Fear No Fear

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

Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village. Then he spit on his eyes, placed his hands on his eyes and asked, “Do you see anything?” Regaining his sight he said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. And he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”
Mark 8:22-25 (emphasis added)

Bethsaida was fairly large. It was declared a city (or ‘polis’) by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after a.d. 30. It was also one of the places that Jesus pronounced woes over. “Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in which he had done many of his miracles because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:20-22). A woe (Greek word ouai {oo-ah’-ee}) was an expression of denunciation uttered in grief. If you look with whom Bethsaida was compared, it is NOT surprising that Jesus felt real grief for them.

Adonai had spoken against both these cities. “They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock … I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are spread. You will never be built again, for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 26:4, 14). Sidon didn’t do any better. “The Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, turn toward Sidon and prophesy against it. Say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Look, I am against you, Sidon, and I will magnify myself in your midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments on her and reveal my sovereign power in her. I will send a plague into the city and bloodshed into its streets; the slain will fall within it, by the sword that attacks it from every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 28:20-24). Sidon was a Canaanite city originally. Tyre were worldwide traders. The region between the two cities was where Jezebel came from. Both prophesies came true. Tyre was attacked by Nebuchadnezzar, but destroyed by Alexander the Great, and finally ended up a Roman province. Sidon was brought down by the Persian King Artaxerxes who beat the city into submission.

Tyre and Sidon. Canaanites, worshippers of foreign gods, proud people, world-influencers, capable defenders, mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (Sidon), and the kings of both cities contributed to the Amarna Letters (Sidon EA [El Amarna] 144 & 145; Tyre EA 146-155). Phonetician cities of power, wealth, and renown in murex dye, glass industries, and shipbuilding. These two places would have repented BEFORE Bethsaida. These two places would have RESPONDED to the miracles and signs. These two places would have RECEIVED Jesus. What kind of a place was Bethsaida? A hotbed of hard-heartedness and unbelief. That was what grieved Jesus so much. They were turning away. And they were doing it ON PURPOSE.

Did they bring the man to make Jesus prove something as the Pharisees often wanted Him to (Matthew 12:38-42; Mark 8:12)? Or were they daring Him to perform? Mocking Him like the young men mocked Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-24) and as people did to Jesus on the cross (Mark 15:29-30; Luke 23:35-40)? I don’t know how they did it. I don’t know why they did it. But we know from Jesus’ actions that He wasn’t playing their game. While Jesus had moved people aside from unbelievers (Luke 8:54; Mark 7:33), here Jesus took the man outside of the town. Away from eyes, ears, and hearts that were clearly full of unbelief.

The unbelief of others can hinder the manifestation of Adonai’s power. “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). It doesn’t stop Adonai from RELEASING power, but it prevents us from RECEIVING. It clenches hands that should be open. It creates an environment of giving up and frustration instead of an environment of trust and appreciation. Peter did the same kind of distancing from unbelief (Acts 9:40) because he learned it from Jesus. It isn’t unwillingness of Adonai to act. It is a failure to realise that Adonai wants to act because person A’s belief is hindered by the unbelief around them. The second-hand smoke of hell preventing the clean air of the Kingdom of God getting in.

In this case, Jesus worked hard to clear the air. Jesus had COMPASSION for this man in the same way He has compassion on everyone (Matthew 14:14; 15:32). Jesus KNEW the will of the Father both for healing AND for this man. “So Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise” (John 5:19). Jesus knew that EVERY SINGLE prayer and request He had was heard by the Father. “So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.”” (John 11:41-42). Jesus ALSO knew that the devil can try and hinder the works of Adonai even after they are released (Daniel 10:1-13). Jesus did NOT operate in unbelief. Jesus prayed ONCE and expected full manifestation results. But Jesus did TWO things.

First, since He had gotten the man out of the town – and the atmosphere of the unbelievers – Jesus prayed. Jesus made His request of the Father and asked the man what he saw. Jesus was walking by faith, not relying on the circumstances for His information. He didn’t ask the Father if it worked. Jesus asked the man how well THE MAN had received the perfect work of the Father through Ruach HaKodesh. The second thing Jesus did was make sure the influence of the town had left the man. That the unbelief was totally gone. He laid His hands on the man’s eyes. He didn’t pray again. He simply placed His hands on the man and waited for the man’s belief to catch up. Just like we walk outside on a sunny day, say ‘whoa’, close our eyes a moment, then open them slowly so that they adjust; Jesus laid His hands on this man’s eyes and let the man adjust to the new light flooding through his healed eyes.

