1 00:00:01,990 --> 00:00:04,778 Left the house and went off to a 2 00:00:04,778 --> 00:00:07,218 solitary place where he prayed. Simon and 3 00:00:07,218 --> 00:00:10,006 his companions went to look for him, and 4 00:00:10,006 --> 00:00:12,097 when they found him, they exclaimed, 5 00:00:12,097 --> 00:00:13,840 Everyone is looking for you. 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,042 I just replied, let us go somewhere else, 7 00:00:18,042 --> 00:00:21,004 to the nearby villages, so I can preach 8 00:00:21,004 --> 00:00:23,966 there also. That is why I have come. 9 00:00:23,966 --> 00:00:25,818 So he traveled throughout Galilee, 10 00:00:25,818 --> 00:00:28,039 preaching in their synagogues and driving 11 00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:30,977 out demons. A man 12 00:00:30,977 --> 00:00:33,286 with leprosy came to him and begged him 13 00:00:33,286 --> 00:00:35,884 on his knees. If you are willing, you can 14 00:00:35,884 --> 00:00:38,809 make me clean. Filled with compassion, 15 00:00:38,809 --> 00:00:41,256 Jesus reached out his hand and touched 16 00:00:41,256 --> 00:00:44,054 the man. I am willing, he said. Be 17 00:00:44,054 --> 00:00:46,151 clean. Immediately the leprosy left him, 18 00:00:46,151 --> 00:00:47,550 and he was cured. 19 00:00:49,230 --> 00:00:51,914 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong 20 00:00:51,914 --> 00:00:54,300 warning. See that you don't tell this to 21 00:00:54,300 --> 00:00:56,388 anyone, but go show yourself to the 22 00:00:56,388 --> 00:00:58,178 priest and offer the sacrifices that 23 00:00:58,178 --> 00:01:00,265 Moses commanded for your cleansing as a 24 00:01:00,265 --> 00:01:03,092 testimony to them. Instead, he went 25 00:01:03,092 --> 00:01:05,522 out and began to talk freely, spreading 26 00:01:05,522 --> 00:01:08,300 the news. As a result, Jesus could no 27 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:10,731 longer enter a town openly, but stayed 28 00:01:10,731 --> 00:01:13,703 outside in lonely places. Yet the people 29 00:01:13,703 --> 00:01:15,693 still came to him from everywhere. The 30 00:01:15,693 --> 00:01:16,830 word of the Lord. 31 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,596 There are two kinds of people in the 32 00:01:54,596 --> 00:01:54,910 world. 33 00:01:57,830 --> 00:01:59,360 There's one kind of person. 34 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,270 Who comes to a job and. 35 00:02:05,410 --> 00:02:08,235 These kind of folks, they know just 36 00:02:08,235 --> 00:02:10,657 what to do. They organize, they 37 00:02:10,657 --> 00:02:13,078 strategize, they solve the problem, they 38 00:02:13,078 --> 00:02:15,500 stick to the long term goals. 39 00:02:16,420 --> 00:02:19,257 They know how to get the job done. 40 00:02:19,257 --> 00:02:21,384 These people are wonderful to have 41 00:02:21,384 --> 00:02:23,866 around. You really want these people on 42 00:02:23,866 --> 00:02:26,348 your team. We describe them with words 43 00:02:26,348 --> 00:02:28,830 like efficient and reliable, and you want 44 00:02:28,830 --> 00:02:31,312 them around because they get things done. 45 00:02:31,312 --> 00:02:32,730 Great people, wonderful people. 46 00:02:33,780 --> 00:02:36,740 But. With 47 00:02:36,740 --> 00:02:39,680 these kinds of people, there's almost 48 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,620 always a besetting fault that comes 49 00:02:42,620 --> 00:02:45,440 along. They get the job 50 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,160 done, but sometimes at the expense of the 51 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,200 needs of the people around them. 52 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,025 They tend to lose sight of the point of 53 00:02:54,025 --> 00:02:55,935 the plan that they're achieving. OK, 54 00:02:55,935 --> 00:02:58,482 their living room is so clean that you 55 00:02:58,482 --> 00:03:00,710 are afraid to sit down in it. 56 00:03:02,220 --> 00:03:04,913 Their schedule is so full of things to do 57 00:03:04,913 --> 00:03:07,607 for you that you you can't talk to them, 58 00:03:07,607 --> 00:03:10,001 OK? Or maybe they get annoyed with you 59 00:03:10,001 --> 00:03:11,796 for interrupting them while they're doing 60 00:03:11,796 --> 00:03:14,190 things for you to carry out the plan. 61 00:03:17,210 --> 00:03:19,740 Their sin is the tendency to put. 62 00:03:20,980 --> 00:03:23,130 The plan above the people. 63 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,308 But there's the other kind of person 64 00:03:27,308 --> 00:03:30,128 These people never seem to mind when you 65 00:03:30,128 --> 00:03:31,538 interrupt them. They're eminently 66 00:03:31,538 --> 00:03:34,268 interruptible. You get a 67 00:03:34,268 --> 00:03:36,483 sense that you're important when you're 68 00:03:36,483 --> 00:03:38,699 around them. And there's such, there's 69 00:03:38,699 --> 00:03:41,284 such wonderful people to have around, you 70 00:03:41,284 --> 00:03:43,869 know, we describe them with words like 71 00:03:43,869 --> 00:03:46,454 available and warm, you know, and you 72 00:03:46,454 --> 00:03:49,039 really want these people on your team 73 00:03:49,039 --> 00:03:51,624 because they remind you of the reasons 74 00:03:51,624 --> 00:03:54,510 for doing what you're doing. OK. 75 00:03:55,910 --> 00:03:56,620 But. 76 00:03:58,620 --> 00:04:01,524 These folks have a hard time often 77 00:04:01,524 --> 00:04:04,428 getting things done. They seem unable to 78 00:04:04,428 --> 00:04:07,331 stick to a longer term goals. They 79 00:04:07,331 --> 00:04:10,235 often apply for extensions. They lose the 80 00:04:10,235 --> 00:04:12,975 keys. Their living room 81 00:04:12,975 --> 00:04:15,785 doesn't get clean, or if it 82 00:04:15,785 --> 00:04:17,190 does, only frantically. 