Social Media

I asked ChatGPT to generate a picture which encompasses all of social media and what it stands for! The picture below is what it generated: 

Social media can be such a distraction from our walk with God, I'm speaking from experience. 

It is a good tool to keep in touch with family and friends and there are some really good Christian resources online but it's easy to get sucked in and before you know it a few hours have gone by.

We have to be wise and discerning on what we watch or how long we scroll. From my experience I find it's so tempting to 'doom scroll' instead of getting on with what's important. 

The Bible tells us to 'set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth' Colossians 3:2

In this post, I'm speaking to myself, if I'm honest. I spend far too long on the internet.  

The wall has been broken down

 

I was thinking about this, this morning! The wall of our sins is so high, so wide, there is no way we could ever break it down. It separates us from God and only He has the power and authority to destroy it, making a way back into a relationship with Him! 

Once we come to Him in repentance and faith nothing can separate us from His love! 

Romans 8:35-39 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That wall of sin which once separated us is broken down - totally destroyed and as the verses on Romans say - NOTHING shall separate us from His love! 

In Ephesians 2:14-18, the Apostle Paul wrote: 

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Although I expect he was talking about the veil in the temple,  when he speaks about the middle wall of separation, there is a wall of separation in our souls i.e. sin, but Jesus has destroyed that. We have been restored to the relationship we were created to have with God!  

False religions preach about 'good works' getting us to heaven, but we could never do enough to destroy that wall of separation because for every 'good work', we are committing far more sins. The Bible tells that our works are like filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:6

But we are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

We all fade as a leaf,

And our iniquities, like the wind,

Have taken us away.

The only way for that wall to be destroyed is to come to Christ because He bore our sins in His own body on the tree...

1 Peter 2: 21-25 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

NB image generated by AI (ChatGPT) therefore errors may occur. 

Writing out Romans

There seems to be a trend at the moment for writing out Scripture (books of the Bible - not just random texts). 

Yesterday I received the nice A4 notebook I'd ordered online and I aim to write out the whole book of Romans! My favourite verses from the book are both from chapter 5 and they are:

Verse 6 

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Verse 8

But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Two beautiful verses which show our spiritual state and how God, despite our sin, (falling short of His glory - Romans 3:23), came to restore us to the relationship with Him, He created us for! 

Anybody reading this, feel free to comment on:

Have you done this? 
How did you find doing it? 
Did you do a bit every day? 
Did you only write once a week? 
Did you use a particular type of pen? 
Did you find your spiritual life improved? 

Did you find it easier to memorise Scripture?

I am going to use a basic bic blue pen (I've seen some videos of people using special pens, different colours for different things - atm I'm going to write it out, as I said, with a blue bic pen). 

As I wrote chapter 1 this morning, I thought - if we have our Bibles taken from us, this could be a way of preserving God's word! It's just a thought! 

Happy writing everybody xxxx

How BIG is your God?

Do you see God as being big enough to deal with your trials?

Are your trials too big for God?

Are your trials too small for God?

How BIG is your God? 

In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we read of the creation of the world. God created everything by a word and Ex Nihilo - out of nothing. 

Day One: Light was created and light and darkness were divided

Day Two: Firmament (sky) was created and separated from the earth

Day Three: Waters and Land divided and plants created - Land, seas and plants

Day Four: Sun, moon and stars

Day Five: Sea creatures, and birds
Day Six: Every other animal and insects plus humanity
Day Seven: God rested

In six days God created everything we see, not billions, millions, hundreds of thousands of years but six days. 

How BIG is your God?

All throughout Scripture we see divine miracles occurring: 

An elderly lady giving birth to a son, the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues in Egypt, the sun standing still, widow with the flour and oil, axe head floating, turning water into wine, healing people, raising the dead, dying and rising again...

People disbelieve these miracles including so called Christians, but I'll ask again 

How BIG is your God?

God created the world in six days, when He is all powerful, He could have created it in one day, but the six days represent work and the seventh day is resting from our labours - God set out a pattern for us to follow. 

He is ALL powerful that every miracle which has ever happened demonstrates God's eternal power and glory. 

The WHOLE Universe sits in the palm of God's hand - THAT is how big God is! 

How BIG is your God?

He is ALL eternal - He has no beginning and He has no end, although He does call Himself the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End - because He started time and space and He will end time and space. The beginning and end of time is in His hand.

He is ALL knowing - it doesn't matter how many degrees and doctorates a human has, God will know infinitely more than humans could ever dream of knowing. He gave us the laws of physics, He gave us the chemical elements, He gave us the microscopic amoebas and other miniscule micro-organisms. He gave us Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide - trees emit Oxygen but take in Carbon Dioxide (which we breathe out) - God's design for the world! The bee going into a flower to drink the nectar with the pollen on its tiny body - pollinating the flowers so they produce seeds for more flowers and plants. This is no accident, this is because of God's design for the world. Even the insects we find disgusting have a purpose - flies and the like, clear away the dead and rotting carcasses. Did this suddenly happen by accident? NO, they are God's design to keep the world clean. The world, without humans ruining it works perfectly to sustain life and keep it going from generation to generation.

How BIG is your God?

When we have trials on our life's journey, do we realise that God cares about us enough to help us with them, help us in them. God has never promised to take away those trials BUT He has promised to be with us in them (Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. - God doesn't say He will take the trials away, but He says that He will be with you in them)

How BIG is your God?

