Study 4 - Jesus Always Knows Best
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Despite His power and authority Jesus made time to pray although He had a very busy life and was always on the move.
Jesus’ priority
The other disciples obviously felt Jesus was succeeding. After all "everyone" was looking for Him. But Jesus had a different approach. We are all impressed by spectacular miracles but Jesus, although concerned about human sickness was more concerned to preach as it is this that God uses to change us, and this that points to how we can know peace with God. Miracles often stop people listening to the preaching because they want to see more and more spectacular things.
Christianity is first and foremost a message. We need to grasp this. No other activity, no matter how important, must be allowed to put the proclamation of God's message into the background. So Jesus moves on.
Jesus’ care
In verse 40 there is an example of how Jesus cares for the individual. This man had leprosy. All his friends would have avoided him. He would be banned from meeting people or even going to a place of worship. As leprosy is a disease where the flesh rots he would have been deformed. For many hundreds of years nobody had been healed of this terrible disease which always resulted in death.
But this leper had great trust in Jesus' power. He also knew how to pray. He cries if Jesus is willing He can do anything. How would Jesus react to a man everybody else rejected and thought was finished? He wasn't just interested in him; He was totally full of compassion for him. He reaches out and touches a man whom nobody had gone near for years and says those spine chilling words "I am willing...Be clean".
And "immediately" the leper is cured.
Jesus warns him to obey the laws that Moses gave and to tell no one. But the man feels that surely Jesus has made a mistake and proceeds to tell others. Because of this Jesus can no longer enter and preach freely. Jesus always knows best.
Time to think
- What was Jesus’ priority?
- How did Jesus show He cared?
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