“Many a time they have afflicted me
from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against
me.
The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
Psalm 129:2-3
The farmers here have begun making long furrows.
Lord, help us trust our deep afflicted places to you, that You may plant good in them. And here’s a simple poem . . .
The healing of the paralyzed man is loaded with lessons for us. He lies motionless on his pallet, unable to move. His incredible and loyal friends have dedicated themselves to getting him into Jesus’ presence. But the house is full; its beyond standing room only, they can’t get close. They are desperate. Jesus is so near, they can hear Him teach, and yet so far away.
One of them has a wild idea. They will lower him down into the room from the roof! Energized by this thought they put the plan into action. I can just see them, working feverishly. When the hole is big enough, they carefully lower the paralyzed man down slowly. We read that, “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20).
Example of 3D without glasses
God can see faith. It is invisible to us, and takes a special work of grace for us to do so. It is not an easy thing to see faith. If you go downtown to watch a movie in 3-D the attendant will issue you special glasses. With them everything is enhanced.
The Lord sees faith, and responds in kind. His powers of perception and discernment are advanced far beyond our puny human efforts. But God is pleased when we show our faith by our works. They fascinate Him and He delights when His children prove a living faith by actions. Our faith can only be seen by what we do.
The faith of the paralyzed man, and the faith of his friends makes them fluorescent in a black & white world. It jumps out to Jesus, and it is hard to see anything else. Faith stands out, and it cannot be hid.
There is so much here in Luke 5, so many lessons and so much wisdom. Much of it lies at the surface, and can be picked up like gold nuggets. I think that I could preach six months on this chapter alone. It is that good.
“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:17, ESV
We get ‘schooled’ when we try to figure out Jesus. It is a radical adjustment to process His thoughts and motives. We watch and try to understand. Jesus dictates a certain level, and we as His disciples will need to adjust. Jesus declares that a select group will not need a doctors ministrations. But the doctor does have a role. There will be the ‘sick’, who need his attention.
The reality is that many are diseased and ill. It is something that links and connects us to each other. We are desperately sick, and we have no medicine. Jesus steps forward and intervenes. He takes us and ministers to us in our desperate condition. The diseased will be made healthy.
Jesus reaches ‘the sick’. That is who He wants. He makes the choice and that choice is us, full of infection and pain. His Kingdom consists of those who understand their illness. He bypasses the strong and the healthy. He spends little time with them. His heart is set on us who are broken and twisted. Our cancerous bodies have absolutely nothing to give Him.
His Kingdom is full of sick people. It, in a sense, is full with the ‘terminally ill’. It is we who have ‘attracted’ Him. Yet He has intensely sought us out. We gather like little chicks to his protective wings. We honestly do not have the ability even to protect ourselves.
Jesus declares that He has come for us. Sin is very near to us. We have the infection and we are completely vulnerable. We are not strong spiritually. There are many who excel before us. We can make no claim to anything of significance. But He has chosen us. Sovereignly and specifically. Strongly and decisively. He has collected us and brought us to His heart.
This poem is an acrostic of sorts. When I originally wrote it I titled it Prayer, but the acrostic letters that begin each stanza spell PAIN. It was written at a time I was in a lot of physical and emotional pain, and found that prayer was the best way to find relief, if not physically at least mentally and emotionally.
Prayer
Prayer finds me
seeking You for
comfort and healing
here on my knees
As I come to You
my mind is turned
to others who need
what I seek for me
Immanuel, You
are with me now
as I focus on You
instead of my pain
Never to forsake me
You have promised
I find it is true
when You I seek
Broken Believers 