Presented to
Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 05 October 2014 by Captain Michael
Ramsay
It was a great time at Men’s Fishing Camp
last weekend. We went to the Immanuel Retreat Centre in Riverhurst,
Saskatchewan. On the way there we drove past the Hamm family’s old land. It was
neat to see that from the window of the van. At the retreat, there was good
teaching and a great time of fishing. Richard caught not only his first fish
ever but he caught his first three fish ever: three walleyes. No one came away
empty-handed; even those who weren’t able to catch a fish won a prize. Dennis
got a neat Saskatchewan Roughriders lure; Gene received a Bass Pro Shop hat;
and we all received good teaching and great fellowship.
The speaker was really impressed with all
of us as well: What was it that the preacher said? He had the joys of speaking
to a crowd of men who had been fishing all morning and he mentioned at the
church service the following day that he discovered then that he had a special
gift. He said he discovered that he had the gift of a lullaby voice that can
put anyone – even grown men - to sleep. During one of his mid afternoon
sessions, I think almost half of the men were out cold but – even with that
little blip - it really was a good time of learning. It was a good men’s camp
and a good fishing trip.
Today’s passage commences with a pericope
about fishing. Matthew 5:1-11:
One
day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding
around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two
boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into
one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little
from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep
water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t
caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that
their nets began to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat
to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they
began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go
away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were
astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will
fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and
followed him.
This is Luke’s account of Jesus’ calling
his first disciples: Some men had just finished fishing all night long. They
are probably tired and they are beginning the big job of packing up, checking
their boats and cleaning their nets. Jesus then comes along and gets into one
of these boats and asks Simon – who has just been working all night fishing – he
asks Simon to take him out on the boat so that he can teach the crowds. I know
how tired we men were listening to someone speak to us for a few minutes after
just a morning of fishing. Picture how Simon Peter must feel after having been
working all night and then sitting through a much longer session. And once the
session is over and I imagine Peter is exhausted – fishing all night, listening
to the session all morning. Once the session is over Simon is probably hoping
to finally head back, clean up and maybe get some sleep but Jesus says, “I want
to go fishing, can you take me?” Luke 5:5: “Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve
worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I
will let down the nets.’” They do this and they catch so many fish that even
their nets are breaking so they call out to their business partners, their
fishing buddies to get over here and help them out.[1]
It is at this point that Simon Peter and his partners James and John –
Zebedee’s sons – come to follow Jesus and Jesus promises that he will make them
fishers’ of men: rather than pulling fish from the sea, they will pull men from
the uncertainty, peril and prospect of eternally drowning to the salvation that
is working for Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is quite something. Our fishing trip
was quite something but this is a whole lot more than that. These people come
to experience salvation as Jesus shows his authority over nature, over fish.
Luke then goes on in our next two pericopes (Luke 5:12-16 and 17-26) to show
Jesus’ power over illness and disability. Luke 5:12-16:
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was
covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground
and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am
willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go,
show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for
your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that
crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Jesus heals a man with this skin disease.
The word we translate leprosy here can mean any skin disease and it may be
Hanson’s Disease, which is what we think of when we think of leprosy. The Greek
word ‘lepra’ here however more likely refers to a skin condition known as
leucodermia.[2] And it is
probably quite an advanced case of leucodermia as the text says that the man is
‘full of leprosy’.[3] This means
that this person would need to live in relative quarantine as whenever someone
approached him he would need to cover his upper lip and yell, “unclean,
unclean!” so that people would know to avoid him (Leviticus 13:45-46). This man
would not only be living with an ailment, an illness; he would be living a life
outcast to the margins of society.[4]
This is the man that turns to Jesus and is now saved from all of this and more.
Peter and James and John follow Jesus as they see Jesus’ power
over nature and this unnamed man with leprosy puts his faith in Jesus even
before Jesus shows his power over disease – God has authority and power over
even painful and fatal diseases. Those of us who were at Men’s Fishing Camp
heard a similar story from Moose Jaw. Major Merv Halvorsen shared this weekend
how he was diagnosed with a terminal cancerous tumour just a month ago or so
and God touched him and healed him so completely that miraculously there is not
even a trace of it now. Miracles do happen. Miracles still happen. Jesus has
authority and power over even painful and fatal diseases.
