In the Word

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to In the Word with Michele Telfer. Thanks for joining us for this in-depth study of God's word, the Bible. For more of Michele's free resources, visit her website at intheword.com. And now, Michele.

Michele Telfer: Father God, thank you so much for bringing us together as you have today and as always, I pray that I'd not get in the way of what you plan to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Over the past weeks, as we've been looking at some of the different miracles performed by Jesus, I've come to realize that many of those who came to him did so because they had nowhere else to turn. Even when Jesus initiated the encounter, as he did with the man at the pool of Bethesda or the man who had been born blind, it seems to me that he was often drawn to those in the greatest need, those who felt especially abandoned by God.

Perhaps some of us can identify with those feelings too. Maybe some of you listening today feel alone and without hope. You feel separated from God and perhaps even forgotten by him. Suffering has worn you down, bringing you to a point where you're not even sure if you believe anymore. Can I encourage you with something that I know to be true from my own struggles?

God is not blind to your need. He sees you and he cares for you. He knows all that you've lost in the struggles of life and he knows what you're longing to receive back. And as we'll soon see, he restores those who turn to him in faith. Turn with me to Mark chapter 9 verses 14 to 24 where our first miracle for today is recorded.

The first part of Mark 9 describes what we know as the Transfiguration. Peter, James, and John had withdrawn with Jesus to a high mountain to spend time in prayer. And while there, Christ was transformed before them. He was covered in radiant glory and his clothing became whiter than any white ever seen. Moses and the prophet Elijah appeared and talked to him. And God the Father spoke, saying to those with Jesus, "This is my son whom I love. Listen to him."

The three disciples were terrified. But Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they'd seen and heard. Well, after such an incredible experience, it must have been a bit of a shock then when they came down from the mountain and found the other disciples arguing with a group of religious leaders. Jesus asked what the commotion was about, and we pick up the story in verse 17.

Guest (Male): A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

"You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Michele Telfer: A father, desperate for his son's deliverance, had come in search of Jesus. But when he couldn't find the Lord, he turned to Christ's remaining disciples for help. Though they'd tried to heal the boy, they'd been unsuccessful. And their failure gave the religious leaders the perfect excuse to continue to accuse not only them, but their absent master as well.

I'm astounded at how little things change. For even today, when the followers of Christ come up short in some area of ministry or in the way that they represent the Lord to others, there are those who are quick to lay the blame on Jesus himself and reject him completely. Why? Because they're desperate to have some reason, some excuse not to believe in Christ.

I've heard it preached that Jesus was criticizing his own disciples here when he refers to an unbelieving generation, asking, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?" But I don't think that that's necessarily true. It's entirely possible that his commands were aimed at the religious leaders and the critics.

He knew that their accusations and arguments were the result of their own unbelief. So to put an end to the dispute, Jesus called for the boy to be brought to him. And when the evil spirit saw Christ, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. Apparently, it had no trouble discerning who Jesus was, even if the religious leaders did. Undisturbed by the wild and rather frightening display, Jesus showed compassion by inviting the father to explain more about his child.

Guest (Male): How long has he been like this?

From childhood. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.

If you can. Everything is possible for the one who believes.

I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.

Michele Telfer: This man's faith had been badly shaken, not only by his child's suffering, but also by the disciples' inability to help. In desperation, all he could ask Jesus was, "if you can do anything, please take pity on us and help us." Jesus picked up on the doubt in the man's voice and echoed his statement back to him.

I think at times people have stumbled over Jesus' statement here, mistakenly thinking that Jesus' words point to the fact that the child's cure depended solely on the boy's father's ability to believe. Let me begin by saying I don't believe that it's a lack of faith that always keeps us from receiving a miracle. Jesus is able to do all things, whether we believe it or not.

However, I do think that our doubts, our sense of the impossible, can often prevent us from coming to Jesus for help in the first place. Sometimes when hurting people get less than they'd hoped for from a church or from one of Christ's followers, they give up entirely and they never persevere beyond the earthly representatives of the master, beyond the servants of Christ, to Christ himself. The truth is, there will be times when the people of God disappoint us. But we must understand that they're only imperfect representatives of God. We need to be willing to press on to Jesus Christ himself.

