We’re so busy today, aren’t we? We have errands to run, people
to see, places to go, work to do. And we worry and complain about too
much to do and too little time in which to do it. We feel like the roller
coaster of our lives is moving too fast and we don’t know how to
stop it. And time, that precious gift from God, slips through our fingers,
so that at the end of the day, we wonder what in fact we accomplished,
often feeling frustrated that we weren’t able to do all that we
wanted or needed to do.
Did you ever stop and wonder how Jesus did it? How, in spite of all
the interruptions, in spite of all the people stopping Him and asking
for His help, He never seemed hurried or rushed? And in three short
years, He accomplished all He was sent to do! Our Bible passage in Luke
5 gives us a good picture of how Jesus handled the daily task of life
and living, and is a good guide for you and me as well.
We first find Jesus standing by a lake, Gennesaret, which we know as
the Sea of Galilee. The people were gathering around Him, crowding Him,
wanting to hear His message about God. He saw two boats on the shore,
and basically commandeered one of the boats and its owner, Simon Peter,
who got in and rowed Him out on the lake so He could talk to the people
on the shore. Peter had been up all night fishing, so he must have felt
very tired and weary. But because it was Jesus, this new Teacher, who
requested it, Peter did it. After Jesus finished teaching, He told Peter,
and his partners, James and John to let down their nets. These men had
already been out fishing all night with nothing to show for it, but
again, because Jesus told them to, they did – and they caught so
many fish the nets broke! This frightened the men, because they realized
they really weren’t dealing with an ordinary man, on some level
they knew Jesus was directly connected to God. But Jesus told them in
verses 10 and 11, “’Don’t be afraid; from now on you
will catch men.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything
and followed Him.” Jesus met Peter and James and John where they
were and their lives changed.
We next find Jesus traveling in a town when a man with leprosy approached
Him. Now the correct thing to do in this situation was to walk around
this man, give him a wide berth, being sure no part of YOU came in touch
with HIM, and ignore his very existence because his leprosy made him
impure, but not Jesus. Nope, when the man asks for healing, Jesus reaches
out, TOUCHES him – and heals him. Now, we should all realize that
Jesus didn’t have to touch the man – all He had to do is say
“be healed” and the man would have been healed. But Jesus
was making a point. He then tells the man to quietly go to the Temple
and offer the sacrifices that were appropriate for healing, which the
man does. This gets the attention of the religious leaders that he had
been healed miraculously, and by that thorn-in-their-side, Jesus. They
weren’t too happy about that, but the former leper sure was! Jesus
met him, an outcast of society, where he was, and his life was changed
forever. As the NIV commentary says, “Those who are willing to
turn to Jesus for cleansing receive it because He willingly gives it.”
Another time when Jesus is teaching, this time to the Pharisees and
teachers of the Law – the really important people – a group
of men try to get their paralyzed friend close to Jesus so He can heal
him. They can’t get in through the door – it’s just too
crowded. But these men are determined, so they climb up on the roof
and lower the paralyzed man down to Jesus – through the roof! And
as verse 20 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend,
your sins are forgiven.” And the man was healed. “Jesus sees
‘their faith’, a remark that is easy to (overlook). Faith
in this text must mean the visible expression of faith, not simply an
attitude, since Jesus sees it in the action of the men. As a result,
Jesus acts, giving the man much more than he was seeking. (Not only
does Jesus heal him,) He declares his sins to be forgiven.” (NIV
commentary) And, pardon me, but all heck broke loose! Listen as I paraphrase:
“That set the religious scholars and Pharisees buzzing. ‘Who
does He think He is? That’s blasphemous talk! God and only God
can forgive sins.’ Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and
said, ‘Why all this gossipy whispering?
Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,’ or to say
‘Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear
that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both .
. .’ He turned and spoke to the paralyzed man: ‘Get up. Take
your bedroll and go home.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, the man did it – he got up,
took his blanket and left for home, giving God glory all the way. The
people rubbed their eyes, incredulous – and then also gave glory
to God. Awestruck, they said, ‘We’ve never seen anything like
that!’” Jesus met that paralyzed man where he was, and his
life changed, as did the lives of those who witnessed this miracle.
