Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

Then Jesus went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. After Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”). And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more. People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Mark 7:31-37 (emphasis added)

It’s funny when you think about it. They brought Jesus a deaf man, but Jesus didn’t do anything until He had removed the man from the crowd. I don’t know if Jesus didn’t want to be a performing monkey for them. I don’t know if they were expecting a big song and dance. But everything in the Kingdom of God works on trust (Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 14:23). The crowd may have been HOPING for Jesus to do something. They ASKED Jesus to do something. But they didn’t TRUST Jesus OR the Father to provide what the blind man needed. Jesus met the man where the man was, however, and didn’t let the crowd interfere.

It isn’t the only time Jesus did this. Mark 8:24-26 records Jesus taking a blind man out of a village, healing him, and sending him home commanding “Do not even go into the village” (vs. 26). Jesus was ALL about trust. Jesus was ALL about belief. “He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.”” (Matthew 17:20). “But when Jesus heard this, he told him, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (Luke 8:50). Jesus did more than just TEACH trust and belief. He removed doubt and unbelief from the area (Mark 5:40), or He removed the individual from the doubt and unbelief.

We don’t think of unbelief as being a killer of miracles, but it really does bind them up. “He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then he went around among the villages and taught” (Mark 6:5-6). “And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). The unbelief in Jesus’ hometown recorded in Mark and Matthew was so full of offence at Jesus and unbelief the power He was authorised to engage that NOTHING happened. Jesus was unable to do anything because there was no belief and trust there for Ruach HaKodesh to respond to.

Healing power flowing – or really ANY power of Adonai Elohim flowing – is the automatic response of Ruach HaKodesh to trust and belief. We see it clearly with the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:24–34; Luke 8:42–48), the crowds in Gennesaret clamouring for Him (Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56), and the crowd at Peter’s house (Matthew 8:16-17). When people came expecting, Jesus did not disappoint them. Ever. It is ridiculous to think that Jesus ever willingly left ANYONE in a partially healed or unhealed state. He would never do that. It is something that is completely against the character of Adonai. And Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so you know He is the same today.

The whole bible is about Jesus healing us. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Any and every way that He ever could, He did. Health and wholeness is what Adonai wants for humanity. It always was. It always will be. If we will trust Him and believe, it can be that way for us NOW. We do NOT have to wait. The question is always this: what are you expecting? That is why people preach on these things right out of the Word. So that the Word will renew your mind. Renew your expectations. So that the Word will ignite within your heart the idea that He is a GOOD Father and wants GOOD things for you and doesn’t want to settle for less than the BEST. It isn’t a greed thing. He wants you EXCEPTIONALLY blessed so that YOU will go out and EXCEPTIONALLY bless OTHERS. It is the responsibility of the Abrahamic Covenant that we were grafted into (Romans 11:17-32; Galatians 3:26-29). He wants us well.

Jesus wanted this deaf man from today’s verse well. He took him away from all the pretenders and lookey-loo’ers. He took him away from the crowd and then did a gross thing. He spit on the man. First Jesus put His fingers in the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. That’s pretty extreme. Imagine the uproar if this was how we went to heal everyone. Spitting and touching their tongues with it. But in ancient times it was a widespread belief that saliva carried the power to heal. The wound healing properties of saliva was acknowledged by the ancient Greeks. They applied snake saliva to open wounds to enhance cutaneous wound healing. Pliny the Elder, a natural historian from the first century, also attests to the use of saliva asserting that ophthalmia could be remedied by daily application of the spittle of a fasting woman. There are a lot more examples. This was a COMMON belief.

So in a crowd of people who wanted a show, Jesus took a deaf man and did something he would accept as normal. He was deaf, remember? And it is implied in his healing that he also could not talk properly. Jesus couldn’t communicate with him easily. If there weren’t writing implements nearby or of he wasn’t a whiz with charades, there would be little Jesus could do. Jesus did something that would not shock the man. That would tell the man clearly what Jesus was doing. And would build on any expectation the crowd had already put in him on the way to Jesus. Jesus met him where he was and did something he would understand and could easily believe in. There was no doubt. There was no unbelief. The man received his hearing and was able to speak normally.

If you wonder why we don’t see more of this today, just look at the response of the people who brought this man in the first place. They were ‘astounded’. They didn’t worship Adonai for the miracle. They didn’t give glory to Elohim. They did NOTHING having to do with true thanksgiving. No. They were astounded. They marvelled. That’s it. Surface stuff. No true understanding. No true revelation. No true relationship. Sadly, people like this are still around. At every true move of Adonai there are always people around who don’t REALLY believe. They are there to watch the show. They’re there to have Adonai PROVED to them in some way. Perhaps they are even there to FEEL something. But no display of miracle power by Adonai will truly inspire deep worship. Signs can confirm a belief you have, but it won’t create belief. And while signs can confirm a belief, it is better to confirm it by trust – by a decision to believe (John 20:29).

Jesus will meet you where you are. He will be for you the one you EXPECT Him to be. If you don’t expect Him to heal people today, you won’t be healed supernaturally. If you don’t think He can provide for you, you won’t be provided for supernaturally. If you don’t think the Word can be believed as truth, you won’t see that truth. Adonai reveals Himself in the Word. He reveals what He wants for us and what kind of life He wants to give us (John 10:10). If we hear Him and apply what we hear in humble obedience, that place of Blessing is EXACTLY where He will meet us. If we refuse that place. If we go with what WE want and what WE think and what WE know to be true, then we may hear words coming from a pulpit or read them on a page, but we won’t really be HEARING them. We’ll be deaf to their message and it would be a sad, SAD thing to find yourself in that position (Matthew 7:21-23).

How much better to be one who hears? One who obeys? One who loves? One who gets to enjoy the full Blessing that the Father wants to bestow in His Grace and Mercy? How much better to be One who welcomes Jesus and goes where Jesus wants to go? Why not strive to meet Jesus where HE is, instead of settling for where we are? Jesus didn’t come to maintain the status quo. Jesus is ALWAYS moving forward and He wants us to come too. Into freedom in Him. Into Blessing in Him. Into the Father’s arms where healing lives (Luke 15:20).

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 6:9-12

“He said, “Go and tell these people: “‘Listen continually, but don’t understand. Look continually, but don’t perceive.’ Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed. I replied, “How long, Lord?” He said, “Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated, and houses are uninhabited, and the land is ruined and devastated, and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place, and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned.”” Those who were around Messiah during His ministry to Israel and His time as the suffering servant would be blinded to His identity and deaf to His words. They would hear, but it would be as if they did not. They would see the signs, perhaps even know the signs, but not see Him AS Messiah, even when there was little to no doubt the prophesies were being fulfilled. “They set a day to meet with him, and they came to him where he was staying in even greater numbers. From morning until evening he explained things to them, testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe. So they began to leave, unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but will never understand, and you will keep on looking, but will never perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”’ “Therefore be advised that this salvation from God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!” {vs 29 is not in all sources: “When he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.”}” (Acts 28:23-28+29). Jesus was not believed when He was on earth (Luke 4:21-30). They did not believe Jesus – or those who witnessed about Him – after His resurrection. Despite many others being resurrected at the time and able to testify to being raised from the dead (Matthew 27:52-53). Jesus was the fulfilment of this prophesy then and remains the fulfilment of it today. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b