He do that?  Scripture is clear that it is by grace (freely given) we are saved through our faith in Christ and even that is not of ourselves.  If you don’t think your sin is bad enough to warrant eternity lost then you need to spend some time meditating on what it means to be a traitor and join rebel forces against the Creator, the Heavenly Father, who alone is Good.  It matters not your rank among sinners.  Only that you are one.  Praise God that He befriends sinners in order to redeem them back to Himself.  Thus Jesus says to the woman who was a sinner: Go in peace.  Go in peace with God, peace within yourself, and peace with even those who still accuse you.  I no longer have to fear the finger pointing of men like Simon when I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has forgiven me.!

Forgiving Sinners Audio

Saving Sinners

Today we will pick up in Luke 5:27-32.  Here we see Jesus calling someone to be his disciple who was the opposite of the 4 fishermen we saw him call earlier.  Levi we find out later was also called Matthew and he was a tax collector who, no doubt, had paid a social price to be so.  He was considered a traitor and not welcome in the synagogue.  Yet, he was also well to do because of this profession.

Let’s look at how Jesus came to Matthew and what happened after that.

Sinners Need To Follow Jesus

Verse 27 says that Jesus came to Matthew at the Tax Office and said, “Follow me.”  These words are used elsewhere to call disciples.  But in Luke 5 the similarity is shown in how they responded to the call.  In verse 11, the fishermen “forsook all and followed him.”  Here it says that Levi (Matthew) “left all, rose up, and followed Him.  In both cases an emphasis is placed on the things left behind.

Now, following Jesus is a theme throughout the Gospels and, if you have ears to hear, throughout the whole Bible. He is the Way of the Lord, the Highway of Holiness, and the Narrow Way.  Only by following Him and His path will we find God and salvation.  Yet, to say, “yes” to Jesus and His direction is to also say, “no” to our current path and destination.  Levi was getting rich off the backs of his fellow citizens in a time of occupation.  This destination would only lead to judgment before God.

To follow Jesus is to allow Him to be your teacher.  A teacher should not only download information.  He essentially duplicates himself into the student.  The call to follow is the call to come and learn of Jesus about life; how to live it and for what purpose to live it.  It is important for us to stop and ask, “What is it that I need to learn?”  Am I learning from Jesus and following the path that He has laid out?

Jesus also became the master or Lord to those who followed Him.  He was obviously not a tyrannical despot who wanted to control their every thought and action.  But he did teach them about how to think and act in this world.  He gave them (us) commands and expected them to be followed.  Peter recognizes this lordship of Jesus when he said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”  This recognition that Peter had much to learn and Jesus was not just a teacher but one who had authority to give him a command is essential for us to recognize.  Do I have such a heart before Jesus?  When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do we say these same words with Peter?  “Master, this man has sinned against me all day; nevertheless at Your word I will forgive him.”  This is something that we may be resistant to in a day where slavery and being a master are frowned upon.  But let me challenge you.  You are obeying someone, whether it is a boss, government, and even yourself.  You have all kinds of masters.  Why not trade them all in for a master who truly cares for you and whose every command is for your good?

Levi gave up his job and followed Jesus.  Now following Jesus is essential for all who want to be his disciple.  But obviously only a few had the privilege to do so in flesh and blood.  Today, to follow Jesus is to read His word and do what it says; to let the struggle of that experience teach us about life and our purpose. Most Christians, who have ever lived, including the first century, did so within their previous profession and geographical area.  However, the key is that Jesus becomes our greatest Wisdom, Truth, and Leader.  Nothing should come between us and him.

