Posts tagged Faith Lessons
Faith Lessons: Jericho
Jan 9th
Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
Mark 10:48, “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”
Walking past the aromatic date palms and ancient sycamores of Jericho, Jesus quietly reflected on the reality that only seventeen more miles separated him from the bitter taste of death. Later that day or the next he would top the crest of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to prepare for his destiny on a nearby hill called Calvary. Six miles to the east of Jericho the tired Jordan River also neared its final resting place just eight miles further south where it would empty into the buoyant, lifeless waters of the Dead Sea.
Pleased by their good fortune, the local merchants happily sold bushels of fruits and vegetables to the hungry pilgrims who jammed the main road through Jericho on their way to the annual Passover celebration in Jerusalem just beyond the mountains of the Judean wilderness to the southwest. Jericho’s alluvial soil, tropical sunshine and numerous freshwater springs made it an attractive resort oasis and winter haven for the wealthy and likewise a popular place for beggars who longed for a penny or crumb of hope to fall from the palms of the merciful.
Covered with dust from the well-traveled road, blind Bartimaeus sat in his usual spot on the outskirts of town with a garment spread before him to receive the day’s alms. Overhearing the mundane chatter of travelers, Bartimaeus suddenly realized that his ordinary day had taken a surprise turn, for he had heard that Jesus was passing that way. Desperate hearts cannot easily be deterred from doing what they must. The starving man will accept degrading work to keep his family fed. The mother of a baby with a soaring fever will pound on the door of strangers at midnight to get to a phone and call for help. The blind man will cry out for assistance from Jesus even if a crowd scolds him for being a nuisance. Bartimaeus could not see, but he still had a fine set of pipes in him, and his desperation compelled him to call out to Jesus about whom he had heard many wonderful things. No doubt Bartimaeus had been taught the prophetic promise of Isaiah, “‘Behold your God will come . . . . He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isaiah 35:4-5). Bartimaeus believed that Jesus had come as Israel’s Messiah, and Jesus, responding to the heart-sight of the beggar, touched him and said, “Your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52). Or more literally, “Your faith has saved you,” just as Isaiah had predicted that the coming Messiah would do. After receiving the healing touch of his Savior, Bartimaeus joined all those who followed Jesus up to Jerusalem “with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads” (Isaiah 35:10).
Leaving Jericho today on Highway 417 for Jerusalem you will see no church or historical sign that marks the spot where Bartimaeus might have sat, calling out in desperation to Jesus. Instead you will see children playing soccer, mothers headed for the market or a businessman offering camel rides for a few shekels. Tired lives, desperate hearts. But nothing could keep the desperate blind man from his Savior—not the rebuke of the crowd nor the demands of cleaning up after a hurricane. Not the duties of motherhood nor the pressures of a full-time load in college. Nothing. Desperate hearts cannot easily be deterred from doing what they must.
Let us too live desperate lives. Let us allow nothing to keep us from our Savior—to keep us from being with him, from studying his word, from worshipping him with others. Don’t be deterred by the tug or the teasing of the crowd. Cry out to Jesus. He will hear your cry. “He will come and save you.”
Further Reading: Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Caesarea Philippi
Jan 6th
Peter’s Confession
Luke 9:20, “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said, ‘The Christ of God.’”
Standing guard over the orange bluffs, lush grassy fields, and thick groves of shade trees at her feet, Mt. Hermon looks out over a fertile triangular plain to her west in the Upper Jordan Valley. For a time one becomes transfixed by the picturesque beauty of the region, almost forgetting the spent shell casings and razor wire just over the nearby hills in this disputed Golan Heights region of Israel. Into the limestone rock at Hermon’s southwest base the ancients have carved numerous niches that once displayed stone statues of Greek Nymphs and Pan—the god of shepherds and their flocks—before which worshippers fell prostrate in empty worship. In biblical times spring water gushed from an adjoining cave, but now a tired flow seeps quietly but steadily out from below its rocky floor, eventually gathering ample force to create a beautiful waterfall not far from the mouth of the cave that scurries downstream to join with three other tributaries to form the meandering Jordan River.
Although called Banias by the locals today, Herod Philip the tetrarch, mentioned in Luke 3:1, originally named it Caesarea Philippi in honor of his emperor and of himself. In Jesus’ day it thrived as a bustling pagan city, steeped in homage to the shepherd-god Pan while another shepherd walked resolutely from town to town throughout the region with his message that under the Good Shepherd ‘there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).