83 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,393 That their sin is a tendency to put 84 00:04:21,393 --> 00:04:22,610 people above the plan. 85 00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:26,770 Now of course I'm simplifying the world 86 00:04:26,770 --> 00:04:28,840 here, but you know, I'm describing it. 87 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:31,206 Maybe you're a long a spectrum, but I'm 88 00:04:31,206 --> 00:04:33,276 describing the poles here for a reason. 89 00:04:33,276 --> 00:04:35,050 You take my wife and me. 90 00:04:36,420 --> 00:04:39,348 By the way, my wife sends her love to you 91 00:04:39,348 --> 00:04:41,105 and my whole family does actually. 92 00:04:41,105 --> 00:04:43,155 They're very anxious to be coming up 93 00:04:43,155 --> 00:04:45,205 here. And when we get an apartment, 94 00:04:45,205 --> 00:04:47,255 they're going to be joining us and 95 00:04:47,255 --> 00:04:49,305 they're just, they're geared up for it. 96 00:04:49,305 --> 00:04:51,647 They're they want to come and be with 97 00:04:51,647 --> 00:04:54,392 you. No one said to 98 00:04:54,392 --> 00:04:56,895 my 5 year old daughter recently after the 99 00:04:56,895 --> 00:04:58,459 weather changed down there recently. 100 00:04:58,459 --> 00:05:00,963 Someone said to her are you cold? She 101 00:05:00,963 --> 00:05:02,840 said no I'm a New Yorker. 102 00:05:07,910 --> 00:05:09,896 I guess there's various ways to interpret 103 00:05:09,896 --> 00:05:12,844 that. I'm not 104 00:05:12,844 --> 00:05:15,579 just cold. I'm, you know. Um, 105 00:05:15,579 --> 00:05:17,223 but they're really, they're really 106 00:05:17,223 --> 00:05:20,214 psyched to come. And but my 107 00:05:20,214 --> 00:05:23,024 wife and I, our marriage has really been 108 00:05:23,024 --> 00:05:25,834 a 12 year study. And what happens when 109 00:05:25,834 --> 00:05:28,644 you take two of these people on opposite 110 00:05:28,644 --> 00:05:31,455 poles that I just described and put them 111 00:05:31,455 --> 00:05:34,265 together to work together to be to be 112 00:05:34,265 --> 00:05:35,670 married to each other? 113 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,414 Now I'm going to leave it to you to guess 114 00:05:40,414 --> 00:05:41,790 which one of us is which. 115 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,548 We've changed each other a great deal. I 116 00:05:45,548 --> 00:05:48,514 mean, that happens in marriage. We 117 00:05:48,514 --> 00:05:50,864 have changed each other a great deal, but 118 00:05:50,864 --> 00:05:52,920 still we're we're still on these poles. 119 00:05:55,020 --> 00:05:57,540 Supposing, though, that you 120 00:05:57,540 --> 00:05:59,430 met one person. 121 00:06:00,740 --> 00:06:02,630 Who had the strengths of both? 122 00:06:03,580 --> 00:06:05,610 And the weaknesses of neither. 123 00:06:07,410 --> 00:06:08,520 What would he look like? 124 00:06:11,700 --> 00:06:14,581 As we light our first Advent candle here 125 00:06:14,581 --> 00:06:17,103 and we're approaching the season of the 126 00:06:17,103 --> 00:06:19,984 incarnation, I want to begin to look at 127 00:06:19,984 --> 00:06:22,866 Jesus. But today I'm not. We're not going 128 00:06:22,866 --> 00:06:25,387 to talk about a Christmas story. We're 129 00:06:25,387 --> 00:06:28,268 going to look at Jesus in a beginning 130 00:06:28,268 --> 00:06:30,790 moment in his ministry that you just 131 00:06:30,790 --> 00:06:33,421 heard read. Remember, we're going to do 132 00:06:33,421 --> 00:06:35,582 an exegesis of this passage. I'm going to 133 00:06:35,582 --> 00:06:37,473 start in the middle. OK, I'm the 134 00:06:37,473 --> 00:06:39,364 preacher. I'm allowed to do that. I'm 135 00:06:39,364 --> 00:06:41,255 going to start with verses 404142. OK, 136 00:06:41,255 --> 00:06:43,416 we're going to start in the middle. We're 137 00:06:43,416 --> 00:06:45,307 going to look at the beginning, Then 138 00:06:45,307 --> 00:06:47,468 we'll look at the end, because the middle 139 00:06:47,468 --> 00:06:49,629 tells us what the real deal is. The 140 00:06:49,629 --> 00:06:51,790 middle is the middle. It's the crux and 141 00:06:51,790 --> 00:06:54,310 the. Is about leprosy OK? 142 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,470 Verse 40 We don't really know. We're not 143 00:06:58,470 --> 00:07:01,051 entirely sure what leprosy was back then, 144 00:07:01,051 --> 00:07:04,001 but we know that it did make you 145 00:07:04,001 --> 00:07:06,583 untouchable. As as bad as the disease 146 00:07:06,583 --> 00:07:09,533 was, what was worse is that you lost 147 00:07:09,533 --> 00:07:12,304 your friends. It 148 00:07:12,304 --> 00:07:15,060 made you the discarded of the society. 149 00:07:15,870 --> 00:07:17,988 And nobody wanted you anymore. Nobody 150 00:07:17,988 --> 00:07:20,459 wanted to be near you. And nobody 151 00:07:20,459 --> 00:07:22,930 certainly would touch you. You lost human 152 00:07:22,930 --> 00:07:25,401 contact. Nobody would touch you. I talk 153 00:07:25,401 --> 00:07:27,518 with an acquaintance of mine, Doctor 154 00:07:27,518 --> 00:07:30,342 Frank Young, who is the former head of 155 00:07:30,342 --> 00:07:32,813 the FDA and very interesting because one 156 00:07:32,813 --> 00:07:35,637 time he said to me that he thought 157 00:07:35,637 --> 00:07:38,440 that. AIDS was the modern equivalent of 158 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:40,399 leprosy, and that's significant coming 159 00:07:40,399 --> 00:07:43,141 from him because the AIDS really became 160 00:07:43,141 --> 00:07:45,100 an issue during his administration. 161 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:48,765 And you think about it, there's a 162 00:07:48,765 --> 00:07:51,450 lot to recommend that you This was 163 00:07:51,450 --> 00:07:53,751 a disease that was seemingly incurable. 