Seeking Jesus: Our Journey to Easter 2010
Luke 5:17-26
February 14, 2010
Picture of Obama Campaign
I realize just showing this picture may be a little controversial. But I remember watching during the campaign. People came from all around. People saying they want change.
Picture of Campaign with Change and Hope
Some have feelings of hope. Some longing for change. Some were asking – who is this guy? Some were having their doubts. Whether you supported Obama or not, the thing is people always long for real hope. People long for change. People long for freedom from their circumstances. They think, “If only certain things would change, then life would be so much better.”
The problem is that we often turn to so many things that don’t provide the answer. We fail to realize and understand the real issue in our lives and in our world.
In Luke 5, Jesus had a ministry that was making the headlines. Crowds of people were coming from all around. The blind would see. The deaf would hear. The mute would speak. Those who were sick were healed. People were hearing about all of these incredible things. The people of Israel longed to be free from the Romans. Some were wondering if Jesus was the Messiah who they believed would rescue them.
People were coming to be healed. People were coming to hear Jesus speak. People were coming to see what he would do next. Some were coming to find out more. They were wondering: Who is this person? What is he really about?
15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.
People were thinking if only things would change, then life would be so much better. If only Jesus would heal me? If only Jesus would set us free from the Romans? If only…
For the first time the book of Luke, here in chapter 5, some of the main religious leaders show up. The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. These were the religious leaders who focused on how the Jewish people should live. They had rules, they made the rules, and they made sure everyone obeyed the rules.
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.
They were observing Jesus. Jesus was surrounded by so many people. Jesus realized the importance of addressing the real issue. The reason why he came.
Valentine’s Day
*Need: table, box of candy, empty heart box, trash can
Just in case any guys forget, Valentine’s Day is today. I decided that I was going to be on top of things this year. This is one of those holidays that I forget. Tami likes chocolate. Normally if I were going to get her some chocolate for Valentine’s Day, I would just get the box, but this year I thought I wanted to really make it special.
I need some help though. (kid, teen, adult) – (Jenn has box with candy – I have empty box.)
You see I know that when you get a box of chocolates, there are really only certain ones that Tami likes. They all look good, but so often there are chocolates with not so great stuff inside. Some are disgusting. What’s on the inside matters. I know that some of her favorites are the ones with caramel inside.
This year I thought it would be great to fill a box with caramel and maybe a few others that are good inside. Only the good ones make the box I am going to give her. I figure the best way to do that would be to find out what is inside. We need to test them.
(*start taking bites and filling a box with caramel chocolates and any that are really good).
You know I will finish this later. This is a great start. She is going to love this. Best Valentine’s Day ever.
What is in on the inside really does matter. The same is true with us. The inside matters. Dealing with sin matters. Jesus didn’t just come to heal, or to deal with the outside. So with the crowds surrounding Jesus and the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law observing, Jesus uses an opportunity to address the real issue that we all need to address. It was a teaching moment to address the real reason why He came and who He really was.
Jenn
18-20Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
People from all around had come to get close to Jesus, including a paralyzed man and his four friends. They were determined to see Jesus! We don’t know much about the paralyzed man. We don’t know if the man had been paralyzed from birth, or if it was an accident that had just happened. It may be that the man had been to other doctors and healers, and nothing else had worked. In those days, many believed that sickness was a result of sin, and it is very possible that the man was consumed with guilt and shame over his paralysis. All we do know is that he was desperate to be healed. The determination of the four men to get the paralyzed man to Jesus suggests that his condition was indeed, desperate.
They knew this might be their only chance … Jesus didn’t often stay in one place long. So with people overflowing the house, the friends created a desperate plot. The man and his friends knew that their only hope was Jesus—and this was their chance.
Imagine this. . .They climbed up on the roof—most houses in that day had a flat roof made of clay with branches laid on top. You could get to these roofs by stairs from the outside. It was kind of like a first century version of a fire escape. But think about what it would be like to carry someone up a fire escape—it wouldn’t be easy. Remember, their friend couldn’t walk!
