“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.“
Matthew 11:2-5

“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
Matthew 10:5-8

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SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Imagine if you opened the morning newspaper (or more likely, your email or social media feed) and the top Breaking News for the day was “The sick are healed! The blind see! The lame walk! Good news for the poor!” I suspect we would keep reading—whether out of curiosity, excitement, skepticism, or concern.

While Jesus was on earth, He said these things were the harbingers pointing to the Kingdom of God. Wherever Jesus went, these things happened. Before and after His death, He sent His followers out to do these things in His name.

Our passage for this week will not make sense if we don’t consider the full context of the story unfolding. As we’ve seen, Peter and John were on their way to the temple when they encountered a man lame since birth—and they healed Him in Jesus’ name. Of course, this created a massive stir. So Peter began to speak, explaining to the growing crowd what had just taken place.

As a result of this healing, and Peter’s explanation, several things happened (that we know of. Frankly, I cannot imagine the chaos that resulted for the eyewitnesses and families impacted that day!). First, Peter and John were seized by the authorities and detained until the next day. Second, the number of believers swelled again because so many were convinced by what they saw and heard; because of the harbinger of compassion that signifies the Kingdom of God.

We’ll unpack all this and more in the coming days, but first, it’s important to understand that all this happened because the man born lame was healed in Jesus’ name. Just as when Jesus was here. Just as Jesus sent His disciples to do. This (miraculous!) act of compassion and care is the sign that God’s Kingdom is here, that Jesus is alive and on the throne.

For as Jesus said in His last days:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Matthew 25:34-40

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • What do these passages mean for us today?
  • Are we drawn to God’s Kingdom because of the astonishing acts of compassion and care taking place (whether miraculous or not)?
  • What has Jesus sent His followers into the world to do? What astonishing acts of care and compassion have you been involved in?

 

Church Reading Plan: Ezekiel 26; Psalm 74