11.09.07
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:54 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority Over Defilement (Matt. 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16)
What is leprosy?
…a slowly progressing and intractable disease…This disease in an special manner rendered its victims unclean; even contact with a leper defiled whoever touched him, so while the cure of other diseases is called healing, that of leprosy is called cleansing. The first OT mention of this disease is a sign given by God to Moses…the second case is that of Miriam (Num. 12:10) where the disease is graphically described. Rules for the disease can be found in Lev. 13 & 14.
In the OT, leprosy is viewed not so much as a type of sin, instead it is seen as the uncleanness and separation that sin produces. How hopeless was a leper’s situation? Looking at the law you will see that there is no provision for a persons cleansing, there is only a provision to declare as clean one who had been suspected of having leprosy.
Page 149, Geikie describes the pitiful plight of the leper: (READ)
No matter what all the laws and traditions said, there was a leper who broke all the written and unwritten rules and boldly approached Jesus and asked for help. It’s interesting to note that there was no precedent to this anywhere in the OT. But to have heard(or to have seen) the stories of Him teach, to have seen or known Him as healing all manner of disease must have led to the conviction and determination to do whatever it took to beg for help and healing. It was a lowly approach in awe and reverence which has often come from those who have despaired of all other forms of help. ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Faith in His Power, absolute committal to Him of our helpless, hopeless need.
This man knelt and turned his gaze from the One that he presented his petition. We have no evidence that some report went out that Christ had previously healed a leper. To him, it didn’t matter, he seems to recognize the authority of Christ over this situation. The healing did not depend on Christ’s willingness to exercise the authority that He possessed over uncleanness, but rather on the petitioners faith in His person.
What did Jesus do? He touched him! He touched a leper and spoke the words of authority over defilement. The hand of Jesus was not polluted by touching the leper’s body, but the leper’s whole body was cleansed by the touch of that holy had. It was even thus that He touched our sinful human nature, and yet remained without spot of sin.
The natural response would have been for this man to become a public spokesperson for Jesus. In fact, you probably couldn’t stop this man from babbling on and on about this miracle! This would be another feather in the cap for Christ. But, what’s this? Christ instead command this man to go to a priest and undergo the elaborate ritual of cleansing in order to be accepted in society.
So if this man stayed in Galilee to be a witness to Christ without undergoing the proper ritual of cleansing, he would have been deemed unclean and therefore his witness would have been nullified (Lev. 14). But there was an additional reason why Christ sent the cleansed man to the priest. The man was to be a testimony to them (Luke 5:14). Just going to the priests with this claim would have triggered an investigation. Questions would have been asked, the former leper would tell them of Jesus, the claim of Jesus having the authority and power to heal would have been examined by the Sanhedrin for investigation and a final declaration. So Christ was bringing evidence to those in high authority in the religious realm. He was generating an investigation of His person and His claim.
So Jesus wanted the authorities to face the issue of the person of Christ. Note that it was not necessary for the cleansed leper to be present in Galilee to give testimony to the person of Christ. The news of the cleansing circulated widely with the result of added crowds of people coming to hear Christ preach and to receive healing by His authority.
If Jesus healed you, how would you respond? Just be thankful and do your own thing? Or be obedient? Would you question His motives for asking you to do something specific?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:52 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority to Preach (Matt. 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44)
It had been a strenuous day yesterday. Jesus had taught in the synagogue and cast out a demon there. Then he went to Peter’s home and healed his mother-in-law. Then the crowds came and Jesus healed all comers until the day was done. Whew! But if you look in Mark 1:35 you see that Jesus got up before the sun rose. He went to a private place so He could pray.
What is prayer? How about if we define it as ‘an attitude of complete dependence on God’. You may not like that for yourself and may (perhaps even rightly so) reject that definition. But for Christ, you will find that to be totally sufficient. Even though Jesus had authority in Himself to heal the sick and cast out demons, He did not act independently of the Father. Prayer was absolutely essential in His life and ministry.
But – that doesn’t stop people. We have problems, we have concerns, we have needs. And the people who had listened to His word and saw His miracles crowded to Jesus. They wanted to hear more, to see more. The disciples found Jesus and let Him know many were seeking Him. Much to their surprise, Christ decides to leave Capernaum so that His message could be preached to other folks that had not heard it in regions a bit further out in Galilee.
He had decided to leave the popularity He had found in Capernaum to extend His ministry to other areas in Galilee. He considered Himself to be bound by a necessity to do so. He said ‘I must preach…to other towns also.’ He knew His mission was to proclaim the good news that God had made good on His promises and had sent the Messiah.