From birth we have a sin nature within us (babies don't understand sin, but that's another discussion to have) and as we get older that sin seems to manifest itself more and more. Basically sin is rebellion against God - He created us to have a relationship with Him, but because of our rebellious hearts we rebel against Him. In and of ourselves we would never want a relationship with Him, so God in His tender mercies sent His only Son to live the perfect life in obedience to Him and then go to the cross to take the punishment we deserve to have a people for Himself. The day He rose from the dead, our debt was paid in full and death was defeated. 

This great and awesome God, came to earth in the form of a man for the salvation of a people. This God who cannot look upon sin because He is holy and righteous, went to the cross to become sin (He was sinless, but all our sins were laid on Him). The wrath of God was burned up on Him, instead of us, and our sins were drowned in His blood. Now we come to our heavenly Father through His Son. 

How B I G is your God?

 

Psalm 117

This Psalm, although short, starts with a call for all people to praise God and ends with a call to praise God

Praise the Lord all you gentiles - this Psalm speaks of all people praising the Lord, not just Israel. In the Authorised Version (AV/KJV) the word 'gentile' is translated: nations - God's plan was always to include non Jews into His Kingdom. 

We are reminded of John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God's love ultimately, is for the whole of humanity - the apex of His creation. 

Laud Him, all you peoples - to 'laud' is to give praise. Why must we Laud (praise) Him? 

'For His merciful kindness is great towards us.' God is merciful towards all people. He is merciful towards sinners, none of us deserve anything let alone God's mercy, yet He provides us with such a bountiful of good things in the physical world - air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, family, friends etc. When we are saved He also provides in the spiritual world. He gives us a new heart, a new perspective, eternal life, He is preparing a place for us in glory, we have an assurance of being with Him forever in heaven, He blesses us with spiritual and physical blessings. 

His truth endures forever - He never fails and He never falters. Humanity may say that truth is fluid, but that's like building your house on the sand - God's truth is eternal, solid, unchanging and firm, it can be relied upon totally. God is all truth. 

Jesus Christ said to Thomas in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are truth. It is who they are. His truth is eternal and endures forever - we can trust in it, believe in it and have faith in it. 

Because His mercy and truth never fail and are eternal, all it leaves for us to do is Praise the Lord!

As we go through our lives, let us do that, acknowledging who He is, His provision and what He has done for us!

image generated using ChatGPT

 

Casting all your cares on Him

 1 Peter 5:5-11

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

 “God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Christian walk is one of humility, with many battles, we feel our weakness, we are still plagued by sin, but in all this we can humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God... Casting ALL of our cares upon Him! 

Sometimes events in life overcome us: problems at home, problems in work, problems in the wider family, problems with friends, sickness, financial trials, issues within our churches, whatever they are we can bundle them up and hand them to the Lord. 

There is an issue in my life at the moment and it's taken me so long to realise I can't handle it so everyday I have to say "Lord take it, only You can deal with the issue plus my sinful thoughts and desires which go with it!" We HAVE to hand everything over to the Lord to gain His peace! I can't change the hearts and minds of people, but God is so mighty that He can! 

Let us learn or continue to practice, taking everything which troubles us and handing it over to the Lord daily so that we may find peace in knowing He is the only One who can change our situations, change our hearts, change the hearts of others. 

Resist the devil when he convinces us we can do it on our own or that God isn't interested in us. God is more than interested, He loves us with an everlasting and eternal love! He loves us so much He sent His Son to be nailed to a cross and die for us, of course He's interested in His children! 

image generated using ChatGPT

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Who is my Shepherd? 

The LORD - Jehovah, the Existing One. He cares for His people, He tends His precious flock. In Isaiah 40:11 it says:

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

He provides His sheep with everything they need. Food and water, safety, compassion, guidance etc. He isn't a harsh Shepherd, He will gently lead those who are with young - young = baby Christians, newly converted and in need of guidance from their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! He gave His life for His sheep. John 10:14,15

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. No harm will come to His sheep and no sheep will ever want for anything. The Good Shepherd, leads His sheep into green  pastures - a place of peace, calm, tranquillity and sustenance. Our souls rest in Him because He is our peace, He is our calm. He leads His sheep by the still waters, calm waters not tempestuous seas. If chaos rages around us, it isn't there because Jesus put us there - no, His leading and guiding takes us from a place of storm to a habour of calm. He anchors us in His love! 

Our souls may be filled with sin and torment, but He restores them and He leads us into the paths of righteousness. Without peace, calm, tranquillity, guidance, righteousness we are in spiritual turmoil, our hearts aren't right with our Shepherd, but don't despair, He takes us again in His arms, He leads us again into those green pastures by still waters. Why does He do this? For His name's sake. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. He is with us to the end of time. 

This Psalm switches to the peace and tranquillity of green pastures and still waters to the valley of the shadow of death, but even in these circumstances - not necessarily literal death, but sometimes our trials and tribulations can feel so black, it's like death has come upon us. The coldness of our souls at times, the sins which over take us - Jesus Christ is LIFE and the opposite of these cold and dark times in our lives, and the opposite of life is death! Even when our sins, trials and tribulations feel like they are swallowing us up in confusion, fear, anxiety, depression etc we mustn't fear those times, because Christ, our Shepherd is with us.