On an otherwise routine day, not far from the worship and waterfall of Banias, the shepherd turned to his flock of disciples and asked two questions (Luke 9:18, 20). The first, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The second, “But who do you say that I am?” Those questions still ring through the corridors of time, awaiting answers from each new generation. Peter rightly answered, “the Christ”—the Messiah. Peter had recently witnessed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and he knew now. No doubts. No hesitation. At least for now. He would have his moments, of course, culminating in that forgettable incident at the high priest’s house during Jesus’ trial when he would respond to a servant girl’s question about his possible connection to Jesus with these words, “Woman, I do not know Him” (Luke 22:57). But Peter did know him and the tears of remorse which followed his momentary lapse of commitment would soon know the triumph of forgiveness and an empty tomb.
Still today many do not know Jesus, and some who do know him have moments of crisis when they live as if they did not know him. They bow down to gods of stone, disguised in modern trappings that give a false hope of an acceptance, protection and joy that can only come from knowing the Good Shepherd who is “the Christ of God.” And still today his question hangs in the air, “But who do you say that I am?”
Further Reading: Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: A Deserted Place
Jan 5th
Feeding of the 5000
Matthew 14:14, “He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
At the end of an unusually long day, you step through the front door, yank off your tie and head straight for your favorite chair. Off go the shoes, back goes your head, and at that very moment the phone rings. Someone might really need you, but who could blame you if you let it ring?
You’ve been chasing children from room to room for hours, and you can hardly believe your good fortune that they’ve actually fallen asleep at the same time. You lie down on the bed with the rare opportunity for a nap, but hear the back door open and your husband walk in from the yard calling your name. He might really need you, but if you stay put, he’ll probably find what he needs on his own and slip back outside.
Jesus just learned that his cousin, John the Baptizer, had lost his head to an executioner’s axe. Grief poured through Jesus’ body, overflowing his soul, wringing out his spirit, leaving him speechless, and pounding his bones to dust. If you’ve lost a friend, a spouse or a child, you’ve known the ache, the fog, the loneliness. After hearing the heart-wrenching news concerning his friend, Jesus understandably sought “a deserted place” to heal (Matthew 14:13). A remote place away from noise and demands. A place to pick up the broken pieces of his heart and to call on his heavenly Father for spiritual renewal. On a quiet spring afternoon he headed for a verdant mountaintop that looked out on the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee just to its south.
But just then the phone rang and the back door flew open. Jesus heard the cries of the needy calling his name. By the thousands they had intercepted him before he reached his cherished destination. They longed to be healed by Jesus, to touch him, to hear him speak. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record this story—the only Bible story recorded by all four men. We call it “The Feeding of the 5000,” for in that “deserted” place the people grew hungry and Jesus subsequently performed a spectacular miracle in multiplying five small loaves of barley bread and two fish into enough for everyone—with twelve baskets to spare. Not only does this miracle astound me, but so does the heart of my Savior. Matthew writes, “He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (14:14). In other words, despite his grief and despite his need for solitude, Jesus did not turn away from the sorrow and needs of the multitudes. He received them. He blessed them. He served them.
Today in the small village of Tabgha in a well-watered valley along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee sits the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. On the church floor pilgrims will quickly spot a well-preserved mosaic of two fish flanking a basket of barley bread, marking the traditional spot of the multiplication miracle and arguably one of the most beautiful ancient mosaics in all of Israel. It serves to remind us of the hand of our Savior who by this miraculous act foreshadowed his own death upon the cross—the Bread of Life would be broken for all in order that every hungry and believing spirit might be filled. But it also serves to remind us to have compassion for the grieving and needy, despite our own exhaustion and despite our heavy sorrows.
Further Reading: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Hill of Precipitation
Jan 4th
Rejection of Jesus
Mark 6:6, “And He marveled because of their unbelief.”
Looking down upon the ancient battlegrounds of the Plain of Esdraelon directly to its south, the small village of Nazareth has witnessed in its history the clash of countless dueling armies, including those of Sisera, Gideon, Saul, Solomon, Jehu, Jezebel and Josiah. From its perch in the fading foothills of Lower Galilee, located halfway between the Sea of Galilee to its east and the Great Sea to its west, Nazareth will also come to witness the modern armies of a desperate monarch in a future battle known familiarly as Armageddon.