164 00:07:53,751 --> 00:07:56,436 It had a stigma attached to it, 165 00:07:56,436 --> 00:07:57,970 and it ended up. 166 00:07:59,730 --> 00:08:02,441 You know, that was the end of human 167 00:08:02,441 --> 00:08:05,152 contact in a lot of cases for you. 168 00:08:05,152 --> 00:08:07,862 OK, so there's a lot to to that 169 00:08:07,862 --> 00:08:10,573 parallel. That's why we we are so blessed 170 00:08:10,573 --> 00:08:13,284 and so support the Isaiah 58 ministry in 171 00:08:13,284 --> 00:08:15,317 this church because it's really doing 172 00:08:15,317 --> 00:08:17,689 what Jesus was doing right here was 173 00:08:17,689 --> 00:08:20,061 touching folks that have a stigma being 174 00:08:20,061 --> 00:08:22,917 untouchable. And verse 175 00:08:22,917 --> 00:08:25,883 41 tells us that Jesus was moved 176 00:08:25,883 --> 00:08:28,424 with compassion love this words flag 177 00:08:28,424 --> 00:08:30,966 means omise blog mesalamine because it's 178 00:08:30,966 --> 00:08:33,931 one of the few places in the 179 00:08:33,931 --> 00:08:36,473 gospel where the gospel writer describes 180 00:08:36,473 --> 00:08:38,591 Jesus's motivation behind his action 181 00:08:38,591 --> 00:08:41,556 right we get a lot of things 182 00:08:41,556 --> 00:08:43,973 where. Gospel is telling us what Jesus 183 00:08:43,973 --> 00:08:46,430 did. Very few places where they go behind 184 00:08:46,430 --> 00:08:49,194 and say This is why he did what he 185 00:08:49,194 --> 00:08:51,344 did. But here's the plan. Here's the 186 00:08:51,344 --> 00:08:53,493 place where they do. He's moved with 187 00:08:53,493 --> 00:08:55,643 compassion. And So what Mark is doing, 188 00:08:55,643 --> 00:08:58,100 you see, is he's inviting us into the 189 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:00,250 realm of Jesus psychology in a way. 190 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,824 And it's also one of these places where 191 00:09:03,824 --> 00:09:06,568 we get a clue of out how different 192 00:09:06,568 --> 00:09:07,940 Jesus is from me. 193 00:09:09,220 --> 00:09:12,196 Because I know in my heart that when 194 00:09:12,196 --> 00:09:14,799 I see somebody greatly suffering or with 195 00:09:14,799 --> 00:09:17,775 a big problem, my inclination is to run 196 00:09:17,775 --> 00:09:20,751 the other way. You know, I tend to 197 00:09:20,751 --> 00:09:22,983 recoil from great suffering. And I 198 00:09:22,983 --> 00:09:25,586 learned this about myself by riding the 199 00:09:25,586 --> 00:09:28,190 New York City subway, because, you know, 200 00:09:28,190 --> 00:09:30,921 those who ride the subway. Know that 201 00:09:30,921 --> 00:09:33,724 around any corner you may be faced 202 00:09:33,724 --> 00:09:36,526 with some of the city's great suffering. 203 00:09:36,526 --> 00:09:38,929 There's serious suffering going on in 204 00:09:38,929 --> 00:09:41,732 this city and it might be around 205 00:09:41,732 --> 00:09:44,534 any corner in the subway. And my 206 00:09:44,534 --> 00:09:47,337 inclination when I come, come to face 207 00:09:47,337 --> 00:09:50,140 face to face with with a person. 208 00:09:50,460 --> 00:09:53,302 Like that is to I. I'm not towards 209 00:09:53,302 --> 00:09:56,144 them. I want to recoil it. God is 210 00:09:56,144 --> 00:09:57,210 not like that. 211 00:10:01,170 --> 00:10:04,137 God is not like that. See, the 212 00:10:04,137 --> 00:10:06,822 chorus of the Old Testament is that 213 00:10:06,822 --> 00:10:09,506 the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow 214 00:10:09,506 --> 00:10:11,807 to anger, and abounding in loving 215 00:10:11,807 --> 00:10:14,109 kindness or steadfast love. And it's 216 00:10:14,109 --> 00:10:16,793 always been interesting to me that you 217 00:10:16,793 --> 00:10:19,478 can find that whole expression there in 218 00:10:19,478 --> 00:10:22,162 all parts of the Old Testament. This 219 00:10:22,162 --> 00:10:25,149 is a chorus that spans. You know, 2000 220 00:10:25,149 --> 00:10:27,785 years of sacred writing and in all the 221 00:10:27,785 --> 00:10:29,762 different literary genres of the Old 222 00:10:29,762 --> 00:10:32,398 Testament, it's in the law, it's in early 223 00:10:32,398 --> 00:10:34,376 narrative, it's in the late narrative, 224 00:10:34,376 --> 00:10:37,012 it's in the writings, in one of the 225 00:10:37,012 --> 00:10:39,723 Psalms you can find. Why 226 00:10:39,723 --> 00:10:41,190 does it keep cropping up? 227 00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:45,390 Well, it's because it's so true. 228 00:10:47,030 --> 00:10:49,689 God is merciful. He 229 00:10:49,689 --> 00:10:52,434 is motivated by mercy. He 230 00:10:52,434 --> 00:10:54,630 is kind, that's why. 231 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,585 So when you see verse 41, the 232 00:10:58,585 --> 00:11:01,251 and the way it's written, it's very 233 00:11:01,251 --> 00:11:03,535 deliberate. Jesus reached out to his 234 00:11:03,535 --> 00:11:05,820 gospel writer and he touched him. 235 00:11:06,590 --> 00:11:09,273 It's very deliberately written. Because 236 00:11:09,273 --> 00:11:11,294 that was just not something that you did. 237 00:11:11,294 --> 00:11:14,279 You did not touch a leper. And motivated 238 00:11:14,279 --> 00:11:16,482 by his compassion, Jesus reached out and 239 00:11:16,482 --> 00:11:18,684 he touched him. It was an astonishing 240 00:11:18,684 --> 00:11:21,201 thing to do. So you see the gospel 241 00:11:21,201 --> 00:11:22,460 writers surprise at this. 242 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:26,294 Now this is something I'm, I'm bringing 243 00:11:26,294 --> 00:11:27,908 this out because it's something that you 244 00:11:27,908 --> 00:11:30,732 need to know. When you're in 245 00:11:30,732 --> 00:11:33,233 need, if you're in need this morning, 246 00:11:33,233 --> 00:11:35,734 especially in great need, God's heart is 247 00:11:35,734 --> 00:11:38,592 towards you. OK, Yahweh is near to the 248 00:11:38,592 --> 00:11:41,093 broken hearted. He saves the crushed in 249 00:11:41,093 --> 00:11:43,952 spirit. What Jesus is showing us here is 250 00:11:43,952 --> 00:11:46,810 the very heart of God toward great need. 251 00:11:51,670 --> 00:11:54,322 Now if we move to verse 43, 252 00:11:54,322 --> 00:11:56,974 verse 44, what we see is an 253 00:11:56,974 --> 00:11:58,110 amazing change here. 254 00:11:59,710 --> 00:12:01,753 It's it's the way it's was translated. 