The Lord's rod - this was used by a shepherd to protect the sheep from wild animals, it symbolises strength and protection. The staff was used to guide the sheep and speaks of the Lord's guidance. So often we wander from the path, but the Lord, if we are His, brings us back onto the path and if we seek His guidance He will give it to us! It's good to have boundaries because they offer protection and the Lord gives His own people boundaries on how to live their lives to come under His protection and care. Sometimes we kick against these, but they are there to protect us from harm, from guilt, from pain, from anguish. God's commands are to comfort and keep us safe. 

Psalm 91:1,2 says

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”  

If we abide in Him, if we allow the Lord to lead and guide us into green pastures, by still waters. If He restores our souls then we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and we learn to trust in Him in all things. 

The Lord loves His sheep so much - the animals may be set to pounce, devour and overcome us, but He provides so much for us. A table laden with spiritual fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and pure living water - the Shepherd Himself. 

John 4:14

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 

There are accounts of starving prisoners of war, who have their tables laden with spiritual food - they were filled with the fruit of spirit, even in the midst of their enemies' vileness. The Lord has anointed them as His messengers in such dark and unholy places, yet they have stuck to serving Him, worshipping Him. The Hebrew word in the original for 'anointed' can mean to make or grow fat - even in adversity many of the Lord's people have grown fat spiritually (in a good way). Sometimes we can be spiritually lean, but only when we feed on God's word can we grow as Christians. There is an abundance here with the cup running over. The cup of the Lord's blessings and care runs over - it doesn't stop running over because those blessings never ever end. In the Christian life there is an abundance of all the Lord gives - He isn't miserly or mean - He gives grace, faith, blessings, life, love etc abundantly out of His never ending storehouse in glory! 

After reading this Psalm, no wonder David could conclude:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

When we have a generous Shepherd giving His own life for His sheep, giving out of the abundance of the storehouses of grace in heaven - the only conclusion we can draw from this IS that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Not only that BUT I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Being in Christ doesn't just mean all of these things end when we die, but they continue in even more abundance in heaven where we shall be forever with the Lord. 

Revelation 22:1-5 give us a glimpse of what we can look forward to if we are in Christ:

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

What a glorious future we have if we belong to the Shepherd!

image generated using ChatGPT

Why Jesus?

Why does Christianity claim to be the ONLY way to God? Surely if people do good things they will get into heaven, but if they do bad things they go to hell? 

What is good though? We set the standard by our own works, but God sets HIS standard by the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Heaven is HIS home after all! 

The Ten Commandments: 

1 You shall have no other gods before Me.
2 You shall not make for yourself a carved image
3 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
5 Honour your father and your mother
6 You shall not murder
7 You shall not commit adultery
8 You shall not steal
9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour
10 You shall not covet

Picture this:

A beautiful house with a perfectly white, pure, clean interior. The walls are white, the carpet is the richest, most expensive one and is white. The sofa, the chairs, the tables, the ceilings - everything pure and perfectly clean, no spec of dust, no dirt just purity. Light shining brilliantly in every room. 
One day a bedraggled man and woman come across the house and want to stay there. They are covered from head to toe in muck and dirt. From the top of their heads down to their shoeless feet - it's caked on. They go up to the door and knock on it. A person answers the door - dressed in the purest and whitest of clothes. They ask if they can stay in the house as their journey is long, but the owner of the house says "I'm so sorry, you are covered in dirt and muck and my house is clean and pure, you have to be clean to stay here!"
The man and woman go away and try to clean themselves up, but the more they try to clean themselves up, the dirtier they become because the things they use to clean themselves are also dirty and caked with muck and filth. 
They go back to the house and tell the owner that they can't clean themselves up - everything they are using is making them all the more dirty. So the owner says to them:
"Do you see that fountain, if you go and dip yourself in it, you will become clean and will be able to enter into this house!" So the man and woman go to the fountain but it's filled with blood. They refuse to dip themselves in it, at first, but then after a while the man says - this is the only way into the house, they both climb into the fountain and instantly all the dirt and muck is washed away and they come out pure and clean. 
They go back to the house and the owner sees what has happened - they have been washed as white as snow, so the owner gives them new clothes and allows them into his house. 

What does this mean? 

The house is a picture of heaven, it's pure, sinless, nothing bad or evil dwells in it. The man and woman are a picture of our hearts, tainted by sin. Their long journey is a picture of our life. The fountain represents the blood of Christ, shed for us on the cross.  Everything we do whether good (from a human stand point) or bad is tainted by sin. I'm not saying don't help people, but our motives for doing so are tainted! The new garments represent Christ's righteousness.
Sin separates us from God. It needs to be dealt with to gain us entry into heaven and because every good thing we do is tainted by it, we can't do anything ourselves. 
God gave us the moral law in the form of the 10 Commandments and if we break one, we break them all because we HAVE TO keep each and every one perfectly for our whole life on earth. None of us can say we have kept every one perfectly so we have a dilemma, which God has solved through Jesus Christ. 

Romans 6:23 tells us For the wages of sin is death - God pays us with physical and spiritual death for our sins, but the verse carries on but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Completely obeying God and fulfilling His commandments perfectly - no errors at all! There is still the issue of death though! Jesus went to the cross as a perfect sacrifice - He died so that any who come through Him will have everlasting life, because when we stand before God, Jesus is like our defence attorney in a court of law, but instead of maybe getting us off - His sacrifice is a guarantee that we will be pardoned, because He paid the debt on our behalf. The hymnist Philip Paul Bliss (1838-76) wrote these words which sum it up perfectly: 

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood:
Hallelujah! What a Saviour! 

