Word@Work Luke69 - Luke 5:17-19
Published: Mon, 03/29/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
COMPLACENT OR PERSISTENT
Luke 5:17-19 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. (NIV)
Jesus had become a major focus in the region of Galilee. The religious leaders were starting to feel under threat and wanted to find a point of weakness to exploit so that He could be discredited. Word had even spread to the capital, Jerusalem, and theologians came to check out what Jesus was saying and doing. However, the sick and demonised knew they had found someone who cared about them, and had the power to heal.
Imagine the scene: religious academics were sitting there listening to Jesus' teaching, but a paralysed man could not get in. The 'holy men' were interested, but the sick man and his friends were insistent. The man was taken up the outside steps onto the roof by friends who stripped away a section of roofing. They made a hole large enough to lower the man by ropes attached to his stretcher - right in front of Jesus. They knew that only Jesus could heal, and they were not going to be put off. Meanwhile, the Pharisees were waiting to scrutinise the next comment from Jesus' mouth.
These two attitudes remain in today's marketplace. Some are desperate for Jesus, or at least hungry to find the truth about Him. Others are cynics or sceptics who have already made up their mind that, at best, Jesus is an irrelevance; at worst He is dangerous. The fact remains, those who seek Him, find Him to be all that He claims to be. Those who are determined to ask in faith, get answers (Matthew 7:7-8). Meanwhile those who ridicule Jesus and His people remain encased in their darkness and cannot see the Light of the world (2 Corinthians 4:4). So do not be discouraged by the cynics - pray for them. But do encourage the seekers with God's Word - they may find www.crosscheck.org.uk helpful. And for yourself, never forget that the Lord does meet with those who seek Him with all of their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for not being far away, and for being willing to help all who seek You with a true heart. Forgive me for times of complacency, when I should have been persistent; and for times of grumbling when difficulties came and I stopped seeking Your wisdom. Help me to keep pressing on with You, trusting that You will hear and answer. And please help my friends who apparently have little hunger for You, that You will awaken their hearts to the life and love in Jesus. And when others ridicule me, help me to understand that they did that, and worse to Jesus. May I learn to forgive them, praying for their eyes to be opened. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Jesus had become a major focus in the region of Galilee. The religious leaders were starting to feel under threat and wanted to find a point of weakness to exploit so that He could be discredited. Word had even spread to the capital, Jerusalem, and theologians came to check out what Jesus was saying and doing. However, the sick and demonised knew they had found someone who cared about them, and had the power to heal.
Imagine the scene: religious academics were sitting there listening to Jesus' teaching, but a paralysed man could not get in. The 'holy men' were interested, but the sick man and his friends were insistent. The man was taken up the outside steps onto the roof by friends who stripped away a section of roofing. They made a hole large enough to lower the man by ropes attached to his stretcher - right in front of Jesus. They knew that only Jesus could heal, and they were not going to be put off. Meanwhile, the Pharisees were waiting to scrutinise the next comment from Jesus' mouth.
These two attitudes remain in today's marketplace. Some are desperate for Jesus, or at least hungry to find the truth about Him. Others are cynics or sceptics who have already made up their mind that, at best, Jesus is an irrelevance; at worst He is dangerous. The fact remains, those who seek Him, find Him to be all that He claims to be. Those who are determined to ask in faith, get answers (Matthew 7:7-8). Meanwhile those who ridicule Jesus and His people remain encased in their darkness and cannot see the Light of the world (2 Corinthians 4:4). So do not be discouraged by the cynics - pray for them. But do encourage the seekers with God's Word - they may find www.crosscheck.org.uk helpful. And for yourself, never forget that the Lord does meet with those who seek Him with all of their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for not being far away, and for being willing to help all who seek You with a true heart. Forgive me for times of complacency, when I should have been persistent; and for times of grumbling when difficulties came and I stopped seeking Your wisdom. Help me to keep pressing on with You, trusting that You will hear and answer. And please help my friends who apparently have little hunger for You, that You will awaken their hearts to the life and love in Jesus. And when others ridicule me, help me to understand that they did that, and worse to Jesus. May I learn to forgive them, praying for their eyes to be opened. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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