But sandwiched between its ancient past and its prophetic future, Nazareth faces another battle. Wading through the yellow-petaled wildflowers that wave in a steady western wind and passing one familiar sight after another, Jesus returned to his boyhood home after a short time away to do battle for the hearts of his family, friends and neighbors. The small-town son of promise arrived with a following of disciples, entered the synagogue to read and teach the Bible and then declared himself to be the fulfillment of messianic prophecies. As he spoke a buzz in the synagogue grew quickly to a panicked pitch. “‘Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ And they were offended at Him” (Mark 6:3).
According to Luke 4:24-27, Jesus continued his teaching with a personal comparison to the revered prophets of Elijah and Elisha who like him were also rejected by their fellow Jews, but accepted by Gentiles—specifically, the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian. At this obvious affront to their religious sincerity in being compared to “lowly” Gentiles, the worshippers could stand it no longer. Enraged, they thrust Jesus out of their synagogue, out of their town and out of their hearts forever. They led him to the brow of a hill, but failed in their attempt at vigilante justice, for in much the same way that God held back the rage of caged lions from hurting the prophet Daniel five hundred years earlier (Daniel 6:22), Jesus simply stepped through their midst and went his way (Luke 4:28-30).
Mark 6:5-6 records these telling words, “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Even Jesus marveled at their lack of faith! His teaching among them and his display of divine power could not sway them, and as far as we know, Jesus never returned to Nazareth.
Just to the south and west of the city today, one can stand atop the Hill of Precipitation, the traditional location where the residents of Nazareth intended to push Jesus over the side to end his life. Looking to the south you will see the ancient and future battlegrounds of Esdraelon, but looking back over your shoulder toward the city you will be reminded of the historic battleground of faith between Jesus and the residents of Nazareth.
These battles serve to remind us of a present ongoing battle between self and the Savior. Is it our daily desire to live for our heavenly Father? Or will our lives be captioned in the end with these sad words, “And He marveled because of their unbelief”?
Further Reading: Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: The Country of the Gadarenes
Jan 3rd
Healing of the Demoniac
Mark 5:18, “And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.”
A battered boat scraped ashore on the rough eastern coastline of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples stepped wearily from their craft into the shadow of a steep hill and began a casual climb to a plateau of pastureland that overlooked the sun-splashed waters below. They had now crossed over into Herod Philip’s domain and were instantly outnumbered by the predominantly Gentile population who lived in Gadara, Gerasa, Hippos and seven other major cities—a “ten-city” region known as the Decapolis (Mark 5:20), but sometimes referred to as “the country of the Gadarenes” (5:1), which got its name from one of the larger cities near the lake—Gadara.
Before Jesus and his disciples had time to catch their breath from the ascent, a wild-eyed man bolted from his tomb-dwelling and raced towards the Master. His scarred wrists and arms, his raspy voice and his bare mangled body evidenced the presence and power of demons. Falling before Jesus, the man’s bloodied knuckles and black fingernails clawed at the dirt under Jesus’ feet in a tormented act of worship, for even demons know the presence of greatness. Knowing too the power of greatness and knowing their impending exorcism from the Gadarene, the “demons begged Him” (5:12) for mercy and received permission from Jesus to enter a nearby herd of two thousand pigs. Bewildered by their new masters of evil, the herd ran headlong down the steep hill to death by drowning in the sea below.
The keepers of the herd fled into town to report their financial calamity. Forgetting that one freed soul possesses infinite more value than mountains of pork or even hills lined with gold, the “whole city . . . begged Him to depart from their region” (Matthew 8:34).
The demons begged for mercy, fearing the power of Jesus. The city begged for a return to normalcy, fearing the presence of Jesus. But a third beggar feared neither. Freed from his torment the “wild man” sat peacefully at Jesus’ feet. Luke writes, “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him” (Luke 8:38).
Those of us who have been freed from Satan’s clutches know God’s power, and nothing could ever be more fitting than for each one of us to rejoice daily in the presence of God. To be with him. To live for him. To sit at his feet with opened Bibles and obedient hearts. And after we have witnessed his power, Jesus asks us to tell others what we have seen. “Tell what great things God has done for you,” Jesus commanded the demoniac in our story (8:39). We should do the same.