Maybe you're in that sort of position right now. You want to believe that Jesus holds the answer to your distress. And yet, you still have doubts in his power, his goodness, and his love based on what you've seen from his representatives. Why not confess as this man did? "Lord, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief."

I love that Jesus never rebuked the father for his lack of faith. Rather, as soon as the man honestly acknowledged what was going on in his heart, Jesus granted his request. In verse 25 to 29, he commanded the spirit to leave the boy, never to enter him again. And it did.

Think of all that was restored in that moment. The boy could speak again, real words, not just the noises of a demon. He no longer had to fear being thrown into fire or water. He could be a normal child again. But that was not the only renewal that took place that day. A father's faith in the love and goodness of God was restored.

Jesus delights in restoring people to right relationships with their Heavenly Father and with other people as well. He came to make everything right and whole again. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all relate the story of our next miracle in which a desperate woman came to Jesus seeking help. Mark chapter 5 verse 25 to 29 describes her as one who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years.

She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

This woman's illness weakened her physically and kept her in a constant state of anxiety and uncertainty. Daily life must have been an incredible effort for her. According to the law of Moses, her condition made her unclean in God's sight and contaminated anything she sat on or touched. So she wasn't allowed inside the temple or the synagogue to worship. Can you imagine how that would feel? She also couldn't enjoy normal human contact or interaction with those around her.

No fellowshipping with the women down at the well or at the synagogue. No Sabbath meals with family or neighbors. She was forced to be alone in her weakness. Desperate for a cure, she'd visited all the doctors she could, spending everything she had on them, but she only got worse instead of better. Then she heard about Jesus and how he was miraculously helping others.

Somehow she had the faith to believe that if she could just touch the corner of his garment, she would be healed. But it would be no easy task. She could not easily walk among the crowds in her unclean state. And the mere act of touching Jesus would have made him unclean as well. She knew that there was likely no way she could talk to him about her shameful situation in public. So there would be no way of explaining her actions.

Resolution came when she decided to touch Jesus in secret. She must have been so frightened as she pushed through the crowd and finally got close to him. As soon as she touched the hem of his garment, she knew that her body was restored. But then the thing she most feared happened.

Guest (Male): At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, who touched me?"

Michele Telfer: But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and trembling with fear told him the whole truth.

Guest (Male): The woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.

Michele Telfer: Terrified, she confessed everything, laying the shame and disgrace of all those years of suffering at his feet. She fully expected him to be angry with her. Scripture reveals Jesus is omniscient. In other words, he knows everything. Nothing is hidden from him. He not only knew that someone had touched him, he knew who had done it.

Why then did he insist that she admit to what she'd done? I believe he wanted the woman to openly confess her shame to him so that she would know that he accepted her despite it. I'm sure she could not believe her ears when he looked down at her with love and, lifting her to her feet, spoke to her.

Guest (Male): Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.

Michele Telfer: Jesus was not angry with her. Rather, he called her daughter and he commended her for her faith. He not only healed and cleansed her, restoring her relationship with God the Father, but by openly announcing it to the crowd, he restored her relationship with those around her too. They no longer needed to fear her and she no longer needed to avoid them.

There would be no more condemnation and no more shame. She was now a beloved daughter of God. Perhaps you know what it is like to live for years with shame as this woman did. You know the sense of humility and loneliness that comes when others turn away from you. Perhaps that awful sense of hopelessness keeps you from openly approaching Christ.

Guest (Male): Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean.

Michele Telfer: Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said, "be clean." Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Can I encourage you to come to him anyway? He knows all about your need. And no matter the cause of your shame, he will never turn you away. He will accept you, heal you, make you his child and restore you to the fullness of life that you've longed for. There were others whose lack of purity didn't get in the way when they turned to Jesus as well. Nowhere is that better seen than in the many lepers that Jesus healed.

The term leprosy in Scripture was used of several different kinds of skin conditions. And they were all treated with the same caution. Once diagnosed with leprosy, the afflicted immediately had to leave their families, their jobs, and their spiritual community. They had to live alone or with other lepers and could no longer participate in any kind of normal life.