255 00:12:01,753 --> 00:12:04,088 And I guess with NIV this morning, you 256 00:12:04,088 --> 00:12:06,423 know that he gave him a strict charge 257 00:12:06,423 --> 00:12:08,467 that that is actually with a strong 258 00:12:08,467 --> 00:12:10,218 warning. It isn't a prepositional phrase 259 00:12:10,218 --> 00:12:12,845 in the Greek. It's a verb. It's a very 260 00:12:12,845 --> 00:12:15,180 strong words. Embry Mall MI is the verb. 261 00:12:16,030 --> 00:12:18,267 And it's a word expressing great 262 00:12:18,267 --> 00:12:21,099 intensity. It's not much used 263 00:12:21,099 --> 00:12:23,583 in the New Testament, not much used 264 00:12:23,583 --> 00:12:26,422 outside of the New Testament. So it's a 265 00:12:26,422 --> 00:12:28,551 word the gospel writer deliberately chose 266 00:12:28,551 --> 00:12:30,325 here. Expresses great emotion and 267 00:12:30,325 --> 00:12:32,915 intensity. That's what it's reserved for, 268 00:12:32,915 --> 00:12:35,553 and I wanted to go into the meaning of 269 00:12:35,553 --> 00:12:38,191 this word a little bit for a little while 270 00:12:38,191 --> 00:12:40,536 here. It's just to bring this out because 271 00:12:40,536 --> 00:12:42,294 it's key. After Jesus's motivated by 272 00:12:42,294 --> 00:12:44,346 compassion, he turns around and he he 273 00:12:44,346 --> 00:12:46,691 does what this word is. What is this 274 00:12:46,691 --> 00:12:49,328 word? Well, Mark uses it once more at the 275 00:12:49,328 --> 00:12:51,905 end of the Gospel. He uses it. For 276 00:12:51,905 --> 00:12:54,575 this intense yelling at a woman 277 00:12:54,575 --> 00:12:57,245 that people did when she came 278 00:12:57,245 --> 00:12:59,915 in and anointed Jesus head with 279 00:12:59,915 --> 00:13:02,585 expensive oil and they were indignant 280 00:13:02,585 --> 00:13:05,255 and they they Embrey Malmi her 281 00:13:05,255 --> 00:13:07,925 OK, they yelled at intensely at 282 00:13:07,925 --> 00:13:10,901 her. The Gospel writer John uses 283 00:13:10,901 --> 00:13:13,837 it. He uses it when Jesus comes to the 284 00:13:13,837 --> 00:13:16,447 tomb of the friend that just died. His 285 00:13:16,447 --> 00:13:19,056 friend, a close friend of his died. He 286 00:13:19,056 --> 00:13:21,992 came to the tomb and I think it might 287 00:13:21,992 --> 00:13:24,276 be translated there. He was grieved in 288 00:13:24,276 --> 00:13:26,559 spirit or something, but it's the same 289 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:28,190 word. It's ember Mama. It's. 290 00:13:29,540 --> 00:13:32,047 Some intense, intense expression of 291 00:13:32,047 --> 00:13:34,857 emotion there. At 292 00:13:34,857 --> 00:13:37,630 the tomb. Go back into 293 00:13:37,630 --> 00:13:39,751 the Septuagint, which is the Greek 294 00:13:39,751 --> 00:13:42,225 translation of the Old Testament. We find 295 00:13:42,225 --> 00:13:44,699 this word used in Lamentations, which is 296 00:13:44,699 --> 00:13:46,820 which is the story of about. 297 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,084 You know Israel at its low point after 298 00:13:50,084 --> 00:13:52,567 God sends Israel into exile. And I would 299 00:13:52,567 --> 00:13:55,362 like to read to you how this word is 300 00:13:55,362 --> 00:13:57,224 used. Lamentations 26. It's talking about 301 00:13:57,224 --> 00:13:59,708 God, what God did to Israel. God has 302 00:13:59,708 --> 00:14:02,192 broken down his booth like that of a 303 00:14:02,192 --> 00:14:04,675 garden laid in ruins, the place of his 304 00:14:04,675 --> 00:14:06,849 appointed feast. The Lord has brought it 305 00:14:06,849 --> 00:14:09,634 to an end. And Zion appointed feast and 306 00:14:09,634 --> 00:14:12,472 Sabbath. And in his here uses a noun. 307 00:14:12,472 --> 00:14:14,956 In his fierce indignation he has spurned 308 00:14:14,956 --> 00:14:17,707 king and priest. OK, 309 00:14:17,707 --> 00:14:20,488 very intense word in fact, and always 310 00:14:20,488 --> 00:14:23,473 negative you notice?Now it's 311 00:14:23,473 --> 00:14:25,965 used one place we can find outside of 312 00:14:25,965 --> 00:14:27,834 these scriptures in Greek literature, and 313 00:14:27,834 --> 00:14:30,637 I thought it would be fun to bring this 314 00:14:30,637 --> 00:14:33,129 in, actually read you a passage where it 315 00:14:33,129 --> 00:14:36,087 appears. In 316 00:14:36,087 --> 00:14:39,022 the Greek, it's used by the Greek poet 317 00:14:39,022 --> 00:14:41,591 Escalus. You might remember as one of 318 00:14:41,591 --> 00:14:43,792 those Greek poets. Ohh Greek playwrights, 319 00:14:43,792 --> 00:14:46,728 one of the first to write a play 320 00:14:46,728 --> 00:14:49,663 with more than just one character in the 321 00:14:49,663 --> 00:14:52,624 chorus. He wrote about, he 322 00:14:52,624 --> 00:14:55,243 wrote a number of plays and this is from 323 00:14:55,243 --> 00:14:57,280 his play 7 Against Thieves. What I'm 324 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:59,899 going to do is I'm going to read the 325 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:02,519 passage and want you to try to figure out 326 00:15:02,519 --> 00:15:04,847 once you try to guess where Ember Modem 327 00:15:04,847 --> 00:15:07,175 is being used. OK, this is about this 328 00:15:07,175 --> 00:15:09,212 battle against thieves and the and the 329 00:15:09,212 --> 00:15:11,540 and the horses and the and the army. 330 00:15:11,660 --> 00:15:13,747 Chomping at the bit, they're ready to go. 331 00:15:13,747 --> 00:15:15,834 To attack, They're ready to go. This is 332 00:15:15,834 --> 00:15:17,660 the passage. See where it's used. OK. 333 00:15:18,410 --> 00:15:21,283 Soldier now for the next to 334 00:15:21,283 --> 00:15:24,156 draw the gate. He should attack 335 00:15:24,156 --> 00:15:27,029 the third lot. Leaping from the 336 00:15:27,029 --> 00:15:29,901 upturned bronze helmet, sent a tea 337 00:15:29,901 --> 00:15:32,774 Cletius to hurl his troops against 338 00:15:32,774 --> 00:15:35,647 the Nystatin gate, his restless mares 339 00:15:35,647 --> 00:15:38,520 eager to charge the entrance toss. 340 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,543 Their frontlets as he turns them now 341 00:15:41,543 --> 00:15:44,287 this way, now that, their muzzle pipes 342 00:15:44,287 --> 00:15:47,030 filled with the proud beasts breath and 343 00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:49,774 snorting sound out a savage music on 344 00:15:49,774 --> 00:15:52,517 his shield as a device. No humble 345 00:15:52,517 --> 00:15:55,261 1A man in armor climbing up by 346 00:15:55,261 --> 00:15:58,004 a ladder to the enemy's wall to 347 00:15:58,004 --> 00:16:00,982 sack their town. And this man too 348 00:16:00,982 --> 00:16:03,369 shouts. His words are written there. 