Today along the shoreline near the present-day ruins of Kersa in northern Israel, one can stand on a plateau that overlooks the deep-blue waters of the Sea of Galilee. You may see a boat tied up along the shore or discover one of many caves that dot the landscape, and you can easily reconstruct in your imagination that day long ago when Jesus arrived in the country of the Gadarenes to free a tortured soul.
May we never send Jesus away as did the people of the city. May we always long for his presence as did the demoniac, and may we freely tell others the great things that God has done in our lives.
Further Reading: Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Chorazin
Jan 2nd
Condemnation and Invitation
Matthew 11:21, 28, “Woe to you . . . . Come to Me.”
From the yellow sands of the Judean wilderness to the verdant hills below Mt. Hermon. From the rocky pastures of Bethlehem to the pebbled shores of Galilee. Jesus knew them all—his hometown of Nazareth and the busy fishing village of Capernaum where he also lived for a time. The muddy Jordan, the dates of Jericho, the stones of Jerusalem and the magnificent vistas atop Mt. Tabor. When I imagine the places where Jesus walked, I also see the faces of fishermen, awed by the power of their Master to still the storm. I hear the desperate cries of lepers and grieving parents. And still today I worship the one who silenced demons and conquered death as did so many before me in those storied locations of biblical fame.
But one location topped them all. Matthew 11:20 notes that Jesus performed ”most of His mighty works” in the little known village of Chorazin and its surrounding region. More miracles there than Nazareth. More miracles there than even in Jerusalem. Yet, the Bible records not one of them—a quiet reminder to the closing words of John’s gospel, which reads, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25). The silence of the Bible, however, ironically pictures the dead silence of disbelief in Chorazin, for despite the performance of numerous miracles there, the only two references to Chorazin in the New Testament tell of the shocking condemnation by Jesus for their failure to repent after having witnessed the wondrous hand of God (Matthew 11:20-30, Luke 10:1-16). “Woe to you,” Jesus predicted.
On the heels of Jesus’ dire prediction for Chorazin the reader will also find an invitation. “Come to Me,” he adds, “all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). A country, a city or a soul finds rest through faith. What has God done in your midst? Restored your marriage? Spared your life? Protected your home? Blessed you with obedient children or with the job of your dreams? He has done many mighty works among us.
From the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee it is only a half an hour’s walk to a flat plateau amidst hilly terrain that today sits empty of life except for the occasional tourist who wanders among the woeful debris which hearty archaeologists have painstakingly assembled from all that remains of a once proud and unrepentant community. The ruins of Chorazin memorialize the dusty sadness of unbelief to which all of us are prone. Our country has been so blessed with freedom and prosperity, evident expressions of the blessings of God’s hand. He has done many mighty works among us. Do we believe or will we too soon see woe as suggested by the absence of America in biblical prophecy?
Are you tired? Beaten down? Losing hope? Remember Jesus’ words of invitation, “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest.” Disbelief may end in ruin. Faith always ends in rest.
Further Reading: Matthew 11:20-30; Luke 10:1-16
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: The Sea of Galilee
Jan 1st
The Stilling of the Storm
Psalm 89:8-9, “O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds you. You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.”
The boat builders, tanners and fishermen that lived along the pebbled shores of a harp-shaped lake sat safely in their homes as darkness embraced the barley fields and vineyards of Galilee. Purple, rose and white oleanders bobbed in the warm breezes along the water’s edge. The ancient rabbis said that “Jehovah has created seven seas, but the Sea of Galilee is His delight.”
The silhouettes of several seasoned fishermen cautiously launched their craft into its midnight waters at their young rabbi’s request. Jesus had insisted on making the seven-mile night crossing after a busy day of teaching and after caring for the many infirmed who initially flocked to Capernaum’s hot mineral springs hoping for a natural cure, but who instead found supernatural healing in the Rock of Ages. Exhausted, Jesus fell asleep on the boat captain’s leather rowing cushion. His sea-savvy disciples nervously chatted about the day’s events as the cool air from Mt. Hermon’s nine thousand foot slopes to the north suddenly collided with the tropical winds and waves outside their craft that flowed at almost seven hundred feet below sea level. With mountains to their west and east the seamen knew well the dangers of quick-developing and dangerous squalls in these wind-tunneled waters.
