his touch of life

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 9:18-26

18 While he was saying these things to them, see, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

19 And Jesus, together with his disciples, got up and started following him.

20 But see, a woman who had suffered for twelve years from constant bleeding came up behind him and touched the fringe of his robe,

21 because she said to herself, “If I only touch his robe, I will be made well.”

22 Jesus turned, and after seeing her, he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a disturbance,

24 he said, “Go away, because the girl is not dead but is sleeping.” And they laughed at him.

25 But after the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

26 And the he was a celebrity because of this event through all that district.

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his touch of life

The apostle Paul was probably quoting a Pharisaical rule when he advised the Corinthians that it was good for a man not to touch a woman.[1] It was good advice in that context, although advice the Corinthians probably found hard to follow.

But Jesus did not live by that rule. He both touched, and allowed himself to be touched here. These ladies needed life, and that life came by touching Jesus. The fringe woman’s life had been draining away from her for years. When she saw Jesus, she dared to hope again. She took a risk accosting him the way she did, but it was worth it. He had the touch of life.

The ruler’s daughter was already dead. There was no hope. But when the ruler saw Jesus, he dared to put his faith in Jesus for her. He asked Jesus to “come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” He knew Jesus had the touch of life.

LORD, our daughters and sons need your touch of life. Come and lay your hands on them, and they will live.

[1] 1 Corinthians 7:1.

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Embracing his destiny

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:62 – 25:6

62 Now Isaac had moved from Beer-lahai-roi and was living in the Negev.

63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, there were camels coming.

64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel

65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 And the servant recounted to Isaac all the things that he had done.

67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother. So he chose to marry Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. This is how Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

25:1 Abraham also took another wife, whose name was Keturah.

2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah for him.

3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.

6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, and sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. _________________________________________

Embracing his destiny

Abraham had done everything he could to see to it that Isaac fulfilled his destiny. He gave him all he had, procured a bride for him, and sent all the rivals to his inheritance packing. Now it was time for Isaac to make his choice.

We see Isaac in the field meditating. He was babbling to himself. He may have been praying, or he may have been rehearsing what he might say when he meets his fiancé for the first time. We do not know what he actually said. All we know is what he did. He brought this young lady to that vacant spot in his life – the tent of his recently deceased mother. The death of Queen Sarah had left a void. Rebekah would help Isaac heal from the pain from his past, but she would also be his joy in the future. She was his destiny. Isaac chose to embrace his destiny. He chose to marry her. She would be the new queen and he the new king.

The Lord Jesus has a destiny as well, and we are it. We are his bride, chosen from the foundation of the universe to reign with him. He promises to come back for us and take us into his Father’s household, because there is a place for us there. There is a vacant tent for his bride. He has embraced his destiny.

LORD, thank you for the vacant tent in your Father’s household. Give us the wisdom to begin living out our eternal destiny now.

Posted in church, future, Isaac, Jesus Christ, second coming | Tagged , | 1 Comment

something old, something new

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 9:14-17

14 Then the disciples of John came to Jesus, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 And Jesus said to them, “Would it be proper for the wedding guests to mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? But The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 No one patches an old piece of clothing with a piece of brand new cloth, for the patch would tear away from the piece of clothing, causing a worse tear.

17 You also do not put new wine into old wineskins. If you do, the skins burst and the wine spills and the skins are destroyed. So you put new wine into fresh wineskins, and then both are kept intact.”

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something old, something new

John the Baptizer was Jesus’ forerunner, so he called people to be citizens of the same future kingdom from the sky that Jesus did. There were many similarities in their preaching ministries. For example, John raged at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes.[1] Jesus continued calling God’s people to be real, just as John had. But Jesus was also starting something brand new. For that reason, some of the old traditions and ceremonies did not fit. Ritual fasting, for example, long a heritage of ancient Judaism, would not fit the lifestyle of Jesus and the apostles as they engaged in saturation evangelism. Fasting is seeking the answer. It does not make sense to seek when the answer is already present.

Jesus was not saying that fasting was wrong, even then. He encouraged it.[2] He just did not want his disciples sidetracked by an old tradition because they were the ones who would bring in a new faith. When Jesus went back to heaven, that is when it became OK for his disciples to fast again.

John’s disciples were basically wondering the same things Pharisees and scribes wondered. They wanted to know why the disciples were not joining them. But Jesus used the new cloth on old cloth, and the new wine in old wineskin metaphors to show that God is adding something new to the mix. The old stuff is not necessarily wrong. It just won’t fit.

LORD, help us to discern which of our old traditions no longer fit the new faith you have given us. Help us to be “all in” with the gospel, and reject even those good things that keep us from sharing it.

[1] see Matthew 3:7-12.

[2] Matthew 6:16-17.

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Responding to your destiny

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:50-61

50 Then Laban and Bethuel gave their answer by saying, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot say anything to add to it or take away from it.

51 See, Rebekah is in front of you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has commanded.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD.

