FAITH FOR A LIFT

 

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:2 ESV)

 If you’ve ever been on a mission trip, you’ve gotten the speech: “Pack light because whatever you pack will be your responsibility.” After a few days in a strange place, lugging around too much stuff you really didn’t need to bring, you understood the warning a lot better. Those who failed to heed the warning before the trip are dragging behind and can’t keep up. And then inevitably one of the group twists an ankle or hurts their back. This is when you find out who your friends are and who is the most Christ-like servant! Will someone step up and help carry the load of the wounded?

In the scene that takes place in Matthew 9, this man can’t carry his own load. Paralyzed, he is completely dependent on the care of family and friends. They must have been good friends because they bring him to Jesus. They picked him up and took him where he couldn’t go by himself.

 But even greater than a physical act of love, these friends or family members brought something else along with them that isn’t noticed if you read too fast. Did you notice what Jesus saw?

 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:2 ESV)

Not only did they carry their friend where he couldn’t go, they brought faith along too. It wasn’t the paralyzed man’s faith that Jesus noticed. It was the faith of those who carried him. Perhaps this paralyzed man couldn’t talk. Or perhaps after years of suffering, his faith had evaporated. How many doctors had he been to? How many home remedies had he tried to no avail? Was he once a God-fearing man with vibrant faith before some tragic fall or accident? Whatever the case, he had some friends or family that loved him enough to carry him to Jesus and bring their faith along with them.

I’ve had those moments in my life. Sometimes meeting with elders in our church, after several battles, seasons of waiting, or wilderness experiences, my faith has faltered: Maybe God doesn’t want to do this for us. As we prayed together and looked for answers regarding expansion or the purchase of property, I’ve experienced both the courage of rising faith and the disappointment of seemingly unanswered prayer. I can tell you this: in those seasons, I don’t know how I would have survived without faithful brothers or sisters in Christ who have said, “I have enough faith for both of us.” And I was carried on their shoulders of faith until my hope was restored.

So here are a couple of questions:

·       How long has it been since you carried someone who needs a lift in their faith? I know we’re quick to think about how often we’ve needed that lift. But how conscious are you about friends or family around you who need encouragement, who need to know that you are carrying them to Jesus?

·       Do you have friends like this man? Who care enough to carry you to Jesus, who will fight for you in prayer and lift you with their faith? Friendships like this take time, effort, and transparency. Are you willing for that to happen? To let someone know about your wilderness, your waning faith, or your discouragement?

Prayer: Father, it was Your Son who said He would build a church that would prevail against hell. You have given me the gift of community in the fellowship of the believers. Thank you for the church, the gathering of the faithful. Help me to do my part to lift others up when they need it, and also never be too proud to share my own burdens so I can be carried on the shoulders of faithful friends when I need it.

 

WHEN YOU MUST RIDE OUT A STORM

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (Matthew 8:26 ESV)

I’ve been on the Sea of Galilee. It’s not as big as I thought and more like a lake in our terms. But even a lake in a bad storm can be terrifying. Whether you’re in a boat on a lake or a car on a winding road, a storm changes everything. Fear has a way of shrinking your perspective.

Here in Matthew 8, the disciples are crossing the lake when a squall blows in. Fear rises. Courage falls. The many miracles of the day—healings, demons cast out, lepers cleansed—have faded from memory as the reality of current tempest blows in. And where is the Miracle Worker? He’s asleep.

Exhausted from ministry, compassion expended, Jesus grabs a nap. How does the Son of God sleep through a storm? The waves, the rocking, the wind, the scrambling disciples - none of it appears to bother Jesus. So they wake Him, “Lord save us! We are perishing!”

Some of you are facing stormy waters today. There are the winds of change on the job. The pelting rain of relationship troubles at home. The sunless sky and clouds of anxiety are rolling. And if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re asking, “Jesus, don’t You see this? Do You care?”

It helps me to picture this scene and remember, “If this ship goes down, Jesus is going down with me because He’s in the boat.” He isn’t alarmed. He isn’t even surprised. He only challenges us by saying, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” He may arise at this moment and calm the storm as you cry out to Him. Or He may calm you by reminding you, “I’m in this with you. Don’t be afraid.”

Prayer: Lord, help me because my perspective is limited. My eyes focus on the storm. You see it all and You are never alarmed, surprised or devastated. Give me Your peace today. I will cast my anxieties on You. Will you calm the storm within me? O Lord of every storm, at whose command winds will cease and skies will clear, thank You that You are in this with me.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. (Matthew 8:16 ESV)

So what was he like? Was he friendly? Was he as funny as he seems? Those are the questions we ask when someone we know hangs out with someone famous. What we’re asking is if the person they appear to be are the same way when they are up close and personal. Because we know that for most, there is the person everyone sees and then there is the person that they really are. The public image doesn’t always match the private one.

What is God like? Is He kind? Does He really care? What would it feel like to really talk to God, face to face? The closest we can come to the answers to these questions is found in one place—or more honestly, one Person. Namely, the One we read about here in Matthew 8 as we see most vividly in this verse:

“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick” (Matthew 8:16)

Do you want to know how God feels about those whose emotions and soul are captive to darkness? Look at what Jesus did when He came face to face with these captives: “He cast out the spirits with a word.”

How does God feel about those suffering physically? Consider His response to those who were sick: He healed “all who were sick.”

God has revealed His kindness through the scriptures, yes. But more powerfully than that, God has revealed it in a Person, His Son, Jesus. This Person shows us exactly what God is like: His care, His compassion, His character, His love.

So bring your questions to Him today. Picture yourself before the One we read about in this passage. As Jesus is touching and healing with a word, present your questions there. We can rest our hearts in this picture painted for us in the gospel--as we find here in Matthew, a tax collector who lived and walked with the love of God revealed—Jesus of Nazareth.

Prayer: Father God, sometimes I wish I could talk with You face to face. I tremble at the thought, yet I wonder. Thank you for making Yourself known not only in Your precious Word, preserved for us but most powerfully in the giving of Your Son, Jesus Christ who revealed to us Your kindness, care and how much You really love me. So I wait here in Your Presence to know the width, length, depth and height of Your love.