During the day they had witnessed the faith of a leper (Matthew 8:2) and that of a Roman centurion (8:13); tonight they themselves would be tested. Jesus had commanded, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake” (Matthew 8:18; Luke 8:22), but with the winds now pounding their wooden haven and the waves pouring over its sides, the disciples doubted that they would make it through the boiling sea. Jesus had rebuked and subdued a fever that raged in the body of Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:39). Jesus had rebuked and cast out demons from many more (4:41). Now, aroused by faithless hands, he sat up and rebuked the raging waters with calming words, “Peace, be still!” Only one rebuke remained, for turning to the cowardly crew, he asked, “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
When Jesus commands you to cross over, there can be no doubt that your feet will eventually stand safely on the other side. Jesus doesn’t promise a storm-free passage, but he does guarantee your arrival. Your greatest threat during stormy days is not the winds and waves, but rather your unbelief.
Jonah disobeyed and ran into a heavy storm and a hungry fish. However, encountering storms does not always indicate disobedience. The disciples obediently launched into the sea, yet they too faced a great storm. Jesus doesn’t fault them for launching, but only for doubting that he would bring them safely to the other side.
Today in Galilee the deep blue waters of a freshwater lake still roll and splash happily in a tropical sun, wordlessly testifying to the calming voice and certain promises of Jesus who assures us all of safe arrival on the opposite shore of our storms.
Further Reading: Matthew 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25; Psalm 148
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Pool of Bethesda
Dec 25th
Healing of the Lame Man
John 5:6, “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’”
The Lamb of God stepped through the Sheep Gate just north of the temple precincts. The merchants looked to make eye contact with Jesus, hoping for a sale, but to their disappointment his steps moved purposely by their smelly wares toward the Pool of Bethesda—the “Pool of Mercy.” The pens of bleating merchandise rejoiced that at least one righteous man lived among them, but soon they too would find disappointment as a sinner would step up to make a purchase, carry his lamb to the priest and make sacrifice for his transgressions.
As Jesus neared the pool, the protests of the penned faded, but the moans of men and the despair of disease crescendoed in the Jerusalem air. Surrounding the spring-fed pool lay the sick, the blind, the lame and the withered, longing for a miracle in the waters of mercy that could reportedly bring healing to those placed in the pool when the waters stirred. For thirty-eight years the children of Israel wandered in the despair of desert sands (Deut. 2:14) and for thirty-eight years a nameless man with a nameless infirmity wandered through the corridors of hopelessness—not able to make it to the Promised Land of health, needing only one friend to lower him into the pool of mercy, but finding none.
Hearing healthy footsteps and making shy eye contact with the stranger, disheveled palms reached out to Jesus, hoping for alms. “Do you want to be made well?” Jesus inquired of the man. That’s not what I would have asked, for surely anyone would want a normal, healthy life, and reading on we learn that Jesus did miraculously heal the friendless man. But Jesus knew that his question was not just for one nameless man, but for all men and women of every age, many of whom may not even know the extent of their soul sickness and many who may know but who nevertheless look elsewhere for a hopeful touch of healing, yet finding none.
Today in the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, pilgrims will find a beautiful Crusader church, named St. Anne’s after the grandmother of Jesus. After singing an a cappella hymn in the magnificently acoustical sanctuary, one should walk a handful of steps beyond the church to a railing that overlooks a successful archaeological dig far below the surface of the courtyard, revealing the rubble of the Pool of Bethesda. The moans of men and the bleating of sheep can still be heard in present-day Jerusalem, but the ruins directly below give testimony to a God who offers healing. Not just healing for the body, but healing for the soul. Healing from alcohol or gambling addictions. Healing for a love-starved heart that tragically sought comfort in another’s arms outside of marriage. Healing from a life-long habit of cursing or nagging. Healing for any sin-sickness.
But first I must ask you a familiar question, “Do you want to be made well?” Then look to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
Further Reading: John 5:1-18
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Capernaum
Dec 20th
Miracles at Peter’s House
Matthew 8:15, “And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she arose and served them.”
The silhouette of a lone gull glided peacefully above the undisturbed waters of the Sea of Galilee as Sabbath services concluded and worshippers headed home to await sundown and an evening meal of fish, fruit and wine. Finding a welcome bough in the “Village of Nahum,” the gull landed to catch its breath while an unnamed resident of Capernaum in the home just below its resting place lay in bed ravaged by a soaring fever.
