Home for the Holidays--Yeah Right! Dealing with Family Hurt During the Holidays (John 7:1-13 - The Feast of Tabernacles)

Have you ever gone camping with your family? As a child, camping was a wonderful time to be in natural settings without the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Fresh air, campfires, incredible food, sleeping in a tent--it doesn't get much better than that. I can still vividly remember playing Monopoly in a tent during a rainstorm or sitting by a fire with my dad. Memories such as these are strong and remain with us for a long time, if not forever.

 

The Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot in Hebrew, is like this--and so much more. It is an incredible Jewish festival and considered the greatest and most joyous. It is a special holiday time for family. In this festival, a family erects a tent structure in remembrance of their ancestors wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. They eat and sleep there for seven days. They laugh, sing, dance, and have fun. Sounds somewhat like our holiday time in the United States, doesn’t it?

 

We pick up this event in John 7:1-13 when Jesus was in His early thirties. His childhood memories of Sukkot had to have been strong for Him, too. He was longing to get away from the murderous religious leaders in Judea (vs. 1) and return to His home to be with His earthly family at Sukkot. Instead, His brothers wanted Him to go to Judea and prove Himself publicly rather than spend time alone with Him during this family holiday. What a horrible sentiment coming from His brothers. “Jesus, we would rather you go get yourself killed than be with us for the holiday.” I am sure that as Jesus refused their plan, they walked away grumbling insults, striking more hurt into the heart of the One who would be their Savior.

 
I will never forget the year my in-laws had me over for Thanksgiving, only to realize that I was the turkey they wanted to roast because of my new- found faith in Jesus. They did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and blamed the Spanish Inquisition on Him and anyone who professed to follow Him. I know I am not alone in this. There are many of you reading this who could share stories about family betrayal, especially during the holidays. Use those experiences to walk in the sandals of Jesus. Understand that Jesus knows first-hand what hurt like this is.  Know He longs to set up a tabernacle, light the campfire, spend intimate time in fellowship with you, and heal your heart.

   Jesus secretly went to the festival anyway and declared out loud, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!" Allow Jesus to heal your disappointments and quench the thirst of your soul. Then go and declare the living waters of Jesus to all the hurting souls you meet.

Jesus, LORD of Time and Space

John 4:46-54

John makes a point to remind us that Cana is the area of Jesus' first miracle, the turning of water into wine. Thus, connecting us with this next miracle, the healing of the official's son in nearby Capernaum. I believe John was a scientist at heart as he once again connects us with the fact that Jesus is LORD of both time and space (John 1:1-5). He turned the water into wine in a moment and healed a son miles away. He gives life in a instant and gives light around the world. Knowing that Jesus' power is limitless comforts me as I too, like this official, face things that are totally beyond my control.

I really get jazzed about scientific stuff. My favorite shows are shows like Nova and National Geographic. Curiosity is a gift from God and even as we get older, we should never loose that wonder and awe of God as we see the magnificent in creation. We should also apply that same gift of curiosity, wonder, and awe as we approach the Word of God. Each paragraph is packed with things to discover about us, our world, and our great God. Just as I get excited about the next episode of Nova, I should also get excited about each morning I get up and turn on His Word.

Jesus Christ, The Truth

Luke 23:1-25 and John 18:28-38

In John’s account, Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth.” This was in response to Jesus’ statement, “All who love truth recognize that what I say is true.” Pilate was at a crucial moment of truth in his life and even through Truth was standing right in front of him, he could not see or understand truth. Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” History tells us that Pilate never was “set free” and later committed suicide. The little history we have on Pilate tells us that before and after the trial of Jesus, Pilate’s life was tragic and pathetic. Pilate’s moment of historical fame is that he is the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus. Can you imagine being his child or grand child? It makes me stop and think what legacy am I leaving for my kids and their kids? Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” states that a great way to insure you leave a good legacy is to begin with the end in mind. In other words, what will my kids say about me when I pass from this life to the next. I hope they will say that my dad helped me to see and understand the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Luke 8:44 - 5th Installment, Healing in His Wings