Next – Verses 17-26 - Luke tells us about a
man who Jesus heals of paralysis:
One day Jesus was
teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had
come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power
of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed
man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When
they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the
roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd,
right in front of Jesus.
When
Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The
Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is
this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus
knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in
your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get
up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take
your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he
had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave
praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable
things today.”
As Jesus heals this man of paralysis he
shows as that not only does Jesus have power and authority over fish, nature,
and disease; he also has authority and power over disabilities. Now I have
heard and seen many of these types of miraculous healings in my time but like
we also heard at men’s camp Jesus doesn’t always spare us from these things;
sometimes it is beneficial and even necessary for us to go through them – after
all Romans 5:3-4: “...but let us also rejoice in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope.” That is exactly what is happening in our text today. Some men
bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus in hope and humility and He saves him from
paralysis and even more. Luke records how God and Jesus use this display of
power over disability, which is added to his display of power over illness and
disease, which is added to his display of power over fish and nature; God uses
this display of power to show us that He has even more authority: Jesus has the
authority to forgive us sins we do to God by hurting ourselves, others, and
even God Himself; Jesus forgives sins. Only God can forgive people their sins
against God and here Jesus is showing to all those around and to all those
hearing Luke’s account in chapter 5 that Jesus can forgive sins - Jesus is God.[5]
This brings us to the part of Chapter 5
that I want to conclude with today, the calling of Levi (also known as Matthew:
he is the one credited with writing the letter/book of Matthew); Luke 5:27-30:
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of
Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up,
left everything and followed him.
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to
his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a
doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance.”
This is important. Jesus, who has power and
authority over animals and nature; Jesus, who has power and authority over
sickness and disability; Jesus, who has power and authority to forgive every
sin and every wrong and every bad thing that we have ever done; Jesus – he
loves us and he wants to forgive us.[6]
Whoever we are, Jesus loves us and he wants us to follow him. No matter what we
have done, Jesus loves us and he invites us to repentance that leads to
forgiveness, salvation, and regeneration. Matthew (Levi), working for Rome,
would be thought of as a collaborator with the enemy (cf. Matthew 22:15-22,
Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26)[7]
as he was sitting in his tariff/tax booth (Matthew 9:9). To he who is seen as
‘enemy’ by many, Jesus reaches out and calls him ‘friend’ and then Jesus
invites his friend to be a part of his life both for now and forever.
That is what he wants to do with you. This
is what he wants to do with me. This is what he wants to do with us. This is
important for all of us today. God who can heal anything; God who can cure
anything; God, He can forgive anything. He offers to you this day the gift of
repentance and salvation and He wants you to spend eternity with Him. God, who
has power and authority over nature, over illness, over disability, and over
the forgiveness of sins; God who can heal anything; God who can cure anything;
God who can forgive anything; He wants to love and forgive you for now and
forever more.
Let us pray.
---
[1] Cf. NT Write, Luke for Everyone, (Louisville, Kentucky, USA:
Westminster John Knox, 2004), 54-55
[2] R.K Harrison “Lepra” in The New International Dictionary of NT
Theology Vol. 2, G-Pre. Ed Colin Brown (Grand Rapids, Michigan USA:
Zondervan, 1980), 466.
[3] Cf. Marvin R. Vincent “full of leprosy” in Vincent’s Word
Studies in the NT (Peabody, Massachusetts, USA: Henderson Publishers, 2009)
p.300.
[4] Cf. R. Alan Culpepper, Luke (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.:
Abingdon, 1995), 119.
[5] Walter L. Leifeld, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis
CD-ROM:Luke/Exposition of Luke/IV. The Galilean Ministry (4:14-9:50)/A. Initial
Phase (4:14-6:16)/6. Healing a paralytic (5:17-26), Book Version: 4.0.2: In
Jewish law conviction of blasphemy, which was a capital crime penalized by
stoning, had to be based on unmistakable and overt defilement of the divine
name. Luke shows that with his divine insight, Jesus probed the unvoiced thoughts
of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who were convinced that he had
arrogated to himself the divine prerogative.
[6] Cf. Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary.
Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1988 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
3), S. 131
[7] Cf. E. Earle Ellis, The Gospel of Luke (TNCBC: Grand Rapids
Michigan, USA: Eerdmans, 1981), 106-107 and R. Alan Culpepper, Luke (NIB
8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 127.
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