The ONLY way to God is His way - after all heaven is His dwelling place so He has set the rules on how to get there. Jesus Christ said, in John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

If you're trying to get to God by your own means, your own self sufficiency you won't get there. If you obey God and come through Jesus Christ, you will obtain eternal life through Him and spend eternity in heaven, a place of purity, holiness and sinfulness!

Families

Sometimes we can look around society and think that everything regarding families are falling apart. This isn't a modern problem. 

Genesis 4 - Cain murdered his brother, Abel (murder)

Genesis 16 - Sarai giving Abraham, her husband, Hagar (who bore him Ishmael) (adultery)

Genesis 21 - Ishmael was scoffing at his half brother Isaac so Sarah got Abraham to cast them out (jealousy, bullying)

Genesis 27 - Rebecca encouraging her younger son Jacob to deceive Isaac so that he could have the birth-right instead of Esau (deception)

Genesis 29 - Laban getting Jacob to work for him for 7 years for Rachel, but gave him Leah instead so Jacob had to work for another 7 years to marry Rachel (deception)

Genesis 37 - Joseph sold by his brothers (trafficking)

Those are only in the first book of the Bible (Genesis - which means 'Beginnings') and only a few examples. 

We also see throughout Scripture the brokenness of families: 

Judges 16 - Samson was besotted with a woman who eventually had him tortured and killed (lust)

1 Samuel 1 - Elkanah had 2 wives, one of which was bullied by the other because she was childless (bullying)

1 Samuel 4 - Eli, the priest, had 2 wayward sons, who ended up getting killed in battle and the shock killed Eli (not correcting his sons)

2 Samuel 15 - Absalom turned against his father King David (dishonour, treachery)

On and on it goes. If you're having issues in your family, for whatever reason - it's not a modern day occurrence - it's been happening for millennia. 

The Lord blesses those who are faithful to Him and although it can hurt when you're being abused*, deceitfully used, lied to, stolen from etc, we need to look to the Lord and remember the words of Joseph: 

Genesis 50:20a But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good,

Romans 12: 19, 21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

*in the case of abuse - please seek help, it is unacceptable that anybody should suffer from being abused whichever type it is. 

Rending the Veil Part 7: Mary and Martha

 Luke 10:38-42

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Although Mary, Martha and Lazarus are mentioned in more than this account in the gospels, I will be focussing just on this one.

According to the Rabbis in Jesus' day women didn't really have the capacity to understand religious things therefore they weren't taught about it. But here we see Jesus allowing Mary to be taught. 

Jesus and His disciples entered Bethany, a small village only a couple of miles from Jerusalem. We aren't told whether Jesus knew Lazarus, Martha or Mary already or whether they had heard Him preaching, but He was welcomed into their house to eat and have fellowship with them.  There is no mention of their parents or spouses so we assume they are a brother and his two sisters living together! 

Martha was the one sister who welcomed Jesus into her house, but Mary was the one who welcomed Jesus into her heart that day. Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening to His teaching and the amazing thing is - Jesus allowed her to listen and learn because women are equal with men when they are in Christ. 

As Mary was listening to Jesus Martha 'was distracted with much serving'. We don't know how many people she was serving, but presuming it was Jesus and His 12 disciples plus Lazarus, Mary and of course Martha - she probably had at least 16 people to serve. Of course she was doing all of the work while Mary was relaxing which made Martha annoyed. She approached Jesus and we can imagine that maybe she had a bit of anger and frustration in her voice when she said to Jesus "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me!" 

What was Jesus' response to this? 

He didn't say "Martha, you're being very bossy and rude, I'm a guest in your house..."

No, Jesus was as gracious as ever. This is such a beautiful response:

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Maybe we are worried and troubled about many things. It could be relationships, money, stress, busyness etc and they are valid things which come into our life. We have never been promised an easy time of it, even as Christians BUT Jesus, when we come to Him and focus upon Him He gives us rest, peace, joy, comfort. Mary had chosen to come to Jesus and to sit at His feet to learn from Him, to bask in His presence and to just enjoy His teachings, His fellowship, His company, His peace, His protection, His love. The great thing about Jesus is that when you come to Him, believe in Him, trust in Him and have faith in Him,   For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews  13:5b)

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Rending the Veil Part 6: The Woman Caught in Adultery

 John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

It was around about dawn, according to the original word in the Greek (Orthros) when Jesus went to the Temple again to teach. As He was teaching the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him who had been caught in adultery.  

The word caught here is a telling one, because to be caught in adultery there had to be a man present and according to Leviticus 20:10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.' and Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.” both parties should have been put to death, so one must wonder where the man was? The scribes and Pharisees had such a disregard for women, they weren't bothered about the fate of the man, and used this woman's sinful activity to try to trip up Jesus, using the very Law He had given to Moses. 

 v4 "they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”" - this was a test for Jesus because if He said "stone her!" then He would lose His reputation as the friend of sinners, but if He said "Don't stone her!" they would accuse Him of condoning adultery. It seemed like Jesus was in a lose/lose situation so what did He do?

Instead of answering straight away, Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground as if He hadn't heard the question. We're not told what He wrote, but this isn't the point of the account. Here we see Jesus showing grace and mercy - bringing the woman from darkness into His glorious light.   

