THE NEW DOC IN TOWN

Welcome to Capernaum!... now Jesus’ hometown and maybe not such a ‘village of comfort’ by the sea after all. (Matt 9)                                                                      

Who will we meet here?  There’s a quadriplegic man....a bleeding woman....a ruler hoping his dead daughter will come alive again – plenty of incurables among men, women and children.  Yup, this place has the lot - blind, dumb and demon-possessed too!

There’s a new Doc in town though, who can heal every sickness and every disease! - calls Himself: ‘Son of Man’ .                                                                             
There’s no need for an appointment or a referral.  House calls?? Not a problem! 

Many see Jesus as just a famous, powerful man but... there sure is faith here and it sure gets rewarded.  He wants to see new life: ‘new wine go into new bottles’.

“It was never so seen in Israel”                                                   

Jesus is gladly using gracious power to help this sick nation, but the scribes say He’s a blasphemer; the Pharisees even claim He is empowered by ‘the prince of the devils’!

Matthew (Mattityahu)

Where would you fit in the picture?           
Perhaps you can see yourself as Matthew, receiving custom for the Romans?       

What a cushy job that would be!                   


Would you give up your lucrative career to immediately follow this humble ‘Son of David’ who sees the people as scattered sheep?                                                

What about taking Him home to dinner with the local riff-raff?                              

This new Doc will visit all the cities and villages!...teaching, preaching and healing, so you can forget that retirement plan too.

"EVEN THE WINDS & SEA OBEY HIM!"

Just who is this Man?                                                                              
Why, ‘He heals all’ and even ‘casts out the spirits with His word’!

A scribe sees Jesus as a teacher, while a disciple expects the show to wait while he goes off to a funeral...(Matt 8)

So Jesus tells them who He is – the Son of Man.
What a claim! The King of the universe? with an everlasting dominion, an indestructible kingdom?        
No wonder He can sleep thru a storm...while His disciples ‘of little faith’ panic!...                                                                              

‘Even the winds and the sea obey Him!’

Finally a whole city begs Him to leave – they would rather have their pigs and demons!                             
Even the guys living in the cemetery know: “Jesus thou Son of God”.  

 

So who was it again who had ‘so great faith, not found in Israel’?  A hated Roman soldier.

How great is your faith?


NEXT: http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/the-new-doc-in-town.html

JESUS: The ISAIAH 53 Man

Of all the people healed by Jesus, these 3 have been selected by Matthew... (ch8)

• A Jewish leper worships Jesus, respecting His will and power.   How had Jesus healed him?  By TOUCHING... a leper!
• A Roman centurion honours this Jewish carpenter-rabbi as Lord!...then begs Him to heal his servant...just by giving the WORD!
• Without being asked, Jesus takes away a Jewish woman’s fever just with a hand touch.

...three of the most unlikely people in those days – a Jewish leper, a hated Roman soldier and an older Jewish woman.  But why??                                                                 

Notice that Jesus upholds Moses’ commandments... but the response from the priesthood??  Silence.  No wonder Jesus warns that ‘children of the kingdom’ will miss out, in favour of strangers.

Matthew sees this Man as fulfilling Isaiah 53: “Surely he hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows...”   In fact he adds!... “He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick”

Isaiah 53 is taboo for Jews to read.  But why??

Jesus came and found much of Israel leprous and demonic while Gentiles in faith will honour Him... even in His absence!                                                                                          
One day soon He WILL enter the house of Israel with healing, then all that are sick will be healed.

Wow! How popular would Jesus be today with the medical profession?


NEXT: http://guvsdesk.blogspot.com.au/2017/07/even-winds-sea-obey-him.html

WISE WORDS

How can we wrap up this ‘Sermon on the Mount’?... (Matt 7)

Let’s just remind ourselves of those wise words....      

• What’s sacred and precious – keep them that way                                                
• The Father is the source of generosity, so don’t forget to ask, seek, knock....   
• The Golden Rule – ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’    
• Stay on the straight and narrow, guys             
• Watch out for those fakes!             
• Don’t build on sand – build on rock. How?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

“hear these sayings [of Jesus]... then do them!”

Were these wise words just for some disciples? No!...

Many others have shown up...‘the people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as One having authority...’

Notice how this evil world borrows the wise words of Jesus... but rejects Him!