Friday, August 29, 2014

Friday, August 29th Mark 1:29-39

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 39-40, Proverbs 2, Ephesians 5
Today's scripture focus is Mark 1:29-39

Mark 1:29-39English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Heals Many

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 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.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Kingdom Power
Accompanying David Legge sermons: A Day in the Life of a Servant and The Servant's Priority of Prayer
Accompanying Robert Rayburn sermon: Healings and HEALING

Can you imagine being there when these healings were taking place?  We speak of miraculous healings now - and indeed, I believe there are cases where God heals to the bafflement of medical professionals.  But, healings like this don't happen anymore.  We're talking instant healings with absolutely no ill effects or recovery time needed.  I don't know of anyone who has ever witnessed such a thing.

Many of you know the story of our nephew Baret, and about how God healed him from the point of medically certain imminent death.  But his healing was not instant.  He did not go from being in a coma to being able to run and jump and talk.  His healing was gradual, he had to relearn how to walk and talk.  I have no doubt that God was involved in this healing, but it was not the same type of miraculous healing that took place during Jesus' ministry on earth.

The miracles Jesus performed were to authenticate His claim of being God's Son, and, later on, to authenticate the preaching, teaching, and authority of the disciples.  

Notice too, how the miracles took place irregardless of faith.  The purpose of the healings was not to reward faith with physical health, the purpose was to prove that Jesus was who He said He was.

Completely opposite to the health and wealth prosperity preachers who promise healing if you have enough faith, and send in enough money.  Healers do not exist.  If they did, they'd be walking through the cancer wards and healing every man, woman, and child they could find.

Jesus healed with a word or a touch.  He healed instantly.  He healed totally.  He healed everybody, irregardless of faith.  He healed disease.  He even healed by reversing physical death.

But the purpose of healing was to prove Jesus was who He said He was, and to supernaturally authenticate the true teachers and preachers of the gospel.

As the gospel became written, these supernatural healings stopped.  Paul was ill, Trophimus was sick, Timothy was sick - and they weren't healed.  Now they could (and we can!) measure whether or not someone is a true preacher of the gospel by how faithful they are to the revealed Scripture.  It's no longer necessary.

Jesus had this power over demons and disease through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus became a man He subjected Himself to the will of the Father and the intermediary power of the Holy Spirit.  He was dependent on the Father's will and the Spirit's power.

But His true mission was preaching.

MacArthur:
God only had one Son and He was a preacher. That's why He came, to preach. The miracles only verified the authority and the truthfulness of His message but there was no salvation in the miracles, the salvation was in believing the preaching......

It's all about preaching, folks. I can't heal. I can't cast out demons. But I can preach. You can't heal and you can't cast out demons, but you can preach....

Jesus was a preacher because faith comes by hearing the Word....

 So for weeks, even months, He went from town to town, village to village preaching and proving the truthfulness of His message by miraculous deliverances from demons and healings. Savior not only verifies who He is, but proclaims salvation through faith in His name.

God doesn't promise us healing.  In fact, He promises us death.  Physical death. But He offers life - spiritual life, forever.

He doesn't offer us physical healing, but far more importantly, He offers us spiritual healing.


Monday's scripture focus: Mark 1:40-45
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 41-42
Sunday's passage: Isaiah 1-2
Monday's passage: Isaiah 3-4, Proverbs 3, Ephesians 6

1 comment:

Miriam said...

Good point about the healing being instantaneous, without gradual recovery time. I hadn't really considered that before.