30/03/12

Standing against the authorities of this world

Mark 3:3 - And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.


Anyone who reads about this healing assumes Jesus healed this man with a deformed hand on a Sabbath and thus ignited the anger of the Jewish officials. But the real story is not so simple.

It was Dr. Ron Charles who expounded the details of what happened here. The Greek word 'xeros' translated as 'withered' comes from the root word 'xestes' which means to smoothen. In other places it is the word 'xeraino' which is translated as 'withered' or 'withered away'. In other words 'xeros' was a term used for a mason's hand.

When Dr. Ron went into the history of who that person was and his details, he found records of this man was a mason who had worked on the Jewish temple build by King Herod the first and was one of the many who were punished by the Jewish high priest for working on a Sabbath even though he was commissioned by them for the work (he happened to work not on the actual temple but on the tower which was given to the Romans). It was only when the background was given that I would understand why the need of details of the recordings of this healing in the Gospels.

This man was declared unclean by the Jewish Pharisees. His family too was also not spared; his wife's eyes were gouged out. His child was taken away from him and given to another person. He was not allowed to look into the eyes of any person and speak to them. He was to put a sheet over his head, bend and always look down. He had to beg for his meals on the way that led to the temple. He had been doing this for more than 30 to 40years before this day.

Jesus by healing this man on the Sabbath did not just ignite the anger of the Jewish high priest but went to the extreme by choosing a man who was made an example for all Jews for working on a Sabbath. What Jesus did here, can be equated to a person standing before the St. Peter's Basilica and challenging the Pope before the live world television cameras and putting him to shame. Can one imagine the reaction of all the Catholics.

These days we hear often people use the words 'submit to authority'. They quote scriptures without reference or understanding and then make people follow ones who will lead them to Hell fire instead of God. They first state all authority is put in place by God so they need to stay there, if that was the case then why did Moses drew Israel out of Egypt, for they were put under the rule of the Egyptians by God.

There are 2 types of authorities one worldly - these are put in the category of kings / rulers and then there is the religious authority which come under that category of priests. The first depends if one is under blessing or curse, that one gets a good or bad ruler over them. The second authority is put only by God and not by man and these does not mean any one who calls themselves priest or pastor or bishop or cardinal or even a pope. If one reads in Acts 4 Peter and John defied the high priest Annas and all the top Jewish temple officials because they came between them and God's Kingdom. Jesus too like the Apostles never gave them respect as priests but considered them more as rulers set over the people.

Today too more than half of the Christians are spiritually led by rulers and not priest set by God. If they are really priests set by God they will be dressed in priestly outfits not the one made by material but the spiritual one which Paul describes in his letters.

As warned in the book of Revelation (first letter to the church) this church later did follow and still follows the Nicolaitan's hierarchy structure and not the one which the Lord gives in the Bible. Many people have come out of the early church (not the church set by the Apostles but the one after that) but yet follow the things of the early church including its hierarchy structure.

Let us open our spiritual eyes and not put worldly people as authority over us for we have only one authority over us and that is the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. He alone is the true eternal Priestly King. Only those who are in Him are to lead the spiritually little ones according to the hierarchy set by God.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You showed as man You rejected the authority of worldly man. Even though in your anger You put your people under the yoke of the enemy, yet in your grace You drew them out later to be freed. Lord we pray for your people who are under the yoke of the false church, who have made worldly people are their spiritual leaders. Draw them out of this Egypt by opening their minds like you parted the Red Sea...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Mark 3:1-6
1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Acts 4:5-8;13-20

Revelation 2:1-11
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Matthew 7:29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

1 Timothy 3:1-13
1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;
4 one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless.
11 Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)