Luke 4

Luke 4 ends with a couple important things happening.  The first that jumped out at me was Jesus teaching.  Scripture says those in the room were “surprised and impressed”.  Tells me He didn’t necessarily look like a teacher and wasn’t carrying an aire about Him – He was just an ordinary man.  But scripture goes on to list the traits of His teaching:

1.       forthright

2.       confident

3.       authoritative

4.       not quibbling

5.       not quoting

Jesus knew His stuff.  And He taught it clearly and directly.  Some good directive for the preachers on our list. The second thing that happens is the familiar story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law.  She had a high fever and they asked Jesus to heal her.  Lesson here is we need to ask.  We serve the same Lord – He does heal today – we need to ask.  Sometimes we miss that part and think that He already knows so and so is ill so I’m not going to take time to pray about it.  Bad answer folks.  We need to ask.  But look how Jesus heals: “He stood over her, told the fever to leave–and it left”.  Simply, personally and effectively.  No fanfare of drawn out process here.  God spoke the entire universe into existence in Genensis 1.  It really isn’t a stretch for Him to heal by saying a word.  But as I read a little further these verses screamed at me: “One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them”.  Jesus had just healed Peter’s mom in law and now everyone who had heard He was there brought someone for Him to heal.  The thing that strikes me is that Jesus didn’t do a mass prayer and just get on with it.  He didn’t do a big production and line everyone up and set them all free at once.  “One by one” is how Jesus deals with us guys.  He is all about a PERSONAL relationship.  We miss that sometimes.  We go to church and sit along side dozens or hundreds of others and forget that the Christian life starts with me and Jesus.  That personal relationship is wrapped by the body of Christ which includes the rest of you, but the foundation of faith is me and Jesus.  He wants to “place hands” on my life.  He does place His hands all over my life every day.  Problem is that I am often too busy or miss His touch.  We have to get focused on that personal relationship.  We have got to really get up close to Him.  That is when we can be effective in discipling others – when Jesus is touching us “one by one”.  Are you personal in the way you walk with Him?