The scribes and Pharisees weren't going to let this issue lie so they continued to ask Him. Jesus stood up and addressed them saying “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (v7) "And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground."  Was Jesus giving them time to think about what He had said and make them realise that they too were sinners and as guilty as the woman they were accusing? Was one of the scribes or Pharisees guilty of setting this woman up with one of their followers? One by one the woman's accusers left. Their consciences were pricked and they had no more to say, because of their guilt. 

The scribes and Pharisees were self righteous, but Jesus confronted their hearts and they were left with nothing to say. He was also showing the woman that no matter the sin and failings in our lives He can heal us! 

After they had all departed, Jesus and the woman remained. This is such a beautiful insight of Jesus' mercy and grace: “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The words of Jesus "go and sin more more." echo throughout eternity because all who earnestly call on His name will be saved and although we're not told if this woman did repent and follow Jesus, He showed her that His heart is full of love, grace and mercy for sinners such as she was. 

When Jesus said "go and sin no more.” doesn't mean we no longer sin, but when we follow Christ and make Him Master over our lives, we aren't happy with our sin and go out of our way to do the things which God doesn't want us to do anymore! 

Some lessons:

• No sin is too great to be forgiven. 
• Being religious never saves anybody because we still have sinful hearts which need to be dealt with
• Jesus is the friend of sinners, whether male or female, because He went to the cross to take the penalty we deserve so that on Judgement Day He will stand in our place and say - I took their punishment, so they are no longer guilty. 

Rending the Veil Part 5: The Syro-Phoenician Woman

 Mark 7:24-30

From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Before this account, in the beginning  of chapter 7 in Mark, Jesus had been in Israel disputing with the religious leaders of the day about ritual purity. The passage we come to now, we see Jesus purposely going into the region of Tyre and Sidon. This would have been considered an unclean area because it was where gentiles lived. This is the only time in Scripture that Jesus withdraws from Israel, to go to a gentile land because His ministry was primarily to the Jews. Beforehand as well as disputing with the religious leaders, Jesus had also been rejected in His own town of Nazareth, feeding five thousand hungry men plus women and children, finding out that His cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod and healing sick people, therefore by going into a gentile country He was seeking out rest and solitude from the pressing crowds. 

Tyre were the enemies of the Jews, at that time, and they were very idolatrous but that was where Jesus went to seek out this rest and solitude from the crowds of people who followed Him around. Even in this gentile land Jesus couldn't be hidden from someone needing help from Him. v24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 

This non Jewish woman had heard about Jesus and the miracles He had performed. Her young daughter had an unclean spirit living in her and this mother wanted her daughter to be healed. She came to Jesus and fell at His feet, despite only knowing about his reputation she comes and pays homage to Him, she respects and honours the Lord. She also came pleading to Him because He was her last hope of healing for her young daughter. 

Previously the Jewish leaders, of Jesus' day, who spoke about ritual purity and cleanness didn't pay homage to the One who had come to redeem Israel, but here is a gentile woman, considered unclean by the Jews of her day, throwing herself at Jesus' feet, pleading with Him to heal her daughter. 

She was persistently begging Jesus to free her daughter from the unclean spirit - she definitely wouldn't take "No!" for an answer. Jesus didn't answer her straight away and when He did it seemed like a harsh response “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” What a surprising thing for the loving Lord Jesus Christ to say, but there is a reason for this. 

Breaking this down: 

• The children: Jesus' ministry was primarily to the children of Israel. So He was saying it wasn't His first mission to go to the gentiles (it is not good to take the children's bread), it was to the Jews. He was to care for them first. 
• The little dogs: in the ancient towns and cities there were feral dogs who roamed around and were a nuisance, they weren't pets, they were scavengers, feeding off dead bodies, and other unpleasant things. These aren't the dogs Christ is talking about. In the ancient days, there were household dogs - ones which had been domesticated to be pets and companions. They weren't feral and scavengers, they were fed the left overs after a meal, but any scraps which do fall on the floor during the meal, the dogs were allowed to eat those - these are the kind Jesus is talking about.  

The woman's response to Jesus' statement isn't one of disgust at being called a dog, but she says "Yes, Lord!" She knew that she had no prior claim to Jesus' mercy, teaching, ministry, but she was satisfied with what she had - the crumbs (metaphorically speaking). Even the smallest crumb is all she wanted. The woman knew who she was before Jesus and Jesus answered her request. The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' day had no faith in Him, they wanted to argue, they saw Jesus as a threat to their positions, not as the Messiah who had come to redeem them. A mere gentile woman (being a gentile and a woman definitely weren't pluses in those days) had more faith and trust in the One who had come to Israel than His own people had. 

The woman was happy with crumbs, but Jesus gave her much more than that - He healed her daughter from the demon and He showed her who He was, despite her not being from the House of Israel! Can you imagine her response when she arrived home and there was her young daughter fully healed? We aren't told how she reacted but we can guess what it was. 

If we come to Jesus, He gives out of the abundance of the storehouses of His grace. He isn't a miser, He gives and He gives. In fact, He is so loving and merciful He gave His own life that many may dwell with Him in eternity and eat of the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

Although Jesus initially came to redeem Israel, His salvation is for all who will call on His name, asking Him to forgive their sins and wanting Him to be Lord and Master over their life! He changes lives from the inside, we get a new heart (soul), we are new creations in Him! 

So far we have seen: 
Jesus heal an unclean woman who had a flow of blood for 12 years
Jesus raise a young girl from the dead
Jesus raise a young man from the dead so that his widowed mother could have her son restored
Jesus heal a young gentile girl of an unclean spirit.

