At His Feet

The Paralyzed man.

God, please lead this devotion. Don't let me speak – we need You to speak. God, please use these words to change my heart and someone else's heart as well. Help us to love the way You love, God, and thank You that You never give up on us or turn from us. You are faithful and want to do big things through us. Give us the faith to believe for things that You place in our hearts – things that feel its bigger than us. In Jesus name, amen.

The man with the paralyzed.

It's interesting how when we look at people, we don't actually see them. We see their paralyzed or the disabled parts of them. We look at what is wrong with them and yet...we don't do anything to help. I remember when I was in high school – I would get irritated with people when someone disabled came by or had an attack per say and everyone would just stare. They would stop what they were doing and just gawk at the person. One vivid memory I had was being in the lunchroom with some friends. Over on the other side, a girl had a seizure.

The adults rushed to help her and the ambulance came but it unnerved me how everyone just stood around (even so much as getting off their seats) and just watched the girl have an attack. I probably shouldn't have gotten mad because, really, what could we do, but it didn't seem right. Probably because I thought that once that girl leaves, everyone would talk about her – kids did that whenever my uncle got sick.

However, ignoring them doesn't help either.

In Matthew 12:9-14 Jesus walked into a synagogue where people came to hear him and the pharisees where there to seek an opportunity to trap him. In comes a man with a paralyzed hand. The bible doesn't say what happened or if he was born like that. It just says that a man with a paralyzed hand appeared. Curious, the people asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? They were seeking to accuse Jesus for breaking the law.

In another gospel, 'the people' are the pharisees who got mad because Jesus healed the man. They didn't like their traditions being broken – it made them feel disrespected. The pharisees did everything to keep things a certain way – to the point they neglected people.

Jesus is different. He sees all our dysfunctions and disabilities, yet, he never just gawks at us to make us feel like freaks and he doesn't ignore us like the pharisees did because we're messed up. Jesus does something that goes against logic and tradition...

He asks the people if their "sheep fell into a ditch on the sabbath, wouldn't they take hold of it and pull it out?" then he says, "How much more is a human being worth than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on Sabbath days." Then, turning to the disabled man, Jesus (the God of the universe) has the man hold out his hand and when he did, Jesus healed him. The crippled hand became normal, as if it wasn't paralyzed at all!

I use to wonder why Jesus would call out certain people to stand in front of everyone with their flaws? As I read this, it's becoming clear to me that Jesus wasn't pointing the man out to embarrass him but to show the 'wise' and overruling pharisees just how in the dark they are. It reminds me of the scripture saying "God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise." Confound means to stun or defeat something. So you see, God uses the weak things in this world or the small things of this world – things or people who others point at laugh at – to actually defeat those who are considered 'wise' in the world.

God takes our dysfunctions and uses it to display His glory. Our paralyzed hands become a testimony to share with others in order to show them that Jesus came heal them too and love them.

I also noticed that in verse 12:11-12, Jesus compares us to sheep again. When they people asked him if it is lawful to let a hurting person in the church, Jesus asks them if their sheep fell in a ditch on the sabbath (it was the Sabbath that day, sorry.) then wouldn't the people pull the sheep out?

That's what Jesus does to us. He's the good shepherd who would leave the 99 sheep in order to bring back the 1 sheep that got lost. And if we fall and 'religious' people won't help, Jesus would get down on the dirt and reach for us when we're stuck in the ditch.

I seen Jesus help me many times. In my life, fear and anger held me for too long and I got use to it. Being in the ditch was what I knew...didn't like being alone or walled off...it was hard to feel loved, but then Jesus came and like they were string, he broke off anger and fear. He did that when I first believed and then later I found myself in the ditch again, yet Jesus didn't leave me, He loved me through it again and lifted me out of that ditch once more.

Yesterday was a restart and my God is faithful. Giving your life to Christ is the best decision you can make. Please go to him – for salvation and life. It's worth it.

Jesus, please save and bless whoever reads this. I pray God that Your truth would change them and break off any chains that are paralyzing them. Give them strength God to believe You at Your word, and thank You for leading us to this chapter and speaking to us. In Jesus name, amen.