Proclaim and Heal

This morning I was reminded of a reflection I started a few days ago.  I felt led to read from Luke 9.  I love when I can spend time in the Gospels, for when we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:9).  This morning I am once again cognizant of Jesus' primary message.  Here are the verses I am reflecting upon today - Luke 9:1-6,10-11 NIV:

[1] "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. [3] He told them: “Take nothing for the journey---no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. [4] Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. [5] If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” [6] So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere." 

[10] "When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, [11] but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing."

The two things that stand out to me are the proclamation and theme of Jesus' teaching, and charge to the Apostles is "The Kingdom of God", followed by healing.  In fact as I was reading through these verses, I found myself wondering what all Jesus spoke on when He spoke about the Kingdom of God, for he spoke about it many times?  We have many of His parables that describe what the Kingdom of God is like, but I was wondering if that is what He spoke about all day?  I guess I need to once again spend some time reflecting on all his Kingdom parables, just to revitalize His teachings in my life.

Secondly, His charge to the Apostles was very clear, "proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. (Luke 9:2)"  It is that simple and if that is the charge, or command, then one must believe that the authority and power to do both was included. We find the results reported in verse 6, and indeed the Apostles proclaimed the Kingdom and healed people everywhere! 

This just always make me wonder why this is not the message most every Sunday in every church?  This was Jesus' primary message!  He proclaimed the Kingdom and then demonstrated its reality by healing the sick, so those healings must have been one of the major indicators of the Kingdom of God present.  

If you search for, "the kingdom of God is like" in my Bible application, you will find 10 parables in Matthew's Gospel.  Here are two from Luke's Gospel - Luke 13:18-21 NIV:

[18] "Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? [19] It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” [20] Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? [21] It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

I have written a few times about these parables and they clearly describe expansion, starting from a very small start.  When I imagine Jesus' ministry impact, I imagine that is was a sort of nuclear explosion of sorts.  When one person is significantly healed, others find out about it and bring other sick people.  We see the impact of His ministry  (and the apostles) in the next verses, for 5000 men (verse 14) gathered to hear Him speak. 

What is amazing to me is that Jesus is laying the foundation of the Kingdom, personal lives impacted and changed.  I am sure there were many who thought He was building some sort of power base among the people in His push towards the throne. Except He wasn't doing that, He was ministering to the masses because He loved them and had compassion on them.  His ministry was not one of selfish focus, but rather one of service.  His motivation was not to create an earthly Kingdom, but rather to expand the dominion of the Father through sons and daughters.  

In the same way that spent most of my life as an employee, earning money that was used to support my wife and children, not my own glory, Jesus' ministry wasn't about Him, it was for everyone else.  He didn't minister for what He could get, but rather for what He gave!  He didn't work to gain popularity or political power, both of which He rejected (see Luke 4:1-13 and John 7:1-8).

As I reflect back on these thoughts this morning, I am reminded of the central importance of the Kingdom of God, and Healing as a sign of that kingdom present.  Jesus was constantly about expanding the Kingdom, and explaining the Kingdom.  He was gathering sons and daughters, those who would represent Him accordingly.  His invitation and charge to us is to do what the apostles did, to announce the Kingdom and to demonstrate the Kingdom.  We are to bring nothing, other that our faith in Him!  We don't need flashy services, or powerpoint presentations, we need His authority and power and a real understanding of the Kingdom, and our role in this Kingdom.  We need Him, present in our midst!

Oh Lord, help us to draw ourselves back to the centrality of Your message, The Kingdom of God!  Help us to learn to walk in humility, in Your authority and power, replicating Your ministry to the masses.   Oh that we would embrace Your heart - John 4:34-35 NIV: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. [35] Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

Amen and Amen!