The interesting thing is, Christ recognized a compulsion to preach. This was evidence that He had been commissioned to preach, and this conveyed authority from God on the one that was told to preach! It wasn’t one He undertook Himself, but was one that had been appointed to Him, and that appointment conferred authority on Him.
So, Christ traveled throughout Galilee teaching and authenticating His word by the miracles He performed. The result was multitudes were reached, not only in Galilee but in Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the region across the Jordan. The influence of Christ widened because of His words and His works.
If we got ‘popular’ somewhere, would we stay or go? Common wisdom says strike while the iron is hot. Why was what Jesus did the right thing? What if preachers / leaders did this today?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:51 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority Over Sickness (Matt. 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41)
Jesus left the synagogue with James and John and went to the home of Peter. The mother of Peter’s wife was sick. Luke (the physician) notes that she had a high fever, and in the Greek the tense stresses that this was continuous or chronic in nature. Mark – keeping with his portrait of Christ as Servant – lets us know Jesus ‘took her hand’. Matthew – keeping with his portrait of Christ as King – lets us know Jesus ‘touched her hand’.
Bottom line – Christ shows His authority over sickness by delivering her. Luke records this as ‘rebuked the fever’, and Jesus shows His command over sickness because of the result – the fever left her. It was just like the previous episode, deliverance was immediate from the demon possession, now it was immediate from sickness. She got up and began to wait on them, no extended recovery time, no wait-and-see attitude. She was totally rid of the fever.
Now – I realize some of you may be thinking that Jesus just did this because the men needed someone to do the work around the place…just stop it!
Now word was spreading rapidly. Jesus had cast out demons and healed sickness. By sunset, multitudes with similar needs had gathered at the home of Peter and Andrew hoping to experience the release others had experienced by the touch/command of Christ. Here is where my mind went to the animated flick ‘Robots’ (with Robin Williams). Remember the part where the star robot showed he had a knack for fixing up broken/busted robots? What happened? They lined up at the place he dwelt…and all were fixed. Same deal here! None went away disappointed – because Christ healed the sick and cast out demons.
Once again, note that when demons were confronted by Christ, they acknowledged His person and confessed ‘you are the Son of God’. Christ spoke an authoritative word and delivered the diseased and demon-possessed, but He forbid the demons to proclaim what they knew about His person.
For those that were looking for evidence of Christ’s ability or claims, He would not allow them to reject Him or His testimony because of the words that came from such questionable sources.
What about you and I? When we hear folks attempt to explain away historic facts and use fanciful, interesting and seemingly logical arguments from various questionable sources, how do we respond? If we experienced it for ourselves, would we have the same response? How long would it take before our memory faded or we started to convince ourselves that what we experienced could be explained in some other way?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:50 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority Over Demons (Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37)
Here we find Christ going into the synagogue in Capernaum, as was His custom. Later we will learn that Jairus was the chief ruler of this synagogue. What was the Jewish customer in a synagogue? Any qualified man could read and interpret the Scriptures – however this ministry was normally reserved for the Rabbis.
The consensus from those at the synagogue was amazement. Why? For one reason, they were amazed at the content of what Jesus taught. He was able to unfold the Scriptures in an understandable way and to bring forth truth that no other teacher revealed. But that wasn’t all, they were also amazed because of the authority with which He taught. The scribal method of teaching was to quote the ancient Rabbis and compare teacher with teacher. Christ didn’t depend on what others had said or imagined, instead he rested on His own authority as He taught.
The people noticed the difference in the way He taught immediately. He taught with a startling independence and originality of a teacher who was only concerned with spiritual truth. This was new, exhilarating, and fresh to them. This wasn’t rote religion or ceremonialism. I heard a comment while on vacation from a parent of one of the youth that participated in the lackey mission work. They said they didn’t want to come back to church with them, it was not fun. And, as I recall, I have experienced this a time or 2 myself. You may have as well. When we leave the comfort of what we know and experience something powerful and meaningful, we’re willing to leave the comfort – there is no comparison in the experience!
As usual, some of the hearers must have asked – in their minds – the question of Christ having the authority to teach as He was doing. And, to answer that question comes the first recorded instance of Christ exercising authority over a demon.
We have a man possessed by a demon in the synagogue. This was not an uncommon occurrence in Israel. The evidence here was the mind, will, etc. of the demon was evident through the person they inhabited. Some Jews were recognized as exorcists, and incantation was how exorcism was performed.
Note here the demon recognized the person of Christ and His authority. He calls Him out as ‘Holy One of God’ (messiah) and asks ‘have you come to destroy us’ (Christ’s authority). Jesus firsts commands the demon to be quiet. Jesus wasn’t going to accept the ‘proof’ of who He was through the word of a demon. And His authority rested on His person, not on the testimony of demons.
