Monthly Archives: November 2015

Jesus & God in Healing (part 2)

Back to those inconsistencies I grew up with. I remember thinking that somehow Jesus & God had different roles to play. I could read the Bible and see what Jesus did, but somehow that was separate from what God did.

When someone we knew was diagnosed with a disease or suffered a debilitating condition, I remember hearing older people say things like, “that’s the way life goes” or “God works in mysterious ways” or “I don’t understand it now, but there’s a reason for the sickness”. I did not grow up in a belief system that held out hope and faith that God is good and doesn’t want people to be sick. As a result, the belief system that developed in me was more the opposite: that God intentionally gives people diseases or, if he’s not giving them directly, he’s not able or willing to change the condition.

So much of Jesus’ life and activity was spent healing those who were sick, lame, blind or deaf. The gospels give several summary statements about Jesus ministry and how he healed the multitudes (Mt 4.23f, 9.35; Lk 6.18). He healed because he had compassion (Mk 1.40-42 ), he healed to demonstrate he had authority to forgive sin (Lk 5.18-25), he healed to release people from the bondage of sickness (Lk 13.11-13 ;Jn 5.6), he healed simply because people requested it (Mt 9.19; Mk 10.51), he healed to demonstrate the present reality of his Kingdom (Mt 8.5-13, 12.28; Lk 6.22-23) and Jesus healed because he and Father are one and the same (Jn 14.11).

I was always happy with the first few reasons – because this was Jesus and healing is just a part of what he did. But I remember the first time I heard the idea that God is good and doesn’t want people to be sick – I recall getting defensive, even argumentative. I could agree that God is good but I didn’t know what to do with the idea he doesn’t want people sick. Hadn’t I learned all along that people get sick, suffer with disease and people in the church simply put it down to God’s purposes? Wasn’t it commonly understood that all things happen for a purpose and if someone gets a diagnosis it will work out for their good?

These are the conclusion I had come to. But I was now being presented with a conflicting idea and the more I investigated Jesus’ life and what the Bible reveals, I realised that my conclusions were very far away from what I was discovering in the Bible.

It all boiled down to this question: If Jesus healed the sick, how could God be the one making people sick? Jesus said that one of the reasons for healing was to reveal the nature and heart of God (Jn 10.38), then how could God be the one who is making people sick? If Jesus is the exact representation of God (Hb 1.3) then it doesn’t make sense that Jesus would go around healing if God is the one making people sick.

If Jesus only did what he saw the Father do and only said what he heard the Father say (Jn 5.19), then that meant Jesus ‘saw’ that the heart of God was to heal the sick. Jesus even said on a few occasions that he healed so people would know God sent him (Jn 11.42). Never once did Jesus tell someone that he wouldn’t be able to heal them because the particular condition had been given to them by the Father. Jesus and God are not playing out a ‘good-cop, bad-cop’ routine. They are completely united and in total agreement. They are genuinely good.

Jesus & God in Healing (part 1)

Another image of God that I picked up somewhere along the way is the idea that people get sick either because God gives it to them or, at the very least, he allows it in order for them to learn something to make them better people. But, if the author of Hebrews is correct, Jesus is the perfect representation of God and no matter how hard I looked, I simply could not find anywhere in the life of Jesus where he told people that the sickness they had would make them better people. Again, I see the opposite.

Jesus actually healed everyone who asked him for healing. Everyone who asked. Not once did Jesus tell somebody that the disease they were suffering with was sent to them by God in order to build their character, help them be a better person, teach them patience, bring their family closer or to die with dignity. Yet, for so much of my life, I’ve heard Christians give reasons like these to explain why people get sick.

When we talk about healing from a Christian perspective I think its essential that we talk about it from the example and teaching of Jesus. Too often healing is discussed from our point of view – and that isn’t always the most biblical. It is important that we stop to consider from where we form our beliefs. Where do your beliefs about healing come from? Have you arrived at those beliefs through studying the Scriptures? Or are your beliefs about healing arrived at through your personal experience?

