MPC, 24th August 2003.Matthew 8:18-9:34 "Something is Terribly Wrong"
Phil Campbell MPC, 24th August 2003.
Walk around the part of South Australia with the postcode 5724 and you might not notice it at first. But if you watched the documentary on SBS a couple of weeks ago, you'll know it's a place where something is terribly wrong. This is the sort of place you really wouldn't want to visit. A place littered with desolate mines. With toxic waste dumps. And the leftover effects of atomic testing in the 1950s.
Maralinga is the same. It wasn't obvious at first. But if you were to visit Maralinga and listen, you'd hear more and more disturbing stories of Aboriginal owners of the land suffering from blindness. And sores. And a high cancer rate. And it was only when the clues were put together in the last few years that the truth came out. That the atomic tests at Maralinga in 1956 and 1957 had terrible long term consequences.
And they hadn't been warned. The boundaries of the testing range weren't even fenced. Warning signs were in English, which the local Aboriginals couldn't read. Fallout from the ground blasts left radioactive contamination right through the Australian interior. Fallout reached as far as Adelaide and Melbourne. Some places are still radioactive; there's still 20 kilos of plutonium spread round the landscape. They've calculated the cost of cleaning up Maralinga would be around $600 million dollars. And even after the clean-up, some areas would still be dangerously radioactive for a quarter of a million years.
And so you look around Maralinga, and you say, something is terribly wrong.
Follow Jesus around Israel 2000 years ago, and you'd get exactly the same suspicion. And underlying sense that in spite of all the progress, in spite of the beautiful temple that had been rebuilt by Rome, in spite of a business-as-usual sort of attitude, underneath it all, there's still something terribly wrong.
And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it is.
The aboriginals in Maralinga had no warning. No safety fence. No warning signs in their own language.
But with Israel, it was different. Israel had a warning. It was a warning spelled out clearly by Moses... at the beginning of their history. That if they turned away from their God in the promised land, there'd be consequences. That if they wanted to live under his protection, if they wanted to live under his blessing, if they wanted to enjoy life in the promised land, they'd live with God as their God. And in submission to his law. Otherwise, they'd be thrown out. And be subject to all the sufferings of a fallen world.
That's how it worked. God says I've chosen you to be my people. To live in a land of milk and honey. To be especially blessed. He said, in Israel your flocks will prosper, your families will prosper. You'll be my special treasure. But if you turn away from me to serve the idols of the people around you... there'll be consequences. You'll be thrown out of the land. You'll be exiled. You'll live under foreign rule.
And it's all spelled out in passages early in the Bible like Deuteronomy 28. Terrible warnings. Of the terrible consequences. If Israel turns from their God.
Now I don't imagine you can read what's on the screen behind me. But it's a slice of the passage I'm talking about. Deuteronomy 28. Moses. Warning Israel of the consequences. If they ignore the Lord their God. There's a barbed wire fence. With a warning sign. In words they can clearly understand. Ignore the Lord your God who's bringing you into the promised land, and he says the fruit of your womb will be cursed. You'll lose your kids. The Lord will plague you with diseases. With fevers and inflamation. There'll be madness, there'll be blindness, the foreigner who lives among you will rise above you and put an iron yoke on your neck. There'll be lingering illnesses. And you'll have no place to rest.
A blunt warning. In plain words. Which they completely ignored.
And so follow Jesus around Israel generations later, and you can see the consequences. Exactly as you'd expect. And instead of Israel being sheltered from the suffering of the rest of the world, instead of living under blessing, they've copped the lot.
You can pick them off from the menu. Chapter 8 verse 1 to 4. We were there last week. Skin diseases. Verses 5 to 8. Moses says, the alien in your midst, the foreigner, will rise above you. The Centurion. A reminder of Roman rule. Verse 14. Peter's mother-in-law. With a fever. Demon possession in verse 28. Verse 18; a dead daughter. And verse 20; Moses said there'll be lingering illnesses - she's been subject to bleeding, says chapter 9 verse 20, for 12 years. And verse 27. Two blind men. As a further sign that here in Israel, something is terribly wrong. Because it's a nation under curse. For rejecting the Lord their God. They've been in exile in Babylon. They've re-settled back in the promised land. But their hearts are still far away from God.
