Jesus the Restorer

June 8th

Part 14 of Spirit, Soul and Body.

 

JESUS IS THE ONE WHO RESTORES YOU.

 

What is the motive behind everything Jesus is doing? That is His unconditional LOVE. He is not demanding anything before He heals people. Jesus was often asking people: ” What do you want me to do for you?” He is asking the same question to-day. It is also smart for you to ask that question when you counsel a person. Then you know what is expected of you.

 

We can turn to Mark 1:40. There we meet a leper asking Jesus to make him clean. Jesus was moved with compassion and He made him clean. I will draw your attention to the word compassion. We can often read that Jesus was moved with compassion. If the sufferings of others do not move us, we cannot do much for them. It moved Jesus and He both desired to help and He offered help wherever there was a need. Jesus said that He had compassion with the 5000 thousand in the desert and that is why He fed them. He also had compassion with the widow in Nain who lost her only son. His compassion resulted in making the son alive.

 

At the time of Jesus they had special woman weeping when somebody died. The same thing exists in certain countries to-day. Jesus was not too happy about them. He asked them to leave when He raised people from the dead. They were only there to grieve. To-day people can say: ” Oh, I feel so sorry for you.” Sometimes that might be good to hear, but I want people to meet me with the power to heal and the power to restore. I want people to come with solutions into my situation. Jesus never walks by. He is always there with an outstretched hand for you.

 

We see time and time again that Jesus came to women with great sins. We have to remember that women in those days had another position than to-day. Jesus looked at them with different eyes than the rest of the population. He wanted to lift them up to their original dignity. I will give a few examples. We can start with Luke 7:36-50. Jesus visited the Pharisee Simon. In his house there was a woman who anointed the head and the feet of Jesus. She also kissed the feet of Jesus. This woman was living in sin and the others reacted strongly against the fact that Jesus accepted her. Jesus knew who she was and He was willing to forgive her sins and to restore her dignity.

Another woman that Jesus ministered to was the woman from Samaria.(John 4) He met her at the well of Jacob. He shocked the woman since He asks her to give Him something to drink. A Jew should not associate with Samaritans. That shows us that Jesus loves all people and races. They are all created by His father. The story continues by Jesus telling her that she has five men. Then she understood that He is a prophet. Jesus himself reveals to her that He is Christ and He has water to drink that will never make her thirsty again. She got a threefold restoration; as a Samaritan, as a woman and as a sinner.

I will mention one more woman. We can read in John 8 and in the beginning of the chapter.

One day when Jesus sat teaching, some Pharisees came with a woman caught in adultery. They wanted her to be stoned. Jesus said to them: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Jesus also wrote in the sand, and many have wondered what He wrote. Everybody present got a bad conscience and left the place, one by one. When Jesus was left alone with her, He asked her: “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She answered: “No one Lord.” Jesus answered her: “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” Jesus was the only person without sin, but He did not condemn her, but forgave her. It is important to pay attention to the fact that He said that she should not sin any more. Jesus is not taking lightly on the sin, but He loves the sinner.

It is not by coincidence that so many women are mentioned in the Bible. There are countries where woman even to-day can be killed for sexual sin. I once was in a country where a young woman should be killed . A male relative had misused her. I was part of the fact that this girl was saved. It is fantastic that Jesus forgives the women and does not solely put the blame on her. Jesus knows that the woman might be a victim or she is only one part of the sexual sin.

 

Maybe the most known story of restoration in the Bible is found in Luke 15. We read about a father and his two sons. The youngest wanted his share of the inheritance and the father divided it between them. The youngest one took everything with him and left for another country far away. There he lived a very sinful life and he lost everything. In the end it became so bad that he would be willing to eat the left-over from the pigs. Then he came to himself and remembered that the servants of his father were in a much better situation than himself. Then he decided to go home and tell his father: “Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” When the father saw him coming, he felt a great compassion for him and ran towards him. He hugged him and kissed him. He made a great party for him with the best of everything. The father was so happy and he said: “For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. I will not go into the reactions of his bitter brother. The father was full of joy and mercy because his son finally came back. He had been longing for him. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. He is longing for sinners to come back. He is sending out the Holy Spirit and angels in order to get sinners to come back to Him. We read that there is a great joy in Heaven for every sinner who returns to the Father.

 

What kind of attitude do we have towards the prostitute, the alcoholics, the drug-addicts or the young people who look different? Are they welcome to our meetings? Maybe they have to become saved, washed and get new clothes before they come to us? I need to ask myself this question as well as you. We are saying that we can come to Jesus just as we are. Do we mean that? In Rom. 5:8 we read that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

I Matt. 9 we read about a meeting between Jesus and the tax-collector Matthew. Tax-collectors and sinners were not accepted by the Pharisees. They asked the disciples why Jesus was eating together with the tax-collectors and the sinners. Jesus who heard the question answered: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

It might be easier for one who has lived a life in debauchery to see his own sin, but that does not mean that self-righteousness is less sinful. It says in 1.Pet.5:5 that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

God restores our spirit, but also our soul and body. He wants us to be well and He wants us to function in all areas of life. He also restores relationships. There are certain relationships that have to be broken, but all Godly relationships can be restored. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

JESUS MEETS US WITH LOVE AND MERCY AND GIVES US OUR DIGNITY BACK!!!!!!!

Mother Else