Sinners Need To Be Led To Jesus

In verses 29-30 we see that Matthew throws a feast for Jesus (the Messiah) and invites all his friends, of whom many were tax collectors.  Matthew clearly wants to celebrate the reality of who Jesus is and share that with his friends.  Not think about this for a minute.  I highly doubt that any of these tax collectors and sinners were chasing Jesus around the deserted places of Galilee.  Sinners don’t generally hang out in the right places.  I’m sure that they had many feasts together and celebrated their wealth.  But today Jesus will be there.  These guys had made a choice that had not only excluded them from religious fellowship, but had most likely killed any desire to do seek inclusion.  Those who have embraced sin and its lifestyle become passively and actively insulated from Jesus and the Gospel.  It is imperative for believers to find ways to build bridges into the lives of the lost.  Here Matthew throws a feast.  Who would turn that down?  It doesn’t say whether Jesus preached or healed anyone.  But, if there was any hope for them, they needed to get in the same place where Jesus was.  Finding ways to give Jesus a “hearing” in people’s lives doesn’t have to be complicated.  In simple ways we can connect Jesus to the normal things of life.  Do some people abuse this concept?  It has been said that some cults would use “free sex” in order to get  people to want to be a part of the group.  This extreme example shows that we shouldn’t do just anything.  However, neither should we do precious little.  We could judge Matthew and Jesus just like the Pharisees did because it doesn’t look very spiritual.  However, these people are not spiritual at all.  We can’t sit in a synagogue that doesn’t allow certain types to enter and expect the lost to try to get in.  We must go out into their lives and lead them to Jesus.  They need to hear what He is saying rather than what we are saying.  Today we put all manner of things in the mouth of Jesus that He never said and never would.  Perverting, and twisting the words of Jesus are not what people need.  A re-imagined Jesus with a re-imagined teaching will only bring people to empty imaginations.  We must lead people to the real Jesus, not a Jesus we have fashioned into our own image.

Sinners Need Healed

Jesus answers the false piety of the Pharisees by essentially agreeing with their facts.  Yes, these men are tax collectors and sinners.  To the Pharisees the obvious conclusion was to stay away from them.  But Jesus points out that if they are sinners and spiritually sick, then they need to be healed.  How can a person be healed if a physician does not come to them?  At its heart sin is a sickness in need of healing.  Like a person with a broken bone, we may be able to get along in life.  But if that broken bone isn’t set correctly then we will be affected by it and so will others around us.

Let’s look at this sickness some more.  In Isaiah 1:5-6 it says, “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more.  The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints.
From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.” Isaiah is clearly using the image of a wounded body full of infection for the sins and spiritual condition of Israel.  There are times when we can see this with our own eyes.  Anyone who has struggled with an alcoholic or anyone with an addiction will recognize that there is some kind of sickness at its core.  That is why it is tempting to say, “Alcoholism is a disease.”  It isn’t a physical disease.  There is no alcohol virus that we can make an anti-virus to combat.  But it is a moral sickness.  Sin is not just a choice.  It has effects that hook into our flesh and are not easily removed.  In that sense the sinner chooses the sin, but then becomes a victim to it.  They need healed and even when they get it and wish to be healed they often are impotent.  Jesus is a healer, both in body and mind.  Why would he cut himself off from the very people who need healed?

This was a feast to the sinners.  But to Jesus it was a hospital.  Matthew had invited all his wounded and sick friends to come and meet the only one who could truly heal them.  The only difference is that in this case sinners too often want healed of everything but what they need healed.  Thus Jesus tells us what needs healed and we have a choice to make.  Will I walk away still sick because I don’t want “that” to be healed?

The nature of repentance is that it opens the door to healing.  We must turn from the hideous nature of sin and turn towards the only one that can heal us.  Most sinners are fascinated with their sin.  In hearing the words of Jesus we must choose between that fascination or Him.  Have I truly had a moment in which my fascination with sin has been broken?  Not that you can’t be tempted any more.  But have you fallen out of love with your sin?  This is a critical question.  Repentance involves despising our sin and desiring Jesus.

America has become a nation fascinated with sin.  We are fascinated with sexual immorality.  We are fascinated with death.  We are fascinated with the occult and demonic powers.  We are fascinated with wealth, power, greed, technological progress…  The list of our sins doesn’t end because the lusts of our hearts know no ends.  God help us to see the sickness that has riddled our society to the point that we too are like Israel was in Isaiah’s days.  Simply, it will take a miracle for our country to turn around and be healed again.  However, God is able to do the impossible.  Let us do our part in this country.

Saving Sinners mp3

Obstacles To Jesus

Today we are going to be in Luke 5:17-26.  Here we will see that there are obstacles that get in the way of us finding Jesus, or being touched by him.  Some of these obstacles are physical and some of them are not.  Some of them have to do with ourselves and others are outside of us.  However, it is faith that overcomes all obstacles in order to be touched by Jesus.  Without faith in God we will never press through these obstacles, nor receive from Jesus what God has for us.