Verse 26 says, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They
were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things
today!’”(The Message)
“This event reveals one further picture. The ability of the paralyzed
man to resume his walk of life is a picture of what Jesus does when
He saves. His message is a liberating one.” (NIV Commentary)
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name
of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said
to him. . .” and what happened? “ . . . Levi got up, left
everything and followed Him.” (vs.27)
Jesus met Levi where he was, and his life was changed – he went
on to become Matthew, one of the twelve disciples. And after his experience
with Jesus, he invited his friends and coworkers to a great banquet
for Jesus at his home. Of course, the Pharisees heard about it and complained
to Jesus’ disciples that Jesus was eating with “sinners”.
Jesus responded: “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick?
I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders – an invitation
to a changed life, changing inside and out.” (The Message vs.31,32)
The NIV Commentary states, “Jesus’ call goes out to those
who realize they need help. To seek out sinners is to go to people who
recognize they are not all they can be. But Jesus does not go to offer
fake cures. Rather He calls people to repent. . . . Repentance means
a change of direction, a turning around that shows a difference. So
Jesus calls on those who are not well to get better by coming into the
grace God offers them. If they desire to know God, the Lord will not
reject them, but will begin the process that will make them well.”
(NIV Commentary) He calls them - He calls us – to turn around -
to change direction – to get on the right path.
When you and I allow Jesus to meet us where we live, our lives change.
But we have to ALLOW those changes – make room for those changes-and
embrace those changes. Not easy things to do when we’re caught
up with our own lives and living. But once again, Jesus leads us by
His example.
Jesus was able to carry out His ministry and mission so successfully
because He remembered His priorities. He took time alone with God to
pray and rest. Tucked into Luke 4 and 5 are two small verses: Luke 4:42:
“At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place . . .” and
Luke 5:16: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Jesus spent a great deal of quiet time with His Father, God, praying
and listening to Him. It was this intentional time spent with God which
gave Jesus the guidance, strength and courage to follow out God’s
plan for His life. The entire 17th chapter of John is Jesus’ prayer
before His crucifixion. In this prayer, He prays for Himself, His disciples
and all who believe in Him, and it was this time of prayer that prepared
Him and gave Him the strength and courage He needed to endure His final
hours.
As His followers, we need to remember the priority of prayer as well,
and be sure we carve out time spent alone with God to pray and to rest
in Him.
I Thessalonians 5:17 says we are to “pray without ceasing.”
Prayer should be as natural as the daily tasks we do every day, and
as regular as our breathing. Our goal as Christians is to be so connected
to Jesus Christ that He truly is a part of us and our lives.
Oswald Chambers wrote: “Our thinking about prayer, whether right
or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept
is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from
our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues “without
ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops.
And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness
with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an
exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops
the offering up of prayer. “Pray without ceasing . . .” -maintain
the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the
time.” (May 26)
The great thing about Jesus is that He meets us where we are –
then takes us by the hand and works with us, molding, shaping and transforming
us into the person He created us to be. The motto for Campus Crusade
for Christ is: “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” Discover
that plan by opening your heart and your life to Him.
Today, on World Wide Communion Sunday, Christians throughout the world
are gathered together to celebrate the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice
for us. Let’s take some time to pray and prepare ourselves.
The meal that Jesus first began in the upper room on the night He was
betrayed was a special meal, because Jesus knew it would be His last
meal with His disciples. So He tried to tell them one more time why
He had come, what His purpose here was. So He lifted up a loaf of bread
and blessed it. Then He broke it, saying, “This is my Body, broken
for you. Eat, and remember.
Let’s thank Him for the bread. Lord Jesus, for this gift of yourself
that You give so lovingly and freely to us, we thank You. As we take
this bread, help us to be mindful of Your great love for us and share
that love with others. In Your name we ask this, Amen.
In Jesus’ Name, serve God’s people.
Eat this in gratitude and love.
