The Marvel of Jesus

Luke 7:1-10

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus’ statement to His disciples concerning their lack of faith during the storm. We also contrasted that faith with the faith of the centurion who requested that Jesus simply, “speak the word” so that his servant may be healed. Jesus called this “great faith”, for the man, though a Gentile believed that he could take as much as he needed from Jesus.

This also marks one of only two incidents that are recorded in the Gospels in which Jesus marveled. When the centurion proclaimed that he believed that Jesus had authority over sickness and could simply speak the word, “he marveled at him” (Luke 7:9). Seeing that there were not many things that caused the Creator to marvel, it is worth noting what those two things were.

The other incident occurs in Mark 6 when Jesus is in His home town of Nazareth, and the crowd becomes offended because of Him, knowing both His family and His occupation. They do not see how the son of Mary and Joseph, who has made His living as a carpenter, can consider Himself a prophet. Jesus, “could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them” (Mark 6:5). Their unbelief caused Jesus to marvel (verse 6).

These incidents show us that Jesus marveled at rank unbelief and at great faith. In both cases, Jesus was fascinated by man’s capacity to believe Him. In one instance, men would not believe even if confronted with miracles of healing. In another case, man would not help but believe, even trusting the spoken word of Jesus to bring about a miracle.

The marvel of Jesus towards unbelief was aimed at Jews, who claimed to be of Abraham, the “father of the faith”. This marvel shows up again when He speaks of the great faith of the centurion, telling the Jewish crowd that was assembled that He had not found that kind of faith in all of Israel. He is not speaking geographically, but rather spiritually. In all of His dealings with Jews, Jesus had yet to see one who believed Him so completely.

Perhaps the reason for this is found in how we qualify or disqualify ourselves for God’s blessings. The Jew would have been a slave to the Mosaic Law, and would have considered themselves guilty and condemned on a day to day basis. The fact that they knew that they could not keep the law would have disqualified them in their own mind from receiving any good thing, such as healings or miracles. When you think that you are guilty, you do not feel worthy of any of God’s goodness.

The centurion on the other hand is a Gentile, with no Jewish background, thus he is not living under perpetual guilt by the weight of the law. When he requests a miracle from Jesus, Christ marvels at the amount of faith that he displays, trusting that Christ can do whatever He wishes. Without the condemnation of law-breaking, this centurion can see past his own works or lack thereof and look directly at Christ’s ability, thus his faith is “great faith”.

Does Christ marvel at your unbelief or your belief? If you feel that you are unworthy or unqualified for His goodness and blessings, then He marvels at your holding onto your condemnation. But if you believe Him for great things, He will marvel that you are walking so free from the cares of this life. He is marveled with us today, so may we marvel Him with our faith!

The Master Always Cares

Mark 4:38

When the disciples found themselves in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, during a terrible storm, they became afraid for their lives. In this fear, they went to Jesus, who was asleep in the back of the boat, and woke him. Several of the disciples were professional fisherman, so why wake up the carpenter? What should they have done?

Perhaps it is more important to find out what they ask Jesus when they wake Him up. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” is their questioning Him as to whether or not He even loves them. Not much has changed today in our lives. During many of the storms of this life, we find ourselves wondering if God cares about us, or if He is even watching. Satan preys upon us with the thought that God does not care if we make it or not, and he even tries to convince us that it is God who is putting us through the storm in the first place.

The greatest insult that the disciples could have given against Jesus was to question whether or not He even cared. Consider the fact that Jesus did not wake up because of the rocking boat or the raging winds or driving rain. Instead, it was the cries of His disciples that woke Him from His slumber. Jesus has already told them, “Let us pass over unto the other side”, so they should have the assurance that they will end up on the other side regardless of the weather conditions. Yet, the storm seems more real that the Savior’s protection, so they panic and wake the Master.

Jesus rebukes the storm, which lets us know that it was not from God; else Christ would be fighting against the will of His Father by sending the storm away. When He had accomplished this, He asks the disciples two important questions: “Why are you so fearful?” and “How is it that you have no faith?”