And as Jesus moves around in the midst of the devastation, you'll notice... you'd have to have rocks in your head to miss it... that he's the one... who can reverse the curse. And make things clean. That he's the one ... who can bring forgiveness of sin. And a whole new beginning.
Step by step, the signs of curse are turned around.
An Israel with skin diseases and fevers. Taken away with a touch.
An Israel under the authority of the Roman army. But here's a centurion begging for help from Jesus.
An Israel with that woman bleeding 12 years. Watch what happens. 9 verse 20 and 21. Jesus is on his way to raise a dead girl. Just then a woman who's been subject to bleeding 12 years comes up behind him and touches the edge of his cloak. She's saying to herself, if only I can touch his cloak I'll be healed.
And nothing else she's tried has worked.
Verse 22. Jesus turns. And sees her. And he says, "Take heart daughter. Your faith has healed you." And from that moment, she's healed. In the same way in the next three verses as this little girl, who's lying dead... is raised. In the same way the two blind men who are calling out have mercy on us son of david... can see.
Because here's the one who's come point by point reversing the curses on Israel. In ways too wonderful to even get your mind around. I mean, no wonder word spreads. Before he raises that girl who's dead, the crowds laugh at the thought when he says, she's only sleeping. They mock him. As if he's mad. But by verse 26, news about him is spreading like wildfire. And why wouldn't it?
But by this point, if you were there, I imagine you'd be starting to ask some serious questions. Like, this is terrific, but what does he want from us? Like, what's the hidden agenda? Of Jesus? I mean, what's the deal? And what's he really on about?
And it's important in the midst of all the healings and the miracles and the drama that we have a careful look at what Jesus is saying. To an israel under curse for their rebellion against God.
And you can see what he's about in three key conversations. Starting with the words he says to the paralytic guy in chapter 9. Follow it with me.
He's just crossed the lake and he's back home. And verse 2, a group of guys bring him a paralysed friend on a mat. Full of hope that Jesus can do something. Full of confidence that he will.
And Jesus sees their faith. And he does do something. "Take heart, son... your sins are forgiven."
Can you see, the whole reason Israel's in the mess they're in; the whole reason they're under the curse of God, the whole reason that the nation that was meant to be the people of God is a nation full of blindness and death and suffering and oppression - it's because of their history of rebellion against their God.
And Jesus says, take heart. You've come to me in faith. Which is all you need to do. To have your sins forgiven.
Now in that, you've got the essence of exactly what Jesus is on about. That here is the one promised by the prophet Isaiah... who would take up their infirmities. Who would carry their diseases. Who would be wounded and bruised and crucified... to take the penalty of sin on himself.
So no wonder he's entitled to say your sins are forgiven.
And yet all the teachers of the law can say is, "He's blaspheming" to say that. Who does he think he is. Forgiving sins.
And so those next few verses, Jesus demonstrates his authority to deal with sins... by dealing with the paralysis. And he says in verse 6, get up. Take your mat. Go home. And he does.
Can you see, it's not as if Jesus is just sprinkling sparkle dust around. It's not as if he's just like that Doctor Patch Adams who'd go around hospital wards cheering people up a bit. He's here to address Israel's real problem. And to call for a response.
He's a doctor alright. But he's going to the heart of the problem. And he's calling for a response.
Pick up in verses 9 to 13. Where again, he's under attack. Because he's mixing with all the wrong people.
Here's Matthew himself. Who I take it is the same Matthew who goes on to write this gospel. Chapter 9 verse 9. And he's a tax collector. Which means he's a Jew working for the Roman occupying forces. Taxing his fellow Jews on behalf of the Romans. Skimming a healthy percentage for himself.
And Jesus walks by the tax collectors booth, and he says follow me. And without even reconciling the books, Matthew, verse 9, gets up and follows. And in verse 10, Jesus is having dinner in his house with all his colleagues. Many tax collectors. And all sorts of other sinners are partying with Jesus and his disciples.
Which to the Pharisees, is the ultimate in bad taste. They draw the disciples aside, they say, what's he doing? Eating with tax collectors and sleazy sinners like that?
Which Jesus says to them, is like asking a doctor why he's hanging around the hospital all the time. This is who I've come for, he says. I'm here in the triage area. This is where the action is. He says in verse 12, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." And it's interesting, the rest of the chapter he's been dealing with people who are literally sick. But that's not who he's talking about. He's talking about sinners. And instead of shunning them and avoiding them like the Pharisees do, Jesus is right in amongst it.