And so they get up on the roof and they don’t see any way in … up there either. Many houses in that day had access from inside the house to the roof, but this one didn’t. They decided they were going to have to go THOUGH the roof.
I am sure it started out with just a noise on the roof, probably un-noticed as Jesus was teaching the crowd. But soon, they could see dust in the air, and finally, the clay, wood and branches that roofs of that day were made began falling on the crowd.
People in an already over-crowded room pressed toward the walls, opening a space, it says in verse 19, for them to “lower him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”
**The man was lowered right in front of Jesus—he got right where he wanted to be. And, verse 20 tells us that, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
I’m not sure that this is what the paralyzed man was going for. He wanted physical healing, but Jesus saw straight through to this man’s real need. This man had a greater need spiritually than he did physically. This man needed spiritual healing, so Jesus forgave sins. His body was paralyzed, but more importantly, his spirit was paralyzed.
And it’s really the same with us. We are all paralyzed by sin.
Our real need is spiritual healing.
Scripture tells us in Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
God created us from the dust of the earth. And, we were created to be in relationship with God. But, because of sin we were separated from God and condemned to die—to return to dust. (Because of sin there is death. Because of sin, we now have sickness, war, hatred….)
Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
We are paralyzed by sin.
This is what Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent is all about. It is a time for us to remember that we are all in need of forgiveness—that we are desperate for a Savior. And, It is a time for us to remember that Jesus is our only HOPE.
Our only hope is Jesus.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The good news this morning is that the gift of God is for us, too! Jesus offers the same forgiveness to everyone who believes.
Jesus could heal the body of the paralyzed man, but that was not the point of his ministry. That was not why he came. Instead, Jesus said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.” Jesus speaks to the man’s spiritual condition. Spiritual health is more important than a perfect, healthy body.
Tevis
The man may have needed to hear that he was forgiven, but his physical condition was still unchanged. Jesus could have left at this point. If Jesus had only forgiven the man's sins and sent him back through the roof, that would have been enough. However, if Jesus had healed his body and had not dealt with his sin, the man would have been ultimately worse off.
When we read the story of Jesus, we often think of the religious leaders like the Pharisees and teachers of the Law as the bad guys. They are usually opposing Jesus. They seem to be at every turn ready to confront Jesus. But one thing that is important for you to understand is that they took God and their beliefs very seriously. Because there is the other side of things – people who don’t take God and their beliefs serious enough. One main thing they believed about God was that God was the one who forgives sins.
So when Jesus looks at this man and says, “Friend, I forgive your sins” that got their attention. That challenged their belief system. It challenged everything they were about. For them, only God forgives sins. When Jesus said, “I forgive your sins,” they understood what Jesus was really saying. Jesus was claiming to be God. Jesus was saying that He was God.
21That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."
They now become so focused on what Jesus just said rather than who Jesus is and what He came to do. So Jesus calls them out on it.
22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'?
Don’t miss this. Because we can get so caught up in rules, going through the motions, coming to church (check that off our list – must be more than time here), that we miss who Jesus is. We miss why he really came.
Illustration: That is why we challenged you to start making your relationship with God personal. Start spending time with Jesus each day. (Making it Personal – responses from some who starting taking time each day to read Scripture and pray)
We miss the personal relationship with God that Jesus provides. We miss how he wants to transform our lives.
I think we can get so caught up in our life circumstances, our physical conditions, that we miss Jesus. We are like so many in the crowd, that we just want Jesus to do something for us. Just help me get out of this situation. Just help my friend, the person I care about, just help me at school, help me get a good grade, help me to win the game, just help my parents, just help my child, just help our finances, get me a job. All of those things may be incredibly important. But we can get so focused on life, that we miss Jesus, who He is, what He is really about, what He can do in our lives.
So Jesus looks at these religious leaders, and basically says, “I want to be clear about who I am. I can forgive sins or I can heal physically or I can do both.”
Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home."
Jesus backs up forgiveness with His power. Anyone can say “forgive,” but Jesus shows He is God by what He does.
Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"
The man gets up and walks. He worships God and the people worship God. They had never seen anything like this.
Jesus has the power to meet our every need. He knows just what we need. But our spiritual need is so much more important than our physical need.
I think it is interesting that Jesus was so impressed by the belief of the man’s friends. Verse 20:
Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
Jesus responded to their faith. It almost even sounds like it was the faith of the man’s friends that was so important here. Thank goodness this man had friends who never gave up on him. Thank goodness he had friends who were desperate to get to Jesus. Thank goodness the man had friends who were willing to do whatever they needed to be near Jesus.
Faith matters. Our faith matters - not only for us, but also for others.
What is it you are facing? What is it you are struggling with right now? Sickness, decision, family issue, marriage, depression, something at school, job, financial issue. Your faith matters. Do you need to get to Jesus?
Is there someone you know that needs to get to Jesus? Your faith matters. Don’t give up.
Jesus meets spiritual needs. He meets physical needs. He can meet your needs and the needs of those you are care about. Jesus knows just what a person needs.
But maybe the real question today is: How desperate are you to get to Jesus?
How desperate are you?
How are you seeking Jesus?
The Lent season is all about seeking Jesus. Not about Lentil soup or lint from your socks. It is about realizing we desperately need Jesus. Our real issue is a sin issue. Our only hope is Jesus. We need His forgiveness. It is about so desperately seeking him that we make changes.
So as we look to Easter and the time when Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave enabling us to be forgiven and truly live, how will you seek Jesus?
For some, during the 40 days leading up to Easter that start on Ash Wednesday, they give up something to draw closer to God. They may fast from food or give up TV, the computer, their game system, pop, coffee – something that is important to them. Some people take on something new – spiritual disciplines like journaling, serving others, giving, praying, reading Scripture.
They use this time to look at habits, attitudes, behaviors that may need to change so that they can live more like Christ.
In your worship folder, you should find a card that says “Seeking Jesus: Our Journey to Easter.”
That card has information about Lent as well as some opportunities that we have designed to encourage you and your family to seek Jesus together.
- Ash Wednesday – already mentioned
- Acts of Service – come back to in just a moment
- Midweek Prayer time
- Lenten book club – for individuals who would like to read and discuss a book called “Revolution of Chracter” – living more like Christ
- Seek God for the City – book with daily Scripture readings for every day during Lent, prayers for different people in our city, and places to pray for around the world
– great tool for you and family to use – limited number of those available - even a children’s version
- Kids Guide and Project Deeper – versus to memorize, Scripture readings, ideas for prayer
- Holy Week – information
- www.newarknaz.org – click on Seeking Jesus: Our Journey to Easter
- Lenten website
- Acts of Service – We are inviting individuals and families to serve at a local ministry or organization during Lent. Give just a few hours. Several listed – Heartbeats, Licking County Aging Center, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Amy, our Food Pantry, Look Up Center, local schools…
o Serving opportunities - Acts of Service – children are able to serve at many of these. There are people from Newark Naz who are serving at these places. You can read all the details about these opportunities, age limits, types of projects and sign up through our website. Sign up and someone will contact you. You can also use a connection card.
o Imagine what it would look like if all of us would give a few hours to serve, serve as a family – what that would do for our community, what that would do for us to model that for our kids, what that might do for us spiritually as we serve and seek Jesus.
How desperate are you for Jesus? How are you seeking Jesus?
Prayer: Help us to seek Jesus. (facing, needs, spiritual, physical) You have the power to meet our needs. You know just what we need. You forgive. You are God. Jesus our only hope is in you.
Song: Jesus, Lover of my Soul
Send Out: May you desperately seek Jesus. Never give up. Allow Him to meet your need. Trust Him that he knows just what you need. May you see who Jesus really is and be transformed.