How can they be so afraid while Jesus is in the boat? The answer is the same for us today; we look at the storm instead of trusting in our Savior. While we try all that we know to make it through the trials of life, Jesus is teaching us to rest in the midst of the storm. While running the race for Jesus, we must learn to rest while we live for God. Rest is not merely a vacation, relaxing on a beach somewhere, but it is taking our ease in Jesus, relaxed in His finished work.

How can they have no faith with Jesus in the boat? Jesus’ question about their faith is not to condemn them, but to cause them to take spiritual inventory in their own lives to find out how much they trust Him. When we exhibit faith, we are showing forth an attitude of “taking” from God. With much faith, we take much, like the centurion who said, “Speak the word and my servant will be healed”. Jesus called this “great faith” (Matthew 8:5-10). With little faith, we take very little, which is what the disciples have in the boat.

When you face the storms of life, turn to your Savior. Why waste one more moment focusing on a storm that you cannot remove when you could be resting next to Jesus? Resting in Christ is not as easy as it sounds because the storm will seem overwhelming, so make it your goal for this day and every day. Paul called it labor to enter into rest (Hebrews 4:11) because it will take your focus, so place your faith in Him today, and know that the Master always cares for you.

The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), and what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” is part of what resulted from that lesson. We know that He did not intend for us to pray this prayer word for word on a daily basis, for He had just finished saying, “When you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). Instead, Jesus lays out a pattern for prayer, which each believer would do well to follow, for it shows us important insights into what prayer can and should accomplish.

“Our Father which art in heaven” – He is our Father, and we have the right to call Him that. Paul goes so far as to say that we can now call Him, “Abba” which means, “Daddy” (Romans 8:15). This is a privilege of close relationship that we should take advantage of often.

“Hallowed be thy name” – The Greek word for “hallowed” is only used twice in the New Testament, and both times in the Lord’s Prayer. It is more commonly rendered, “sanctify” which is to purify and set apart. This is the equivalent of praying in the name of Jesus, for there is no name as powerful as that of our God.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – God’s kingdom has come in part by the death of Christ on Calvary, so we need never pray that His work be repeated, but His future kingdom is yet to come, so praying for His return is to anticipate as much (Revelation 22:20). His will is what we aim for in our prayers and in our lives, so it should always be sought out when we pray.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Jesus is our bread (John 6:35), and if we eat Him, we shall have His life (6:57). Let’s not wait until Sunday service to eat this bread of life, when we can have Him every day.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” – Having accepted forgiveness of sins by the blood of Jesus, we need never again pray this prayer. We have no debts, for Jesus paid our debts with His life. Under law, forgiveness is based on us having a like spirit of forgiveness, but under grace it is given for Christ’s sake (Ephesians 4:32), and now we forgive not to be forgiven, but because we have been forgiven.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” – Temptations are not always opportunities to get us to sin. These types of temptations are actually never from God, as He can tempt no man with evil (James 1:13). Temptations are also testings which Jesus tells us to pray that we do not have to go through. The Holy Spirit within us teaches us all things (1 John 2:27), so pray that you need not go through the tests of this world.

“For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” – Start the prayer with praise, and end it with praise, for He is worthy. Simple acknowledgment of who He is will bring strength into your life, for the Holy Spirit within you will identify you as being His child and a recipient of all of His benefits.

The Valley of Decision

Joel 3:14

This scripture is actually a prophetic one, dealing with the condition of the world when Jesus returns to the battle of Armageddon, but I think that we can see a modern application as well. The Hebrew word used for “decision” is “kharuts” and it is often rendered “trench, mote, or ditch”. The valley that God is inviting the heathen into will ultimately be their doom, or literally the ditch that buries them in the Day of the Lord.

In our day and time, prior to the great battle that is to come, there are still multitudes in the valley of decision. Life has thrown them more than one curve, and they find themselves wondering what to do next and where to turn. In these moments of decision, it is important to remember a few key things about valleys.

First, valleys come between mountains. One each side of a valley is a mountain, and these can represent very difficult times in our lives as well as high points of success. You have already been through an enormous amount with your previous mountains, but there are more to come. Think back on what you have come through and what it taught you. How might yesterday's mountain help you in today’s valley?