53 And the servant brought out silver and of gold jewelry, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and to her mother.

54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.”

55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a while, at least ten days; then she can go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my way succeed. Send me away so that I can go to my master.”

57 They said, “We will call the young woman and ask her.”

58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Do you want to go with this man?” She said, “I want to go.”

59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her female attendant, and Abraham’s servant and his men.

60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them!”

61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and rode on them, following the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

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Responding to your destiny

Everyone recognized that the LORD was in these events, and that Rebekah and her family would now be a part of Abraham’s story. Laban and Bethuel understood that the LORD was in this, and that their opinion did not really matter. So they gave in, surrendering and submitting to his will.

Some others also recognized that Rebekah was going away, but asked permission for her to stay back a few more days. The servant of Abraham did not want this. He was anxious to fulfill his responsibility to his master. His priority was pleasing Abraham. The LORD may be calling on you to follow him to your destiny right now. Do you feel like putting it off a while?

Rebekah answered wisely. She wants to go. Once you know your destiny, it is best to follow quickly, not remaining distracted by your past life. Your future is calling.

LORD, give us courage to follow you into our destiny.

Posted in Abraham, courage, discipleship, future, submission | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Savior of sinners

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” So, he got up and followed him.

10 And while Jesus was reclining at a table in Matthew’s house, see, many tax collectors and sinners had come and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And after the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 But when Jesus heard the question, he said, “Those who are healthy do not need of a doctor, but those who are sick do.

13 Go and learn what this means, ‘What I want is mercy, and not sacrifice.’[1] For I did not come to recruit the righteous, but to save sinners.”

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A Savior of sinners

Jesus did church all wrong. He did not go out into his community and seek for good, honest, law-abiding, religious folk to add to his disciples. He catered to the seedy, the disreputable, the lowlifes.

When the respectable lot asked his disciples why Jesus hung around the bad apples, they probably shook their heads and said, ‘I honestly don’t know.’ So, they brought the question to Jesus. That was wise.

Jesus answered two ways. First, he quoted a proverb. He said that healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. By this, he did not imply that those self-righteous Pharisees were healthy. They just did not realize that they were diseased. People who do not see their sickness just keep doing what they do until they drop dead. Symptoms are an indicator of a need. Sins are symptoms of the need for a Savior of sinners. That is why we need to look for broken people to fill our churches.

Then, Jesus quoted from the prophet Hosea. Hosea called on his people to stop playing like they were healthy and return to the LORD, so he could heal them. He wanted them to give God’s mercy a try. God’s mercy is first received from him, and then shared with others. That is what these sinners in Jesus’ day could do, but the Pharisees could not. Our churches are supposed to be hospitals where the patients get better and then turn into nurses under Doctor Jesus, healing others. That is how to do church right.

LORD, help us to get over our own superficial goodness, and share your mercy with a dying world.

[1] Hosea 6:6. See also Proverbs 21:3; Micah 6:6-8.

Posted in church, compassion, humility, hypocrisy, Jesus Christ, mercy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Messengers of another destiny

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:34-49

34 So he said, “I am a servant of Abraham.

35 The LORD has richly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

36 And Sarah my master’s wife had given birth to a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has invested all that he has.

37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am living,

38 but you shall go to my father’s family and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’

39 I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’

40 But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make what you do succeed. You will take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s family.

41 When you come to my clan, then you will be free from my oath. So if they will not give her to you, you will still be free from my oath.’

42 “I came today to the spring and prayed, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are making what I do succeed,

43 see, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”

44 and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the LORD has selected for my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished praying in my heart, see, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give water for your camels to drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels water to drink also.

47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.

48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter from my master’s kin for his son.

49 Now then, if you are going to show faithfulness and trustworthiness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

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Messengers of another destiny

The servant retells his story to the members of Bethuel’s household. He has experienced God’s faithfulness (grace) and trustworthiness (truth). He praises and worships and blesses God for leading him to this place, to these people. Then he serves the ball into Bethuel’s court. It is now up to these people to decide whether they are going to reciprocate God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness.

If they choose not to honor the event with their agreement, the servant will go on to the right of left, and God’s blessing with him. The LORD is constantly sending his angels and his other messengers (us) to interfere in the lives of unbelievers in just this way. This is one of the ways he provides a witness for himself. His faithfulness to all by providing rain and harvest is also a constant witness of his existence.[1]

Messengers of another destiny give the unreached an option. They can either take the circumstances they find themselves in as a sign from the LORD, or just choose to keep ignoring him. If they turn their back on God, they turn their back on a destiny wrapped up in him. This was the choice Bethuel’s household had to make that day. They had to decide whether they would be part of Abraham’s story, or not.

Thank you, LORD, for sending us as your messengers to those who need you in their lives. Give us the courage to go, and tell them about their chance to be part of your eternal life.

[1] Acts 14:17.

