Seeking a Miracle: Luke 5.12-16

There are moments when we are aware of our need for God.  We cry out to God and have pressing needs on our hearts.  We know what this feels like and we ask God.  Sometimes we're at a vending machine. We put our money in and nothing falls down.  We pray, "Please God!  Let it fall!"  Other times we desperately want to see God in our lives.  In Luke 5 someone is seeking a miracle and we see something unique about Jesus.  Looking at the person of Jesus we encounter a need a person has.  The needs of the people in Luke 5 are different than the needs of us today but we certainly know what it feels like to have needs.  

A man has leprosy.  Leprosy could be a minor skin irritation or it could end in death.  The challenge was there was no known cure, no way to distinguish between a minor skin problem and leprosy so the solution was isolation and quarantine.  Disease and isolation, separation from society could strike anyone of any status or income if they got leprosy.  This man is someone who has been isolated.  We've learned about isolation recently; we understand a little about this and what it feels like.  We see the power of God restore this man. 

God can.

 God is able to work in our lives.  This man is a person with no hope.  He was full of leprosy.

¹²While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 

 This passage doesn't tell us where Jesus is geographically.  We know Jesus is in one of the cities he did ministry.  This man is full of leprosy and it's illegal for him to approach anyone.  If a leper approached you, you had a responsibility to shout, "Leper! Leper! Stay away!"  This leper encounters Jesus.  He's heard about Jesus.  He fell on his face and begged Jesus.  He believed Jesus was able and had the power to do something.  Rabbis believed it was easier to raise someone from the dead than it was to heal a leper.  

We know Luke was a physician.  He knew the realities of this disease.  Doctors do not like to not have an answer.  Luke describes this man as full of leprosy; it was severe.  This is a man with no hope who sees Jesus and has hope.  He believes Jesus is able to heal him.  We have seen God be faithful but sometimes we struggle believing God can do something.  This man fell on his face and begged Jesus and called him, "Lord."  This is exactly what Peter just called Jesus after catching fish.  It was unusual for a stranger to call Jesus, "Lord."  Like Peter, this man falls into a position of deep respect and surrendered to what God can do.  Then the man says, "if you will."  Why would he say that?  Does he wonder if Jesus cares about him?  Does he struggle with his own unworthiness?  For years he's been in isolation as an outcast.  There's a sense he is unworthy.  He was left alone and untouched.  People were afraid of him.  They'd try to get away from him.  He says here, "if you will."  

There's 2 reasons why we may doubt God can do something in our lives.  We do not believe God is able.  One of the greatest struggles of any man is the dreaded day when we cannot open a jar.  We will resort to extreme measures to open it!  We all encounter moments when we cannot do something.  There's moments when God doesn't answer a prayer, moments when God doesn't heal and we are faced with a challenge.  Why?  Why won't God do it?  Can God do it?  What was taught was that if you have leprosy it's because of a sin you committed.  Your sin keeps you from being healed.  Sometimes that's true, that the troubles we have in our lives are from sin.  It weighs on us.  Can God do something?  

We can identify with this man.  This man says he believes God can do this.  Do you believe God can?

God does.

 God acts in our lives and in our world.  Jesus reached out to this man and touched him.
                    ¹³And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 

Immediately leprosy left him!  Jesus touches him and and says these words over him: "Be clean."  Actually this in one word in Greek, "clean."  This man was untouched for perhaps years.  God is not afraid of being contaminated by us.  When we feel unworthy and unloved Jesus reaches out and touches this man.  His leprosy is healed.  There's a healing, a miracle.  Mark 11:23 Jesus is teaching his disciples and tells them if they have faith they can speak to a mountain and it will throw itself into the sea.  Anyone ever do that?  It's fun, right!  God places power in us!  Jesus speaks and all of heaven and earth obey.  When Jesus says, "clean," clean happens.  Jesus calls us to be agents of his power in Mark 11.  Not only are we recipients, but we have opportunities to share the power of God.  We can all recall times God didn't answer our prayers but we can also recall times God has moved in our lives, in our families and in our hearts.  How has God used you as an instrument of grace?  We see God's power when God calls us to reach out to another person.  A restoration happens.  Leprosy no longer defines this man.  When the power of God is poured out over you, you are no longer defined by what people say.  There's more than just physical healing., God restores.  This man was a leper and Jesus heals him, touches him and then says, "Don't tell anybody!"

God restores.

                    ¹⁴And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 

 Why does Jesus tell him not to tell anyone what's happened?  He tells him to go show himself to the priest.  The priest had the role of observing what was fit for society.  This man was previously kept from society, from worship for a long time.  Jesus healed his body but he also restored his relationship with God, the Father.  The next step for this man was to meet with the priest.  Jesus knows the needs of our hearts are greater than our physical needs.  Jesus is telling this man to follow the law by telling him to go to the priest.  The man goes through the proper authorities.  Don't we just love that?  Going to the authorities?  We can be good members of society.  Remember what I said about priests?  The hardest thing is to heal someone from leprosy.  What happens when this man walks in clean?  What will they ask?  Of course they'll ask what happened.  The man will tell them Jesus touched him and he is clean.  This is a demonstration of the power of Jesus.  This man was restored.  We can identify with this man.  We've been isolated and quarantined and we were angry!  We were frustrated.  We got mad.  This man is also restored to his community.  God desires for us to be fully restored.  Why would Jesus tell him not to tell anybody?

God wants more for us.

                    ¹⁵But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

After this miracle happened the crowds came out.  People came to hear Jesus and to be healed.  They came to hear Him, the Word of God.  It's easy to get distracted by the sensationalism of healing.  God is concerned with more than just physical healing.  Sometimes we think popularity, good health and being a social influencer is the solution.  The solution isn't to be more popular.  What we need is solitude.  We need that connection to our Heavenly Father.  God remains forever.  Jesus models this for us.  Jesus wants more for this crowd.  We know Jesus healed one person.  We have real needs and we know Jesus doesn't always heal.  Why not?  There's coming a day when Jesus will heal everyone!  We will be made whole for all eternity.   It doesn't always happen in this lifetime.  What's greater than being healed physically?  Our heart and soul being made whole.  Being restored to the community.  God has more for us than just physical healing.  There's nothing wrong with physical healing.  

Children play at the pool in the shallow end and get comfortable.  Deep water is scary.  Sometimes in our faith we stay in the shallow end.  Jesus goes to an isolated place to pray.  Jesus wants more.  Jesus will send out disciples and will tell them more.  We struggle because we are in the shallow end.  You have been called to transform the world and this community.  God wants to restore us.  He has the power to do that.  Do you believe God can?  Do you believe God is able?  Will you trust Him in that today?

Sermon by Dr. Scotty Carpenter.  Sermon Notes by Jeni Martin Johnson.