349 00:16:03,369 --> 00:16:06,154 Aries himself shall not repulse me from 350 00:16:06,154 --> 00:16:08,821 their walls. It's a beautiful 351 00:16:08,821 --> 00:16:11,179 passage. Where do you think that that 352 00:16:11,179 --> 00:16:12,190 verb was used? 353 00:16:15,610 --> 00:16:17,920 Well, I won't ask you to raise your 354 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,520 hands, but I'll tell you. See if you were 355 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,830 right, it was. It was for the horses. 356 00:16:22,830 --> 00:16:25,141 When they snorted, it was the snorting of 357 00:16:25,141 --> 00:16:27,162 the horses. That's the same word being 358 00:16:27,162 --> 00:16:30,081 used there. OK, 359 00:16:30,081 --> 00:16:32,703 I don't mean to say that Jesus snorted at 360 00:16:32,703 --> 00:16:35,324 this man, but I wanted to give you a 361 00:16:35,324 --> 00:16:37,655 sense of the semantic range of this word 362 00:16:37,655 --> 00:16:40,276 to show you that it was intense what he 363 00:16:40,276 --> 00:16:43,189 did. Now you might be able to soften it a 364 00:16:43,189 --> 00:16:45,228 little and say, well, you know, yelled 365 00:16:45,228 --> 00:16:47,267 strong warning. You might be able to 366 00:16:47,267 --> 00:16:49,306 soften it somewhat, but you can't soften 367 00:16:49,306 --> 00:16:52,010 it that much. You certainly can't soften 368 00:16:52,010 --> 00:16:54,890 what he does next, which is he throws the 369 00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:57,779 guy out. Actually cast them out. 370 00:16:57,779 --> 00:17:00,333 Ebalo actually. Same word used when Jesus 371 00:17:00,333 --> 00:17:03,251 casts out a demon and he throws him 372 00:17:03,251 --> 00:17:04,710 out of the place. 373 00:17:06,170 --> 00:17:08,888 So what?What is Jesus 374 00:17:08,888 --> 00:17:11,858 doing?And his charge, you 375 00:17:11,858 --> 00:17:14,096 know, it was very emphatic. Say nothing 376 00:17:14,096 --> 00:17:16,333 to nobody. Literally in the Greek double 377 00:17:16,333 --> 00:17:18,250 negative, nothing. Don't say nothing to 378 00:17:18,250 --> 00:17:21,140 nobody. Is is 379 00:17:21,140 --> 00:17:24,112 Jesus just capricious?How could 380 00:17:24,112 --> 00:17:26,114 he be so compassionate and then so 381 00:17:26,114 --> 00:17:26,400 vehement? 382 00:17:31,770 --> 00:17:33,891 You know, if I were a disciple, I think 383 00:17:33,891 --> 00:17:35,541 that there would be many moments like 384 00:17:35,541 --> 00:17:38,476 this where I'd be looking. Kind 385 00:17:38,476 --> 00:17:40,985 of back and forth. Completely 386 00:17:40,985 --> 00:17:43,973 befuddled. And then maybe 387 00:17:43,973 --> 00:17:46,780 a long time later, maybe maybe years 388 00:17:46,780 --> 00:17:49,186 later, suddenly realizing, wow, so that's 389 00:17:49,186 --> 00:17:50,790 what was going on. 390 00:17:52,310 --> 00:17:54,923 I I never realized someone could be that 391 00:17:54,923 --> 00:17:55,250 good. 392 00:17:58,510 --> 00:18:01,060 Truly, God is love. I think that would be 393 00:18:01,060 --> 00:18:03,327 many moments for me like that as a 394 00:18:03,327 --> 00:18:03,610 disciple. 395 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,388 Because I'm going to say to you the 396 00:18:08,388 --> 00:18:10,575 reason that he yelled at the leper and 397 00:18:10,575 --> 00:18:12,490 cast them out through a mountain that 398 00:18:12,490 --> 00:18:15,482 till recently, Lepper. Was to prevent the 399 00:18:15,482 --> 00:18:17,605 crowds. See, let's go back to verse 36 400 00:18:17,605 --> 00:18:20,259 through 39. Sets it up for us, OK sets up 401 00:18:20,259 --> 00:18:22,116 the reasons the disciples are looking for 402 00:18:22,116 --> 00:18:23,974 Jesus high and low and they're really 403 00:18:23,974 --> 00:18:26,097 looking for and the verb tells us that, 404 00:18:26,097 --> 00:18:27,955 you know, they were worried. They weren't 405 00:18:27,955 --> 00:18:30,344 just out for a jaunt in the morning. They 406 00:18:30,344 --> 00:18:32,467 were they were searching for him high and 407 00:18:32,467 --> 00:18:35,002 low, trying to find him in verse 37. And 408 00:18:35,002 --> 00:18:37,734 they find him, you know, they don't say, 409 00:18:37,734 --> 00:18:40,467 you know, how are you? We missed you. 410 00:18:40,467 --> 00:18:43,199 What's up? You know, it's it's what's on 411 00:18:43,199 --> 00:18:45,248 their mind is everybody's looking for 412 00:18:45,248 --> 00:18:48,018 you. You know the you know 413 00:18:48,018 --> 00:18:50,654 the iron is hot, Jesus, because of what 414 00:18:50,654 --> 00:18:52,631 you did, you know everybody's seeking 415 00:18:52,631 --> 00:18:55,509 you. You could tell they're 416 00:18:55,509 --> 00:18:56,920 being crowd driven. These disciples, 417 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,614 they're being people driven. You know, 418 00:18:58,614 --> 00:19:00,872 the audience is growing. The iron is hot. 419 00:19:00,872 --> 00:19:02,848 Jesus, let's keep striking. Let's do it 420 00:19:02,848 --> 00:19:05,838 right. And Jesus answer is very odd 421 00:19:05,838 --> 00:19:08,551 in verse 38 and I loved how Ty read 422 00:19:08,551 --> 00:19:10,661 it. They're very matter of fact. You 423 00:19:10,661 --> 00:19:12,168 know, they're saying everybody's looking 424 00:19:12,168 --> 00:19:14,277 for you. Jesus says well let's go 425 00:19:14,277 --> 00:19:16,830 somewhere else. You see that? 426 00:19:17,650 --> 00:19:19,799 Let's go somewhere else. Let's go into 427 00:19:19,799 --> 00:19:22,734 