There is no one outside of the love of Christ. 

Rending the Veil Part 4: The Widow of Nain

 Luke 7:11-17

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Nain was a city 5-9 miles (8-14km) South East of Nazareth. 

The day before this account, Jesus and His disciples had been in Capernaum (Nain is 30 miles South West of Capernaum). Jesus had healed the Centurion's servant without going to the soldier's house.  A large crowd followed Jesus and His disciples and as they came near to the gate of the city of Nain, they were met by another large crowd of people coming in the opposite direction. Jesus and His followers were going into the city and the other crowd were going out of the city. The large crowd coming out was a funeral procession. A young man was being carried out on a kind of litter. He had probably not been dead for too long as in this region it wasn't good to have a unburied dead body in the open for long (source).

Jesus was at the front of the crowd following Him and the widow with her son were at the front of the crowd following them. The Giver of Life, meets the one who had lost his life. We don't know how he died, the Bible doesn't say. 

The deceased was the only son of this lady, who was a widow. After the lady's husband had died, he would have become head of the household and the breadwinner for the family, now he was gone the lady was left with no income. No other family is mentioned, only the funeral procession which followed her and her son. 

When the Lord saw her, in her grief, more than likely at her lowest point emotionally, He was moved with compassion - this wasn't a shallow passing emotion or a condescending pity but a deep seated emotion. The language used gives the impression of being moved as to one's bowels (the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity). Maybe these days we would think of it as a deep heart felt feeling. Jesus knew her situation - she had lost her husband and now her only son, which meant she had also lost her income and would more than likely become destitute. 

"Do not weep" [can also mean lament/mourn] It seems like such a strange thing for someone to say to a person who was grieving BUT this is Jesus Christ, the author and giver of life. He goes up to the bier and touches it (He doesn't touch the son) and says "Young man, I say to you arise!" These are similar words which Christ said to Jairus's daughter. As soon as the words were spoken the young man sat up and started speaking. We don't know what he said, but he was no longer dead and he could speak. The mother must have been shocked, happy, full of joy - her only son was alive again. Maybe the mother was in so much shock that's why Jesus had to present him to her. Sometimes it's difficult to believe what we see with our eyes!

Fear came upon the people, they glorified God and proclaimed "A great prophet has been risen up among us." They could see that God had visited them that day. News spread rapidly in the region. 

This is only a short account, compared to account of other miracles, but we can see here:

• Jesus's love and compassion for the woman and her son
• Jesus's healing power - not just to heal diseases but to raise people from the dead 
• Jesus transcending social norms and overturning them. Women/girls meant nothing in Jewish/ancient society, but to Jesus they are just as valuable and precious as men/boys. 
• That lady had nothing to give to Jesus, she offered Him nothing, but He came to her in her grief and mourning to give her back something great and valuable - her only child. We don't know if she was saved, but after seeing Jesus performing that miracle on her son, perhaps she did trust in Him by faith. The Bible tells us that we are dead in our sins and trespasses, but we are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We have nothing to give to Jesus, He asks us for nothing but if we come to Him asking for salvation and new life, He will freely give it to us. We can be raised from spiritual deadness into spiritual life in Christ Jesus, He will then give you a new heart and a new perspective on life, plus eternal life with Him in glory (heaven). 

Rending the Veil Part 3: Jairus' Daughter

This account is also found in Luke 8:40-56 

Mark 5:21-24

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Jairus - the synagogue leader would have been in charge of the local synagogue in Capernaum. He would have been highly respected amongst the community. He would have been charged with supervising services to the worship of God, maintaining the religious order and teaching the Law.  The religious leaders of the day were suspicious of Jesus so Jairus coming to him shows he had some knowledge of Jesus' miracles and the love for his daughter took priority over his religious prejudices.

We don't know what ailed the daughter, but it was bad enough for Jairus to believe she didn't have too long to live. By falling at Jesus' feet, it showed that he had respect and faith in Christ and he knew Jesus was the only One who could heal his daughter of what was ailing her. Did his faith go deeper than just believing in a miraculous healing?

Jesus didn't hesitate and went with him. The multitude came along too and pressed on all sides around Him. On their way to Jairus' house they were held up by another healing - the woman with the issue of blood - click HERE to read Part 2 of this series and verses Mark 5:25-34, which relates the account.

Jairus must have been uneasy having this woman stopping Jesus from going to his house. Being the leader of the synagogue he more than likely knew her - the woman who was unclean, had been a social outcast for twelve years... His daughter was on the point of death, but Jesus had halted to deal with this person who had managed to walk to where Jesus was, but his daughter was in bed, not able to rise up and walk anywhere. What was Jesus thinking? 

Mark 5:35-43

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Now comes the testing of Jairus's faith. Some people (maybe servants?) from Jairus's house came to him with the most tragic news - his beloved daughter had died, while her father was looking for healing for her, she was taken from him. Words Jairus' didn't want to hear "Your daughter is dead." Jairus must have been devastated, but he was with Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus is the creator of life! Jairus and his wife was going to witness the most amazing miracle of all... 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23, John 10:11), the One who brings comfort, dispels fear and heals the broken hearted (Psalm 147:3) says comforting and gentle words to Jairus "Do not be afraid; only believe." We aren't told why, but Jesus permitted no one to follow except three of His close disciples, Peter, James and his brother John. I expect the young girl would have been overwhelmed by so many people AND Jesus didn't want His full work to be revealed yet. 