Now this may sound like all the work depends on us.  However, the Truth is that we are only cooperating with the immense work that God has already done.  The Son of God had come to Earth and took on the additional nature of a man.  He had lived a sinless life and had come speaking the Truth and healing.  Thus we should never over estimate the greatness of our actions.  Yet, faith is necessary.  Without faith it is impossible to please God and without it no one will see God.  Let’s look at this story.

The Crowd

In verses 17-19 we find Jesus in an unnamed town and he is teaching.  It says that the Spirit of the Lord was present to heal and yet there was a crowd that had formed around him within the building and outside.  The success of Jesus had itself become a wall around him.  This physical issue of Jesus is pointed out in John 16:7, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”  The Holy Spirit is not limited to a physical body and can be everywhere at once.  While Jesus walked this Earth, he was limited to a body and only so many people could hear him and get close enough to touch him.  This day it was a problem for a man who was paralyzed.

We also know that the crowd is a mixed crowd.  It is mixed with those who need healing and those who just want to see it.  It is mixed with those who believe in Jesus and those who are looking for means to oppose him.  In fact wherever there is a crowd around Jesus, even in today’s churches, it is mixed in motives.  Some who are taking up room around Jesus do not believe and get in the way of those who do want to believe.  Some who refuse to be touched by Jesus physically block those who are trying to get near.  Is it possible that satan could crowd Jesus with deceivers and false disciples in order to discourage those who truly want Jesus?  You better believe that it happens.  Just remember that not everyone crowding around Jesus and His Church really want Him.

Much of the crowd only want things from Jesus.  They may not be actually resisting him like the Pharisees and Scribes.  But neither do we only want him.  The problem is not that we want things or even healings.  The problem is when our desire to get these things gets in the way of really hearing what Jesus is trying to say to us.  Do I want things from Jesus more than I want Him?  If I received no healing would I still trust Him?  If I have to choose I choose Jesus.  That is what faith is.  It is holding to Jesus because only He has the Words of Life.

Now even though the crowd can be an obstacle and should be challenged to make a choice, the person on the outside also needs to make a choice.  Are you going to let the crowd around Jesus keep you from Him?  Are you really going to say to Him when you stand before Him in eternity, “You didn’t make it easy enough for me.  Or, It was too hard.”  Really?  Do you remember the woman who had a feminine problem where she was bleeding every day?  She had wasted all her money on doctors with no cure.  Decades later she is poor and weak.  Jesus is surrounded by a crowd.  Who could expect her to be able to get through the crowd?  However, she wanted a touch from Jesus so bad that she pushed through the crowd just to touch the hem of his garment.  It is interesting that in that story (Luke 8) we are told that the crowd “thronged” Jesus.  It literally means to suffocate or choke.  I wonder if God is sometimes choking and suffocated by the unbelief and lack of faith of the crowd that has pressed in around Him today, looking for things from Him more than wanting just Him?

Yet in this story the man is paralyzed.  He can’t even do what that poor, weak, bleeding woman could.  Here we see that we do need friends.  Sometimes the obstacle is in me.  But as we explore this aspect, keep in mind that no matter how much we need friends, we need Jesus more.  The best friends are those who help us to get to Jesus.  So don’t let the presence of the crowd or the sin of the crowd keep you from Jesus.  Do you want Jesus?  Then press through the crowd and reach him.  Don’t hold back.

Physical Conditions

Now let’s focus on the fact that the man is paralyzed.  His health is an obstacle to getting to Jesus.  Now bad health can range from paralysis, zero ability, to the sniffles, only hampered.  If I only have small physical issues then I need to find ways around them and press through.  Yet, in this case that won’t work.  He needed help.  This is true if we are the paralyzed man or we are the friends.  People need help to come to Jesus.  No one who has ever been saved became so without the help of people.  So don’t let physical issues keep you or your friends from pressing through to Jesus.

God put us in families with neighbors who should be our friends so that we can care for one another.  His clear command to love our neighbors is best done by doing whatever it takes to help them to know God’s provision for them and receive it.  The heart of the Great Commission (Go into all the world…) is first helping our immediate friends and family and then scoping out to the ends of the earth and those we do not know.  No one will come to Jesus without someone going out of their way to help them.