The result of your Google search on “healing wings scripture” should of produced Malachi 4:2, “The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings....”  Every Jewish person knew this messianic prophecy. They had heard it from their earliest childhood recollection. Now, why was the act of the woman crawling through the crowd, determined to touch the hem of Jesus’ prayer shawl, a fulfilment of this prophecy. From the previous installments, you have discovered that it was a specific tassel she was wanting to touch called the zitzit. I gave you the hint, from my boyhood, of draping a towel over my shoulders and jumping off of things as if I had wings. Can you guess what the Hebrew word for wings is in Malachi 4:2? That’s right, It is zitzit. This woman believed Jesus to be the Sun of Righteousness, the Messiah, and He was in her town! She knew that if she could touch the zitzit (wings) of His prayer shawl, she would be healed! And, was she healed? She explained to Jesus that the moment she touched the zitzit, she was healed! At that very moment she declared to the crowd of her Jewish community and to generations to come that Jesus is the Messiah! Isn’t that powerful? After her explanation, Jesus declares to her that her faith has saved her and to go in peace. She receives both her healing and her salvation through her desperate act of faith declaring Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus pronounces her not just clean, but saved.  Do you think, as she was crawling through the crowd being stepped on and kicked in the head, she was concerned about her eternal security? No, all she was wanting was to be able to hold her babies in her lap again and lie down with her husband. How about Jairus? Was his mind on the eternal destiny of himself or his daughter? All he was wanting was that Jesus would save his only daughter, whom he loved and whom would carry on the family existence. When John the Baptist was in prison and sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he really was the Messiah, what was Jesus’ answer to John? Jesus replied, “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life....” When we come to Jesus in desperation and faith that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, Jesus not only saves us from the fires of hell, but gives us healing and complete restoration.  Salvation brings complete restoration of our lives in the here and now, not the hereafter.  Salvation is therefore both restoration and redemption, not just redemption. Salvation is not only about the forgiveness of our sins so that we can have eternal security, but also about being made whole. The prophet, Isaiah declares in his prophecy concerning the Messiah, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Luke 8:44 - 4th Installment, You Faith Has Made You Whole

Here’s the scene: This unclean woman was now hiding in the crowd surrounding Jesus. The crowd had obviously backed away from Jesus because He was looking for the person who touched Him. The woman, seeing that Jesus was determined to find her, threw herself down trembling at Jesus’ feet. I can hear the gasps of the crowd as some would of recognized her as someone who was unclean. Afraid of being punished for her crime, the woman immediately begins to explain her actions and declare that she is healed. Now the text does not reveal what her explanation was, however, it was sufficient for Jesus to declare that her faith had saved her. Some translations say healed, but most say “made whole” or “saved.” Declaring her now clean, Jesus says to her, “Go in peace.” As Jesus is declaring this, a person coming from Jairus’ home is telling Jairus his daughter has died. Twelve years earlier, this woman is declared unclean and loses her life the same year Jairus’ daughter is born. Twelve years later, as Jesus’ gives this woman’s life back to her, Jairus’ friend is declaring to him his daughter has died.  Was this a coincidence? Or, was God at work revealing to the world for generations to come that Jesus is His Son and Jesus is the Messiah? That salvation is not just about redemption, but also about restoration. The text does not reveal what was on the mind of Jairus, but if I was to guess, it was frustration and despair. Have you ever had to rush a son or daughter to the hospital knowing every second counted and you have to stop for a red light? Think of the despair that overwhelmed Jairus, when he realized it was too late. Jesus, hearing the news, turns to Jairus and says, “Don’t despair, just have faith” and then proceeds to his home and raises his daugher from the dead. Wow! Right here we have a powerful object lesson that was twelve years in the making! Don’t despair, just have faith.
    Have you discovered what Messianic Prophecy is being fulfilled here? Final hint for our next and last installment on this passage: When I was a boy, I would drape a towel over my shoulders to make imaginary wings for myself. Google these three words: healing wings scripture.

Next Installment: Monday, 9/19/2011 at 6:30 a.m. CST

Luke 8:44 - 3rd Installment, Who Touched Me?

We left off in the last installment where Jesus asks the question, “Who touched me?” This was a very specific question. Jesus said, “Who touched me?” not “Who bumped into me?” The text reports everyone denied it and Peter thinking he meant, “Who bumped into me” said, “Rabbi, this pressing crowd has been bumping into you?!” So, Jesus clarifies that he knows someone deliberately touched Him because He felt God’s healing power flowing out from Him. In the meantime, the woman who touched the zitzit of His prayer shawl, had stood back up, and was trying to hide herself among the crowd. When she realized Jesus was determined to find her, she fearfully threw herself back to the ground right in front of Him. Now, three new questions for next time: How was she able to throw herself to the ground in front of him when the crowd had been so pressing? What was she afraid of? And, what do you think was going on in the mind of Jairus? If you have not been able to answer the questions from the last installment, here are two more hints. Remember as a child when you would take a sheet or towel and drape it over your shoulders holding the corners, extending your arms out, and then jumping off things. What were you making out of the sheet or towel? Also, this prophet was not in the majors.