Posted in Abraham, faithfulness, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Savior from sin

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 9:1-8

And after climbing into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.[1]

2 And see, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a cot. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

3 And see, some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

4 But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil thoughts in your hearts?

5 because — which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the right upon the land[2] to forgive sins”- he then said to the paralytic- “Get up, pick up your cot and go home.”

7 And he got up and went home.

8 After the crowds saw that, they feared and glorified God, who had given such a right to men.

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A Savior from sin

Like the Gadarenes, the crowds at Capernaum were also amazed at Jesus. But their amazement led them to fear and glorify God, not to beg Jesus to leave their region. There were religious officials there who thought Jesus was going too far, but the common people respected him because he changed peoples’ lives. Jesus challenged those scribes to look at the evidence – a paralyzed man healed.

Jesus challenges you and me to look at the evidence, too. If we look beyond our doubts and look at the lives that Jesus changes, we will see that he has the right to forgive sins. We are sinners. We need Jesus, because only he can attack our problems at their root – sin.

LORD, thank you for providing a Savior from sin – a man with the right to forgive transgressions against you.

[1] Capernaum, the location of most of his Galilean ministry.

[2] — not just as the Son of God in the sky, but also as the Son of Man on the land. Jesus was both.

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Faithfulness and Trustworthiness

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:21-33

21 The man stared at her in silence, trying to discern whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels,

23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

25 And she said, “We also have plenty of both straw and fodder, as well as room to spend the night.”

26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD

27 and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his faithful love and his trustworthiness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”

28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban rushed out to meet the man, to the spring.

30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “This is how the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And see, he was standing by the camels at the spring.

31 He said, “Come in, O blessed by the LORD. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”

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Faithfulness and Trustworthiness

The word which describes the servant’s stare at Rebekah is telling. It is the word one would use describing the amazement one would feel at seeing a natural disaster. But his stare is that of gratitude. The LORD has answered his prayer, and that of his master, Abraham. The LORD is proving that he is a God of faithfulness and trustworthiness – of grace and truth.[1]

As soon as the camels take the last slurp, he gets out his trinkets. These are expensive gifts, but are given merely out of gratitude for Rebekah’s help. The servant asks if they have lodging for him and his men, and Rebekah affirms that they do, and runs off to tell the other women in her family what has happened. Laban, her brother, hears and rushes out to officially invite the party to their tents. The meal is prepared, but the servant insists on getting business out of the way before eating.

Thank you, LORD, for always proving your faithfulness and trustworthiness to us.

[1] see John 1:14, 17.

Posted in Abraham, faithfulness, grace, Jesus Christ, trust, truth | Tagged | 1 Comment

stay away!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 8:28-34

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so violent that no one could pass that way.

29 And see, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”

30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at a distance from them.

31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and see, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

33 The herdsmen ran away, and when they came into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

34 And see, all the city came out to meet Jesus, but after they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

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stay away!

The peoples’ fear of the demoniacs was quite rational. It was wise to stay away from their violent attacks.

The demons’ fear of Jesus was also rational. They knew that at God’s appointed time –Judgment Day – Jesus will judge all creatures, and that those whose names are not written in the book of life will experience torment for their sins and be finally destroyed in the lake of fire.

But Matthew tells his version of this story to highlight the irrational fear of the city dwellers, who learned of Jesus’ power, and begged him to stay away from them. You cannot escape Jesus. He will either be your deliverer or your judge.

LORD, give us the wisdom to seek you, not to shun you.

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A bride for the Master’s Son

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:1-20

Abraham was old by now, well advanced in days. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who was steward of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,

3 so that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of the sky and God of the land, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,

4 but will go to my country and to my kin, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

6 Abraham replied to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.

7 The LORD, the God of the sky, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kin, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

8 But if the woman does not want to follow you, then you will be free from this oath from me; only you must not take my son back there.”

9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him on this subject.

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he set out for Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor.

11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the water well at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.

12 And he prayed, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show faithful love to my master Abraham.

13 See, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’- let her be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown faithful love to my master.”

15 Before he had finished speaking, see, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.

16 The young woman looked very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came back.

17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.”

18 She replied, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.

19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have finished drinking.”

20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to get more water, and she supplied all his camels.

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A bride for the Master’s Son

Abraham gave his servant specific instructions that he should travel the long distance back to Paddan-Aram and find a wife for Isaac there. She should not come from the Canaanites. The servant found Rebekah, who demonstrated the qualities one looks for in a bride. An angel had gone before the servant and had put all the variables in place so that the servant found the perfect match.

This story is important historically, because it explains how Rebekah became Isaac’s wife.

It is important spiritually because Rebekah’s attitude of eager hospitality, submission to the marriage and love for Isaac (whom she had not seen) teaches the church how we should respond to Jesus, our Bridegroom, and the Master’s Son.

LORD, may our love for Jesus motivate us to serve his servants, and submit to his will eagerly, as Rebekah did.

Posted in Abraham, church, commitment, ethnic Israel, Isaac | Tagged | 1 Comment