Men As Christ
Where Iron Sharpens Iron / Proverbs 27:17
The Greatest Showman
Mark 7:31-37
Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
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Some of you may have recently seen the movie, “The Greatest Showman” where Hugh Jackman plays P. T. Barnum via a musical genre to celebrate the birth of show business. The movie tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Jesus came to save through His redemptive love and, for three years, He sure did put on a “Show” for those around Him. Jesus is often quoted and/or reflected in the Bible as acknowledging that He’s performing His Miracles for the sake of others. Did He really have to put His finger in a deaf man’s ear while spitting and touching His own tongue and then crying out to Heaven. Maybe. But, Jesus came down from His throne to put on a show for all of us. Because He loves us that much. He could have remained in Heaven on His Throne at the right hand of the Father. When He did come, He could have just performed the Miracles without actually doing anything external for others to witness. He didn’t need to walk on the water to the Apostles’ boat. He didn’t need to rebuke demons openly. But, again, we needed that – and, still do. Many times, I hear folks talk about needing a sign from God…from Heaven. If we look hard enough, we see signs all around us from God – in nature, our bodies, our technology, our love, etc. You don’t have to look too far to see the Awesome Signs and Wonders that God continues to “perform” for us each and every moment of each and every day. When Jesus gave up His Spirit to God at Calvary, I think it might have been His greatest performance; concluding with the lunar eclipse (and the blood red moon) and the corresponding global earthquake. While some folks will say that it was just a tale, others would disagree. Thallus, a historian in 52 A.D., recorded an eclipse of the sun at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Tertullian, a Roman, said that it was a cosmic world event. Phlegon, a Greek, wrote in 137 A.D. that it happened in the 4th year of the 202nd olympiad (in other words in 33 A.D.). He said, “It became night on the 6th hour of the day (Noon) and there was a great earthquake in Bithynia and things were overturned in Nicea.” This was the true “shot heard ‘round the world” that will live on into Eternity. So, if you’re seeking or wanting signs today, you’re in a good place. You’re “looking” and God is always quick to reward that in His own way. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8. Let us always Seek Him.
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