There are implications in the original language – depending on your source document – for several things at this point. Some say it refers to more of a spiritual sight than a physical one because of the words used for ‘eyes’. Then Jesus gave a warning. Some say that the man was being warned to go home, but not talk to the people in town. Or to avoid town and also not talk to anyone about the healing. Or not go back to the town at all. You will see various things in various translations. It is hard to know what exactly was healed and what exactly was warned. We know three things for sure: the man was impaired and Jesus healed him, Jesus helped him from unbelief to belief, Jesus warned him to avoid unbelief.

Unbelief can kill belief. We are so used to following the crowd, we can lost what we have hold on. I have seen someone get healed from a DEBILITATING condition 100% and within a week, accept the limitations of that sickness because of pressure from others (their belief healing isn’t for today). It was a night and day deliverance, but you wouldn’t know it a week later. And it would have been as simple as when doubt and unbelief came to look down at the healed body and say ‘Yes, I AM healed’. Sadly, that didn’t happen. I think Jesus was warning the man about that very thing.

How many of us accept the thinking of the world on issues as they only way to view a thing? How many people look at something the world can SEE and decide that is the way it is? It’s been happening throughout human history. The world was flat and then it wasn’t. The stars were painted on a dome in the sky, and then they were billions of lightyears away and quite hot. Humanity was destined to walk the ground forever, and then we were flying in planes. People lost their lives over scientific discoveries that threatened to overturn the worldview. We as people are STILL discovering things that would change the way we view tightly held scientific beliefs should they be publicised widely. It’s easy to say science proves things, but really science only proves our current observations. It isn’t a discipline of seeking or uncovering truth, but a discipline of seeking understanding – and the conclusions must both be taken by TRUST in human understanding of the principles involved and TRUST that they won’t change too much as we advance in learning. Science uses more ‘faith’ than Spirit-led life because it is based on an ever-changing, malleable, subjective, human knowledge and not absolute, objective Truth.

Science can save lives and does. But it can make our thinking rigid. We can easily get puffed up in our own intellectual puzzlings. We can start to believe we really know stuff. Dealing with absolutes and looking at human experience as the end-all be-all is a trust-killer. We need to be retrained not to IGNORE human learning, but to realise Adonai is not LIMITED by human learning. He’s playing outside the box. He BUILT the box. He is not subject to the rules INSIDE the box. We were given freewill so that we could decide to remain restricted (Genesis 2:15-17) in order to walk in the dominion we had in the authority He granted. Since we rebelled, it is now only in Jesus that we get dominion back in the authority Jesus was granted and authorises us to use.

But we have to choose to stay in Him. We have to humbly submit. We have to let Him teach us His ways. To let Him renew our minds in and through the Word. We have the freewill to choose to reject Him and harden our hearts (unbelief). We have the freewill to choose to trust Him (belief) in spite of anything we see. Choosing to trust and believe is easy, of you think about it. We do it in relationships DAILY. If we pursue a relationship with Adonai, we will find that same choice before us DAILY. Choose to trust. Choose to nurture belief and reject unbelief. Choose to get out of the town and stay out of it if necessary. Don’t let yourself be conformed to the world. Choose to let Him renew your mind in Jesus. Choose to believe. Choose to let Him do miracles in your life and through your life. Repent, receive, renew, and remember all that He has done for you, does for you, and has promised to do for you (Psalm 103). Let Jesus lead you to wholeness of heart, soul, body, and mind. He’s already sealed your spirit. Choose to continue the journey to catch up with the rest of you. Let Jesus do a work in you and through you.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 7:14

“For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel.” Messiah would be born of a young woman who was able to bear children, but had not yet. Messiah would be born of a young woman capable of bearing a child and betrothed, but not yet married. Messiah would be born of a virgin. All three of these things are possible readings of the original Hebrew. Adonai didn’t pick one. He picked all three. Messiah was born of a young woman of childbearing age, betrothed to a godly man, and she became pregnant while still a virgin. “The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Mary, betrothed to Joseph, impregnated by Ruach HaKodesh, gave birth while a virgin. Later she had other children by Joseph, but at the time of her pregnancy with Jesus to the time He was born, she had no sexual, intimate knowledge or congress with ANY man. She didn’t change her story once Joseph had passed away. She didn’t change her story once she was living outside areas completely controlled by Jews. She didn’t change her story when she lived with fellow disciples of Jesus, firmly in the Age of Grace and forgiveness of sin. She had NOT sinned. She had NOT cheated on Joseph. She had NOT lied. She was a virgin and she gave birth as a virgin to her son, Jesus son of Joseph. 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