August 21, 2016
Scripture:
Hymn 309 - I think when I read that sweet story of old
Prayer
This week, we’ll continue looking at the story of the leper that Jesus healed. Last time, we saw that leprosy is a type of sin. In Old Testament times, if you thought you had leprosy, you would have to go to the priest to be inspected, and he would look at your rising, scab, or bright spot and diagnose you.
Leprosy causes you to lose feeling in the area it infects. We have fives senses—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. It’s nice to have them all; we might be blind or deaf if we didn’t. A leper losses his sense of touch, or feeling. Some people wish they could lose their feeling, because they’re in pain all the time. However, there are some people—like lepers—who can’t feel pain, and can very easily hurt themselves. It’s a great loss if you can’t feel.
Luke 5:12-15 This man didn’t just have a scab; he was full of leprosy. He should have been going around warning people, yelling “Unclean!” if anyone came close, and staying outside the city, the temple, and his home. He couldn’t enjoy his family at all. He had to cover his upper lip, and tear his clothes so that people could see his leprosy. It was no fun being a leper.
There are few stories in the Bible of people being cured from leprosy. Up until Jesus’ time, we only have Moses, Miriam, and Naaman who were cured of leprosy. This man had probably seen Jesus heal other people, and maybe even other lepers. He knew that Jesus had the power but he didn’t know if he had the love. So he came, fell before Jesus, and called Him, “Lord.” That was a good sign. Romans 10 tells us, *”That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord **Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” *This man confessed, but he was looking for healing. He said to Jesus, “I know you can, but I don’t know if you will.” He had seen the power, but somehow he had never seen the love and compassion of our Lord.
Jesus then reached out and touched this man. That was a big no-no! If you touched a leper, you were also then unclean, and would have to go through cleansing. This man came, fell before the Lord, confessed that he needed cleansing—he didn’t pretend that he was fine—and said, “If you will, you can make me clean.” That was a big “if”. The Lord reached out, touched this man, and said, “I will.” And the man was cleansed immediately.
This man had lost his sense of touch, and the first thing he felt upon being healed was Jesus’ touch. He might not have been able to feel that as a leper. As he felt the touch, he would have known that he was cleansed.
We are saved by faith, not by feeling, but being saved feels great. We were at odds with God, but now we know that we have peace with Him. There are many good feelings that follow faith: mercy, grace, love, kindness, etc.
This man had lost his sense of touch, but he got it back. He could now go home, and feel the hug and kiss of his wife once more. What that must have meant to him! There are so many lost souls today. Imagine their loss; living without the sense of God’s touch and love.
The Lord told this man not to tell anyone; but to instead go to the priest and offer what Moses commanded as a testimony. If he went back to the same priest who pronounced that he was a leper, the priest would have said, “Wow! I’ve never seen leprosy cured before!” Then the man would be able to tell him, “Jesus did it!” He would tell them that there was more out there than the law that they always studied; there was someone dispensing grace and goodness.
This man and the multitudes mentioned in verse 15 were healed before the cross; we are saved—or healed—after it. What we have exceeds what they had. They simply had physical healing; we have love, grace, mercy, etc.
Colossians 1:18-29
Verse 18 begins the acquired glories of Jesus. He is given three different names: the head, the beginning, and the firstborn. There is so much glory in who He is. He was before all, and He maintains all. If you think you can carry on without Him, you’ve made a big mistake.
So, we have “He is the head of the body, the church.” If something has a head, they usually need it. It speaks of authority. It controls all the systems. But what is the difference between the body and the church? Are they a union? Darby has it as “He is the head of the body, the assembly.” In Ephesians 1:22 & 23 it is put the other way around. Is the emphasis the different relationships? Are they the same thing? These are things to meditate on. The headship is very important. It is over all of us, and it deserves all honour, respect, and obedience.
Then there is “the beginning.” It’s the new creation. In Genesis 1:1 is the creation; John 1:1 is the beginning that always was, in eternity past. I John 1:1 refers to the beginning of Christianity. Here in Ephesians, it is the new creation, which began at Pentecost.
We not only have firstborn here, but we also had it in v. 15. He is the head and firstborn in the first and the new creation. In verse fifteen it was a position, but here in verse eighteen He is the firstborn through the resurrection. These are all glories He has acquired by what He has done for us.
In vv. 16 - 18 the phrase “all things” occurs several times. That is the place we need to give to Him.
Verse 19 of our chapter, and v. 9 of chapter two are rather similar. Darby writes verse nineteen without the “it” making it sound less harsh. Jesus is the second person in the Godhead. He is obedient to the Father. Everything is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the verse in chapter two we have the “Godhead bodily.” God abides with us, and His Holy Spirt abides in those that are His. It pleases God to dwell in us. It is interesting to note that Darby leaves “the Father” out in his translation.
Hymn 208 - We’ll sing of the Shepherd that died
Prayer