I’m not saying I have all the answers. In no way do I have it all figured out. But I am sure about one thing: Jesus healed everyone who came to him requesting healing – he even went to heal people who didn’t ask him for healing! Not once did Jesus turn someone away. Never did he tell someone to get their act together before he would heal them. Never did he tell someone to get used to the disease because it was the ‘cross they were to carry’ or that it would make them a better person. His only response to disease and physical ailments was to get rid of them by healing the person who was sick.

Jesus and God (Part 2)

The more I learn about Jesus and his relationship with God I am surprised that I ever had an idea that they were so different.

Jesus was with God in the very beginning and through him all things were created. But Jesus was humble enough to willingly set aside his divinity in order to be born as a man. In his human-ness he was able to live and identify all the aspects of the human condition, yet he remained without sin. How was he able to live without sinning? He maintained a relationship with God. As a young man he grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with both people and with God.

Jesus matured into manhood living a life of perfect relationship with God. His relationship with God was so close that he repeatedly told people “If you have seen me you have seen the Father” and ” I and the Father are one”. But this didn’t just come from Jesus. On three different occasions God spoke in a voice that others could hear, telling people that he was proud of his son, Jesus (Mt 3.17, 17.5; Jn 12.28).

Jesus wanted so much to retain his relationship with God that he would often spend long blocks of time away from other people so he could pray and spend time alone with his Father. Through that close-knit bond between them, Jesus knew the heart of God and wanted only to please him. He said that his ‘food’ is to do the will of the one who sent him (Jn 4.34). As a result God honoured Jesus and “was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Col 1.19; 2.9).

So, when we talk about Jesus being the exact representation of God, it is because Jesus – as a man – was more interested in living to please God than to please himself. His desire to please God and to mirror the heart of God to people, meant that he only did what he saw the Father do, and said what he heard the Father say (Jn 5.19). This perfect obedience in a relationship of love is what made it possible for him to exactly (link to post) and precisely reflect and represent the heart, nature and character of God.

Jesus and God (Part 1)

I grew up in a church culture. My parents took me to church but we weren’t a radical family by any standards. The extent of our Christian experience was on developing biblical values and morals. Like many people, even though I went to church and ‘Sunday School’ somewhere along the line I learned to believe that Jesus and God were two different people with two different roles. God, was the bearded old man with a cranky demeanour, impatiently putting up with people and flinging lightning bolts to zap anyone who stepped out of line. But Jesus was the nice guy who seemed to care about people.

I can’t remember ever being told anything like the above, but somehow, in child-like perceptions I developed that understanding between Jesus and God.

Possibly the most important step in my understanding of the relationship between Jesus and God I discovered in Hebrews 1:3 which says, “…Jesus is the exact representation of God.” Another   translation replaces the word exact with perfect. Jesus is the perfect representation of God.

…exact….perfect… these words indicate a precise completeness; a sameness; more than a mirror image or a carbon copy – but actually the same in essence and personhood.

Understood in this way, this means that when I look at the person of Jesus I’m actually seeing an exact representation of the person of God. Jesus’ life gives me an insight and perspective on the very character and nature of God. So, the recurring image I have in my head of God as a Zeus-like old man with a lightning rod ready to zap people for doing something wrong – where did that come from? I certainly don’t see that represented in the life of Jesus. In fact, I see the opposite.

Jesus had time for people – all people, and he seemed to be genuinely liked by the crowds. The non-religious wanted to hang out with him. In fact, he was accused of spending too much time with those deemed less-than-suitable but Jesus ignored those religious rules & traditions. He demonstrated compassion and he healed the sick and oppressed. He lived a humble life modelling what he taught and invited people to follow him in his Kingdom lifestyle.

