Considering the Bible

Recently I penned a series of post on the Ten Commandments and as I was writing it, found that the Sabbath day was the only commandment not reapplied  to believers in the New Testament.

In writing that series of posts, I was reminded that the Sabbath day was one of the main irritants between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees.

I was out with my first grandson yesterday, and he likes to read me the Bible during our ventures.  I could simply stream a passage for both to hear, but this is so much better.  I git to interrupt him, explain things that might not be obvious for a young boy, and challenge him in considering who this Jesus is.

It was awesome, and as we spoke together, the Lord reminded me of great things He has done.

Like I said, he asked what passage he could read to me and I immediately thought of this passage.  It is a favorite and I am looking forward to diggin in a bit with you.

John 9:1-16

John 9:1

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

I asked Elias if this man had ever seen in his life.  Never.  I explained that in no time during the history of the nation of Israel had any person, born blind been healed of their blindness.  Some of the prophets raised people from the dead (only for them to die again later), but not one had ever healed a blind man.  And this fella had been blind since birth.

This miracle gives more than the simple physical healing of a blind man, miraculous as it is.  This miracle points to Jesus as the promised Messiah.  Consider two Old Testament prophecies of the Messiahs role as a healer.

Isaiah 29:18 …..And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened…

Isaiah 42:7  …To open blind eyes,

Psalm 146:8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind…

The blind man, born blind, benefited greatly from this mercy from the Lord.

The greater truth is that this miracle was another proof (to those willing to see) of the identity of Jesus.  Do not be unwilling to see!

2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

How could this man have sinned in the womb, in order for the “judgement of blindness” to be effected?  I tell you, there was some messed up thinking during this time.  It sure is good our thinking is so straightened out. (A bit waggish there, don’t you know!)

4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

How appropriate to bring in the character of light when dealing with a blind man?  Back in John 8:12, in discussion with the Pharisees, He spoke of being the Light of the world and that following Him will keep us out of darkness.

Now He is speaking to a man who has been in physical darkness his entire life.  This man will become a sign for the nation, and for individuals watching, that the Messiah has arrived.

6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud

During Elias’s reading, I had him stop to consider what just happened in the  text.  Jesus “horked” on the sand, pulled some dirt up with it and rubbed it on the blind mans eyes.

Imagine the hygiene issues with this method.  Imagine the grit and grime associated with the mud on (or in!) the eyes.  This may be one time the blind man may be happy he was blind, not knowing what was going to happen to him.

7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Note that the cure did not come at the hands of Jesus only.  Don’t be alarmed – I am not saying that the power of God through Jesus Christ is not fully responsible for this miracle.

The obedience of the blind man, in having to go to the pool (as a blind man!) gave evidence of his faith.

He went.

He washed.

He came back seeing.

I don’t know if this could be considered saving faith, but it did evidence a willingness to believe in the unconventional.  Verse 11, indicates that the blind man knew the healing prophet was Jesus of Nazareth so faith in the prophet was evident.

He will be challenged in his faith later.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

Recently I penned a series of post on the Ten Commandments and as I was writing it, found that the Sabbath day was the only commandment not reapplied  to believers in the New Testament.

In writing that series of posts, I was reminded that the Sabbath day was one of the main irritants between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees.

You know, since we looked at Matthew 12, it occurred to me that Jesus may have healed on the Sabbath at other times.  And my occurrence was accurate!

As a matter of fact, I found six more occurrences of the Lord healing on the Sabbath, for a total of seven healings on the Sabbath.  Golly, it seems the Lord sometimes chooses the Sabbath to heal on to get a point across.  sometimes it is simply out of love to the victim, that He does’t even consider the day He heals on

Lets stay in the book of Mark and consider Simon’s mother in law with some of the repercussions / implications that this has on our lives.

Mark 1:29-31

Mark 1:29–31

And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s (Peter) house right after a teaching time in a synagogue.

Did Jesus teach during this Sabbath? Definitely, since the passage prior to the one we are considering, in verse 21, teaches us this.

Not only did He teach, He did a wee bit of disrupting.

Mark 1:22

And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Concerned over His miracles

This particular Sabbath, Jesus met a demoniac (in the synagogue!), rebuked him, exorcised him and brought great fame upon His name throughout the region.

Mark 1:27

“What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Lets remember our context here.

On a Sabbath day, in a synagogue, filled with pious Jews.  Questions and concerns over authority.  Yet at this miracle, no mention of breaking the Sabbath from those faithful to the synagogue.