Next Installment: Thursday, 9/15 at 6:30 a.m. CST

Luke 8:44 - 2nd Installment, The Zitzit

Okay. Did you look up Jewish Prayer Shawl? If you did, you would of discovered that the fringe was on the ends of the shawl and on an average size Jewish male, this shawl would of extended between 35 and 40 inches from the shoulders on either side. Now, on the four lower corners of the shawl was a tassel, called the “Zitzit,” which extended another foot, approximately. So, this tassel would of been slightly below the knee. Now, what position would this woman have to be in to touch this tassel? Because, no doubt, this was the focus of her quest for healing. When you factor in all of the forensics, this woman would of had to be crawling up from behind. Now, why am I so certain that her focus was on a certain tassel and why am I so certain it was a prayer shawl? First, every rabbi wore one and Jesus did not break tradition, but fulfilled it. Secondly, this tassel represented a fulfillment of a prophecy about the Messiah. This is such good stuff! To every Jewish person, this tassel, the Zitzit, represented not only all of God’s commands, but also the Shema Yesrael, “Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” (Duet. 6:4). We now know the object of this woman’s quest and we know what position she was in.  So, how is this a fulfillment of prophecy about the messiah? Here is your research for the next installment. What Messianic prophecy is being fulfilled in this action by this woman? Hints: This prophecy is towards the end of the Old Testament. And, when extended out, what did this shawl look like?

Next Installment: Monday, 9/12 at 6:00 a.m. CST.

Take Up Your Cross - Luke 9:23-25

This passage of scripture, at first glance, is confusing. However, the revelation contained here is incredibly liberating. The underlying concept takes us back to our creation in the Garden. Man was originally created in the image of God, pure and holy (Genesis 1:26). We viewed God and all of creation with the focus and vision of the Creator. At the moment man gave way to the desire to dethrone God and put our image in His place (Genesis 3:6), we lost the life and vision of God and now saw God and all creation through our eyes instead of God's. Everyone now sees God and creation through the lens of themselves. Everything you see is perceived through your personality (self) which is a reality that we have created for ourselves. All of our perception goes through our experiences, prejudices, and preconceptions. In other words we see God and the world around us through our eyes and not God’s. Look at Genesis 3:7, “At that moment, their eyes were opened....” (emphasis mine). In the passage in Luke, Jesus tells us that the only way that we can regain the life and vision we had before the events of the fall (Genesis 3:6-7) is to give up our selfish ways, take up our cross daily (dying daily to self), and to follow Jesus. To have clear and pure vision once again, we must dethrone ourselves and put our Creator, Jesus Christ, back on it. We must no longer look at God, this world, and others through the perception of ourselves, but through the perception of Jesus. By doing this, your heart will be purged of all evil and selfish inclinations and become pure in our motives and actions towards God, creation, and others. You will begin to see the Glory of God all around you the way you were originally created to live and see. Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are those whose hearts and pure, for they will see God.”

The concept presented in this passage is huge and spans our history from Genesis until now. I am very interested in your thoughts, questions, and ideas concerning it.

Luke 8:44 - 1st Installment, Jairus and the unclean woman

I have been drawn to this story from the first time I heard it as a little boy in Sunday School. It fascinates me and captures me each time I read it or hear a sermon on it. It perhaps is one of my favorites because in it is the heart of the real meaning of being saved. In fact, there is a feast of meaning laying within these passages. It starts in verse 40 and ends this chapter. Within it are two parallel stories that give us a true meaning of salvation. The stories are about two people desperate for God to intervene in their lives. There is Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue and a woman suffering from a disease that made her unclean. The story actually begins twelve years before when Jairus becomes a father and a woman in his congregation loses her family. You see to be unclean means you can't be around others including your immediate family. If you are a wife, which she probably was, you could not sleep with your husband, or if she had children, which she probably did, you could not hold your children on your lap. Her family and social life was over. The really interesting aspect of this story is that it was probably Jairus who had to declare her unclean. Now fast forward twelve years later and Jairus' only daughter was on her death bed. Obviously he had heard about Jesus and His healing ministry and that He had arrived on the shores of his town. At the same time, this unclean woman had heard the same. Once again their lives intersect. Jairus made it to Jesus while he could still get close enough to fall down before Him and plead with him to come to his house and save his daughter. Now the story says as Jesus was on the way with Jairus to his house, the crowd became crushing. Have you ever been down front at a major concert or sporting event? If you have, then you know what this was like. All of a sudden Jesus stops and says, "Who touched me?" What a weird question for Him to ask? Even his disciple Peter was puzzled. Now here is a very interesting fact: It was a crime to come into a crowd of people, if you were unclean, without announcing out loud that you were unclean so that no one clean would touch you and become unclean themselves. So, How did this woman get so close to Jesus in this pressing crowd as to touch the hem (fringe) of his shawl? And where is that fringe? For it is not just any fringe, but a very specific one. I will leave you to ponder these questions until the next installment. Hint: Google Jewish Prayer Shawl (Every Rabbi wore one).
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