VBS 2006 1/5

#1 · August 30, 2006, 11:02 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 30, 2006, 11:02 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
VBS 2006 1/5
FRIENDS
July 16, 2006

TEXT: Luke 5:17-26

Whenever Vacation Bible School rolls around, I like to take a look at the Scriptures and themes and incorporate them into the worship service. That can become a challenge sometimes because VBS curriculum tends to come back to the more familiar Bible stories most of the time. But if its good for the children to be exposed to selected Scriptures over and over, its probably good for us, too.

Having said all that, the first lesson in this years VBS comes from Luke 5:17-26. It is the account of the men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus. I discovered that this Scriptural account of a miracle has actually not been in VBS curriculum for a long while. So lets read this passage, Luke 5:17-26...

Friends. The word can bring many images and memories to mind. One recollection I have comes from taking Joe on college campus visits. One student tour guide was showing the TV lounge area of one of the dorms and mentioned that it would frequently be packed out when the show Friends was on, adding that Friends was a favorite among many of the students.

I had never watched an episode, so I was curious as to why it attracted the college students. I even thought there might be something wholesome about it. Silly me. To satisfy my curiosity, I started to watch an episode and soon discovered that all of the main characters were pretty much in pursuit of the typical worldly values portrayed in just about every entertainment medium these days. Sure, there are some laughs and some tender moments in the shows, but for the most part it seems that it was about the characters looking for significant relationships using superficial means to achieve them. So there was always plenty of disappointment to go around.

Friends and friendships are always about much more than the casual relationships that are continuously portrayed as normal these days. This account in Luke 5 is about friends. The setting of the story is familiar. Jesus is teaching a crowd large enough to fill up a house and then some. As he begins to heal the sick, some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.

These are some good friends. They are trying to get their paralytic friend to Jesus so that he could be healed. It would have difficult for them to haul this man around. No motorized wheel chairs or disabilities act in their day. Not even a parking space reserved for the handicapped. Not only did they have to physically manhandle their friend - a difficult chore, no doubt - they probably had to endure grumbling from some of the crowd who were not going to give up their good spots to a paralytic and his struggling friends. The Bible tells us that they could not find a way through the crowd to lay their paralytic friend before Jesus.

If they had done nothing else, we could still commend these men for their friendship. They had tried. Its not theyre fault, after all, if no one budged so that they could get to Jesus. But these were very good friends, so they hatched a different plan. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Now this had to be an eye opener. Talk about tenacity and effort. Most depictions of the scene show stairways attached to the outside of homes. Even then, it is easily imaginable that carrying their paralyzed friend to the rooftop must have taken quite a bit of effort on their part. And then making an entry through the roof itself big enough to lower their friend through would be no small chore. Sometimes we hear humorous quips about what the owner of the house must have thought about someone tearing a hole in his roof. That certainly must have bothered him. Surely it underscores the significance of the friendship involved, though. These men were even to sacrifice of their own resources to make it right with the owner of the house just so that they could ensure that their friend was seen by Jesus. Just as the good Samaritan used whatever he had to ensure that a beaten stranger was taken care of, so these men used what they had to get their friend in front of Jesus.

In spite of the meaningful example of friendship given to this point, the Biblical narrative moves on to the most important friendship that can be attained. Verse 20 is simple and straightforward: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven. Other versions translate Jesus greeting as man instead of friend. Man is literally more accurate, but the use of friend in some translations captures the meaning conveyed in Jesus greeting. While the crowd around him saw the paralytic as an annoyance, Jesus saw him as his friends did. Jesus wasnt concerned about the hole knocked in the roof; he was concerned about the mans need.

At this point, Jesus gave to him something that no one else could give. Probably no one else was thinking about sins and forgiveness. I believe that we are on safe territory if we say that the paralytics friends worked so hard to get to Jesus so that he could make their friend walk. I think that we are on safe territory if we say that this was on the paralytic mans mind, too. Certainly others in the crowd, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, were focused on the healing that Jesus was doing. It is, after all, clear that other people were healed on that day. Apparently, though, this is the one that stood out. A friend is often that person who is aware of the others need and addresses that even if the other person is not completely aware of it himself or herself. Jesus first healed this mans, his friends, sins.

This was immediately problematic for the Pharisees and teachers of the law in the audience. To their way of thinking, this could mean only one of two things: (1) either Jesus blasphemed; that is, claimed Gods authority by equating himself with God; or (2) Jesus was some kind of con artist setting up the folks so that he could take advantage of them. If the former, then they had the responsibility to expose his sin and, by their law, punish him with death. If the latter, then again they had the responsibility to expose his sin so that they could protect the people from his scam. A third possibility probably did not register with them: that Jesus was God, the Messiah.

