Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Some friends of a paralytic brought him before Jesus lying on a mat. The buzz about Jesus’ healing powers must’ve reached them and they thought the least they could do for their friend was to carry him to Jesus. It is obvious that they had faith that Jesus could heal him and Jesus himself “saw their faith.” Now, instead of performing a healing right there and then, Jesus puzzles everyone (including myself as a reader of the story) by forgiving the sins of the paralytic.  What? Forgiveness of sins? Isn’t that something only God can do? The accusation of blasphemy began to spread in the minds of those who heard his words. Blasphemy is to intentionally speak in a way that is irreverent towards God. Jesus’ forgiveness of sins was taken as blasphemy because he was making himself equal to God. This was one of the reasons they wanted to kill him (Jn.5:18).

Jesus categorized their thoughts of blasphemy as evil. While they had good intentions of defending the glory and reputation of God, they failed to notice that God was standing before them in the flesh. In order to prove to them that he was the Son of Man, the Messiah “with authority on earth to forgive sins,” he tells the paralytic: “rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he does! The reaction of the crowd is fear mixed with awe of God who granted Jesus such authority. To follow Jesus is to believe he is the Son of Man with authority to forgive sins.

Father, grow and strengthen my faith in Jesus’ forgiveness of my sins. Thank you for sending your Son into the world to take upon himself our sins.

Psalm 4 God is a Call Away

When I first became a follower of Christ, I was ridiculed by family and friends about my new found faith. They called me freak, religious, fanatic, holy roller, etc. I remember the many times that their name-calling just got to me and made me furious. At times, I would lie in bed and ponder on the events of the day wishing at times that God would show up and do something about these people. But then, I would call on the Lord and he would deliver me from those bad thoughts.


David wrote this song in Psalm 4 that deals with the same issue. But though he was taunted by his enemies concerning his God and his faith, he counsels to ponder and not sin; to trust in the Lord and continue to be faithful in his service; to call on the Lord and he would answer. "4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent." 


Instead of allowing anger to brew more sin, he ponders on the goodness of God and all the joy he has provided for his life. In his meditations, he has concluded: "7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." The benefits of serving the Lord are so much greater than our grievances that it should fill us with peace and allow us to have a great night sleep to prepare to do it all over again the next day. 


God calls me to trust him; to call on him when in distress; and to recall all his blessings when I think I am  treated unjustly in this world. God is only a call away. When I do so, I will find joy and peace that will enable me to sleep well. I will be able to cry out like David: "8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." 


Father, help me to trust you. Enable me to call on you when in distress. Fill my mind with thoughts of your goodness that I may rejoice in you every day and that I may be in peace to sleep well every night. Amen.

Joshua 8:1-29 The Fall of Ai

Canaanite religion was characterized by a few things that were in quite contrast with the God of Israel. For one, Canaan was organized as a conglomerate of city-states where each one was ruled by a king who also acted as a priest for the people. For the Israelites, God was the king and a priest was appointed from the Levites. The worship rituals of Canaanite religion included extreme sexual immorality (bestiality, homosexuality, orgies, etc.), child sacrifice, and extreme corruption. All of these practices were prohibited among the Israelites. The literature of the day describes the Canaanite gods at length and it is impossible to think that the God of the Israelites was a development of Canaanite religion.

The love, holiness, and integrity of God are in stark contrast with these city-state despots. The God of Israel cannot stand the sight of sin as demonstrated with the sin of Achan. Achan and his family were stoned in an effort to eradicate intentional sin from the midst of Israel. The instructions to wipe out the Canaanite city-states must be understood from this perspective. The holy God of Israel stands against the gods of Canaan and sends his chosen people to cleanse the land from sin before they settle in it. One must think that there is an opportunity to repent, just like with Rahab and be spared of the destruction, but the Canaanites set their face against Israel.

