Skip to main content

130. Healing or Exorcism?


Matthew 9:32-34
Key Verse: The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
Matthew 9:33B

In contrast to the two blind men who came on their own (yesterday’s reading), here is a man who was brought to Jesus by others. This demon behaved very differently than the other demons that we have encountered up to this point. Most of them were combative, or left their victims on the ground while they went screaming off into, who knows where. This one never says a word, but still it must submit to Jesus’ command.

Interesting also, that sometimes Jesus tells the people he has healed not to say anything.  But in the case of healing a mute who couldn’t say anything, it is best if he speaks! Besides, the crowds saw it for themselves and were amazed. It was already public. Nobody could’ve kept it under wraps. 

Once again, the Pharisees were given an opportunity to praise God, but instead they criticized Jesus and said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” How sad, when blessings are called curses and good is called evil. As we have already experienced so many times up to now, religiosity can be a powerful tool in the devil's work shop for those who depend upon it.

It's a good reminder for us to keep an open mind in uncertain situations. There is so much that we don't know in this situation. We don't know what this man's reputation was. Perhaps the Pharisees wouldn't have touched him. Perhaps he had been injured doing something that he shouldn't have. Or, perhaps there is none of the above.

What we do know is this: the man couldn't talk for himself. He was brought by someone else to Jesus. Jesus healed him. The crowds were amazed. The Pharisees condemned. Who might you be in this story? Are you the silent victim? Are you the rescuer? Are you amazed at God's goodness or do you condemn what you do not understand? Jesus stands ready to minister to you wherever you are if you remain open to what He may have to say to you. If you see yourself as the victim, He says, "In Me, you can be victorious." Are you the rescuer? He says, "thank you." Are you the amazed onlooker? He says to you, "Get your hands dirty! Get involved! Find somebody that needs help and bring them to me." Are you the skeptic, ready to criticize what you do not understand? He says to you, "Seek understanding. You will find Me if you do."

Hymn: O for a Thousand Tongues to See

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This Little Light of Mine

Scripture: Psalm 130 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab. It’s the first Sunday of Advent. Today we lit one candle and heard the passage, in Isaiah 9, about the great light! We have heard that the great light is the child born to us on Christmas day. It is Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. Christmas is a day we will truly celebrate as we have for years and years, and our ancestors before us for centuries. Christmas is coming! Advent means coming! It is good to spend the next few weeks reflecting on all that it means for us. We begin from the depths of darkness. The world is still suffering the effects of sin. We are still suffering the effects of a world broken by sin. And not just the consequences of our own sins. According to Romans 8:22, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” The fires in California, the floods and storms on the East coast, and all the other natural disasters we hear ab...
Post a Comment
Read more

258. "Remember, Always Remember!"

Exodus 12:1-30 Key Verse: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord a lasting ordinance." Exodus 12:14 "Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) "And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:27) The original act was an act of worship as the first true act of freedom for the people of Israel. They had been brought to Egypt by Joseph during a time of famine so that through Joseph God could preserve their lives. ( Genesis 37 , & 39-50 ) After Joseph died, however, instead of heading back to C...
Post a Comment
Read more

August 13 What Is Fitting

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much less for a slave to rule over princes! ~Proverbs 19:10   On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. ~Acts 12:21-23  Wow! Well, what in the world can there be to benefit us here? First of all, perhaps we should review the first Biblical definition of a fool, penned by no other than Solomon’s Father, David himself. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1) It is not fitting for the fool to live the blessed life. Why should they when they deny from whom all blessings flow?  King Herod was a fool. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Herod who ruled at Jesus’ birth and ordered the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more