John 5:5-17
5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”
7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”
11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”
12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”
13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”
15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
And doesn't it make you angry the man was healed and he sought to tell them who healed him? This is surely one of the nine lepers.
Luke 17
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Continuing with John 5 -
What a man - not. Was this man irked he had spent 38 years waiting to be healed? He explained how the system worked to Jesus. He did not exactly ask to be healed with great enthusiasm. Maybe he liked his life at the pool. Maybe misery was his way of life. Like a Hobbit Ring. A preciousss. He surely did not go away with sin no more.
Jesus dealt with snakes.
Psychology - Why did God ask Moses to hold up a serpent when the Children of Israel complained the desert wasn't all that? I think God was saying this, "Don't bury your complaints - be real - be genuine - be yourself. Let's not pretend the Good Ship Lollypop is the desert. But My Plan was you wanted out of the desert so badly you'd do the Will of God bravely against the Philistines. Not Complain Against Your Abba." So the serpent is look at the Philistine, look at the problem and remain on the side of the Lord - ready, willing and able to do His Plan. Remain honorable in the conversations to the Lord God. And not live in denial of real serpents and real Philistines and real desert. With a false prayer life. With living on Scripture Subtitles and not the cry of the Psalmist.
God was willing to have Moses hold up a snake, knowing mankind would eventually worship the snake until King Hezekiah had the snake from the time of Moses destroyed for idol worship. In the same way that Aaron was so loved, even if he would enter into the Holy of Holies making a mess. God overlooks messes to find the person. God is for us person by individual person.
I know a man, who like we did, lost an infant. And he tried to cope. And in the next two weeks upon loosing his infant, saw an intense thunderstorm - scheduled to last the night. He took outside, in the harsh elements, a fifth of Bourbon and proceeded to yell, harass, scream, drink, cry and howl out to God for failing his family in the loss of the longed for infant. Scared his wife, scared the neighbors, scared his parents who got a phone call and his wife pleaded with him for an hour to come in from the pretty terrible thunder and storm. He told her he would see her in the morning - he was going to fight the Almighty - leave him alone. And he did for most of the night with thunder crashing and rain pouring. And he said the next day, he was embarrassed mostly to God. But he felt immeasurably better and embarrassed, very embarrassed. With a touch of gratitude not to be struck with lightning.
This is someone who has met the end of the rope. Not a constant habit and an anger to God for a life felt to be not worth living. For "my poor life."
Zipporah was Moses' wife and not completely in step. She decided to try to get God out of Moses' life and the result was circumcision. Zipporah saw such a display of God, she was unwilling to cross God again.
Nahum 1
…8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, And will pursue His enemies into darkness. 9 Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.
I firmly believe, and hold constant the opinion, we need to consider until we are beyond the ability to remain silent - to hold our conversations with respect to God. God is not our waiter, He is not our physical father some of us have treated with lack of respect. This is the ALMIGHTY.
Lord's Prayer
Jesus knew His Father from Genesis 1. Jesus is Light of the World. And He is telling us something about the God of the Exodus. The God of the Second Exile. The God who restores an impossible task to recreate the Nation of Israel as a forerunner for His Son defeating Death.
Lead us not into Temptation. That is a quote from Jesus. We can twirl ourselves in to complacency for our own self-righteousness. We are a child of God - so God cough up. Jesus taught us of - The Prodigal's Older Brother. The prayer of the Pharisee. See Me - I'm Perfect. And we are the people who pass by the Samaritan - hoping not to get caught with not wanting the money, effort and emotional cost.
Lead us not into Temptation. To believe God is not GOD. To think we are the ones pushing God.
And this is a good reason why Jesus then said, "Deliver us from evil." All those verses in the Scriptures about enemies and the New Testament squabbles of Saints. It's not always the squabble between people - the enemy is what we think we are owed. What we have earned. What is our right. What our bad attitude in fitting into life, but yeah, "but what do you really think?"
God tells us again and again about the invalid for 38 years. What did he really want? Was he offended to be healed and told this was partially his own fault or fully? Why couldn't he have said, gosh I don't know. Why couldn't he have thanked Jesus. What did he really think? He thought blending in with the culture was more important. And smarter. And he thought he would get ahead to have legs and powerful friends. This was a man who now saw the world was his new oyster.
He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
Proverbs 3 tells us "Do not envy the violent." Violent? This 38 year former invalid knew that the Dream Team from the Temple was capable of crucifixion. He chose ... poorly.
How did Jesus deal with this healed man? Jesus kept on doing His Father's Work. And He forgave him from the cross. And Jesus went Forth.
Romans 12
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Lazarus did, upon being healed from death.
Dear Father,
Let us open our gates for the Plan You have for us.
Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!
Let's Live the Life God wants for us - today.
Acts 12:14
When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Father we lift up the Nation during the count down to voting. We lift up prayers for the voting to happen. We lift up transparent motives in the people we vote for. In what is pushed back and undisclosed, we ask You to be the Light for the People trying to please You. We ask Your mercy and sympathy for what has been voted for and requested. We are the Christians declaring Jesus is God and believing You would do all things for the people who ask with Hope and Love. We are praying for the most helpful to Jesus and His plans be elected.
We ask in Faith for the people we love. That they are surrounded before and behind with Your mercies and guidance with Your Help. We ask for our Churches to have the Love and Joy and Steadfastness during changing times. That the message is eternal and brings forth genuine love.
We ask for good health, for continued hope to lead the way, for relationships to deepen and heal. For families to truly connect in meaningful ways and not just rely on social medias for entertainment. We pray for our neighborhoods that are so quiet. We pray for children to feel that school nourishes them at all ages. We pray about the really odd ideas of fairness at the college level. For rising college costs and decreasing ability to pay the investment with the need for Education for the Nation.
We pray that as the Mercies of God Renew each day, we ask for blessings. Expect blessings and have increased hope and joy as Christians. That our Light from Jesus will shine brighter and honestly. That Joy comes from the Lord Christ.
For continued good employment available and education to lead our culture upward in wisdom. We lift up our communities and cities to rejoice in sharing their experience of God and faith. We cannot deny what other's have found in Jesus. Thank You, very much, for this Day and what You have provided. We list our best blessings to You and know Amen rings with Jesus the Lord and His plan.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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