JONI., JESUS, AND US

JONI, JESUS, AND US

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

   Matthew [ESV] 8:1-10  When he [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me

clean." And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them." When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

  Matthew 8:1-10 was included in our Sunday School lesson. I’ve been thinking about it since, especially so after reading feature article on Joni Earekson Tada in the most recent issue of WORLD magazine. In considering the Matthew account what do we see and in what order do we see? I shall answer by reflecting on 50+ years of my personal history and general congregant observation.

  Primarily we see Jesus’ omnipotent¹ wonderful compassionate healing, for we like it.

  But do we at all reverently acknowledge our Lord’s sovereignty, He being omniscient² beyond our comprehension? (Isa.55:8)

  As juvenile Christians of any age we see our needs and His ability first of all. In maturity we see Him as Lord of all with an overarching way far beyond our immediate short-sighted thinking. Do we necessarily comprehend and/or not reject His way? (Dear Ann was always far above me in mindful maturity!)

  In 1967 as a bright fun loving Christian 17 year old Joni broke her neck diving in Chesapeake Bay water shallower than thought. Her weight dropped to 80 pounds as she suffered grueling surgeries and lived in a Stryker frame. At night she imagined herself waiting by the Pool at Bethesda singing “Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.” Jesus did not heal Joni, but neither did He pass her by.

  After a season of doubts and depression Joni accepted and embraced Jesus’ way. “Fifty years later, Joni’s answer is jubilant: “It sounds incredible, but I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without Him. … “that glorious but awful, beautiful but sad, but wonderful day I broke my neck – because look what God has done.” (WORLD magazine)

  Joni physically suffers at some level at all times. Her suffering has increased with age. For 5 decades Joni has embraced God’s sovereignty in her suffering. Her spiritual sight allows God to continue using her to compassionately help others in many ways. Encouragement, yes, but beyond words in speech, books, and songs, ministries that continue to help hundreds of thousands in the USA and abroad.

  I’m left with a final question for us to ponder: In our limitations where do we stand, or lay, eagerly waiting for Jesus’ healing as we narrowly see our need, or within our condition are we passionately seeking and serving Him and others?

EBB4

Webster’s 1828 dictionary. 1. Almighty; possessing unlimited power; all powerful. The being that can create worlds must be omnipotent. Having unlimited power of a particular kind; as omnipotent love. 2. The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God.