"Familiar
Hands"
June 5, 2005
The Old Testament Lesson: Psalm
139: 7 - 10
The New Testament Lesson: Mark
1: 40 - 42
To
call people to reach out for Jesus
I. The Hands of Jesus were filled
with power and with Love!
A. There are many
scenes in the Gospels which display Jesus’ hands.
1.
When we sang the anthem I thought about some of my favorites
2.
There is the time that he touched the children and blessed them.
3.
The time that Jesus raised the dead son of the women.
4.
The time he overturned the tables of the money changers.
5.
The invitation to Thomas to touch the nail holes
B. Today’s Passage is
one of the most powerful and shares important truth: The Hands of Jesus were filled
with power and with Love!
1.
Note that it is one of the first images of Jesus Mark shares with us.
a. 3 necessary things. baptism, calling disciples and first sermon.
b. As soon as
he can, he moves to Jesus healing this leper.
2.
Remember what it meat to be a leper.
a. People
were deathly afraid of leprosy.
b. They
shunned lepers and made them live outside the towns.
c. Lepers had
to ring bells and warn people they were coming.
d. To have
leprosy was to be ostracized and humiliated!
e. just at a
time when you most needed compassion for inner anguish.
3.
There is no surprise in his wish to be healed or Jesus’ healing.
a. We would
expect Jesus to answer this need.
b. but notice
how Jesus does it: He touches him!
4.
touching a leper immediately made a person ritually unclean!
a. They then
shared their faith for 30 days
b. unable to
go to temple or even touch another person!
c. Then they
had to sacrifice and pay a fine to be declared clean.
5.
Jesus reaches across this artificial barrier.
C. This action shows
both characteristics of Jesus clearly.
1.
That Jesus loved is shown by his compassion for the man’s plight.
a. He loves
the man enough to risk ostracism!
b. By
touching him, he gives him back his self worth.
c. In fact,
Jesus often displayed his love in the act of touching.
d. He gave
people dignity!
2.
That Jesus has power shows that he doesn’t just join him.
a. He draws
him back into the community of the faithful.
b. he
restores him, makes him whole again.
c. Not just
pity—he acts to reverse his doom!
II.
As Jesus disciples, we are called to do the same!
A. In the way that
Jesus treated others, he was giving us an example.
1.
It would be a very limited ministry if only Jesus could to it.
a. How few
people would be healed?
b. How
limited would be the Savior’s love.
c. How feeble
would be a faith based only on memory!
2. Jesus expects us to imitate the
example he has provided.
a. In the power of the Spirit, we are the extension of Jesus ministry.
b. Jesus still reaches out to touch the needy, through us!
B. We are called to be
Jesus’ compassionate hand extended.
1.
There is nothing in our world to rival the power of Christ’s love.
a. Certainly
we have developed fearful weapons.
b. We have discovered my deep secrets of the universe.
c. but neither of these can change the human heart.
2.
The love that Christ showed transforms individuals.
a. The losses that people experience are swept up in promise.
b. The anger that hardens hearts melts into forgiveness.
c. The fear that people see in the future becomes hope.
C. The hand we extend
should have Power to reverse pain.
1.
While it is great to love people, real love helps!
2.
We don’t want to leave them in terrible conditions
3.
Instead, we try to draw them into Jesus’ healing community!
4.
Our hands should raise people into the kingdom of God!
And
as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God
always find you faithful! |
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