LifeWay Bible Studies for Life Series for September 13: The people Jesus knows

I asked my Christian ethics students to write a description of an unsaved person they were trying to win to Christ. Later in the semester, they were to write what happened in the relationship. One young lady asked me one day, “Where do I find a lost person? Here at the seminary, everyone is a believer?

I suggested to her, “Take your clothes to the washateria on Hemphill Street. Talk to people while your clothes are washing. See if you don’t find some unsaved folks.”

Too often Christians remain in the company of only their Christian friends and fail to make contact with the unsaved—especially those who are not like them. Jesus did not live in this manner. Jesus interacted with all kinds of people and showed love and compassion to all of them. Because of these relationships, the religious leaders often criticized Jesus. Jesus’ efforts to reach all kinds of people are models for our mission and our lives. Every believer should interact with all kinds of people in a Christ-like way.

Take care of all who are hurting (Mark 2:3-12)

One way of interacting with people is meeting their needs. Mark related the account of the friends who lowered a paralytic through the roof into the presence of Jesus. Seeing the man was suffering, Jesus began by saying, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

All sickness is not the direct result of sin, but Jesus knew this man’s problems were more sinfulness than physical weakness.  In forgiving the man’s sins, however, Jesus was claiming to be God as only God can forgive sin.

The scribes jumped on the fact that Jesus had claimed to have forgiven sin. To their minds, this claim constituted blasphemy and carried a death penalty.

Jesus understood their thoughts (another evidence of his deity) and asked the pointed question: Which is easier, forgiving this man’s sin or telling him to take his mat and go home? To show he was indeed the Messiah, Jesus said he had healed the paralytic so people would know he had the authority to forgive sin. Jesus even claimed to be Messiah by describing himself as “Son of Man” which was a Messianic title.

Forgiveness is the ultimate miracle. Forgiveness answers the greatest needs, demands the highest price, provides the most wonderful blessings and bestows the most lasting rewards.

Jesus healed the man because he needed to be forgiven and relieved. Today, we must seek out the suffering people and find ways to reveal God’s love for them by meeting their needs in the name of God.

Make friends with the unsaved (Mark 2:15-17)

Jesus never confined his presence and influence to only a small inner circle of people. Jesus reached out to people ordinarily disdained by Jewish people. Chief among those despised people were the tax collectors, often called sinners. These men, who worked for Herod Antipas, were known as dishonest and oppressors of the people.

Jesus attended a meal with such people showing his concern for them. When the scribes of the Pharisees, that is, the members of the Pharisees who were trained teachers, criticized Jesus for associating with sinners, he answered with a Greek proverb saying the sick, not the well, need a physician.

In this exchange, Jesus indicated he had come to the needy and the outcasts. They required his ministry. He is the great physician who meets needs and saves the needy.

Christians today should follow the Master’s example. We go to the lost and unchurched to share with them the good news. We make friends with the outcasts in order to use these relationships to teach them about Jesus.

Deal with those who follow tradition rather than Christ (Mark 2:23-28)

The Jewish leaders denounced Jesus because of his association with different kinds of people and because he and his disciples did not keep all the religious traditions. Jesus never taught anyone to break the laws of God but showed that traditions of men were less important than God’s laws. The Pharisees criticized the disciples for picking and eating grain on the Sabbath. The Jews in Jesus’ days had more than 1,500 rules for Sabbath observance.

Jesus reminded the Jewish leaders of the act of Abiathar, the high priest who was Ahimilech’s son. In 1 Samuel 22:20, the Bible says Abimelech, not Abiathar, gave the bread to David. No error exists here. Possibly, father and son had the same name or Jesus may have only indicated the place in the Old Testament that related to the event. The priest gave the Bread of the Presence to David and his men. This bread was consecrated for the use of the priests (Leviticus 24:7-9). Significantly, this bread was given to David who also was one of God’s anointed.

Jesus indicated the Sabbath was made for the welfare of humans; humans were not made to keep rules about the Sabbath. Man-made traditions do not satisfy God’s desires for humans. Jesus declared himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. The important matter is fulfilling the will of God and meeting the needs of people not keeping men’s regulations.

Christians today should be certain they are responding to the call of God rather than just meeting the demands of humans. Traditions often are contrary to the commands of God. Like the apostles, we today must obey God rather than men.