Intentional sin is an abomination to our God. I tend to downplay how pervasive sin really is in my life and of those around me. My tendency is to excuse myself: "After all, I am only human." My humanity should not serve me as an excuse to engage in sin. It should motivate me to seek God all the more and depend on his help to overcome it all the more. The establishment of God's kingdom upon the earth begins with its establishment in my own heart and life. That is my battle day by day. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Lord, help me in my battle against sin. May I not settle for my sinful nature, but battle against intentional sin to please you and serve you. You have conquered sin and death! Help me enjoy the benefits of such victory through dependent obedience to you.

Joshua 7:10-26 The Sin of Achan

Abstaining from the devoted things is important in holy war. I can't expect to conquer the promised land or establish God's kingdom upon the earth if I desire the devoted things. Achan was enticed by a cloak and some silver and gold. But it can be anything that distracts me from my conquest. It can be money, power, greed, relationships, etc... anything! The devoted things belong to this world and are appointed for destruction. If my heart desires after them, I will partake in their destruction.

Much of the trouble in my life, I have brought upon myself for taking of the devoted things of the world. I think I can hide it and get away with it. Unfortunately, my sin has personal as well as corporate effects. Not only is my life entangled in trouble individually when I set out to embrace the sin of this world, but I bring down my whole church in a corporate fashion. In my individualistic thinking, I don't give a thought to the corporate effects of sin. The truth is that I render my church ineffective against the enemy. My battles become at best, self-reliant efforts to keep the enemy at bay. They are fruitless.

"You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you." Yes, we are sinners. But it is quite different to sin inadvertently due to ones sinful nature than to set out to defy the commands of the Lord. My fight with my wife hinders my prayers. My grudge against my brother hinders God's forgiveness for me. My sexual immorality taints the whole community once it comes to light bringing down my leadership and the whole ministry. Holy war is not fought alone. It is the effort of a whole community. My personal sin has corporate repercussions. I cannot stand to the enemy while living in sin.

The anatomy of sin is well described in Achan's confession: I saw, I coveted, and I hid. I downplay too much the role that my senses have in stimulating my desires. My eyes were given by God to enjoy his creation, but when I stare a little too long at things that stimulate ungodly desires in my heart, I run into trouble; sin is at hand. It gets further complicated when I refuse to come immediately to God. The guilt and the shame drive me away from God and I want to hide. God is omniscient and omnipresent, which means nothing is hidden from his presence. Yet, in my sin, I think that I can avoid God, even hide from him.

Consecration is key in holy war. If I want to conquer the promised land, if I desire to establish God's kingdom upon the earth, I must be solely devoted to God and his purposes. I must be single-minded. I can't be dividing my attention among many things - especially the devoted things. The consequences for taking, holding, and hiding devoted things are devastating. The devoted things will only add trouble to my life. 

Lord, give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. Cleanse me of my sin. Help me let go of the devoted things of this world. May I be totally consecrated to you.

Matthew 11:20-24 Woe to Unrepentant Cities

Chorazin was a small village near the Sea of Galilee. Today, it is associated with modern Korazeh which has been inhabited for many years. The only attraction at this place are ruins of structures made of basalt (a black volcanic rock). Bethsaida was a small fishing village at the Sea of Galilee. It is believed to be the birthplace of Peter, but today it is no longer a fishing village. Due to some volcanic movements and a receding shoreline, Bethsaida is now quite a distance from the sea. Capernaum was the city Jesus used as a base for his ministry years. Today, it lies in ruins also.

These cities were a witness to the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ and did not believe. Many miracles were performed in them and yet, they did not respond with faith. Due to their unbelief, Jesus pronounces a curse upon them. Not only are the cities at a great disadvantage today, but their people will be judged for their unbelief on the day of judgment. The reality of heaven and hell was preached by Jesus on many occasions and here is one of them. Unbelief leads to judgment.

There seems to be degrees of judgment also. Our Lord compares the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum with Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom. The latter cities were also subject to judgment due to their unbelief. But Jesus says their judgment will be more bearable, less severe, than for the former cities. Tyre was a prosperous island city that today lies in ruins. Sidon is a shadow of once an important commercial port. And Sodom, we all know the story, suffered a rain of fire and brimstone for their idolatry. Once a fertile plain, now lies near the Dead Sea and salt is all you can find in it.