In the days of Jesus if somebody died, the family would pay for professional mourners which validated the family's grief and loss. It was a public and communal show of mourning for the deceased. With the weeping and wailing it emphasised the seriousness of the occasion. When Jesus went into the house, He asked what the commotion was because the girl wasn't dead, but merely sleeping. The mourning turned to laughter and ridicule. These people had probably witnessed death on so many occasions, they would have probably thought Jesus was a bit mad. This mocking didn't deter Him because He knew the power vested in him could raise Jairus's daughter from the dead. He put them outside and took the father and mother and the three disciples into the girl's room where she was lying. 

The Author of life took her by the hand and said the famous words which the translators have kept in this translation of the Bible: "Talitha Cumi" [Aramaic] which means "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Instantly the child arose and walked. We don't know how long she hadn't been able to walk, but adding that detail implies she had been bedridden for quite some time. Her parents, who more than likely had lost all hope, had their hope restored - their precious little girl had been brought back to life, to the One who gives physical and spiritual life. Scripture tells us that they were overcome with great amazement. 

Jesus didn't want this to spread, because His work wasn't complete and if the religious leaders found out perhaps they would be all the more bent on having Jesus arrested. 

As well as not wanting everyone to know, the Lord who cares for young and old, the weak and strong, told her parents to feed her. After her long illness she would need some nourishment. 

Children may not have had value in Jesus's day:

Matthew 19:13-15 

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

but Jesus values everybody. Each person has a worth and a value to God. 

As we saw in the introduction women [and girls] may not have been of value to society, but to our Creator He gives them their value and worth back. What society takes away from God's creative purposes, Jesus Christ gives it back. 

Lessons:
Jesus doesn't just heal people, He raises them to new life
Everybody has value and worth to God, it doesn't matter what your social standing is, young, old, rich, poor
He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep

Rending the Veil Part 2: The Woman with the Issue of Blood

 Mark 5:25-34

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Jesus had just healed a demon possessed man, before this incident with this woman. He had been asked to leave the area (Gadarenes) so He took a boat and crossed over the other side of Galilee to Capernaum. Many people had gathered to Jesus to see Him. One of the rulers of the Synagogue came to Jesus and fell at His feet and 'begged Him earnestly' to come and heal his daughter who was dying. Jesus and the multitude of people went with Jairus  and it's on the way to Jairus's house that Jesus encountered the woman with the issue of blood. We're not told anything else about the woman other than she had had a flow of blood for 12 years. 

Under Levitical Law the woman was unclean. Leviticus 15: 25-27

‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.'

For twelve years the woman would have been ceremonially and socially unclean and anybody who touched her would have become unclean and would have had to have gone through ritual cleansing as prescribed in the Law. Everything she touched or she sat on, laid upon would have also become unclean and those who sat or lay in the same place would have become unclean. More than likely she would have been ostracised by society and she wouldn't have been able to go to the Temple or local Synagogue to worship the Lord. She probably would have been weak because of anaemia and other complications. We don't know her marital status. Maybe some friends brought her food and left it outside her door or perhaps she had to forage for food, but this is conjecture as we don't know, but basically she was a sad sight.  

She was so desperate she suffered at the hands of the physicians who had taken her money and had actually made her worse. What an awful state the woman was in. 

Somehow she had heard about Jesus, and He was in her area that day - the Man who could heal people. She had nothing to lose, because she had lost so much already: her dignity, freedom, permission to worship God in the Temple or local Synagogue, money, so she pressed her way through the crowds.

She came behind Jesus and reaching out 'anonymously', she touched the hem of His garment - saying something truly amazing: "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." She had such faith, she knew she only had to touch Jesus' garments and she would be healed. As soon as her fingers touched the garment, the flow of blood she had had for twelve years dried up, and 'she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.' We cannot imagine the relief she must have felt, but wait, that is not the end of the account. 

I wonder if she had hoped to sneak away quietly, but Jesus felt power going out of Himself so He turned around in the crowd and asked "Who touched My clothes?" He knew who had touched Him but this is where her story of restoration begins and there was a lesson for the crowd also. 

The woman was in fear and she trembled because she had been shunned by society because of her uncleanness and as we saw in part 1 women weren't looked favourably upon so to venture out in such an unclean state, would more than likely have been frowned upon. She fell before Jesus, an act of reverence, respect and worship. 

Restoration for the woman:

• As we saw in the Levitical Law, this woman had been unclean for twelve years, we don't know if she had family, if she was married or not but by Jesus bringing this woman into the open, the whole of society could see she had become clean again and could enter back into it.
• From the above, she had spent all of her money on quack physicians so was poor, but now she could be restored back into her family and her circle of friends, who could help her. If she was married her marriage could be restored and her husband could provide for her again. 
• Jairus was there, the leader of the Synagogue - he could see that she was now free from the condition which ailed her for twelve years, so she could go back into the place of worship to bow down to the God who had healed her. 
• Because of her faith, the Prince of Peace tells her to go in peace. He also restores her to Himself, by calling her 'daughter' - she is the only person in the New Testament whom Jesus calls anyone with such endearment. 