The representation of God exemplified in the life of Jesus is not the characterisation of God I grew up with. When it becomes clear that my thoughts about God are different to what the Bible reveals, I have a choice to make: do I continue on with this incorrect assumption about the nature and character of God or do I study what the Scriptures teach about God in order to change my understanding of who God is?

God is Good

God really is good.  The misconceptions our society has about God have come from so many ways in which he has been misrepresented through the ages.  Many people in positions of authority have taught directly, or indirectly through the example of their lifestyle, that God is something other than good, loving, generous, gracious or kind.  As a result, most people, even in the Church, have a level of discomfort or confusion about the idea that God is good.

If we say, “God is love”,  most people would accept this and agree to it without much thought. Why is this so?  Because we have been taught the theological principle that God is love.  A somewhat unsettling thought is that we could actually be stating our agreement merely because we have grown up hearing this theological principle so often we’ve accepted it as fact without actually growing to believe it.

Love and goodness are connected.  If someone loves you, they will be good to you.  They will look after your well-being, they will be concerned for your safety, they will want good things for you.  So, in this discussion about God’s goodness, how is it that we can have a distinction between his love (which most people generally accept) and his goodness?  If God is Love then he also is Good.

Could it be that we have not experienced God for who he really is?  Is it possible that we have based our understanding of God on what other people have told us or demonstrated to us, rather than on our own search into his character and nature?  Perhaps it’s time to look into it for ourselves.

The Man With a Shrivelled Hand

One Sabbath day Jesus was teaching in the Synagogue and saw a man whose hand was shrivelled.  I’m not sure what a shrivelled hand looks like. The Greek word used in this sentence is Xaraino (Zay-ra-eeno) and its meaning is to dry up, to wither, to waste away.

I have a picture in my head of a hand with fingers somehow curled up and locked into an unusable position with the palm of the hand squeezed together with the base of the thumb forced inward toward the palm. Withered. Unusable. Wasting away.

All through the Bible, we see instances where Jesus healed the multitudes and all who came to him. In this situation he does something a little unusual. He doesn’t simply heal the man; he first asks a question of the religious leaders who were present.

“What is lawful on the Sabbath; to do good or to do evil? To save a life or to kill?” In their silence Jesus was angry and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts and told the man to stretch out his hand – which he did to the astonishment of everyone in the room. The man’s hand that just a few moments ago was withered and wasting away is now being stretched out, with life once again pulsating through the muscles, tendons, nerves and joints.

The context of the passage is dealing with the religious leaders who were more concerned with keeping their man-made tradition than they were concerned about the good of the people. By asking the question, Jesus exposed their stubbornness in front of everyone. But, his question did more than simply embarrass the religious leaders.

Everyone knows the answer to the question Jesus asked. To do good is always a better option than to do evil and to save a life is always better than to kill. These questions don’t even require consideration from any right-thinking person. So why did Jesus ask the question?

Through his question, he made clear that there is a connection between doing good and saving a life. To do good is to act in such a way that brings hope, invites promise or demonstrates righteousness. This type of action is life-giving in the spiritual sense as well as in the tangible, physical sense.

Conversely, there is a connection between choosing evil and killing. To do evil is to act in such a way that steals, inhibits righteousness or oppresses others. Even if there is no overtly evil deed, a decision not to act for good when you have the power to do so, is still an action. And this in-action is the opposite of goodness; it robs life and, over time, it kills.

To do good or to do evil? To save a life or to kill? Each action is a result of a choice.

But this question seems a bit too heady, too deep, almost over the top for the situation. The religious leaders had been teaching for strict adherence to their laws around keeping the Sabbath holy. Surely, they weren’t trying to kill anyone, all they were trying to do was keep people in line – even if it was through an unreasonable & overbearing approach.

But, in a way that only Jesus is able to do, he cuts through all the smokescreens and religious double-talk and gets right to the heart of the matter. To choose not to do good is just as evil as an overt act of evil.