This is a great warning that I must heed. I don't want to fall into unbelief. The consequences are too devastating. I want to respond to the call with repentance. Repentance is the first word of the Gospel message. To repent is to make an about face and change one's direction in life 180 deg. Repentance is not to feel sorry and then carry on with life as usual. Genuine repentance requires a radical change in my attitude towards God - from unbelief to belief. Lest I think repentance is a one shot deal, I must accept it as a daily process in my life. I must be repentant every day because I am a sinner still.

Lord, help my unbelief. I want to believe in you and your word. Give me a repentant heart and a contrite spirit. May I be aware of my sin day by day and submit to your mercy at every hour. Cleanse me and renew my soul for your glory, Amen.

Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus Heals a Paralytic

At the heart of the healing of the paralytic is faith. Faith is assurance and conviction in God. It is to trust and obey him with all your heart. When Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic and his party, he was moved to minister to him. Surprisingly, his first move is not to heal him of his paralysis. He sets out to forgive and encourage him!

Paralysis and most sicknesses, were seen as the judgment of God for sin. This fellow was seen as one suffering under the hand of God for something immoral he did in his life. I try to set myself in the sandals of that paralytic and I tell you, if I thought God was mad at me for my sin, the forgiveness of my sin would be the greatest news for my life. What a relief! God forgives my sin!

I'm convinced that the healing of the paralytic was a ministry to the unbelieving crowd. Christ performed the miracle as proof that he had authority to forgive sin and jump-start the faith of some in the crowd. He was being accused of blaspheming since God is the only one with authority to forgive sin and the miracle would tell them that God was in their midst.

Ministry is to serve the needs of people. At times, we think that their external needs are the ones we must tackle first. Unfortunately, many times we don't go beyond meeting the external ones. Jesus teaches me to look beyond the external and discern the real need: people's relationship with God. Jesus teaches me the reality of sin and how it can estrange people from God. Jesus teaches me to give the good news of forgiveness to those who believe and encourage them.

Father, I thank you for the forgiveness of my sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ your Son. Grow my faith to trust in him day by day. Give me discernment to understand the deepest need of people. Grant me courage to address those needs through the proclamation of the Gospel. 

Matthew 8:1-4 Jesus Cleanses a Leper

"Leprosy" refers to many different skin diseases from a rash to actual leprosy. People diagnosed with leprosy were commanded by the law to wear torn garments and let their head hair hang loose.  Also, they were to cry out "unclean, unclean" while covering their upper lip as they walked down the streets. Moreover, they were to live alone, outside the camp (city).

The unclean status of a leper was so public that he/she was ostracized from society. People would not touch them since they were unclean. Lepers were left to live a very lonely life as they were moved outside the camp. Since no employer would hire a leper, most of them were left to beg to survive. Leprosy took away homes, social life, jobs, even dignity.

Jesus paid attention to the leper and even touched him to make him clean. Then, he asks him to go to the priest to be pronounced officially clean. One of the cleansing rituals for lepers used two birds. One was to be killed. The other was to be dipped in the blood of the other and set free. The one declared clean had to be sprinkled with that blood.

Leprosy represents sin in my life. My cleansing and my freedom is possible by the blood of Jesus Christ. I have been sprinkled with his blood to be able to spread my wings and fly, soaring the skies above for the glory of God. I can't forget that my ability to fly freely was purchased with blood - a life. I can't forget that my freedom was given to help others become free. Like Jesus, I must pay attention to the cry of those in bondage. I must be willing to touch their lives as a member of the body of Christ so that they can be set free and many times recover what sin took away from them.

God Almighty, thank you for Jesus Christ your Son, who came to give his blood to sprinkle my soul and declare me clean of my sin. May your love and compassion fill me to pay attention to those in bondage and minister to them. May I seek their freedom as I enjoy the abundant life you have granted me.