Tag Archives: Capernaum

A Little Change and Much Change

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Jesus said to [Peter], … “Go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to [the collectors of the two-drachma tax] for Me and for yourself.” Matthew 17:26b & 27b ESV1

Read Matthew 17:24-27

My favorite motion pictures are those which are based on true events. Because they deal with real people overcoming genuinely insurmountable challenges, these movies inspire me. They give me the confidence to believe that if these ordinary people with extraordinary character can prevail in such difficult circumstances, maybe I, too, can make a difference in the situations which I face.

Often these films conclude with photos of the actual people on whose lives these stories are based. Some directors are better than others at choosing actors who authentically represent the physical characteristics of those they are portraying. But what about films depicting the events surrounding Jesus’ earthly ministry? Almost every such movie I have ever seen characterizes Jesus’ twelve closest disciples as older men—some balding, others with salt and pepper hair and beards, and still others with ample waistlines. We don’t have any photographs to make comparisons, but I don’t believe The Twelve looked like that at all!

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Guilty or Not Guilty

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A demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”  But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”   Matthew 9:32-34 ESV1

Read Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22-32 & 43-45; Mark 3:22-30; Luke 11:14-26

Never in my life have I held a dinner party or engaged in festivities at someone else’s home that was as interrupted as the banquet Matthew held in Jesus’ honor. Jesus had been taken from the party to raise a girl from the dead. On His way to do that, He healed a woman from a bleeding condition. On His way back to Matthew’s party, He was approached by two blind men who asked for healing; to get their miracle, they followed Him right into Matthew’s home. “As [the two blind men] were going away [from Matthew’s home], behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to Him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons’” (Matthew 9:32-34). Matthew, Jesus, the disciples, tax collectors, sinners, a distraught father, two blind men, the demon-oppressed man, those who accompanied the sick and needy, the Pharisees and scribes, and an amazed crowd all appeared to be at Matthew’s home during the course of this party. I wonder, did Matthew or Jesus ever get a chance to eat? Was this what Matthew expected when he “made [Jesus] a great feast in his house” (Luke 5:29)? But then again, Matthew wasn’t called to be a party host, and Jesus didn’t come to Earth to get good meals.

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So Much Confusion

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Taking her by the hand He called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once … And her parents were amazed, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened. Luke 8:54-56 ESV1

Read Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43; & Luke 8:40-42, 49-56

Have you ever been part of an exciting, amazing, or traumatic event, one replete with commotion, lively activity, or frenzy, and one so memorable, you felt you would never forget a moment? Only to find, when it was all over, and as you and others, who were also there, discussed what happened and what was said, you realized you each perceived the happening very differently, so different, in fact, that you wondered if some of the others were even at the same event? I have a feeling that those who hung out with Jesus as He walked the Earth often felt that way. The miracle we will consider now is such an example.

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Friends of a Sinner

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And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.  Luke 5:18-19 ESV1

Read Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12 & Luke 5:17-26

Jesus and His disciples left the country of the Gerasenes and the newly-freed man who was beginning his newly-discovered ministry and returned by boat to Capernaum, Jesus’ home-away-from-home. On this side of the lake, they once again were met by a crowd. Among this crowd were people of two distinct attitudes: one no less evil than the legion of demons He had just exorcised and one no less wonderful the freed man’s desire to serve Jesus.

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An Honorable Character

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“Go; let it be done be done for you as you have believed.” Matthew 8:13 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:5-13 & Luke 7:2-10

Before Jesus left Capernaum, He performed one more healing. The account of this healing stands out from some previous healings in the fact that the focus is not on the one being healed but the one asking for the healing. The one asking for the healing here was a Roman centurion, and he was asking for the healing of his young servant who was “sick of the palsy, grievously tormented” (Matthew 8:6 KJV2). From this account, what can we discover about this Roman centurion and surprisingly virtuous person?

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Obey When it Makes No Sense

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Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone,” … But he went out and began to talk freely about it.    Mark 1:43-45 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45 & Luke 5:12-16

 Are you a questioner? Do you have to be fully convinced before you take action? Do you have to know the reason why a command is given before you obey? Do you have to know all the facts before you proceed? Or, are you unconditionally obedient? When one in charge gives you a command, do you obey completely even when you don’t understand the why behind the request? Do you trust the integrity of authority figures; therefore, you obey without question? Do you act in faith without justification? Or, are you somewhere in the middle, evaluating each situation separately, obeying fully sometimes, choosing to disobey at other times? The recipient of Jesus’ next healing had to decide as to whether he would fully obey the command given to him.

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Evil in Disguise

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“What is this word? For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke 4:36 ESV1

Read Mark 1:21-28 & Luke 4:31-37

Something really good can come out of a not so good place. Jesus was brought up in the town of Nazareth. Though Nazareth was the home of the One Who Embodied all the Goodness of God, Nazareth lacked faith (see Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:5-6) and was filled with wrath and hatred (see Luke 4:28-29). They rejected the Good that was in their midst. Capernaum, on the other, hand was full of faith. They openly accepted Jesus and received many blessings from Him. Yet, there was something evil lurking in the what should have been the most-godly place in Capernaum, their synagogue.

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I Can’t. He Can

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He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve Him.   Matthew 8:15 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-34 & Luke 4:38-41

Have ever heard the call of Jesus but realized you just didn’t have what it took to do what He asked? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a need but didn’t see how you could possibly help? Have you ever wanted to obey Jesus but felt like you had to say, “I just can’t!”? If so, you may be able to identify with the account recorded in these Scriptures.

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Believing and Blessing

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The man believed the word that Jesus spoke and went on his way. John 4:50 ESV1

Read John 4:45-54

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) Today, we meet a father who believed in the possibility of something he had never before seen. He took a chance and asked of Jesus that which was contrary to reason. His faith was rewarded. On the contrary, to those who wanted proof before they would believe, Jesus gave chastisement.

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