And verse 13, gives what I suggested last week is that one sentence summary of the sermon on the mount, a one sentence summary of what it is that's so wrong with Israel. They've got all the religion in the world, the temple, the sacrifices, the rituals... but not even a glimmer of mercy for sinners. Or anyone else who doesn't meet their measure. Go and learn what this means, says Jesus. I desire mercy. Not sacrifice.
Which is a quotation, you'll notice, from Hosea chapter 6 back in the old testament. Hosea the prophet. And it's worth turning back to take a look in context at what Hosea was saying. Words the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law would have known full well.
Hosea said this. From chapter 6 verse 1:
Come, let us return to the lord.
He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us;
he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
An Israel suffering the consequences of their rebellion. But now here he is in person. Healing. And binding up. The wounds of his people.
Which Hosea says is what's going to happen. That God himself is going to revive and restore his people. Verse 3. As sure as the sun rises. as sure as the spring rains that come after the winter.
And yet, says Hosea, the tribes of Israel, their love is like the morning mist. So the prophets time after time have sliced them with their words. With no response. For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice... verse 6. And acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Which is exactly what Israel wouldn't do. And so if you keep running your eye down the page, Hosea says in verse 11, there'll be a judgement. There'll be a harvest.
And God says, "Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people," chapter 7 verse 1, "whenever I would heal Israel, their sins, they're just exposed all the more."
And verse 10, 10 Israel's arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.
Now it's interesting, isn't it? We do it. We can quote one part of a proverb or a well known saying, and you can kind of assume everyone knows the rest. Well, you know what they say about people who live in glass houses, don't you? By which you're saying to someone, Well, who do you think you are to criticise.
Which is what Jesus is doing. When he quotes that single verse. Go and think about it, he says. Go look it up. "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Go read the rest of Hosea. Who says even when the lord comes to heal his people... he finds sin and pride. Instead of a humble repentance.
Which is exactly where it's heading.
And while there are some who marvel at him... while there are some who have faith... have a look what the pharisees are saying about him by the time you get to verse 34 in Matthew chapter 9. Here he is, he's just given sight to the blind, he's just driven out a demon and a mute can speak.
But the pharisees say, verse 34... it's by the prince of demons ... that he drives out demons.
You know, my mate Dave back when I was at Uni, he used to say to me, if Jesus is so important, Why doesn't he give me a sign?
Which when you think about it is an incredibly self centred thing to say to the ruler of the universe. But apart from that, you've got to ask, what if he did? For the Pharisees, all the signs in the world weren't enough to change their hearts.
Here's Jesus their saviour, bringing a spiritual springtime. Bringing the offer of the ultimate clean up. Bringing forgiveness of sins. And they say, "you're blaspheming" or "you're mixing with the wrong kind of people." Or, "He can only drive out demons because he's working for the devil."
Here in Matthew, we're reading the story of a time and a place where something is terribly wrong. Of the time and the place where God in the person of his son steps in to call his people israel to repent and be restored to what they should be. And while there are some who have faith, and while there are some who follow and make up the start of something new... the official answer is, who do you think you are?
In the midst of it all, though, a new thing is starting. When Jesus says in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 9 that you don't sew a new patch on an old shirt and you don't pour your new wine into dry old skins, that's what he's getting at. Time for something new. Which won't include the Israel of hard hearts. But will include room for anyone... hungry for righteousness. Thirsty for sins forgiven. And as we keep reading and see Jesus going to the cross, and ultimately raised... there's a reminder that the curse of sin and death that affect us all... are ultimately tamed. And we can look forward to a final restoration. In the Kingdom of Heaven.
And it may be for you in your heart you know the place you would have been in the story is counted among the tax collectors and sinners who Jesus hung around with. And maybe you can take heart from that. That he didn't come for the sort of self righteous, self satisfied, self made religious types you might feel have always looked down at you. But he came for self confessed sinners. Who are hungry for mercy. And maybe that includes you.
So as we keep reading over these next few weeks, let's make it our prayer that God will keep opening our eyes... to the great news it is. That the one who desires mercy and not sacrifice... delights in having mercy... on people like me and you.