Four fishermen and a former carpenter emerged from the synagogue, leaving behind an astonished congregation who marveled at the profundity and power of the day’s message given by the newly arrived young rabbi and miracle-worker from Nazareth who now headquartered his ministry in their bustling town. Having been invited to Andrew and Peter’s home for dinner, Jesus, James, John and their two gracious hosts learned upon arriving that Peter’s mother-in-law lay sick with a high fever. According to the accounts in Matthew 8, Mark 1 and Luke 4, her loved ones immediately requested help from “the Great Physician,” who with the soft touch of his calloused hands cooled her fiery brow and infused her exhausted frame with renewed strength. Restored and invigorated she rose to serve her family and her guests.
Miracles don’t always produce responsive hearts and grateful service—not even in the lives of those directly affected by the Master’s healing words or touch as sadly demonstrated by the story of the ten lepers wherein only one of the ten glorified God and thanked Jesus for his healing (Luke 17:11-19). Unfortunately, still today heaven’s hand can sometimes be followed by hardened hearts. The miracle of conception can be followed by a closed heart that speaks passionately about the “virtue” of choice. The miracle of birth can be followed by a harsh heart that abuses young lives with hostile words or closed fists.
Jesus performed many miracles in and around Capernaum where today only ruins remain of the city’s past glory. He restored the gravely ill servant of the philanthropic Roman centurion who built the city synagogue (Luke 7:1-10); healed the sick and the demon-possessed (Matthew 8:16-17); and gave life to a paralytic’s limbs (Mark 2:1-12); but despite his display of power and compassion most of Capernaum in time rejected the message of Jesus, prompting our Savior to compare their unbelief to that of the people of wicked Sodom, denouncing them with these words, “If the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matthew 11:23).
When the soft hand of our Savior touches your infirmity of body or soul, rise up and serve him. It may seem unlikely or even impossible that you could find the strength to serve him after all you’ve experienced. A nasty divorce, financial collapse, the loss of your soul mate or a lengthy hospital stay can sap your strength and your hope, but the carpenter’s hand brings healing and renewed vigor. Do not shrug at his majesty and glory only to fall in line behind Sodom and Capernaum on the day of judgment, but rejoice in his power and deity. Rise up to serve him. You will find the strength.
Further Reading: Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.
Faith Lessons: Mount of the Beatitudes
Dec 13th
The Sermon on the Mount
Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”
Lincoln had his Gettysburg; Martin Luther King, Jr. had his dream on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; and Jesus had his Sermon on the Mount. You can probably quote a line or two from each of these famous messages. Lincoln longed to see his war-torn nation discover “a new birth of freedom” in the coming years. Exactly one hundred years later the Birmingham preacher also longed for a day when he would see his four little children living in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the “content of their character.” Ground-breaking messages for their day, yes, but both rooted in the biblical message that only a nation that knows God will know no hatred or prejudice.
A nation or soul that has a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ has experienced a changed heart. And changed hearts lead to changed character. In his Sermon on the Mount and specifically in the popular eight beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-10, Jesus explains not what one must do to be forgiven of his sins, but rather what one will look like after he has been forgiven. In fact, one will look remarkably like Jesus.
#1—“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor have little or no means to provide for themselves. The poor in spirit then recognize their need to depend upon God. Only then can they enjoy his rich character.
#2—“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” The mournful know the true depth of their sin. They know that it offends God, yet they turn to him in their brokenness to find the healing for sin that only he can provide.
#3—“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek have a proper appreciation of their strengths and limitations. They do not long for more than God gives and they rejoice in the successes of others.
#4—“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” A righteousness-hunger finds no satisfaction in sin. No tolerance for partial obedience. No joy in complacency.
#5—“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The merciful show mercy because they have learned the power of mercy in their own lives. When one has received pardon, he is far more eager to grant pardon.
#6—“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The pure in heart have no secrets to hide. Behind closed doors you would find them living just as they do in the open.
#7—“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The peacemakers live above the chaos of daily pressures. They sow seeds of calm and joy wherever they go.
#8—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The persecuted realize that the battle is the Lord’s as did David when he stood before a Philistine warrior-giant. The persecuted will not compromise their righteousness to escape ridicule or shame.
Jesus said that those in a right relationship with him will look like that. Do you see yourself in his words?
Further Reading: Matthew 5:1-10; Luke 6:17-49
Dr. Daniel McCabe is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Spring, Texas. He is a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Connection Report. He can be reached via email at danielmccabe@juno.com.