Scripture does not record whether they were shocked or not that Jesus knew their thoughts. It seems that it would have caught them off guard. Nevertheless, Jesus ripped into their assumptions and plans. Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk?

With this, Jesus proved his friendship with not just a paralytic man, but with all mankind. Of course it was easier to say your sins are forgiven. Who could prove something like that one way or another? To say get up and walk was a different matter. To say it, and then for it to not happen, would demonstrate that Jesus was really powerless - that he was a fake. To say get up and walk put Jesus honor, credibility, and reputation on the line. Thats what he did: I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.

Now then, the reality of the situation was put right back into the laps of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, as it always was. Before issuing his instructions to the paralytic man, Jesus had said to them, But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins Jesus issued a challenge to them and to himself. If I cannot forgive sins, then neither can I cause this man to walk. However, if I have the power and authority to command this man to walk, and he walks, then you also know that my power and authority to forgive sin is every bit as real. Jesus emphasized this with the use of the term Son of Man, a term that only Jesus speaks in the Gospels. The reference, when used generally, is to the Old Testament concept of the human dependency upon God. However, by applying the term to himself as a title, Jesus meant, and it was understood, that he claimed messianic authority. Most simply put, in answer to the thoughts of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus said, Yes, I am God.

Eternal friendship is what Jesus made known here. He put everything about him on the line here. Just like the other friends of the paralytic, Jesus was willing to put his resources into this divine friendship. He put his reputation on the line. If he did not have the power to cause this man to walk, then he had no authority. He put his life on the line, or at least in danger, by openly claiming to do that which only God could do. He was willing to do all of that for the paralytic, his friends, and, ultimately, everyone. Thats quite a friend.

The consequential result, of course, was that the man immediately stood up and walked. He went home praising God. The man was saved! He was brought to Jesus so that he could be made to walk while living on earth, but he was actually made to walk with Jesus in eternity. This is a bond of friendship that will never be captured by the likes of the television version of Friends or any other humanly contrived attempts to define friendship without Jesus. Jesus has come and entered into a divine friendship with all of humanity so that we will not be condemned to live apart from God. Jesus friendship has given us life. Friend, your sins are forgiven.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

VBS 2006 1/5
FRIENDS
July 16, 2006

TEXT: Luke 5:17-26

Whenever Vacation Bible School rolls around, I like to take a look at the Scriptures and themes and incorporate them into the worship service. That can become a challenge sometimes because VBS curriculum tends to come back to the more familiar Bible stories most of the time. But if its good for the children to be exposed to selected Scriptures over and over, its probably good for us, too.

Having said all that, the first lesson in this years VBS comes from Luke 5:17-26. It is the account of the men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus. I discovered that this Scriptural account of a miracle has actually not been in VBS curriculum for a long while. So lets read this passage, Luke 5:17-26...

Friends. The word can bring many images and memories to mind. One recollection I have comes from taking Joe on college campus visits. One student tour guide was showing the TV lounge area of one of the dorms and mentioned that it would frequently be packed out when the show Friends was on, adding that Friends was a favorite among many of the students.

I had never watched an episode, so I was curious as to why it attracted the college students. I even thought there might be something wholesome about it. Silly me. To satisfy my curiosity, I started to watch an episode and soon discovered that all of the main characters were pretty much in pursuit of the typical worldly values portrayed in just about every entertainment medium these days. Sure, there are some laughs and some tender moments in the shows, but for the most part it seems that it was about the characters looking for significant relationships using superficial means to achieve them. So there was always plenty of disappointment to go around.

Friends and friendships are always about much more than the casual relationships that are continuously portrayed as normal these days. This account in Luke 5 is about friends. The setting of the story is familiar. Jesus is teaching a crowd large enough to fill up a house and then some. As he begins to heal the sick, some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.

These are some good friends. They are trying to get their paralytic friend to Jesus so that he could be healed. It would have difficult for them to haul this man around. No motorized wheel chairs or disabilities act in their day. Not even a parking space reserved for the handicapped. Not only did they have to physically manhandle their friend - a difficult chore, no doubt - they probably had to endure grumbling from some of the crowd who were not going to give up their good spots to a paralytic and his struggling friends. The Bible tells us that they could not find a way through the crowd to lay their paralytic friend before Jesus.