Interesting!

I checked the parallel passage in Luke and nothing there to link the miracle with breaking the Sabbath.

Let me suggest that this miracle on the Sabbath shook the people off balance.  Since it is relatively early in His ministry (Check out BLB Harmony of Gospels), those who would eventually become Christ’s antagonists had not organized yet, and were still in shock mode.  Often, in the gospels, the antagonists would scheme together, planning how to trip up this new miracle Worker.

At this point in the gospels, this may not have occurred.  The focused and concentrated hatred had not been formed at this time.  But give it time and it will become fully formed, and seek the life of the only Lifegiver.

Back to the passage under consideration – Simon’s mother in law and her fever

30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.

Jesus healed the demoniac hours earlier.  Why could He not heal a simple fever?  Alas, He did, and without considering which day it was.  Remember, in this instance, it seems He simply healed His friends mother in law without using it to initiate a discussion with religious folk.  He wasn’t “on the attack”, as we discussed in the Matthew 12:1-8.  See previous post Jesus on the Sabbath- Part 1 – Rubbing Grain.

31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

Mark uses the word “immediately” continuously through his gospel.  His telling of the ministry of Christ is fast paced and relentless.  How long did it take to get from the synagogue to the house of Peter?  Not sure.  It appears they left the synagogue and ventured directly to the home.  If so, this miracle occurred within the time of Sabbath observance, along with the mother-in-laws serving of the Master and His disciples.

Okay, maybe she was a gentile and the Sabbath didn’t apply to her.  Not likely.

It is my understanding the Jewish households, in order to keep Sabbath, would hire gentiles within the area to enter their homes in order to do labor during the Sabbath.  Tasks might include such things as beginning a fire or cleaning a dish.

No work allowed for an observant Jew.  If the mother in law was an observant Jew, this service to the Master and His disciples was revolutionary.  If she was non-observant, her service simply showed evidence of His growing following

All heck is gonna break loose if this new Teacher continues to affect the population with His authority.  The implications were huge, and eventually the Jewish leadership will  figure it out.

His authority is still disrupting religious life.

If you are a religious person, you need to experience some disrupting.   He is the One who we need to follow.

Follow Considering the Bible on WordPress.com

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.

Recently I penned a series of post on the Ten Commandments and as I was writing it, found that the Sabbath day was the only commandment not reapplied  to believers in the New Testament.

In writing that series of posts, I was reminded that the Sabbath day was one of the main irritants between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees.

After introducing the logical argument of rescuing the sheep before rescuing the man, Jesus doesn’t wait for an answer, since it is so obvious – He simply saves this poor man’s life by healing his withered hand, his right hand (See Luke 6:6), very possibly giving this man his lively hood back, if not only his social life.

Stand up poor man, in front of all these religious pharisees, and let the Messiah give you strength to stretch out you hand!

Notice that Jesus didn’t do His miracles “in a corner”, where none would see, but in the most public places, forcing people to make decisions about Him.

Paul also describes his ministry as being public and available, in Acts 26:26

Acts 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

Let’s continue with Matthew.

Matthew 12:13  Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.

On the Sabbath, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand, but it is with the help of the man stretching out his hand – Golly, that sounds like work to me, and on the Sabbath of all days!

Upon the action of the man stretching out his hand, restoration came.  I wanna think the restoration came with full functionality and strength in his hand, and that no rehabilitation for his hand would be required.  No partial healing, or temporary fixes.

Matthew 12:14  But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Jesus did address these folks twice so ya gotta kind understand their desire for blood.  What?  They conspired to destroy the Messiah.  Notice that this is early on in the Messiah’s ministry, if I recall, sometime in His first year of public ministry.

Things were not looking good right from the start.

How difficult it is to reach the religious.  Entrenched in “truth”, with stubbornness disguised as faithfulness, some of us refuse to reconsider the Word of God given to us by the Author of Life.  So often in my own pilgrimage, earlier teachings have been found to be insufficient (or, in my  humble opinion erroneous), and repentance had to occur.  Without a spirit of repentance in your life, willing to change your mind by being persuaded by the Word, no growth can occur.

It is the normal Christian life to be in repentance mode as new truth is found in your studies.

Am I advocating change for the sake of change?  Absolutely not.

Am I advocating for personal responsibility in understanding the Word of God through  reading and study of the Word of God?

Absolutely!

But know this – things will change in your life and you best hold on!

Follow Considering the Bible on WordPress.com

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.