What happened next was a command from Christ to leave this man, and the resistance of the demon to this command. You see this through the loud shriek and the violent convulsions. However, the demon couldn’t resist…. The deliverance from the demon was an authentication of Christ’s teaching and an evidence of His great authority. Remember, miracles were designed to authenticate both the messenger and His message. And the folks responded to this show of authority. The natural thing for these folks to do was to tell others…and they did.
What about you? Have you seen interesting things at church? Heard the interesting stories from missionaries? What do you think? How do you respond?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:49 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority Over Nature (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11)
Once Christ made a home in Capernaum, word spread, and … crowds would come. What was Christ’s major emphasis during His public ministry? Proclaim the Word of God. But, according to Luke, the crowding was so great that there was not enough room for Christ to address the people.
Simon had perhaps come to confess his faith in the person of Christ. He had traveled to the wedding feast with Jesus, but it appears that in the interim he had taken up his duties as a fisherman again. He had been brought to faith in Christ, but he had not been called to service for Christ. Christ now makes this request – leave your labor and become His servant. And the first task wasn’t hard for the fisherman, row the boat a little way out from the shore so Jesus could speak. Then we see Jesus taking on the role of Rabbi as He opened the Scriptures and interpreted them to the crowd that came to listen.
Before Christ calls Simon to service again, He authenticates Himself to him. Row out into deep water, and humor me, let down your nets again. Simon was a fisherman, he knew the habits of fish! It’s not the right time, nor is it the right place, this was folly. But, Simon did it, not because he believed there were any fish to catch, but because Christ commanded it. Simon was obedient. And when the fish came…Simon knew this was not luck, it was not a natural occurrence or freak accident, this was supernatural. Every law of nature screamed this would not be…this man has command over nature!
This brought authentication and conviction to Simon. He calls Jesus ‘Lord’ in verse 8. Not Lord as a matter of respect, this was a matter of messianic proportions. Christ first responds by bringing words of comfort to Simon. Don’t be afraid to stand in the presence of the Messiah. Then Christ gives the commission to Simon – come follow me. Then comes a promise – I will make you fishers of men.
In Mark’s account, we see James and John, partners with their father and having many others in a lucrative fishing business. Jesus calls them away from their boats, nets, loyalty to family and business. And…they were obedient.
You see – when truly called by Christ, Christ takes precedence over even the authority of a father and the demands of a lucrative business / enterprise. These men left all to follow Jesus.
And us? What was it that led us to follow the call? Did we have to leave anything? Or did we make it fit into our schedules and lives, so we gave the call a portion of our time and attention, but not our all?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:48 am by Bryan Dunn
Residence in Capernaum (Matt. 4:13-16)
Because of the rejection in His hometown, He leaves that town and settles in Capernaum. Not a bad choice, due to its centrality in the region and the activity (the buzz) of the area. Matthew saw this as a fulfillment of prophecy. Capernaum was located on the border between Zebulun and Naphatali along the Sea of Galilee.
The word ‘lived’ in verse 13 signifies the taking up of residence, so during this portion of Jesus’ ministry this was His home base. Also of note, Capernaum was – demographically speaking – more Gentile than Jewish as best we can tell in hindsight, this could also be a foreshadowing that Christ was about to extend His ministry of grace to the Gentiles as a result of being rejected as the Messiah in Israel.
Home…have you felt rejection? Have things changed, at least in how you remembered them? Did that stop your ministry, or did you just have a change of address and the ministry continued?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:47 am by Bryan Dunn
Rejection in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)
Up to this point there had been no problem. Jesus and His ministry had been widely accepted – both His person and His word – in Judea and in Galilee. Here we have Luke recording a response given by Christ that would eventually culminate in His death. The incident took place in the synagogue (imagine that, saying something at church that others would take offense at) of Nazareth that Jesus had attended as a Boy. The same place He listened to the discourses of Rabbis on the OT Scriptures. Luke notes in verse 16 that this was the habit, or ‘custom’ of Christ, to attend and to read / expound on the Word of God.
Look at exactly what happened, and put yourself in Sunday morning church (while remembering, of course, that this was the Jewish Sabbath). Something that is comforting, yet maddening, is the order of service. You probably know it by heart, yet if not adhered to … brings pause, concern, and consternation to some. In verse 16 notice that Jesus “stood up to read”. This may have been an indication of His willingness to take on the role of the Maphtir (reader of the lesson from the prophets).