If they had done nothing else, we could still commend these men for their friendship. They had tried. Its not theyre fault, after all, if no one budged so that they could get to Jesus. But these were very good friends, so they hatched a different plan. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Now this had to be an eye opener. Talk about tenacity and effort. Most depictions of the scene show stairways attached to the outside of homes. Even then, it is easily imaginable that carrying their paralyzed friend to the rooftop must have taken quite a bit of effort on their part. And then making an entry through the roof itself big enough to lower their friend through would be no small chore. Sometimes we hear humorous quips about what the owner of the house must have thought about someone tearing a hole in his roof. That certainly must have bothered him. Surely it underscores the significance of the friendship involved, though. These men were even to sacrifice of their own resources to make it right with the owner of the house just so that they could ensure that their friend was seen by Jesus. Just as the good Samaritan used whatever he had to ensure that a beaten stranger was taken care of, so these men used what they had to get their friend in front of Jesus.

In spite of the meaningful example of friendship given to this point, the Biblical narrative moves on to the most important friendship that can be attained. Verse 20 is simple and straightforward: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven. Other versions translate Jesus greeting as man instead of friend. Man is literally more accurate, but the use of friend in some translations captures the meaning conveyed in Jesus greeting. While the crowd around him saw the paralytic as an annoyance, Jesus saw him as his friends did. Jesus wasnt concerned about the hole knocked in the roof; he was concerned about the mans need.

At this point, Jesus gave to him something that no one else could give. Probably no one else was thinking about sins and forgiveness. I believe that we are on safe territory if we say that the paralytics friends worked so hard to get to Jesus so that he could make their friend walk. I think that we are on safe territory if we say that this was on the paralytic mans mind, too. Certainly others in the crowd, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, were focused on the healing that Jesus was doing. It is, after all, clear that other people were healed on that day. Apparently, though, this is the one that stood out. A friend is often that person who is aware of the others need and addresses that even if the other person is not completely aware of it himself or herself. Jesus first healed this mans, his friends, sins.

This was immediately problematic for the Pharisees and teachers of the law in the audience. To their way of thinking, this could mean only one of two things: (1) either Jesus blasphemed; that is, claimed Gods authority by equating himself with God; or (2) Jesus was some kind of con artist setting up the folks so that he could take advantage of them. If the former, then they had the responsibility to expose his sin and, by their law, punish him with death. If the latter, then again they had the responsibility to expose his sin so that they could protect the people from his scam. A third possibility probably did not register with them: that Jesus was God, the Messiah.

Scripture does not record whether they were shocked or not that Jesus knew their thoughts. It seems that it would have caught them off guard. Nevertheless, Jesus ripped into their assumptions and plans. Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Get up and walk?

With this, Jesus proved his friendship with not just a paralytic man, but with all mankind. Of course it was easier to say your sins are forgiven. Who could prove something like that one way or another? To say get up and walk was a different matter. To say it, and then for it to not happen, would demonstrate that Jesus was really powerless - that he was a fake. To say get up and walk put Jesus honor, credibility, and reputation on the line. Thats what he did: I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.

Now then, the reality of the situation was put right back into the laps of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, as it always was. Before issuing his instructions to the paralytic man, Jesus had said to them, But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins Jesus issued a challenge to them and to himself. If I cannot forgive sins, then neither can I cause this man to walk. However, if I have the power and authority to command this man to walk, and he walks, then you also know that my power and authority to forgive sin is every bit as real. Jesus emphasized this with the use of the term Son of Man, a term that only Jesus speaks in the Gospels. The reference, when used generally, is to the Old Testament concept of the human dependency upon God. However, by applying the term to himself as a title, Jesus meant, and it was understood, that he claimed messianic authority. Most simply put, in answer to the thoughts of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus said, Yes, I am God.

Eternal friendship is what Jesus made known here. He put everything about him on the line here. Just like the other friends of the paralytic, Jesus was willing to put his resources into this divine friendship. He put his reputation on the line. If he did not have the power to cause this man to walk, then he had no authority. He put his life on the line, or at least in danger, by openly claiming to do that which only God could do. He was willing to do all of that for the paralytic, his friends, and, ultimately, everyone. Thats quite a friend.

The consequential result, of course, was that the man immediately stood up and walked. He went home praising God. The man was saved! He was brought to Jesus so that he could be made to walk while living on earth, but he was actually made to walk with Jesus in eternity. This is a bond of friendship that will never be captured by the likes of the television version of Friends or any other humanly contrived attempts to define friendship without Jesus. Jesus has come and entered into a divine friendship with all of humanity so that we will not be condemned to live apart from God. Jesus friendship has given us life. Friend, your sins are forgiven.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org