If You Will, You Can

IF YOU WILL

A leper came to Jesus on his knees and begging "If you will, You are able to make me clean."

If you will, you can.

The leper did not question Jesus's ability, only submitted to His will.

Jesus is moved with pity and sympathy, he reaches out his hand to touch him.

I can imagine the sudden shock and gasp of those around him as it dawns on them what Jesus is about to do.

No one touches a leper!

But Jesus does, and simply says

"I will, be made clean." and all at once the leprosy is gone!

Mark 1:40-41

IF YOU CAN

"If you can do anything," says the father of a child, possessed by such an awful demon that it would throw the boy into convulsions and cause him to foam at the mouth.

"If you can do anything," he says, "have pity on us".

Jesus replies, "If?, you say to me, "if"?

I'm indignant for Jesus, that is, until I recognize my own tendency to doubt.

"All things are possible to him who believes", He says.

The father lets out a piercing cry and shrieks the words that describe my own teetering faith, but give me hope as well.

"Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!"

Mark 9:22-24

I believe, but yet I don't.

Lord, I need your help to believe.

Lord, I need You in order to believe!

The leper believes in Jesus's power, but appeals to His will.

Jesus is moved with compassion.

The father doubts Jesus's power, but appeals to His compassion.

In the end, the father can only declare his helplessness to believe.

What does my faith declare? Does it declare belief in God's power, submission to His will, total abandonment on His mercy?

Training Ground

So many lessons of faith were taught the disciples on or around the Sea of Galilee. This was their training ground, where they got to know Jesus as the Son of God.

Mark tells us about one of those times. It's evening and Jesus tells all the disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side of the sea. I wonder what the fishermen in this group were thinking at this point? Was it a good idea to be on the sea at night? Not likely. This area was prone to frequent wind storms that came up at a moment's notice. Remember too, that not all these disciples were fishermen. How comfortable were they in a boat?

So with this mixed boat of seaworthy and not so seaworthy men, a doozy of a storm blows in so hard that the boat is filling with water. And Jesus is asleep getting some much needed rest! The disciples aren't so thrilled about that, though. Hey, we're dying here, show a little concern!

He wakes up, "hush, be still!" and perfect calm follows.

"Why are you so afraid?"

"Where is your faith?"

I love that Mark chooses to tell us that now the disciples are really afraid, even terrified.

"Who is this?!", they say. They don't really know Him yet. They haven't fully understood that God is in the boat with them.

All of this makes me think of the verse,

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Oooh, the ever illusive "stillness". Could it be that Jesus wasn't just speaking to the waves? He wants me to be still, but I don't seem to know how. Maybe it involves a transfer of fear to where it really belongs? No, I'll rephrase that. I think it MUST involve a transfer of fear.

"I Know what you are Thinking"

That's what my husband would say to our daughter, and then he would proceed to tell her what it was. Her wide eyed, shocked face always confirmed that he got it right. It's a very handy tool to be able to read your kids' minds, or at least, that they think you can. What if someone could read your mind?

Enter a crowded room, packed with people listening to Jesus's teaching. Dust and pieces of roof begin floating down on your heads. Suddenly, a man on a mat appears from above, slowly being lowered into the room. The crowd pushes back, squeezing you against the others around. Everyone sees a paralyzed man, but Jesus seems to see faith. He says the most curious and incredible thing, "Your sins are forgiven".

Then another incredible thing happens, the professional law experts in the room choose to keep quiet. In their hearts, however, they are thinking, "Blasphemy! who does this man think he is, only God can forgive sins." Fully aware of their thoughts, Jesus asks them, "Why do you argue about all this in your hearts?" Mark 2:1-8

How truly private are the thoughts of my heart? What if the Lord were to say to me "I know what you are thinking". What if He were to call to question at any moment the thoughts I entertain, the doubts, the inner arguments, the critical thoughts of others, the plots, the bitterness, the resentments, the lusts?

What would happen to my thought life if I welcomed the Lord's penetrating gaze?

What piercing questions would He ask me?

I wonder.

Epic Fail

My daughter has picked up this new phrase since going to college. It makes me laugh, and I like being able to not take failure so seriously. So I thought it would make a good title for this post.

"And you are those who have stood by me in my trials" Luke 22:28

How can Jesus make such a statement to these disciples just after they had been caught arguing about who was the greatest?! I know that Jesus isn't lying, but how can He say this? Really? In just a little while these men will abandon him, scatter like sheep and leave Him alone. Jesus knew perfectly well what was going to happen, even giving Peter the details of how he would deny knowing Him. They may fail Him in the near future, but they are not always going to be so cowardly. Soon they'll be speaking boldly in front of all audiences, going to prison, being tortured and killed. The name of Jesus will rock the known world because these men will fearlessly speak of Him.

Does the Lord speak confidently because He knows the power of God to transform them? Is that how He is able to look beyond severely disappointing behavior of those closest to Him and not be discouraged by their failures?

Everyday I am the recipient of this hopeful confidence. The Lord makes this outrageously hopeful statement about us: "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him" (Ephesians 1:4). I certainly don't feel holy and blameless, I absolutely don't act it and would never think of myself that way, but I believe He sees me that way. My failures cannot limit the hope of what He does to change me.

Might we, in turn, show this same attitude towards our children, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our husbands when they disappoint us? It's hard not to get caught up in all the negative, not to focus on the failures. Can we go so far as to say positive things, no matter how outrageous they may seem? Can we speak hope to them without dwelling on their mistakes, and not wonder if we are lying? Can we look to the future, not on the basis of their ability to change, but on the basis of knowing Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His resurrection power?