They had in their synagogues seven readers every sabbath, the first a priest, the second a Levite, and the other five Israelites of that synagogue. We often find Christ preaching in other synagogues, but never reading, except in this synagogue at Nazareth, of which he had been many years a member. Now he offered his service as he had perhaps often done; he read one of the lessons out of the prophets, Acts 13:15. Note, The reading of the scripture is very proper work to be done in religious assemblies; and Christ himself did not think it any disparagement to him to be employed in it.
(from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
It’s not clear if the portion of Scripture Jesus read (Isa. 61:1-2) was prescribed for the day, one chosen at random by Jesus, or how it was otherwise arrived at. I find it hard to fathom that anything Christ did was random, so here I have no argument. Jesus selected exactly what was needed for this crowd at this time so no one left with any doubt that what they were hearing was being fulfilled right then – at that time – by Jesus Christ.
Back to church, once the reading was over, note verse 20. Following tradition and the order of service, Jesus rolls up the scroll, gives it back to the attendant, and sits down – now assuming the role of Rabbi. While we don’t have the entire discourse captured and written for our understanding, Luke did capture the heart of what we needed to know. “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
The response of those in attendance was recorded as well in verse 22. Those that He had grown up with or around had good things to say. Jesus knew the dirt on them all (remember where you grew up, who you went to school and church with?). He could have taken the occasion to blow the lid off some things….instead, He took the opportunity to introduce Himself as the fulfiller of the messianic prophecy found in Isaiah. Which leads to the question – Jesus was eligible to be the Messiah? The son of Joseph, a royal heir? Now there was some reluctance to accept or believe these words. He knew their thoughts, indeed He knew that many in attendance had heard of other ’miracles’ He had done in other towns and, perhaps, expected to see a bit more than talk on this day. Where are the healings that accompany the Messiah? If we could see them, it would make it easier to accept what you are saying…
So this response was different than responses in Jerusalem, Cana, Capernaum. These people, His neighbors, were rejecting His word and demanding further demonstrations through miracles that would prove His person. So, in response Christ reminds His hearers that men have often responded to God’s prophets in unbelief.
Elijah appeared to an apostate nation with God’s message of impending judgment to call the people to repentance. He demonstrated his authority by stopping the rain for 3-1/2 years. No rain, no food. Who benefited from the ministry of Elijah? The widow of Zarephath in Sidon. Since the people of Israel wouldn’t receive the message, they received no benefit from Elijah’s ministry, but Zarephath believed and received.
It was the same with Elisha – a prophet sent from God with a message of hope. There were lots of folks with leprosy during his ministry. Israel didn’t believe the word of the prophet to turn to God for help. Who received help? A Gentile – Naaman (the Syrian).
What Jesus was saying was clearly understood in the synagogue. Because of their unbelief, no blessing could come to them. Only those who turned in faith to Him could receive benefits from His ministry. You know that would go over like a lead zeppelin, and the results are seen in verse 28. The people didn’t want to be included with or compared to apostate Israel. They were in church, they followed the law, they were ‘true believers.’ The crowd wanted to remove this messenger from their midst and drove Him out of town (bum rush) and planned to kill Him by hurling Him over a cliff. The story didn’t end as they had planned, for in verse 30 He walked right through them unharmed.
This was a glimpse of the reception that the nation would give Christ as His ministry progressed and proceeded. They loved the miracles, they listened to His word, but they rejected His claims. And, thinking they could escape His condemnation, they would put Him to death (as they planned to and attempted here) in an effort to escape His condemnation.
What are you doing to escape the truth of Christ and His words? Ignoring them? Explaining them away?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:46 am by Bryan Dunn
Christ’s Authority over Disease (John 4:46-54)
When Christ returned to Galilee, He came to Cana. It was the home of Nathanael, and perhaps Nathanael provided lodging to Christ and the disciples. Keep in mind that He had been in the region before so there were other disciples (followers) here as well, and no doubt Jesus wanted to minister to these people as well.
During the course of His stay, a royal official approached Christ – and he had a son near death in Capernaum. Perhaps this man had heard of the miracles Christ had performed in other places. We don’t see any evidence of faith in Christ, and what we do see infers (verse 48) that the man had not yet placed his trust and faith in Christ. But when your child is on death’s door…you are not beneath begging anyone that may make a difference.
This man seems to be among those who were debating the question of the person of Christ and withholding faith in Him until more evidence was given. The request given in verse 49 was urgent. Action was needed now, not later. Jesus dismisses him with the promise – his son would live. What follows is pretty cool – the man took Christ at His word, in other words he believed the word of Christ without having to have any outward evidence of its truth.