these other towns. But it's 428 00:19:22,734 --> 00:19:24,605 because of his ministry plan which he 429 00:19:24,605 --> 00:19:26,742 tells them that's why he wants to do 430 00:19:26,742 --> 00:19:29,147 this. And he lays out the plan for this 431 00:19:29,147 --> 00:19:31,551 reason. I came out, you know, do you want 432 00:19:31,551 --> 00:19:33,688 to know what Jesus long term project is? 433 00:19:33,688 --> 00:19:36,485 Here it is. He wants to 434 00:19:36,485 --> 00:19:38,807 get into as many population centers of 435 00:19:38,807 --> 00:19:41,128 this region of Galilee as possible to 436 00:19:41,128 --> 00:19:43,839 preach. That's his plan to get 437 00:19:43,839 --> 00:19:46,680 into the towns. OK. And verse 39 tells us 438 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,206 that he was doing that. He was following 439 00:19:49,206 --> 00:19:51,732 that plan and actually doing it. That was 440 00:19:51,732 --> 00:19:53,943 his plan. Get into as many population 441 00:19:53,943 --> 00:19:56,469 centers as he could so people could hear 442 00:19:56,469 --> 00:19:59,043 him preach. Now, 443 00:19:59,043 --> 00:20:01,697 people. Jesus knew. Jesus 444 00:20:01,697 --> 00:20:04,350 knew something about people. 445 00:20:05,690 --> 00:20:07,640 He knew that people are desperate. 446 00:20:08,460 --> 00:20:11,175 He knew that humanity is full of needs 447 00:20:11,175 --> 00:20:13,552 that were sold under sin. Sickness racks 448 00:20:13,552 --> 00:20:15,928 our bodies. You know, many people. Many, 449 00:20:15,928 --> 00:20:18,304 many people are just desperate for hope. 450 00:20:18,304 --> 00:20:21,019 Jesus knew that. I mean that much we 451 00:20:21,019 --> 00:20:23,056 can identify with. That hasn't changed 452 00:20:23,056 --> 00:20:25,432 much through time just because now we 453 00:20:25,432 --> 00:20:26,450 have vacuum cleaners. 454 00:20:28,070 --> 00:20:30,667 And he certainly wanted to minister to 455 00:20:30,667 --> 00:20:33,621 those needs, yes. But he wanted 456 00:20:33,621 --> 00:20:36,292 his message to reach even the people who 457 00:20:36,292 --> 00:20:38,295 were not desperate. Ohh. The desperate 458 00:20:38,295 --> 00:20:40,965 would come for sure. But what about the 459 00:20:40,965 --> 00:20:43,302 others? What about the people who needed 460 00:20:43,302 --> 00:20:45,972 his gospel just as much? Who still needed 461 00:20:45,972 --> 00:20:48,309 forgiveness and needed to be shown that 462 00:20:48,309 --> 00:20:51,229 they needed forgiveness?Who was 463 00:20:51,229 --> 00:20:53,976 just as bad off as the leper but not so 464 00:20:53,976 --> 00:20:56,768 aware of it. Well, where were 465 00:20:56,768 --> 00:20:59,220 they?In the towns. 466 00:21:00,330 --> 00:21:02,686 And Jesus knew that if he got if word got 467 00:21:02,686 --> 00:21:05,595 out that he healed a leper. You 468 00:21:05,595 --> 00:21:08,157 know, not just cast out a demon, not just 469 00:21:08,157 --> 00:21:09,865 healed other diseases, but healed a 470 00:21:09,865 --> 00:21:12,410 leper. He'd be swamped. 471 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,610 And if that happened, he couldn't take 472 00:21:16,610 --> 00:21:18,331 his preaching into those population 473 00:21:18,331 --> 00:21:20,397 centers anymore, into the business lives 474 00:21:20,397 --> 00:21:23,304 of the people. While they were doing 475 00:21:23,304 --> 00:21:25,472 their work, you know you couldn't go and 476 00:21:25,472 --> 00:21:27,369 preach in the marketplaces and a certain 477 00:21:27,369 --> 00:21:29,266 type of people would never hear his 478 00:21:29,266 --> 00:21:30,350 preaching again in person. 479 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,790 So out of his love for the non desperate, 480 00:21:34,790 --> 00:21:37,179 he wanted that ministry to go on as long 481 00:21:37,179 --> 00:21:40,113 as possible. I mean, just imagine 482 00:21:40,113 --> 00:21:42,293 supposing that, you know, 6:00 news 483 00:21:42,293 --> 00:21:44,837 tonight, you sit down and it's announced 484 00:21:44,837 --> 00:21:47,380 that there's an instant cure for AIDS. 485 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,087 Cure not just three drugs that put 486 00:21:51,087 --> 00:21:53,933 it off, but cure OK instant. Or 487 00:21:53,933 --> 00:21:56,780 maybe cancer too. Cancer and or aids? 488 00:21:56,780 --> 00:21:59,615 Cancer and aids. Put 489 00:21:59,615 --> 00:22:02,517 together. All right, comes across on the 490 00:22:02,517 --> 00:22:05,355 6:00 news tonight. And, you 491 00:22:05,355 --> 00:22:07,651 know, cancer and AIDS, that implies 492 00:22:07,651 --> 00:22:09,947 probably any other disease, right? You 493 00:22:09,947 --> 00:22:12,560 know?Or maybe. 494 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,872 It's also the newscaster tells you it's 495 00:22:15,872 --> 00:22:18,663 completely free. No medical insurance 496 00:22:18,663 --> 00:22:21,525 needed. All you had to do was show 497 00:22:21,525 --> 00:22:24,500 up apparently. It's 498 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:27,280 available in one man. Only 499 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,118 in one place. Perhaps only one 500 00:22:30,118 --> 00:22:32,929 day. Supposing that comes across 501 00:22:32,929 --> 00:22:34,973 on the news, you know, what do you think 502 00:22:34,973 --> 00:22:36,563 the traffic pattern would be like Monday 503 00:22:36,563 --> 00:22:39,320 morning?Along West Side Drive. 504 00:22:40,260 --> 00:22:41,927 What do you think it would be like in the 505 00:22:41,927 --> 00:22:44,731 Holland Tunnel?What would it be like 506 00:22:44,731 --> 00:22:45,620 at La Guardia? 507 00:22:47,810 --> 00:22:50,627 Folks, there were about 1 or 2 million 508 00:22:50,627 --> 00:22:52,740 people in Palestine at that time. 509 00:22:53,550 --> 00:22:55,867 And if you wonder what would happen, this 510 00:22:55,867 --> 00:22:57,895 news gets out, well, you don't really 511 00:22:57,895 --> 00:23:00,212 have to wonder if you have your Bibles, 512 00:23:00,212 --> 00:23:02,819 you can turn right back to verse 28 and 513 00:23:02,819 --> 00:23:04,846 see what happened after Jesus just did 514 00:23:04,846 --> 00:23:06,295 one exorcism. What happened? Gospel 515 00:23:06,295 --> 00:23:08,032 writer saying, ohh, these people coming 516 00:23:08,032 --> 00:23:10,060 from all over that region of Galilee. 