Lessons:
  

• This was also another lesson for Jairus, because if Jesus Christ could heal a woman by her just touching His garment, then He Himself was more than able to heal his daughter, or as we find out later on, raise her from the dead.
• The disciples had seen Jesus perform other miracles, but they still didn't fully understand who Jesus was. They learned that day that faith in Jesus Christ can and does heal. The act of reaching out and touching the garment didn't save the woman, as Jesus clearly states "Daughter, your faith has made you well." Her faith made her well.  This was a lesson for the crowd and us as well. 
• If we want to be spiritually healed, then the only place we can come is to the Saviour He is THE only One who can heal us from our sin and restore us to the relationship we were created to have with our Creator. 
• The woman came to Jesus because she couldn't make herself clean. That's the same for us. Jesus came to live the perfect life we could not and die the death we deserve. You come only to Jesus, not doing anything, just come to Him and Him alone as you are.

1 John 1:9 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Rending the Veil Part 1: Women and Freedom in Christ

In the days when Jesus walked on the earth there was animosity towards women - they weren't treated as equals. 

I was reading a couple of quotes written by rabbis during that time period and they didn't look favourably upon women. In the Talmud, Rabbi Judah ben Elai (c. AD150) 

'A man is bound to say the following three blessings daily: "[Blessed art thou...] who hast not made me a heathen", "...who hast not made me a woman"; "...and who has not made me a brutish man"'

It was common thought that women were incapable of learning about religious things, some rabbis forbade them to be instructed in religious affairs. 

Women were looked upon as second class citizens, but when Jesus came to earth, He turned that thinking upside down. He treated women with the dignity and respect they were created to receive.  

I will be writing a series about women encountering Jesus and how He turned their lives and the thinking of others on their heads as they showed society what God intended for women, not how men misinterpreted the role of women. 

Firstly we have to go back to Genesis with the creation of woman. 

Genesis 2:18-22

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

Matthew Henry in his famous commentary has something beautiful to say about the creation of woman (I'd recommend reading the whole exposition of the creation of woman): 

That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved. Adam lost a rib, and without any diminution to his strength or comeliness (for, doubtless, the flesh was closed without a scar); but in lieu thereof he had a help meet for him, which abundantly made up his loss: what God takes away from his people he will, one way or other, restore with advantage. In this (as in many other things) Adam was a figure of him that was to come; for out of the side of Christ, the second Adam, his spouse the church was formed, when he slept the sleep, the deep sleep, of death upon the cross, in order to which his side was opened, and there came out blood and water, blood to purchase his church and water to purify it to himself.

Woman is to be a help meet to man - someone equal but with different roles. Woman wasn't created to be inferior to man, but to stand alongside him, making him complete. Matthew Henry's commentary again:

If man is the head, she is the crown, a crown to her husband, the crown of the visible creation. The man was dust refined, but the woman was dust double-refined, one remove further from the earth.

Unfortunately after the fall of humanity, God's plan for humanity became skewed, throughout the ages women have been treated like second-class citizens, used and abused. These days it seems that women are now wanting the same roles as men. Men are the bad guys, women are the victims etc but this isn't how God intended our relationships to be with one another. Misogyny, misandry, feminism and chauvinism aren't what God intended for humanity.  Jesus Christ came to fix broken relationships, show us how we should treat one another as God intended. 

I'm calling the series:

Rending the Veil: Women Encountering Jesus. 

God guards His own

I used to write my spiritual thoughts etc on cards and keep them in a box. The other day I was reading through some of them and came across this account of God protecting His people, which an Indian friend told my husband and I in April 2007

Two missionary girls in India went to a village one day, but on the way home it got dark so they had to sleep in the forest. In that area there were Hindu fanatics so it really wasn't a safe place to sleep out in the open! As the girls slept some of the Hindus came to take the girls' lives but they saw fifteen guards surrounding them so they thought better of attacking them, and left. 

The following day when the girls got back home, somebody told them what had happened the previous night, that they were going to be attacked but the fanatics saw fifteen guards around them. The girls said they were alone and had no guards protecting them. All through the night fifteen people had been praying for them - the fifteen guards were angels sent by God to protect the girls as they slept. 

I remember hearing about a similar thing which happened in China in the 1940s as Mao's troops advanced on a village - they by passed it because they saw soldiers surrounding it. There were no soldiers, but again God sent His angels to guard and protect the villagers.

Back to India: Many had been delivered from demons:

One such example was a demonic priest who put curses on people - a man came to him and asked him to put a spell on a woman he had fallen in love with, but when he sent out the demons to curse her nothing happened, they couldn't affect her because she was a Christian. The priest had never had a curse fail until that point. He saw that there was one greater than the demons he had been serving so he converted to Christianity. 

It may have changed now, but 20 years ago the Church in India had all night prayer meetings or early morning ones, they had prayer chains of 24 or 48 hours. They encouraged new Christians to get involved with evangelism and social work, like medical ministries in slums* and villages etc

*slums are where the untouchables live. They are outside of the Caste system because they are the lowest of the low and according to the teaching of reincarnation, anybody who is really poor shouldn't be helped because they must have done something really bad in their previous life and this is their punishment, so by helping them they're not being punished as they should be. In Hebrews 9:27 it says 'And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment...'

Reincarnation is a cruel belief (unless you are high in the caste system). 

We die once, then after that God will judge. There is no reincarnation. Apparently (according to my Indian friends) there are many converts amongst the untouchables because of the love and care Christians show to them. Let us be like Christ and love the unlovely. 

A note on demons - in the West we don't tend to believe in demon possessions or think it was only in biblical times this happened, but in places like Haiti and Africa where there are witch Doctors and Voodoo - it's prevalent. 

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.