The five readings this week highlight Jesus’ power to heal the sick. We’ll read how Jesus enabled a blind man to see, caused a paralysed man to walk, restored a demon possessed man, cured a woman with an incurable bleeding problem and brought two dead people back to life.
The Bible tells us that ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). So if Jesus had the ability and want to do these things then, He will also reveal His glory and help people put faith in Him today.
Day 61’s reading is John 9, Jesus heals a man who had been born blind.
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Essential Jesus Day 61: An itinerant preacher from Galilee named Jesus sparked controversy earlier today. According to eyewitnesses, Jesus and his entourage met a man who was blind from birth as they walked on the main road near Jerusalem. After a brief dialogue, Jesus put mud on the man’s eyes, told him to wash in a local pond and the man’s eyesight was restored. Religious leaders have challenged the validity of the ‘healing’ and have launched their own investigation.
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From Essential Jesus Day 61, Why is it so difficult for some to accept the fact that Jesus heals people? The Pharisees were more concerned about defending a set of picky religious rules than they were about experiencing God. When told about the healing, they condemned it on a technicality (John 9v16). If we ever let good things like our church traditions or our theological positions get in the way of our passion for meeting God then something is off track.
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From Essential Jesus Day 61, The blind man was the only one who saw the light!
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From Essential Jesus Day 61, Lord, give me the courage to be a bolder witness for you, like the man who was born blind.
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Essential Jesus: The most basic thing we learn is that Jesus had compassion for people; He wasn’t too busy or important to help people overcome their problems.
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Essential Jesus: As you read through the healings one by one, try to imagine that you are there. Perhaps you could be the person receiving the healing or one of the disciples, or even a person in the crowd. What would you have felt and said and done? Try to step into the story so you can experience the healing ministry of Jesus for yourself.
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‘Step into’ the story. Picture yourself there. Find the Lord in the story. What is He doing? What is He saying? Draw near to Him. Ask him what He wants you to know about the story. Ask Him to encounter you however He would like to in that setting.
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Day 62 is Luke 5:17-26, Jesus forgives and heals a paralysed man.
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v26: “Today we have seen amazing things!”
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From Essential Jesus Day 62, Spend a few minutes talking to God about any circumstances in your life that paralyse you – physically, emotionally or spiritually…
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From Essential Jesus Day 62, Spend a few moments asking Jesus to restore those areas of your life that need spiritual or physical healing. End with a time of praise.
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From Essential Jesus Day 62, It took guts and creativity to lower the man on the stretcher through the roof. It also took faith, as Jesus pointed out (v 20). It’s significant that Jesus healed the man because of ‘their faith’. Sometimes God intervenes in the lives of people based on the faith of those around them. It’s a reality that should energise our prayer and service for others.
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From Essential Jesus Day 62, How could you take a step of faith in Jesus’ power on behalf of someone close to you?
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Why do you think some people are skeptical about the healing power of Jesus? What’s your opinion about the possibility of healing today?
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Have you or someone close to you ever experienced what you would consider a miraculous healing? What happened?
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Have you prayed and not been healed? How has that affected your faith in Jesus?
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Day 63’s reading is Mark 5:1-20.
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Mark 5 v15: They came to Jesus and saw the man who used to have the many evil spirits, sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were frightened.
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Mark 5 vv29, 20: “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man left and began to tell the people in the Ten Towns about what Jesus had done for him.
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Essential Jesus Day 63: The reality of demon possession is difficult for modern minds to accept. It has become a popular plot line for horror films. It’s also a comic device: the cartoon image of a red-tailed ‘alter ego’ sitting on someone’s shoulder whispering devious thoughts of revenge always gets a laugh. But actual demon possession? That doesn’t happen today, right?
Yet, from beginning to end, the Bible teaches that the devil is real, and that he’s hell-bent on opposing God and destroying people.
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Essential Jesus Day 63: The devil had been at work in this poor man’s life for a long time, torturing his mind and body, and in the process alienating the man from himself and from society.
But Jesus stepped in:
Jesus took control of the situation and of the demons themselves (5:6-8). Clearly, Jesus was the higher power.
Jesus dealt with the demons once and for all (5:11-13), something the townspeople had never been able to do (5:4).
Jesus restored the man and gave him a renewed purpose in life (5:18-20). Often those with the darkest pasts become the most effective witnesses for God.
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From Essential Jesus Day 63: But this passage also contains two great ironies:
The demons knew who Jesus really was. They almost sound like theologians: ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?'(5:7).
The townspeople were afraid instead of rejoicing. They pleaded with Jesus to leave. Maybe they thought Jesus was out to ruin their economy, 2000 pigs represented a lot of money. Or maybe they were nervous he’d come after the skeletons in their closets next. Whatever the reason, they pushed Jesus out of their lives.
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From Essential Jesus Day 63: Is there a skeleton lurking in the closet of your heart?
What will it take for you to bring this issue ‘into the light’, to Jesus?
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From Essential Jesus Day 63: Pray about any unresolved issues in your past that need healing.
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Mark 5:21-43 is the Essential Jesus reading for Day 64.
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Mark 5 vv27-9: When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his coat. She thought, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease.
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Essential Jesus Day 64 describes this passage as a very private healing and a very public healing.
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v39: The child is not dead, only asleep.
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From Essential Jesus Day 64: A common element in both of these healings is the way the unnamed woman and Jairus approached Jesus. They fell at His feet. (5:22,33). The surest way to experience Jesus’ healing power is to reach out humbly to Him and then wait for him to respond in His way.
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From Essential Jesus Day 64: Have you ever needed to take desperate measures or ignore what others think to exercise faith? What happened?
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From Essential Jesus Day 64: Bring to God in prayer the area of your life where you feel the greatest sense of desperation.
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Reading for Day 65: John 11:1-45.
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vv25, 26: I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
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vv43, 44: Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with pieces of cloth, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go.”
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From Essential Jesus Day 65: Are you able to use Martha’s words as your prayer? ‘Yes, Lord… I believe You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.’
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vv9, 10: Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by this world’s light. But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because there is no light to help him see.
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