They had to wear torn clothing and cry out, "Unclean, unclean" at the top of their voices as they walked, warning people to get out of their path. Coming into contact with a leper made a person ceremonially unclean. So rabbis would often run away when they saw a leper. Apparently, some would even throw stones at them to prevent them from approaching.

Jesus was unlike any other rabbi. When this leper rushed forward and fell at his feet, Jesus did not reject him. Like the desperate father of the demon-possessed boy and the shame-filled woman with the issue of blood, the leper seemed to believe that Jesus had the power to heal him. But he was not completely sure that the Lord would be willing to do so.

Jesus, his heart full of compassion, did the unthinkable. He did what no one else would have had the courage to do. He reached out his hand and touched the man.

Guest (Male): I am willing. Be clean.

Michele Telfer: Can you imagine the man's amazement as he watched the open sores on his body begin to close and the skin return to normal? Can you imagine the hope that filled his heart as he realized he could now return to his family and live life again?

I can't help but wonder if he'd even heard the Lord's command that he was not to tell anyone what happened, but to present himself to the high priest to have his cleansing confirmed and then to offer the necessary offerings of thanksgiving to God. There's another miracle involving lepers that I want us to look at though. Luke 17 relates a story of an encounter Jesus had with a whole group of lepers on the road to Jerusalem.

Guest (Male): As he was going into a village, 10 men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all 10 cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?"

Michele Telfer: Then he said to him, "Rise and go. Your faith has made you well."

Guest (Male): Rise and go. Your faith has made you well.

Michele Telfer: Dr. Luke tells us that these lepers stood far off, a reminder of the utter isolation in which they lived. But they cried out to Jesus, pleading with him to have pity on them. I find it interesting that Jesus didn't approach them or make any announcement of healing as he'd done with the others. He just commanded them to go to the priests, though there was no evidence that they had been cured when Jesus told them to do this.

Verse 14 points out that it was only as they obeyed Christ's command and turned to go that they were all healed. It was as they went that they were cleansed. And I have seen that to be true in my own life. The restoration to God and others that I've longed for has only happened as I've walked in obedience to Christ's commands. He's worked as I have obeyed, not because I've earned it, but because I trusted him to do what was needed.

There's something else that we need to notice though. Luke reports that only one of the 10 returned to thank the Lord. Only one expressed gratitude. And isn't that so like us? How often do we cry out to him with a desperate intensity only to forget to be thankful when he answers?

Luke also points out that the one who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan. And I find that very interesting. Under normal circumstances, Jews and Samaritans were enemies who never associated with one another. But this group of lepers had been united by their shared misfortune and had forgotten their racial and national differences. They were all alike now, suffering together as only lepers could suffer.

It was the Samaritan, the outsider, who was commended for his faith when he returned to the Lord in gratitude. What a reminder that is that God's promise of wholeness and restoration is for all who believe in him. In each of these miracles, Jesus restored those who had been cut off from God and his people.

I can't help but think of the ultimate restoration Christ offered to all of us at Calvary. Luke writes in chapter 23 verse 34 of his Gospel that as Jesus hung in agony on the cross, he cried out, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Christ's death and resurrection restores everything that was lost in the fall of Adam.

Humankind has been contaminated by sin. But like those we saw in our study today, no one is beyond the reach of Christ's love. Like each of them, we have done nothing to merit the Lord's favor. And yet, if we will call on him as they did, if we will confess our shame like the woman and admit our unbelief like the boy's father, if we would cry out to him for mercy as did the lepers, he will forgive and restore us to our Father in heaven.

He will restore the years the locusts have eaten, giving us grace to fulfill his purposes for us as we walk in obedience to his commands. May God bless you as you follow him.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to In the Word with Michele Telfer. Join us next week as we continue our study from God's word, the Bible. Michele's teachings are available on all major podcast platforms, also on her website at intheword.com and through the In the Word by Michele Telfer app. Please consider supporting this ministry with a donation through the app or at intheword.com, helping us reach more people with the truth of Jesus Christ.