517 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,795 Or you could look forward, as we're going 518 00:23:13,795 --> 00:23:16,430 to do now, to what actually did happen. 519 00:23:17,590 --> 00:23:20,404 And verse 45. See, the 520 00:23:20,404 --> 00:23:23,008 guy goes out. And 521 00:23:23,008 --> 00:23:25,637 you could see Mark's point here. 522 00:23:25,637 --> 00:23:28,266 He's making clear the lepers, until 523 00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:30,906 recently, lepers disobedience. He says 524 00:23:30,906 --> 00:23:33,085 he talked freely, spread the news 525 00:23:33,085 --> 00:23:34,901 directly, disobeys Jesus's word directly. 526 00:23:34,901 --> 00:23:37,806 OK. And you know, this is another proof 527 00:23:37,806 --> 00:23:40,348 that the Gospels are true. They're not 528 00:23:40,348 --> 00:23:42,890 just made-up stories. It's the kind of 529 00:23:42,890 --> 00:23:45,432 good thing to question that you might 530 00:23:45,432 --> 00:23:48,337 bring up at a Q&A like we do 531 00:23:48,337 --> 00:23:51,052 here after the service. But it 532 00:23:51,052 --> 00:23:53,500 shows us here just the way this is 533 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:55,948 written. It's one of the reasons you can 534 00:23:55,948 --> 00:23:58,090 you can believe that it's true because 535 00:23:58,090 --> 00:24:00,538 this is just what would happen in real 536 00:24:00,538 --> 00:24:02,680 life if a miracle happened to ordinary 537 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,434 folk like you and me. OK, We have this 538 00:24:05,434 --> 00:24:07,270 idea sometimes that these people involved 539 00:24:07,270 --> 00:24:09,106 in these miracles were walking around 540 00:24:09,106 --> 00:24:11,617 their feet, 3 feet. Off the ground now 541 00:24:11,617 --> 00:24:13,428 that suddenly, you know, something good 542 00:24:13,428 --> 00:24:15,541 happens and they stop sinning, they stop 543 00:24:15,541 --> 00:24:18,428 doing anything wrong. Not so. They remain 544 00:24:18,428 --> 00:24:21,099 sinners just as we do, and God does 545 00:24:21,099 --> 00:24:23,770 great things for us, right, do we not? 546 00:24:26,350 --> 00:24:28,590 Do we get suddenly holier and better 547 00:24:28,590 --> 00:24:30,830 behaved when God does something great for 548 00:24:30,830 --> 00:24:33,490 us?Often 549 00:24:33,490 --> 00:24:35,800 not. Often not. 550 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,114 Often it's not. Often it's the opposite. 551 00:24:40,114 --> 00:24:42,850 So before you look down at the leper 552 00:24:42,850 --> 00:24:45,586 in your heart, ask yourself how you would 553 00:24:45,586 --> 00:24:48,406 have done. Have you ever even 554 00:24:48,406 --> 00:24:51,119 tried? Have you ever even tried to not 555 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:53,153 talk about something life changing that 556 00:24:53,153 --> 00:24:55,866 you were excited about for the sake of 557 00:24:55,866 --> 00:24:57,900 another? You ever even tried that? 558 00:24:59,660 --> 00:25:02,361 You know, he walked down the street and 559 00:25:02,361 --> 00:25:04,387 that's somebody said, somebody say, say, 560 00:25:04,387 --> 00:25:06,750 didn't you used to be a leper? 561 00:25:08,380 --> 00:25:11,158 To. Yes, 562 00:25:11,158 --> 00:25:13,570 I used to be a leopard. No would come 563 00:25:13,570 --> 00:25:15,714 near me. Nobody would touch me. My life 564 00:25:15,714 --> 00:25:17,590 was in shambles and Jesus touched me. 565 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,677 And then a little off he went, all over 566 00:25:21,677 --> 00:25:24,643 Galilee. And the result 567 00:25:24,643 --> 00:25:27,628 is. And it's telling 568 00:25:27,628 --> 00:25:30,051 that Mark ends this passage, ends the 569 00:25:30,051 --> 00:25:32,473 pericope with this word and a great 570 00:25:32,473 --> 00:25:34,896 ponto, then he actually ends the whole 571 00:25:34,896 --> 00:25:36,280 passage with this word. 572 00:25:37,980 --> 00:25:40,224 People are coming to him from all 573 00:25:40,224 --> 00:25:41,827 quarters, literally in every direction. 574 00:25:41,827 --> 00:25:44,072 Jesus looked N people were coming. He 575 00:25:44,072 --> 00:25:46,316 looked S people are coming east, West, 576 00:25:46,316 --> 00:25:48,239 coming for every direction. He couldn't 577 00:25:48,239 --> 00:25:51,018 budge. And 578 00:25:51,018 --> 00:25:53,433 you know, going on in Chapter 2 when he 579 00:25:53,433 --> 00:25:55,043 finally gets to Capernaum, you know, 580 00:25:55,043 --> 00:25:56,921 people find out he's at Peters house, 581 00:25:56,921 --> 00:25:58,799 there's so many crowds that people are 582 00:25:58,799 --> 00:26:00,945 just cutting through the roof to try to 583 00:26:00,945 --> 00:26:01,750 get to him. 584 00:26:04,210 --> 00:26:06,925 So, in other words, by the end 585 00:26:06,925 --> 00:26:09,639 of the passage, people, because of the 586 00:26:09,639 --> 00:26:11,966 healed leper, Jesus's time of preaching 587 00:26:11,966 --> 00:26:14,681 in the towns was over, at least 588 00:26:14,681 --> 00:26:16,620 in that region of Galilee. 589 00:26:17,430 --> 00:26:20,125 And the rest of this half of the book 590 00:26:20,125 --> 00:26:21,922 pictures him as managing his ministry 591 00:26:21,922 --> 00:26:24,519 around the crowds. It's crowd management 592 00:26:24,519 --> 00:26:25,850 from this point on. 593 00:26:27,610 --> 00:26:30,483 Now listen folks, when he met the leper, 594 00:26:30,483 --> 00:26:33,356 he knew that he knew that possibility was 595 00:26:33,356 --> 00:26:35,870 was right there in front of him. 596 00:26:36,780 --> 00:26:38,916 He knew it when the man fell to his knees 597 00:26:38,916 --> 00:26:39,770 in front of him. 598 00:26:41,930 --> 00:26:43,890 And what's perhaps the most amazing thing 599 00:26:43,890 --> 00:26:46,616 about this?Passage. Is that 600 00:26:46,616 --> 00:26:48,570 Jesus knowing the risk? 601 00:26:50,130 --> 00:26:52,610 Knowing the whole plan that he had. 602 00:26:53,410 --> 00:26:54,820 Healed him anyway. 