Now not all physical obstacles are in our body.  The building itself was an obstacle.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  What is the problem and how can we get around it?  It was no easy task but the solution that came to them was to lift him up onto the roof, break through the roof and lower him down in front of Jesus.  This is probably not the only thing they could have done, but it is what these friends of the man did.  The key is not the way, but the minds and hearts that partnered together in order to help a friend.  It is a holy task to take the time to discover what it is that keeps and individual from Christ.  IT is a holy endeavor to work to remove those obstacles.  Neither is it a pretty sight.  It will involve hard labor and difficulty.  But these are the sorts of things that love does.

Am I such a friend?  I may not have any paralyzed friends who need me to cut through a roof.  A real friend helps his friend to overcome those obstacles within and without in order to get to Jesus.  Yet, we are going to see that this man was not just a sick man who couldn’t get to Jesus.  He was also a sinner.  Yet, his friends helped him anyways.  Compassion.

Sin

The story builds up to the moment where the man is lowered before Jesus, obviously sick and in need of healing.  Yet, Jesus says the unexpected, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  What?  I came to be healed of paralysis not have my sins forgiven.  Don’t you know we are in public?  I didn’t want anyone to know I was a sinner.

Sin is our biggest obstacle to reaching Jesus.  O, sure the sin of OTHER people is an obstacle.  But, here we are looking at his own personal sin.  He was a sinner.  He wanted his paralysis fixed, but he needed his heart fixed.  Now there are some people who love to keep others in their sins.  These Pharisees and Scribes who were cynically watching Jesus that day were some of the biggest sinners.  They didn’t need physical healings but they needed their sins forgiven.  They did need touched by Jesus.  They could care less about the suffering of the people and that Jesus was healing them.  They didn’t see a miracle and rejoice.  Instead they went back to their plotting room and said, “We’ve got to kill this guy, or everyone is going to follow him.”  They didn’t care about their brothers and sisters physically and only pretended to care spiritually.  Jesus really does care about both.  Watch your own heart.  As Christians we can become so self-satisfied that we no longer have compassion for those broken by their sins.  We are called to help overcome these obstacles, not rejoice that you don’t have them.  The first way we can do that is to cease sinning against them and then love them despite their sin and try to bring them to Jesus.  Don’t settle for friends and family who are stuck in sin.  Fight for their souls in the name of Jesus.

“Which is easier to say?”  Jesus knows what they are thinking when he tells the man his sins are forgiven.  There is an irony in this question.  If you were a godly person it would be harder for you to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” because that is God’s job.  Yet, in a sinful world and as a sinful person, it would be easier to say that you can forgive sins because it can’t be seen.  Forgiveness of sins is an invisible thing.  But physical healing is obvious.  Now Jesus could have healed the man and then forgiven his sins.  But he does it the other way around for emphasis.  We think his greatest problem is paralysis.  In this world we strive to fix real problems, yet just not the most important ones.  Sin was the man’s most obvious problem to God.  If you could choose to have only one thing from God, you would be a fool to choose physical health.  The man’s amazing healing was Jesus way of proving he could forgive sins.  In fact, all of the healings Jesus did were not because he was on a personal mission to wipe out all sickness and disease in the world.  It was always a means to help the faith of those who were hearing him teach amazing things.  Now it wasn’t true because Jesus did a miracle.  The miracle was true because what Jesus was saying was taught all throughout the Old Testament.  The miracles were not supporting a man who was contradicting the word of God, but one who was fulfilling it.  “Behold, the lamb of God!”

This man left glorifying God that day and for good reason.  But notice the affect on the crowd.  Yes they were amazed, but a fear of the Lord had also settled upon them.  “What manner of man is this who forgives sins and proves it by healing paralysis?”  Signs can help us.  But if we do not have a fear of God no multitude of signs will persuade us.  Because we do not fear God, we become lazy in reading God’s Word and internalizing it.  We become lazy and resistant to listening to the Holy Spirit.  And then, when the Truth appears we kill it.  Why?  We do so because we have been saying no to Truth in so many little ways until we are insulated from Jesus.  Friend, don’t let obstacles keep you from Jesus.  He has already done the heavy lifting all you have to do is believe enough to push through these wet paper bags that remain in the way.

Obstacles to Jesus Audio