Throughout his ministry Jesus consistently stated that one of the reasons he came was to do good and to save. He said that he came to give life in abundance, but the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10.10). When speaking to Cornelius in Acts 10, the disciple Peter made a statement about Jesus that summarises this point. Peter describes Jesus as going around “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil because God was with him” (Acts 10.38).

So the reason behind Jesus’ question becomes even more clear when we look at the context of Jesus’ teaching and ministry. Jesus came to bring life. Healing the man’s hand was a demonstration of goodness and life.

Another important element in the context of Jesus’ ministry is that he taught, and expected, his followers to continue in his mission.

Which is better; to do good and save a life, or to do evil and kill?

Fullness Measured by Overflow

In the Kingdom of God things are measured and accounted for differently than they are in the ‘natural’.

In the natural, the more things you hold onto the more you retain. But in the Kingdom, the more you give away what you have, the more you get in return.

When I hear the expression that someone is full of the Holy Spirit, my mind often creates an image of a tall glass or jug that is so full of liquid that it can’t be picked up without spilling. When I was a kid, I remember testing my skills at seeing how much milk I could pour into a glass without it spilling over. This usually ended up with me cleaning up spills after being reminded by my mother of the waste and mess caused by my experiments.

When we think of being ‘full’ after eating a big meal the meaning behind what we’re saying is that we need to stop eating or we’ll make ourselves sick.

When I put fuel into my car to fill up the tank I want to be careful to stop when the tank is full or the fuel will splash out of the tank and be wasted.

In these examples fullness always has a limit. Fullness usually stops short of being completely full, because if it exceeds the limits of the container there are negative consequences. To cater for this, most containers are now manufactured with a safe “fill-level” so the contents of the container do not come into risk of damage, waste or cause the container to become over pressurised.

How much of this type of thinking has affected the way I understand what it means to be full of Holy Spirit?  Do I unconsciously put limits on what it means to be filled with Holy Spirit?  Do I somehow put restrictions on Holy Spirit and reduce the fill-level that can be achieved within me?

The Bible doesn’t seem concerned with the concept of over-filling, but refers to fullness in an unlimited way.  For instance, Jesus came to give life in abundance (Jn 10.10). But what does this abundance look like? How do we move from a mind-set of restriction to a mind-set of potential and abundant provision?

But the Bible takes the idea of abundance a step further. In Luke 6, Jesus speaks of the overflow that we receive when we obey his teaching and ‘give away’ what we’ve learned.

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down shaken together and overflowing will be poured onto your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6.38).

The context is in reference to our willingness to forgive others and in doing so, we will receive mercy. But understood within the concept of overflow we begin to see that God is revealing to us a principle of his Kingdom: The more we give what God has given us, the more he gives us in return (Mk 10.29-30).

When we wisely use what God has given, he rewards us with an astounding level of increased blessing and responsibility (Lk 19.17).

When we choose to seek first His Kingdom and his righteousness, even to the extent of forsaking deep, personal and emotional ties, we will receive a multiple benefits of his Kingdom in this life.

God’s generous nature and willingness to be extravagant is shown in numerous examples throughout Scripture. When God gives, he does so with extreme generosity.   When he gives, he watches to see how we will put his gifts to use – and he is ready to give even more as we do.

So, when I think of being full of Holy Spirit, I’m learning not to think in terms of restriction. I’m learning to believe that fullness of Holy Spirit is measured by the overflow. How much of Holy Spirit am I able to contain? Well, that depends on how much of Holy Spirit I am able to give away.

If I give love and peace to others – even those who are not extending love and peace to me – the promise is that God will fill me with an even greater experience of his love and peace. If I am kind and gentle to others, the promise is that God will give me an increase in kindness and gentleness. This regular flow of the characteristics of God’s nature alters my own make up, transforming my character so that, through my participation with him, I am being changed into his likeness.

If I am regularly pursuing him for the infilling of his Spirit, then I have more of him to give away. The more I give of what he’s given me, the more he continues to give – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing being poured into my lap.

 

Sean Copeland  01/Nov/15