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Showing posts from June, 2016

Getting Close to Jesus!

12  As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13  crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16  He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Luke 17 Do you want to draw close to Jesus? Well, there may be many ways to do that. In the passage that i studied today, i saw one.  Let me explain.  When the ten lepers came, they stood at a distance and cried to Jesus. They couldn't come near to Jesus because of their leprosy. There was a considerable distance between Jesus and the ten. So Jesus heals them when they were on the way.  Now only one returns to Jesus as he knew saw he was healed. He was filled with thankfulness. His thankful heart brought him close to Jesus. We see now he was at the feet of Jesus. The gap between Jesus and the healed leper is gone. He knew h...

Breaking the Barrier of Racism (Casteism)

5  When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer [ b ] came and pleaded with him, 6  “Lord, my young servant [ c ] lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7  Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” Matthew 8: 5-7 A gentile roman official approaches Jesus. Gentile and Jews never associated with each other. Any Jew who went to a gentile's home would be considered unclean. Here, we see a barrier of race or nationality.  But Jesus was willing to go to his home and heal. He was ready to break yet another barrier here. India has great walls of Caste. I have seen churches here also play a major part in building the walls of caste. May be it is done below the surface. But its a shame.  Jesus was a barrier breaker. He was constantly smashing all the barriers that prevented people from experiencing God and enjoying the freedom of God. He even went on to say: And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east an...

Breaking the Barrier of Religious Rules

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2  A man with leprosy [ a ] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4  Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” - Matthew 8  Here we read about the leper's encounter with Jesus. He asks Jesus if he is willing to cure him. As per the religious rules of those days, the lepers were to stay outside the city and should never enter the society. Anyone who touches the leper would also be called unclean.  But Jesus breaks the religious rules to show the leper that God is willing and loving to make him whole. Jesus breaks the barrier of religious rules. This is one the greatest barrier for people to...