Evidence arrived before the man ever made it home. The next day, on the way home, servants met him with the good news that his son was alive. Upon further questioning, the man discovers that the sickness left his son at the exact time that Jesus told him that his son would live. Once everyone started to hear all this news in the family (servants and extended family members), others joined in their master’s faith. This was the second authentication of the person of Jesus Christ through signs.
Would that be enough for you and me? Saving a child from an illness that looked to surely kill them? How long would your faith last if this was you?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:45 am by Bryan Dunn
The Authority of the King: Christ’s Authority to Preach (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:14-15)
So far we have seen the introduction of Christ to the nation of Israel. Starting now, we will begin to see a new emphasis – the authentication of the Messenger. You have seen that miracles were used to authenticate Christ. These signs were proof that the nation should accept His person and receive His message. In the next few lessons we will look at His authentication of Himself.
In Luke we see the Spirit led Christ to Galilee, so Jesus is operating in the power and guidance of Holy Spirit (just as we are commanded to do). The folks that had seen the works and miracles of Christ in Jerusalem now welcomed Him to their town. Jesus is seen teaching in the synagogues here – basically doing the work of a Rabbi. He would look at the scriptures (that’s the OT), read them, explain them, cause folks to understand them – in other words they understood the truth that had been hidden from them previously. How? By the Word.
Matthew and Mark convey that Jesus was also preaching. He proclaimed the Word of God to the people. And….His message may look familiar, it’s the same one His cousin John proclaimed.
In Mark – you see this is called good news. It was the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Israel. The kingdom they waited for, the kingdom they longed for was near! Again, repentance is tied into this. Repentance involved an acknowledgement of sin and resulted in a restoration to fellowship with God from their state of alienation.
Now, if you look at these passages from a parallel chronological standpoint, you may notice…
Matt – the kingdom of heaven…
Mark – the kingdom of God…
Some have looked at these differences and want to show that there is proof that Jesus is speaking of 2 different kingdoms. Looking at the writers, you will note that Matthew normally used the term ‘kingdom of heaven’ in keeping with the Jewish fear of taking the name of the Lord in vain. So Matthew consistently substitutes God’s dwelling place instead of using the name of God.
Fairbairn notes that this may be best understood by looking at the antithesis.
‘The kingdom of heaven’ stands opposed to the kingdoms of earth, the great world-empires that lived and ruled by the strength of their armies. ‘The kingdom of God’ has as its opposite the kingdom of evil, or Satan, the great empire of anarchy and darkness, creative of misery and death to man.
Also, since no prophet was self-appointed, evidence of divine authority is evidenced by Jesus in his Prophet-Teacher role.
What is it you need to authenticate someone? Some special credentials (an expert on…or trained in…)? Or living proof by a persons life? Or maybe a voting record? What is it that Christ expects from us that shows we’re authentic kids of His?
Permalink
Posted in Bible Study, Bryan Dunn at 10:44 am by Bryan Dunn
The Acceptance in Galilee (John 4:43-45)
Jesus stayed in Samaria for 2 days. He probably got a little rest from traveling, but He also got the chance to disciple folks. Perhaps He tarried because of the reception He knew He would get once the trip to Galilee was made (verse 44).
We see in verse 45 the Galileans welcomed Him. Perhaps they were surprised that Jesus would come to their territory. The anticipation was that the Messiah would appear in David’s city and carry on His ministry in Jerusalem and in the temple. After all, Jerusalem was the center of wisdom and learning. Why would anyone leave the sacred precincts and come to their despised land? But, He came, and they received Him gladly. In fact, many of these folks had seen what he had done in Jerusalem.
Were these folks among those in John 2:23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. After all, when these people returned home, they most certainly recounted what they had experienced on their trip.
But often good and bad run on parallel tracks. We’ve seen much good to this point. The foretaste of what is to come was found in verse 44. While Nicodemus and a Samaritan woman at a well (as well as many people in Sycar) accepted the message of Christ, there was an anticipation of the rejection of the message and the person of the Messenger.
Ah yes, good and bad running on parallel tracks. That has been an experience of mine over the years, perhaps yours as well. Jesus anticipated it. I’m still amazed that messages are preached and told to others that just accepting Jesus will wash all you troubles down the drain. I still struggled paying the same bills, still had the same relationship woes as before (but now many were worse as I moved from life of sin towards life in Christ). Are we realists in this area? I don’t mean fatalists – if something good is happening, something bad is right around the corner (or vice-versa). Sometimes going home brings back memories that we can never recapture. Are we living in the right now for Jesus? No matter if it’s good – or not so good?
Permalink
« Previous entries · Next entries »
