God Speaks About Faith

Gerd Altmann

Got Faith?  Those who are old enough will remember the commercials from a while back: "Got Milk?" This phrase became somewhat of a novelty and derivatives of it are still used to this day. At the time, I had written a little play for a local Christian school at which I taught. The play was entitled "Got Faith?".  Faith is defined as "complete confidence or trust in someone or something". To a lot of people, faith is a word often associated with religion/Christianity. Mainstream scientists and non-Christians will "fuss" with Christians about how they can believe in God of have faith in the things of the Bible when there is no proof. First, let me say, there is a lot of proof and it is becoming more and more evident everyday. Second, yes it is faith that allows us to believe in these things; however, those who believe in evolution and other non-Biblical science ideals must also have faith in something with little to no proof. They must have as much, if not more, faith to believe that all of the known processes in the world came about by chance, rather than by design of a Creator. 

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Everyday examples of faith, listed on Quora.com, include: buying products on-line without trying them first; many entrepreneurial endeavors; choosing a mate; and choosing a career with no previous experience in the field. Quora.com also says, "Faith is baked into how humans make decisions. It’s also baked into values, beliefs, and actions regarding the future". Additionally, "These are the acts of the courageous in history—these are the decisions about which the greatest acts in the history of humanity have been based." We can see that faith is involved in many things in life. I was listening to a local Christian radio station the other day and heard a song that I had heard many times before, but this time a particular phrase jumped out at me. The song was "Resurrecting" by Elevation Worship and can be heard here.  One of the stanzas in this song is "The tomb where soldiers watched in vain was borrowed for three days".  I have since seen this phrase (borrowed tomb) used in other songs and references and it really struck me. How much faith Joseph of Arimathea must have had to give his pre-purchased tomb for Jesus' burial knowing that he would not have to purchase another spot for himself and possibly his family too. 

The Bible tells us that Joseph was a rich man and a member of the Sanhedrin; however, he was also a secret follower of Jesus and was in fear of being persecuted by the fellow Sanhedrin. Some scholars suggest that he may have been a relative of Jesus as well. Whoever he was, we know that he was an avid follower as all four gospels mention him. We also know of his faith. The Bible tells us that Joseph asked Pilate for the body of Jesus after He was dead and that Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the cross and prepared His body for burial. They placed Him in the tomb that Joseph had purchased for himself (and maybe his family) and then rolled the stone in front of the tomb. Joseph must have known that this wasn't the end. As a member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph was likely a Rabbi and was well-versed in Scripture. He likely knew of the prophecies about the Messiah and knew and believed that Jesus was Who He said He was....the Messiah. This means Joseph also knew that Jesus would rise again on the third day. Because of this, Joseph was willing to LOAN Jesus his tomb for a few days.  He knew he would get it back and be able to use it for himself later or maybe even a family member. May we all aspire to have the faith of Joseph of Arimathea!

God Speaks Through a Paralyzed Man

(Matthew 9:1-8) Imagine the scene! Jesus had just returned to Capernaum, the town where He had been living. He and His followers had just had interesting spiritual and political experiences across the Sea of Galilee.

As Jesus disembarks from the boat in which he and the followers are sailing, He is approached by a group of men carrying a mat.This may not necessarily be a strange sight back in those days in that area; however, on the mat, was a paralyzed man. The men were bringing this man to Jesus for healing. Right away, because of their confidence, Jesus knew they had the utmost faith in His abilities. In other words, they did not approach Jesus with a half-hearted request of, "Do you think you can heal our friend?" or "We would like to see if you can heal our friend." No, they came to Jesus in order for their friend to be healed. They knew it would take place!  

Matt. 9:2 (The Voice)--"When He got there, some men approached Him carrying a mat. On the mat was another man, a paralytic. The men evidently believed that Jesus could heal the paralytic, and Jesus saw their faith, how much faith they had in His authority and power."

Jesus says to the paralytic, "Rest assured, my son, your sins are forgiven." I'm not 100% sure this is what the friends had in mind. I think their intention was for the friend to be physically healed. To me, this was an interesting turn of events. Why in the world would Jesus have said the man's sins were forgiven and not healed him physically, when he had healed others of physical ailments without this assurance of forgiven sins?

I believe there are two reasons. The first is that Jesus knew that what the paralyzed man really needed was spiritual healing. Before he could receive physical healing, he needed to be right with God. (Thanks to my pastor {Linda Pevey} for this revelation.)  I believe the second reason has to do with setting the lawmakers in Capernaum straight and revealing to the crowds who He really is.

To quote Paul Harvey, "And now, the rest of the story." Nearby there were Jewish lawmakers and leaders who were listening and taking in this whole scene. They begin to call Jesus out on, what was in their minds, blasphemy. Blasphemy is pretending or claiming to be God. The Jewish lawmakers were likely thinking, "Who is He to forgive sins, only God can do that". Since Jesus IS God, He has the power to forgive sins; therefore, He is not blaspheming. Although they spoke this to themselves, He knew their thoughts. Next comes my favorite part of this passage. I feel like Jesus just rolls his eyes and then let's them have it!

Jesus asks the Scribes and Pharisees why they are mumbling about blasphemy and why they are being wicked in their hearts. 

Matt. 9:4-7(The Voice)--"Why do you hold such hardness and wickedness in your hearts?  Look, is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Get up and walk'? To make clear that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins (turning to the paralytic man on the mat), Get up, pick up your mat, and go home. And the man did!" 

I can almost hear the exasperated tone in Jesus voice as He speaks to them. 

"Look, anyone can SAY that sins are forgiven. You or your spouse, or even the neighbor next door can TELL someone that their sins are forgiven. They might even SAY to get up and walk, but that doesn't mean it really happens. Now let me prove to you who I AM. I have not only healed the sins of this man, because I know you need to see something to believe it, I will heal this man physically as well. That way you know that I have the power to do both."

Back in those days (and often in these days as well), there were many "religious" sideshows that would come around and claim they could heal people, but their claims never came to fruition. 

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So Jesus did just that. He healed the paralyzed man. The Bible tells us that the crowd was in awe. They were amazed and they praised God. Not only had Jesus healed the sins and physical ailment of this man, He had revealed His power and Nature to the town and they were praising God for it! The Bible does not tell us of the reaction of the lawmakers, but I imagine they turned and walked away quickly. 

We can see the power of Jesus through this Scripture. We see that because He is God, He knows all things and can do all things. We know that He is necessary for our lives and for our eternal life. It is He Who is able to forgive our sins. It is He Who can set us on a right path if we will just ask Him.

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