Secondly, valleys are fertile ground, good for growing a harvest. No crop grows on the mountain, but the best of the best find root in the rich valley. The greatness that takes us up the next mountain was birthed in the soil of the previous valley. We know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45), so we cannot assume that valleys are all bad or are all from God. We go through them, and we are better on the other side.

Finally, the valley is always temporary, and you are never alone. Remember that the Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalm 23) shows the shepherd leading the sheep beside green grass and still waters, but then suddenly we are in the valley of the shadow of death. The shepherd did not lead us there, but we are there anyhow. Sometimes we find ourselves in a tough spot, but our shepherd is always somewhere nearby, keeping a close watch on us.

There was once a little boy who lived deep in the forest with only his father. When it came time for the boy to begin school, he begged his father not to make him go, for he had to walk several miles one way through the forest, and he was terrified that bears were going to hunt him. The father forced the boy to go, telling him that he would be just fine and not to worry. That didn’t help the boy at all as he set out for school shaking with terror.

Every day as he walked along the path, the boy heard sounds in the brush that sounded like footsteps. One day, while heading home from school, his worst nightmare came true. Standing in front of him was a huge bear with teeth bared. The boy closed his eyes and prepared to be dinner for the bear when he heard a shot ring out in the woods. The big bear crashed to the ground just feet in front of the boy, sparing him from certain death. The boy began to cry big tears as his father came running out of the woods carrying a rifle. “I told you there were bears in these woods and you wouldn’t listen! It’s a good thing you were out here hunting or that bear would have killed me” he yelled at his father. Embracing the boy, the father reassured him, “Son, I wasn’t out hunting. I watch you from the woods every day to see that you get to and from school safely. The sounds that you hear in the brush are always me, just making sure that you are okay”.

The Lord Prefers Mercy

Hosea 6:6

Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees concerning His eating with publicans and sinners. He responded that the healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick do (Matthew 9:12). He then challenged those Pharisees to “go ye and learn what that meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice’: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (9:13).

The passage that Jesus is challenging them to go and learn is found in the Old Testament book of Hosea, and it is an indicator as to the nature of God. The default position for God has never been judgment, but rather, it has always been mercy. When Adam sinned in Eden, God could have killed him outright or worse yet, he could have let him remain in the Garden to eat the Tree of Life and live forever in a fallen state. God’s mercy kept Adam from that terrible fate, and then went with him to sojourn the earth.

When God dealt with Abraham, He showed him constant mercy, even though Abraham brought along his nephew Lot, and lied to Abimelech about his wife, as well as to Pharaoh. God gave him endless mercy, for that is the heart of God.

God has always desired to show mercy over the offering of sacrifices, but few men could see that through their blind lust to attempt to do the right thing by their own power. When David sinned with Bathsheba, the prayer that resulted from that terrible sin of adultery was one of faith and hope in a better covenant. The normal method for receiving forgiveness of sins was to slaughter a lamb and offer its blood as atonement for one’s sins, but David bypasses this method, stating, “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:16, 17). There was not a single scripture to indicate to David that God wanted anything but sacrifice, but his heart of faith knew that it was not the heartbeat of his loving Father to prefer anything but mercy.

God desires mercy over sacrifice because mercy speaks of relationship, while sacrifice speaks of religion. For a merciful exchange, there is an intimate relationship that results, while a sacrifice is a ritualistic, religious practice that needs only obedience but no emotional attachment. In other words, anyone can offer up a sacrifice with no change of heart, but God wants to know His children. Mercy is for those that you know, while sacrifice is for those that you wish to know. We have a greater relationship with our Daddy God than to just “want to know”.

Apparently, the Pharisees ignore Jesus’ request to study the book of Hosea, for He says the same thing to them a few chapters later when they accuse the disciples of doing unlawful things on the Sabbath day. “But if ye had known what this meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless’” (Matthew 12:7).

Thank God for His mercy and goodness toward us! Let’s not be accused of the same apathy as the Pharisees. Let us study to show ourselves approved and find out what it means when Jesus says “I prefer mercy and not sacrifice”.

