Like Christ, Go and Change Lives

Matthew 8:3 tells us that Jesus touched a leper and completely changed the man’s life. He could have simply given a command and the man would have been healed. Instead, Jesus touched one who was an outcast and I believe this is still how God responds to broken people. He touches them and He invests Himself in each individual person, no matter what situation they are in.

According to the law, a leper was to be declared unclean by the priest who examined him/her (Leviticus 13:3, 8). Jesus, by touching the leper, should also have been declared unclean but instead the leper was healed. Jesus then sends the former leper away to follow the law as prescribed for the day of cleansing healed lepers in Leviticus 14.

By touching the leper Jesus proved that He is not bound by the law in the same way that a mere human would have been. If He were a pagan we could accept this as Him simply being someone who was not born under the covenant between God and Israel, although we would still expect Him to contract leprosy. As Mary’s child, Jesus was Jewish and thus born under the covenant. As such the law should have applied and He should have been unclean immediately after touching the leper. The fact that the leper was immediately healed shows that this is not the case.

Assuming the law to be true, there is only one other explanation. Jesus was something or someone Who by nature was not governed by the same weaknesses that other people experienced. His lineage was also the Holy Spirit, making Him the Son of God. By His very nature He was on the other side of the Old Covenant: The side held, not by a human but by God Himself. The rules on that side of the agreement were different as they called for God to be Lord and to deliver. Jesus was God and Lord and He routinely delivered people. The healing of the leper was the evidence of this delivery and of the fact that Jesus is God.

It was Jesus’ nature as God incarnate that not only kept Him from becoming unclean but also gave Him the power to cleanse that which was by nature unclean. That same nature dwells in all of God’s children in the form of the Holy Spirit of God. By nature, He cleanses us and by nature keeps us clean with His word. Thus, by nature we are to touch broken people like Jesus did, even when we are afraid of being made unclean. We are to let Jesus touch them through us so that instead of us becoming unclean, they are cleansed by the power of the Spirit of God. And we are to know by His power that Jesus is God and LORD of all.

Like Christ, His followers should be ready to touch those who are less fortunate, sharing the Gospel that sets people free. Are you ready to be like Christ? Are you ready to answer the call to change lives?

 

(Note: This is based on an entry I wrote in my journal back in 2019. While researching more recently I came across a webpage on evidenceunseen.com where James Rochford makes a similar argument about Matthew 8:3)

How Can Prayer Help Us See What God Sees?

The burning bush drew Moses into a conversation with God and into a life altering prayer time where God revealed Himself. This conversation did not fit the normal definition of prayer where we make our desires known to God. In fact, God spoke first, letting Moses know exactly why the Creator of the universe wanted to get his attention.

“I have surely seen…”

Would you like to see the world as God sees it? True, we get the opportunity to see God’s viewpoint every time we open the Bible but what if there was a way to go much deeper? What if God wants us to see the world through His eyes? Would that be worth it for you to spend a couple of extra minutes in prayer beyond the point when you finish asking for what you want?

Exodus 3:7

After introducing Himself in Exodus 3:6, God tells Moses that He has seen the oppression of His people in Egypt. Moses of course knew of this oppression, having seen it firsthand. He had even tried to do something about the situation, however by trying to solve a problem his way he managed to get himself run out of town. But now God wanted Moses to know that He was not blind to the suffering of the people of Israel. He could see and He could hear, and He was determined to do more than just watch from a distance (verse 8).

While letting Moses know that He saw the oppression, God calls the people of Israel His people. Keep in mind that this is before God issued the Ten Commandments and before the people of Israel entered a covenant with Him. Yet, He saw them as His people, and He was responding to the cries of His people. He wanted Moses to know that He was coming to His own, and not to just some folks whom He happen to know about. In doing so, God allows Moses to see things from His point of view, giving him a perfect view of the world around him.

What’s interesting is that Moses had not spoken up until this point. He just listened and God did all the talking. This is completely different from the definition of prayer mentioned in Part 1 of the burning bush posts. That definition, along with most of what is taught about prayer, involves us talking, telling God what we want, either for ourselves or for those around us. But the example set by Moses at the burning bush involves listening as God gives His point of view.

Can prayer help us see what God sees? Based on what happened to Moses, I believe the answer is yes. But for this to happen we need to be willing to listen, not just talk. If prayer is a conversation, we need to give God time to speak. We need to spend time in the Bible, which is God speaking to us, but we also need to be quiet and let Him say what He wants to, how He wants to.

Moses did not know what to expect when he turned to see what was going on at the burning bush. Likewise, I believe we all need time when we quietly approach God in prayer with only an expectation of God revealing His point of view to those who are willing to listen.

 

See Also: Series page – Moses’Prayer Life Series

Have You Ever Prayed a Psalm 88 Prayer?

I’m writing this post during Holy Week, one of the most important times of the year for most Christians. Soon we will reflect upon the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, celebrating the fact that He paid our sin debt. Because of His sacrifice, those who believe in Him have peace with God and those who believe in His name have been given the power to become children of God (John 1:12). But do you always feel like one of His children or are there times when you feel distanced from the Father: times when you wonder if He really cares? Are there times when you feel like He may have forgotten you? Are there times when you prayed a Psalm 88 prayer?

No, things are not going well

When I read Psalm 88, I see something that is very different from most of the other Psalms and very different from the advice often given by the church. This Psalm starts of like the others, with the writer crying out to God because things aren’t going very well. But in the other Psalms the writer eventually musters up a bunch of faith and ends by looking forward to the great things God will do. Whatever the need, even if it’s a need for vengeance upon those who have done wrong, the writers of the Psalms seem to always come back to some variation of “I trust in God.” But not Psalm 88.

Psalm 88 begins by asking God to listen, followed by a description of how the writer’s, “…soul is full of troubles.” The writer describes feeling, “Like the slain who lie in the grave,” and like one who God, “…remember(s) no more…” The Psalmist speaks of being in darkness and of how he feels like he is under God’s wrath. He talks about crying out to the Lord but feeling as if the Lord has cast off his soul. Psalm 88 paints a picture of personal suffering and then…? And then the Psalm comes to an end.

There is no, “God’s got this,” nor is there a declaration that the Psalmist will wait upon the Lord. Psalm 88 ends, leaving the reader wondering where the Psalmist’s faith is at this point. Does he make the seemingly quick recovery that we so often see in the Psalms and throughout the entire Bible? He may have but he doesn’t tell us here. Psalm 88 is an honest expression of how this writer felt at the time. Things were not good, and it seems as if he didn’t feel like ending on a high note.

So, what is a Psalm 88 prayer?

A Psalm 88 prayer is an honest prayer. It is a time of pouring out exactly what is on our hearts, even if we are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a prayer that is covered in tears, driven by a feeling that all is not well and by a feeling that God is not close by. The fact that this type of prayer is in the Bible and inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16) gives permission for us to pray this kind of honest prayer, following the example set by the Psalmist during a time of suffering.

Do you pray these kinds of honest prayers? I know I have all to often tried to clean up my prayers, praying what I thought God (and/or my church brethren) wanted to hear. But doing so is telling God a lie, something I’m no longer comfortable with. I want to be honest with God, just like Psalm 88 is honest. How about you? Is your relationship with God one where you pray a Psalm 88 prayer when needed?