603 00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:57,650 He killed him anyway. 604 00:26:59,210 --> 00:27:02,013 Note two things. First, God's 605 00:27:02,013 --> 00:27:04,220 heart is being shown here. 606 00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:07,688 In spite of our misuse of His gifts, in 607 00:27:07,688 --> 00:27:09,700 spite of our disobedience, God wishes to 608 00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:12,288 do us good anyway, even if He knows it's 609 00:27:12,288 --> 00:27:15,157 going to happen. And that's what 610 00:27:15,157 --> 00:27:17,905 we see in Jesus. This is what 611 00:27:17,905 --> 00:27:19,760 God is like. That's what he's like. 612 00:27:21,310 --> 00:27:24,073 He will heal you and help you, knowing 613 00:27:24,073 --> 00:27:25,800 that you may disobey Him. 614 00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:29,840 He won't die for you on a cross. 615 00:27:31,090 --> 00:27:32,580 Even while you're hating him. 616 00:27:37,750 --> 00:27:38,870 And secondly. 617 00:27:42,790 --> 00:27:45,460 I want you to see that it's 618 00:27:45,460 --> 00:27:48,129 because of his love for all types 619 00:27:48,129 --> 00:27:50,417 of people that Jesus, following his 620 00:27:50,417 --> 00:27:52,324 compassionate healing so harshly, treated 621 00:27:52,324 --> 00:27:54,994 this man in a deliberate, wet way 622 00:27:54,994 --> 00:27:57,663 to impress upon him as strongly as 623 00:27:57,663 --> 00:27:59,570 he could to keep quiet. 624 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,835 See, the compassion and the vehemence 625 00:28:02,835 --> 00:28:04,671 shows us God's perfect character. You 626 00:28:04,671 --> 00:28:07,117 know those two types of people in the 627 00:28:07,117 --> 00:28:08,647 world with their accompanying strengths 628 00:28:08,647 --> 00:28:10,482 and weaknesses. You have people whose 629 00:28:10,482 --> 00:28:13,235 lives are in control tend to put the plan 630 00:28:13,235 --> 00:28:15,682 above the people. You have people who are 631 00:28:15,682 --> 00:28:18,129 tender tend to put the people above the 632 00:28:18,129 --> 00:28:19,964 plan. Jesus held them pull together 633 00:28:19,964 --> 00:28:22,796 perfectly. And then, after he did 634 00:28:22,796 --> 00:28:24,961 what he could, he entrusted himself to 635 00:28:24,961 --> 00:28:27,810 the Father. See, Jesus is not a 636 00:28:27,810 --> 00:28:30,786 control freak. He does not withhold the 637 00:28:30,786 --> 00:28:32,798 healing because this guy has the 638 00:28:32,798 --> 00:28:35,145 potential to mess up his crucial ministry 639 00:28:35,145 --> 00:28:38,100 plan. He stopped short 640 00:28:38,100 --> 00:28:40,440 of letting his concern about being 641 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:42,780 thronged too early prevent someone in 642 00:28:42,780 --> 00:28:44,730 need from receiving his help. 643 00:28:46,310 --> 00:28:48,848 He allows his compassion to make the 644 00:28:48,848 --> 00:28:51,385 decision to give this guy health. He 645 00:28:51,385 --> 00:28:53,560 didn't have to. He risked it. 646 00:28:54,510 --> 00:28:56,513 Knowing that it was the better path to 647 00:28:56,513 --> 00:28:58,515 take. And then Jesus did all that he 648 00:28:58,515 --> 00:29:00,267 could to prevent the news from spreading, 649 00:29:00,267 --> 00:29:02,270 and then he entrusted the outcome to His 650 00:29:02,270 --> 00:29:05,033 Father. Do you see 651 00:29:05,033 --> 00:29:06,010 this beauty in Jesus? 652 00:29:09,500 --> 00:29:11,283 This, this is the one that you're dealing 653 00:29:11,283 --> 00:29:12,620 with in your life right now. 654 00:29:16,530 --> 00:29:19,342 Why the struggle?Why 655 00:29:19,342 --> 00:29:22,221 are you fighting him?Why? What is there 656 00:29:22,221 --> 00:29:24,484 to fight here? Why all this struggling to 657 00:29:24,484 --> 00:29:26,464 look for loopholes out of Christianity or 658 00:29:26,464 --> 00:29:29,010 out of his will for you that you know? 659 00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:32,843 I mean, isn't this the kind of person you 660 00:29:32,843 --> 00:29:34,813 always wanted to know? Somebody who can 661 00:29:34,813 --> 00:29:37,064 get things done, but who is sensitive to 662 00:29:37,064 --> 00:29:40,030 the people he's with?Well, here 663 00:29:40,030 --> 00:29:43,007 he is. Here he is 664 00:29:43,007 --> 00:29:44,840 desirous of being your closest friend. 665 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,480 Isn't this the kind of person you always 666 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,730 wanted to work for? You know, a boss who 667 00:29:51,730 --> 00:29:54,588 wasn't a control freak?Well listen 668 00:29:54,588 --> 00:29:57,474 here is 1 you can serve. Who you 669 00:29:57,474 --> 00:29:59,380 can really believe in as your Lord. 670 00:30:01,690 --> 00:30:04,225 Isn't this the kind of person you've 671 00:30:04,225 --> 00:30:06,759 always wanted to elect? A kinder, gentler 672 00:30:06,759 --> 00:30:09,656 ruler, yet with a backbone for the long 673 00:30:09,656 --> 00:30:12,278 term plan?For the 674 00:30:12,278 --> 00:30:14,932 long term goal, well, because he is 675 00:30:14,932 --> 00:30:17,920 king already. Even without your vote. 676 00:30:18,660 --> 00:30:20,750 But you can elect him so in your heart. 677 00:30:22,470 --> 00:30:23,450 Why do you fight him? 678 00:30:26,410 --> 00:30:28,589 Imagine the leper and how Jesus looked at 679 00:30:28,589 --> 00:30:31,040 him, wanting to heal him in spite of his 680 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,218 faults. That's how he looks at you. It's 681 00:30:33,218 --> 00:30:34,580 how he looks at me. 682 00:30:36,790 --> 00:30:38,300 Turned to him now, as we pray.