The Fourth Man in the Fire

Daniel 3:25

The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were to be thrown into a furnace of fire for refusing to bow down to an image of gold that the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar had fashioned. When confronted by the king regarding their refusal to bow they stated, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter” (Daniel 3:16). In other words, “we know what to say, and we don’t even have to think about it”. Their response is one of glorious faith:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17, 18).

These young men were placing their faith on God’s ability to deliver them from the burning fiery furnace, and also from the hand of the king. The “but if not” that they use is not them doubting that God will deliver them, but is rather a follow-up to their opening statement, “If it be so”. If the king is true to his word and throws them in the furnace then they believe that God will deliver them. If the king is not true to his word and he does not throw them in, they are warning him in advance, they are NOT going to bow.

You have to love both the resolve and the faith of these three young men. Not only do they trust the Lord’s ability to supernaturally rescue them from flames of fire, but they also believe that he is going to take them out of the vengeful hand of the king. They had a blessed assurance in their hearts, for over 150 years before; the Lord had spoken these words through the prophet Isaiah:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overtake thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:2)

With that in mind, the three Hebrew boys are taken to the mouth of the furnace, which is now burning 7 times hotter than it was before. When the men take them to the door of the furnace, the flames grab the soldiers and kill them (Daniel 3:22). Knowing that their God was going to deliver them, why didn’t Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego simply turn around and walk away at this point? There is no one to throw them into the flames. I cannot help but believe that they went forward into the flames because of what they saw inside.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto the counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said unto the king, ‘True, O king’. He answered and said, ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God’”. (Daniel 3:24, 25)

If I looked in the furnace and saw Jesus, I think I might walk forward as well! No matter what you go through, your Jesus will meet you in the midst and set you free from the chains that bind you. Whatever your situation, just look for Jesus in the midst of it, and you will always find Him there.

Sour Grapes

Ezekiel 18:2-4

In a previous devotion, we dealt with what Paul called “old wives’ fables”. We briefly covered this passage from Ezekiel, dealing with the fathers eating sour grapes and then the children’s teeth being set on edge. I want to look at it with a bit more detail, to show you something great that Jesus accomplished for us.

First, the theme for this proverb begins at Mt. Sinai while God is giving the law to Moses, and he tells him, “I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exodus 20:5). This promise from God was to those who walked in sin, with the guarantee that He would send down punishment upon the children for what the father’s had done. Some in the church call these “generational curses”.

The parable first surfaces in Jeremiah 31:29, 30, where we see the fathers having “eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. By the time Ezekiel tells of the proverb, they have eaten “grapes”, denoting more than one. Sin always increases, both in scope and in size.

In Jeremiah, God says that “they shall say no more” regarding this proverb and Ezekiel says, “ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel”. Something is going to transpire that will cause the principle of the fathers partaking in sin and the children reaping the punishment to change.

Jeremiah goes on to say that the time when this saying will be used no more will also feature the LORD putting His law, “in their inward parts” and writing it, “in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). He also promises that He will “forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more” (verse 34). Fortunately for us, we know when this time period is, as the author of Hebrews quotes this passage when he tells us that Jesus Christ took away the first covenant, “that he may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9-18). We are living in that New Covenant now, so the father’s eating the sour grapes and the children paying the price for it can no longer apply!

It is not enough to say that this time period is simply over with. What caused this parable to be rendered obsolete? To find the answer, we must take a look at Christ on the cross. John tells us that, “Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, ‘I thirst’” (John 19:28). Jesus has done everything up to this point that He needs to do in order to redeem mankind, but there remains one thing left to be done. When He says that He is thirsty, they fill a sponge full of vinegar and lift it up to Jesus’ mouth, which he drinks.

The word ‘vinegar’ is the Greek word “oxos” and it means ‘sour wine’. Jesus had to receive the sour wine willingly, which verse 30 tells us that He did. When He drank it, He was drinking all of our sour wine or the “sour grapes” of our sins. He took the sour wine so that our teeth would never be set on edge. Because He bore the iniquity, we have no repercussions. Hallelujah!
There is no generational curse hanging over you dearly beloved. Jesus took all things at the cross so that you would not have to. After drinking the sour wine, He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Thank God, it truly is.