Bible Studies

HOPE IN THEIR HOPELESSNESS!

by Luella Campbell
05/22/15
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HOPE IN THEIR HOPELESSNESS!

That evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak because they knew who He was (Mark 1: 32-34).

What a window of opportunity for the sick and demon-possessed people of Capernaum! There was someone in town who could heal and deliver.

The town was buzzing with the news that a man had been in the synagogue that morning who had sent a harassing demon packing. Many of them had seen it happen. One minute the man was a raving lunatic and the next he was as sane as the next man. This rabbi seemed to have appeared from nowhere. He was making His mark on society from the day He was baptised by the wild prophet from the wilderness! Saying things like, "God's kingdom is here," and "It's time to return to God's way."

Hadn't they always been walking in God's way? Didn't they try to follow their religious leaders as meticulously as they could? What was this new teaching all about? And then He went and healed a sick woman without even saying anything! Never had they heard of this kind of thing before - not in their lifetime, anyhow! So what did it all mean?

One thing was for sure. He could heal, he could! That was enough for them for the moment. Strange teaching aside, there were sick people in their homes who needed healing and they cashed in on the moment. Before He could disappear out of town again, they took advantage of the few hours after sunset on the Sabbath to mob Him with their loved ones.

Nothing fazed Him. He reversed the ravages of disease and deformity with a touch or a word. And as for the demons! These guys had had a field day with God's people - taking up residence whenever and wherever they could. The people were not aware of how dangerous it was to dabble in sin. Given half a chance, where they left the door open by allowing evil deeds or even hatred, bitterness, jealousy, promiscuousness, lust or greed to get a hold of them, the demons were in and that was it. It was far easier to let them in than to get them out.

Jesus was the man of the moment, for sure! He was mobbed by helpless, hopeless people wanting a fragment of His time to free them from their pain, their suffering and their bondage. Loved ones pushed and shoved to get near him with a wheezing baby; a suffering child, a shrunken, crippled brother, sister, mother, father; a son, a daughter burning up with fever, screaming in pain.

And He didn't disappoint them. Didn't He announce to them that God was back to set things right again? The devil had run the affairs of men for too long, and look at the mess he had made. God's people had tasted what he could do. Now it was time to see what God could do.

But, best of all, the demons knew who was boss! They tried to blurt out who He was but Jesus would not allow the enemy to put in a good word for Him. It was not their place to tell the world that He was the Son of God. The people had to make up their own minds from what they saw and heard from Him, not from them. They dared not resist His eviction order. They were in enough trouble as it was, trying to make out that their boss was in charge. It worked as long as the real boss wasn't in their faces for occupying what belonged to Him.

What a stir Jesus caused! That night, when everything had settled down again, there were many happy people in Capernaum; well people who were sick when the sun had risen; crippled, blind, deaf people who went to bed whole; crazy people who were perfectly sane; mothers and fathers who went to bed ecstatic because their baby, their child was healthy and happy again. Amazing! And all because Jesus came to town!

You sigh and wish that He would appear in your town, What if He turned up in your church on Sunday - in person? But, wait a minute. Didn't He say that He would be with us to the end of the age? So where is He, then?

He is here, with us, nearer to us than our breath. He has never left. We are immersed in His presence like fish in water. Don't beg Him to come. Change your awareness. Marinate in His presence because He is here with everything He is, Immanuel - God with us.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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